Search

In late December 2019, a novel coronavirus, COVID −19 originated in Wuhan city of China, and significant improvement in not only the air quality but also the water quality. Therefore, the current study demonstrates the changes in water quality parameters of the Ghaggar river, Punjab, India. The variations in the water quality of the Ghaggar river have been examined during the pre-, during, and post-pandemic periods. The maximum temperature of the Ghaggar river for all monitoring stations was between 28 to 37°C during the pandemic period, whereas the maximum dissolved oxygen value varied from 3 to 7 mg/L. The maximum pH obtained from the monitoring stations was reported to be 7.7 to 8.0, except chhatbir monitoring station (7.6). The maximum biochemical oxygen demand for all monitoring stations was found to be between 18–53 mg/L. Strong positive correlations were observed between total coliform and fecal coliform for pre (0.76) and during (0.89) the pandemic periods. Similar significant positive correlations were recorded between BOD and conductivity for pre (0.75) and during (0.58) pandemic periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 was detected in Wuhan province of china. Within a year, the vaccine development process accelerated and emergency approval was rolled out for vaccines. Covishield, an adenovirus vector-based vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, was granted emergency use approval by the subject expert committee under Drug Controller General of India in India in the month of January. Numerous adverse effects are still under study following vaccination. Among them, a very rare complication reported is Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). The relation between coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccine and GBS is still not clear. Here, we present a case of a 32-year-old female with no comorbidities, presented with complaints of bilateral weakness in lower limbs which gradually progressed to upper limbs along with bilateral facial palsy. She had taken her first shot of Covishield vaccine last month. She has no risk factors for GBS, which suggests that it was caused by the vaccine. She was admitted to intensive care unit for further management. This report might help physicians to be more vigilant in evaluating GBS cases especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 has mutated rapidly since its first case report in Wuhan, China, leading to the emergence of an indefinite number of variants. India has witnessed three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country saw its first wave of SARS-CoV-2 illness from late January 2020 to February 2021. With a peak surge of cases in midSeptember 2020, India recorded more than 11 million cases and a death toll of more than 0.165 million at this time. India faced a brutal second wave driven by the emergence of highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.617.2 (Delta variant) and the third wave with the leading cause of BA.2 (Omicron variant), which has led to an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases in the country. On September 14, 2022, India recorded a cumulative 44.51 million cases of COVID-19 with more than 0.528 million deaths. The discovery of common circulating mutants is facilitated by genome sequencing. The changes in the Spike surface glycoprotein recombinant binding domains served as the critical alterations, resulting in enhanced infectivity and transmissibility, with severe clinical effects. Further, the predominant mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein; the D614G strains served as a model for vaccine development. The mutation of the Wuhan strain to the Variant of Concern led to a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections. In addition, there was a shift in the age group affected by SARS-CoV-2 variant infection. The current review summarized the COVID-19 pandemic's Variant of Concern and the advent of SARSCoV-2 in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that first appeared in Wuhan city and then globally. The COVID-19 pandemic exudes public health and socio-economic burden globally. Mathematical modeling plays a significant role to comprehend the transmission dynamics and controlling factors of rapid spread of the disease. Researchers focus on the human-to-human transmission of the virus but the SARS-CoV-2 virus also contaminates the environment. In this study we proposed a nonlinear mathematical model for the COVID-19 pandemic to analyze the transmission dynamics of the disease in India. We have also incorporated the environment contamination by the infected individuals as the population density is very high in India. The model is fitted and parameterized using daily new infection data from India. Analytical study of the proposed COVID-19 model, including feasibility of critical points and their stability reveals that the infection-free steady state is stable if the basic reproduction number is less than unity otherwise the system shows significant outbreak. Numerical illustrations demonstrates that if the rate of environment contamination increased then the number of infected persons also increased. But if the environment is disinfected by sanitization then the number of infected persons cannot drastically increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which originated in the city of Wuhan, China, has rapidly spread to various countries, with many cases having been reported. Some existing antiviral agents showed positive results to inhibit the infection and transmission of the novel corona virus 2019 (2019-nCoV) in vitro. Covaxin is India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. In this paper, we introduce the Gourava and hyper-Gourava polynomials of a graph. We compute the Gourava and hyper-Gourava polynomials of some specific class of graphs. Further, we obtain the Gourava and hyper-Gourava polynomials of some chemical structures viz., chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir and theaflavin which were used in the treatment of COVID-19. The Gourava and hyper-Gourava indices are investigated for the aforesaid antiviral drugs using polynomial approach. The Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech announced that Phase 3 results of covaxin, developed by them, have shown an interim vaccine efficacy of 81 percent. So, the results obtained may be useful for finding the design of new medicine for the treatment of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even more than two years, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been emerging as a harshening name which influence the health indicator of human being by life threatening illness in all over world. It had been revealed first time in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological sources of COVID-19. There is currently no precise treatment or vaccine against COVID-19. India is second highly condensed country in the world, where is the limited sources of earning, education as well as technology. Therefore, in the shortcoming of pharmaceutical preparation, the advanced implementation of precautions and hygienic measures will be essential to control and to minimize human transmission of the virus. In response to the rapidly escalating number of publications on the emerging disease, this review attempts to provide a timely and comprehensive review of recent development and present situation of India in view of COVID-19. It has been more than two years of this havoc, still it is not eradicated completely. We will cover the preliminary knowledge towards the epidemiology, etiology, virology, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention of the disease in the world as well as in India. Meanwhile many questions will be arising day by day; we are expecting that this review helps in the understanding and eradication of the threatening disease as a future outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Noval corona Virus also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARSCo V-2) is a highly transmissible and pathogenic corona virus that emerged in end of 2019 in the Wuhan city of China and has caused a pandemic ofacute respiratory disease, named 'corona virus disease 2019' (COVID-19), which threatens human health and public safety. Noval corona Virus has now spread worldwide to become a global pandemic affecting over 10 Carors of people as of January 31th, 2021 and claimed the life of more than 2,231,230 people worldwide. Corona is asymptomatic for some individuals and for others it can cause symptoms ranging from flu-like to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and death. In this Review, we describe the current progress and human challenges of development of covid 19 vaccine. This study also includes the current status of peoples who are vaccinated till now in India and comparison with the other countries of the world in terms of peoples vaccinated. The social approval of vaccination presupposes social reliance and it possess a big problem in India. Therefore in-spite of government approval for vaccination being started it is important to be socially accepted by the peoples of India [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted preclinical studies in mice using a yeast-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD subunit vaccine candidate formulated with aluminum hydroxide (alum) and CpG deoxynucleotides. This formulation is equivalent to the CorbevaxTM vaccine that recently received emergency use authorization by the Drugs Controller General of India. We compared the immune response of mice vaccinated with RBD/alum to mice vaccinated with RBD/alum + CpG. We also evaluated mice immunized with RBD/alum + CpG and boosted with RBD/alum. Mice were immunized twice intramuscularly at a 21-day interval. Compared to two doses of the /alum formulation, the RBD/alum + CpG vaccine induced a stronger and more balanced Th1/Th2 cellular immune response, with high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the original Wuhan isolate of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617.2 and (Delta) variants. Neutralizing antibody titers against the B.1.1.529 (BA.1, Omicron) variant exceeded those in human convalescent plasma after Wuhan infection but were lower than against the other variants. Interestingly, the second dose did not benefit from the addition of CpG, possibly allowing dose-sparing of the adjuvant in the future. The data reported here reinforces that the RBD/alum + CpG vaccine formulation is suitable for inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, including variants of concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 was caused by the original coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV2), which originated in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 had a large breakout of cases in early 2020, resulting in an epidemic that turned into a pandemic. This quickly enveloped the global healthcare system. The principal testing method for COVID-19 detection, according to the WHO, is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Isolation of patients, quarantine, masking, social distancing, sanitizer use, and complete lockdown were all vital health-care procedures for everyone. With the 'new normal' and vaccination programmes, the number of cases and recovered patients began to rise months later. The easing of restrictions during the plateau phase resulted in a rebound of instances, which hit the people with more ferocity and vengeance towards the start of April 2021. Coronaviruses have evolved to cause respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and neurologic diseases, resulting in a wide range of diseases and symptoms such as fever, cough, myalgia or fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle ache, headache, sore throat, rhinorrhea, hemoptysis, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, anosmia, and ageusia. Coronavirus infections can be mild, moderate, or severe in intensity. COVID-19 pulmonary dysfunction includes lung edoema, ground-glass opacities, surfactant depletion, and alveolar collapse. Patients who presented with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea had a higher risk of negative outcomes. COVID-19's influence on cognitive function is one of COVID-19's long-term effects. More clinical situations need to be reviewed by healthcare professionals so that an appropriate management protocol may be developed to reduce morbidity and death in future coming third/fourth wave cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of novel variants of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries has been associated with increased transmissibility or reduced neutralization potential of antibodies against the Wuhan virus (wild type). From August 2021 onwards, India experienced a progressive decline in the number of active SARS-CoV-2 infections, indicative of a downward trend in the explosive second wave. This prospective study was conducted quarterly for one year (May 2020 to June 2021) at a tertiary care hospital in the city of Pune in western India. Receptor-binding domain (RBD, n = 319) and full genome (n = 20) sequences from viral-RNA-positive nasopharyngeal swabs of COVID-19 patients representing the first and second waves were used for analysis. No Brazilian, South African, or California variants were detected in this study. Until December 2020, only the wild-type strain was prevalent. Concurrent with the upsurge of the second wave in March 2021, 73% (33/45) of RBD sequences harboured L452R/E484Q mutations characteristic of the Kappa variant. In April 2021, co-circulation of Kappa (37%) and Delta (L452R/T478K, 59%) variants was recorded. During May and June 2021, the Delta variant became the predominant circulating variant, and this coincided with a significant decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. Of the 20 full genome sequences, six isolates each exhibited signature mutations of the Kappa and Delta variant. With several states witnessing a reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases, continuous monitoring of newer mutations and assessment of their effect on virus transmissibility and their impact on vaccinated or previously exposed individuals is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) plays crucial role in virus life cycle by replicating the viral genome. The SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus that rapidly spread worldwide and acquired mutations. This study was carried out to identify mutations in RdRp as the SARS-CoV-2 spread in India. We compared 50217 RdRp sequences reported from India with the first reported RdRp sequence from Wuhan, China to identify 223 mutations acquired among Indian isolates. Our protein modelling study revealed that several mutants can potentially alter stability and flexibility of RdRp. We predicted the potential B cell epitopes contributed by RdRp and identified thirty-six linear continuous and twenty-five discontinuous epitopes. Among 223 RdRp mutants, 44% of them localises in the B cell epitopes region. Altogether, this study highlights the need to identify and characterize the variations in RdRp to understand the impact of these mutations on SARS-CoV-2. • SARS-CoV-2 harbours 223 mutations in its RdRp protein among Indian Isolates. • Several RdRp mutants can potentially alter protein stability and flexibility. • RdRp contributes to thirty-six linear continuous and twenty-five discontinuous B cell epitopes. • Most of the RdRp mutants identified among Indian isolates localises (44%) in the B cell epitopes region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel Coronavirus outbreak was originated from Wuhan, China, was first reported in India on 30th January 2020. The impact of an epidemic depends on the number of persons infected, infection transmissibility and the spectrum of clinical severity. To determine the impact of outbreak, analysis of the existing record was done. The objective of this study was to determine the demographic factors, case fatality rate, its association and trend was observed among positive cases reported in Gwalior district. Covid-19 related data collected at the IDSP unit of Gwalior District was analysed. A total of 11281 case reported between 30th March to 11th October was included and their recorded data was analysed using mean, median, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. The study shows that Mean age of the cases was 39.95±16.75 while their median age was 38.0 (27.0-52.0). Maximum cases were in the age group of 21-30 (25.6%). On assessing the current status, 94.7% patients were discharged from isolation/treatment facility, 4% case were active while 1.3% died. Risk Ratio (Odds Ratio) for death was calculated for different characteristics. It was concluded from the present study that the outcome of disease was found statistically significant in age groups, residence in containment area and isolation status among patients by using logistic regression analysis. Also, no gender predilection of the disease and its mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2019, an unusual form of pneumonia of unknown origin was identified in Wuhan and soon expanded into an intercontinental pandemic that affected nations all over the world. The unusual pneumonia was subsequently named COVID-19. The management of COVID-19 disease has been highly dependent on the early identification of patients who are positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. For detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in upper or lower respiratory tracts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend strategic sampling approaches. Most countries collect nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs for rapid viral testing by experienced healthcare workers. Due to the increase in single-day cases, the high cost of RT-PCR, and the requirement for greater coverage in order to detect COVID-19 infections, the screening method has been changed to the Rapid Antigen Test during this phase of the pandemic in India. Considering the limited sensitivity of the fast antigen test compared to the sputum test, and the benefit of having additional resources available from an already established TB network, policymakers should consider implementing COVID-19 with sputum testing. For India, which has 1.3 billion people and limited resources, contemplating a community level sample collection of COVID-19 samples will be an effective decision if scientific data is used for this purpose will be an effective choice for the country with more than 1.3 billion population and limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COVID-19) is a novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan City in China in December 2019. It can cause acute respiratory infection. Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by rapidly progressing ascending paralysis that is triggered by an infection or immune stimulation which produces an abnormal immune response that targets peripheral nerves. In most cases, it is preceded by a bacterial or viral infection. This is a case of a 36-year-old male patient from India who developed progressive acute flaccid paralysis after SARS-COVID-19 infection. Clinical examination and lab studies lead to the diagnosis of GBS. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulins and supportive treatment. Following treatment, there was a substantial improvement in weakness as reported by the patient and was confirmed by clinical evaluation. This is an uncommon manifestation of SARS-COVID-19 infection and suggests the presence of an immune-mediated process leading to damage of the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Since then the number of affected pregnant women is rising, but scarce information is available about the clinical features of COVID-19 in pregnancy in India. Our study aimed to evaluate the clinical features, obstetric and neonatal outcomes of 30 pregnant patients with COVID-19 and provide some evidence that can be used for guiding treatment of pregnant women with COVID-19. Materials & Methods: In our prospective, single-centre observational study, we included 30 pregnant women with COVID-19 who were admitied to Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh for delivery between 15th May 2020 to 15th September 2020. Clinical features, laboratory results, treatments, maternal and foetal outcomes were analyzed. Results: Thirty pregnant patients with COVID-19 having a positive reverse transcriptuon polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result for SARS-CoV-2 at the time of admission who delivered at Fortis hospital between May 15th to September 15th 2020, were included in our study. Twelve were primiparous and eighteen were multiparous women. Among the patients, five had fever, eight had fever with cough, rest seventeen were asymptomatic. Twenty-seven patients underwent caesarean section and three delivered vaginally. Only one patient deteriorated in ICU as was unable to maintain the saturation levels and expired after 10 days of her ICU stay because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. No cases of neonatal death or neonatal asphyxia were reported. Conclusion: The maternal and neonatal outcomes of patients who were infected in late pregnancy appeared to be good and these outcomes were achieved with expedient management that might be the best practice in view of the available data. The clinical characteristics of these patients with COVID-19 during pregnancy were similar to those of non-pregnant adults that have been reported in the literature. All the cases of COVID-19 in our study were of mild type on admission and twenty-nine patients achieved good recovery. Thus, pregnancy and childbirth did not seem to aggravate the course of symptoms of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred for the first time in Wuhan, China which spread as a pandemic to various countries of the world, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Death toll in India on 8th February 2021 was 1,55,080. India had implemented steps such as lockdown and advised social distancing, washing of hands, and wearing masks to reduce the burden of Covid-19. This review discusses the epidemiological features, the population at risk and control strategies of novel coronavirus disease in India. The data was collected from various sources on individual details of Covid-19 cases, population density and affluence percentage from the literature studied. The data was used to analyse the susceptibility of the population to this disease. It was found that Indian males, age group 20 to 40 (based on morbidity) and above 60 (based on mortality) were at high risk. The authors compiled epidemiology, management and control strategies of covid-19 in India. Therefore, because of various early implementations, India has managed the disease well earlier, but in the current scenario (30 Nov 2020) morbidity and mortality have been at peak. Immunization of frontline workers started on 16th January 2021. Initially, 7,017,411 doses of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines have been given by 10th February 2021. Thus, the existing strategies like proper diagnosis, treatment, and successful implementation of vaccine inoculation will reduce covid-19 burden and may lead to normalcy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its emergence as a pneumonia-like outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread widely to become a global pandemic. The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on 30 January 2020 and since then it has affected more than ten million people and resulted in around 150,000 deaths in the country. Over time, the viral genome has accumulated mutations as it passes through its human hosts, a common evolutionary mechanism found in all microorganisms. This has implications for disease surveillance and management, vaccines and therapeutics, and the emergence of reinfections. Sequencing the viral genome can help monitor these changes and provides an extraordinary opportunity to understand the genetic epidemiology and evolution of the virus as well as tracking its spread in a population. Here we review the past year in the context of the phylogenetic analysis of variants isolated over the course of the pandemic in India and highlight the importance of continued sequencing-based surveillance in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report clinical profile of hundred and nine patients with SARS CoV-2 infection, and whole genome sequences (WGS) of seven virus isolates from the first reported cases in India, with various international travel histories. Comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease were frequently associated with severity of the disease. WBC and neutrophil counts showed an increase, while lymphocyte counts decreased in patients with severe infection suggesting a possible neutrophil mediated organ damage, while immune activity may be diminished with decrease in lymphocytes leading to disease severity. Increase in SGOT, SGPT and blood urea suggests the functional deficiencies of liver, heart, and kidney in patients who succumbed to the disease when compared to the group of recovered patients. The WGS analysis showed that these isolates were classified into two clades: I/A3i, and A2a (four according to GISAID: O, L, GR, and GH). Further, WGS phylogeny and travel history together indicate possible transmission from Middle East and Europe. Three S protein variants: Wuhan reference, D614G, and Y28H were identified predicted to possess different binding affinities to host ACE2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has been declared as pandemic by WHO. This disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). The spread of this virus from Wuhan, China to the rest of the world has led to increasing concerns as it is considered a threat to mankind. The present work in situation analysis using neutrosophy identifies factors which should be taken care of so that the spread of this virus can be contained. Known factors as put forward by experts together with indeterminate factors which are still not taken into consideration are used to model the situation. This work using neutrosophic cognitive maps proves mathematically how these indeterminate and unknown factors are responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in India. The Neutrosophic Cognitive Map (NCM) is an enhanced version of Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) since it takes into account the concept of indeterminacy and uncertainty, which is not addressed by FCMs. The obtained results not only show the importance of determinate factors (measures taken by the government bodies) in containing the spread of this deadly virus but also show how indeterminate and uncertain factors such as poverty, negligence, ineffectual healthcare, age, immunity, unscientific practices on religious grounds and illiteracy play a vital role in this regard. This model, in general, helps policymakers and government agencies to represent any complicated situation mathematically thereby helping them in responding appropriately and forming new policies for dealing with such pandemics. This work also signifies how neutrosophic theories can be applied in the analysis of the situation for dealing with real life problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, due to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), originated in Wuhan, China and is now a global pandemic. The unavailability of vaccines, delays in diagnosis of the disease, and lack of proper treatment resources are the leading causes of the rapid spread of COVID-19. The world is now facing a rapid loss of human lives and socioeconomic status. As a mathematical model can provide some real pictures of the disease spread, enabling better prevention measures. In this study, we propose and analyze a mathematical model to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. We have derived the threshold parameter basic reproduction number, and a detailed sensitivity analysis of this most crucial threshold parameter has been performed to determine the most sensitive indices. Finally, the model is applied to describe COVID-19 scenarios in India, the second-largest populated country in the world, and some of its vulnerable states. We also have short-term forecasting of COVID-19, and we have observed that controlling only one model parameter can significantly reduce the disease's vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The world is going through a pandemic caused by newly emerged "Novel Coronavirus," which was originated from Wuhan, China in December 2019. This pandemic caused havoc in the world. So far, more than 200 countries have been affected by Novel Coronavirus. India is also not untouched by this outbreak. The corona virus transmits through droplets, contact, and fomites in human and become a chain transmission by human to human. SARS-CoV-2 spread worldwide by air transport, and it is also reaches to local and small societies or villages by domestic transport through the travelers. Methods: In this study, data are accessed from Ministry of Health and Family Affaires, Ministry of Home affairs, Ministry of Transport, Government of India, World health organization, and www.worldometers.info. The accessed data are analyzed by origin 6.1 software. Results: In India, till April 8, 2020, 5274 people were found infected with COVID-19, out of which 410 were recovered, and the remaining 149 died. The infection of SARS-CoV-2 reaches to several places by international and domestic through human travelers. To avoid local and community transmission in India, it was decided for complete lockdown of 21 days from March 25, 2020 in country to prevent mass gathering and promote social distancing. Further, the lockdown was extended to May 3, 2020. The decision of lockdown has been successful in getting control of COVID-19 in India so far. Conclusions: The effective measure of lockdown to control COVID-19 was found to be very successful in India and it can be apply by other countries to control the COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19, a respiratory illness, has become a pandemic originating from the Wuhan city of China. Earlier, similar diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome had caused mass mortality in different parts of the globe. Therefore, a similar new disease was of great concern for the humankind. However, it is observed that COVID-19 has a differential rate disease prevalence and mortality among the countries. Aims and Objective: This disease has already affected 2.4 million people globally, leading to healthcare disasters, financial meltdowns due to worldwide lockdowns. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of lockdown in India and to characterize the functional implications of genetic variations of SARS-CoV-2 (the causative virus). Materials and Methods: Epidemiological data for COVID-19 was taken from WHO and other national or international bodies to evaluate the prevalence of the disease in different countries. A statistical modeling was done to estimate the probable number of COVID-19 affected persons with or without lockdown. Bioinformatic analyses were done to identify mutational variations of SARS-CoV-2 and their functional implications. Results: Statistical modeling predicted that number of COVID-19 case could be much higher without lockdown in countries. Countries with malaria and dengue prevalence are less affected by COVID-19. Bioinformatic analyses revealed presence of an Indian SARS-CoV-2 SP1 variant with lesser capability of human receptor binding. Conclusion: Lockdown and deliberate testing has played key important role in prevention of disease transmission. Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2 with less affinity towards human receptor may have a role for lesser virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel spillover coronavirus (nCoV), with its epicenter in Wuhan, China's People's Republic, has emerged as an international public health emergency. This began as an outbreak in December 2019, and till November eighth, 2020, there have been 8.5 million affirmed instances of novel Covid disease2019 (COVID-19) in India, with 1,26,611 deaths, resulting in an overall case fatality rate of 1.48 percent. Coronavirus clinical signs are fundamentally the same as those of other respiratory infections. In different parts of the world, the quantity of research center affirmed cases and related passings are rising consistently. The COVID-19 is an arising pandemic-responsible viral infection. Coronavirus has influenced huge parts of the total populace, which has prompted a global general wellbeing crisis, setting all health associations on high attentive. This review sums up the overall landmass, virology, pathogenesis, the study of disease transmission, clinical introduction, determination, treatment, and control of COVID-19 with the reference to India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic of COVID-19 has caused havoc all over world since its emergence and rapid spread. Within three months the virus SARS-CoV-2 which was isolated from pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in late December 2019, has affected almost all countries. India reported its first case of COVID-19 from state of Kerala on January 30, 2020, a student returned from city of Wuhan. Till date in India the disease had affected 12759 patients with 420 deaths. With every passing day the mysterious virus is been uncovered with its unique characteristics enabling the researcher to unfold the various methods including hand washing and social distancing to curtail the pandemic. Measures like 21 days lockdown to certain extent are effective but considering asymptomatic spreaders, extended measured lockdowns will be useful in the long term war against COVID-19. Till the vaccine and therapeutic solutions are derived, answer to pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 lies in lockdown, social distancing, contact tracing and containment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), a new enveloped RNA virus known as Coronavirus (COvID-19) are most prevalent in humans and wild animals. All four species that is alpha, beta, delta and theta have been identified till date and are responsible for human disease; causing influenza like illness (ILI). This virus has similar lineage of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and related Coronavirus (SARS-CoV). This outbreak initially presented as pneumonia-like illness in a group of people in Wuhan, China. The infection was said to be caused by seafood and unusual animals in the wholesale markets of this city. SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious and has resulted in a rapid pandemic. As of now it has spread to 197 countries with total no of cases in the world being 3.76 million as of early march. The mortality till now is 7.11% . The cases have been increasing since its first discovery in China. In India also the number has been increased. Till now India has total of 39,980 cases and mortality is attributed to be 3.26%. As per data from Ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) death is more commonly seen in males with age >60years. Among these most of the deaths were related to other co-morbid conditions. This article will help the readers with an overview of novel Coronavirus spanning around the clinical features, diagnostic modalities, treatment strategies and infection control measures. It will also help in raising awareness among healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 and aid in early recognition of these patients. Moreover, this review will also focus on the most recent information for the effective management, prevention, and treatment of patients worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus initially reported in Wuhan, China, is the causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Symptoms of the disease comprise of fever, tiredness, dry cough, aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea and pneumonia at the late stage. SARS-CoV-2 has severely crippled the healthcare system and has caused huge economic losses. Following the outbreak, the SARS-CoV-2 was recognized timely and its genome was sequenced, leading to the development of real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for its detection in clinical samples collected from suspected cases. The management of the pandemic is limited by a number of misconceptions and insufficient information about laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 to confirm the disease. This includes a lack of awareness about procedures for the collection, transport, testing, and handling of biological samples for COVID diagnosis. This article provides an overview of the current laboratory diagnostic methods with a purpose to provide information and guidance to laboratories, stakeholders, broader community and especially public health professionals involved in laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2002, β coronaviruses (CoVs) have caused three zoonotic outbreaks, SARS-CoV in 2002, MERS-CoV in 2012, and the recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 late in 2019 (also named as COVID-19 or novel coronavirus 2019 or nCoV2019). Spike (S) protein, one of the structural proteins of this virus plays key role in receptor (ACE2) binding and thus virus entry. Thus, this protein has attracted scientists for detailed study and therapeutic targeting. As the nCoV2019 takes its course throughout the world, more and more sequence analyses are being done and genome sequences are being deposited in various databases. From India, two clinical isolates have been sequenced and the full genome has been deposited in GenBank. We have performed sequence analyses of the Spike protein of the Indian isolates and compared with that of the Wuhan, China (where the outbreak was first reported). While all the sequences of Wuhan isolates are identical, we found point mutations in the Indian isolates. Out of the two isolates, one was found to harbor a mutation in its receptor-binding domain (RBD) at position 407. At this site, arginine (a positively charged amino acid) was replaced by isoleucine (a hydrophobic amino acid that is also a C-β branched amino acid). This mutation has been seen to change the secondary structure of the protein at that region and this can potentially alter receptor binding of the virus. Although this finding needs further validation and more sequencing, the information might be useful in rational drug designing and vaccine engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current pandemic of COVID-19 has caused havoc all over world since its emergence and rapid spread. Within three months the virus SARS-CoV-2 which was isolated from pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in late December 2019, has affected almost all countries. India reported its first case of COVID-19 from state of Kerala on January 30, 2020, a student returned from city of Wuhan. Till date in India the disease had affected 12759 patients with 420 deaths. With every passing day the mysterious virus is been uncovered with its unique characteristics enabling the researcher to unfold the various methods including hand washing and social distancing to curtail the pandemic. Measures like 21 days lockdown to certain extent are effective but considering asymptomatic spreaders, extended measured lockdowns will be useful in the long term war against COVID-19. Till the vaccine and therapeutic solutions are derived, answer to pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 lies in lockdown, social distancing, contact tracing and containment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus initially reported in Wuhan, China, is the causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Symptoms of the disease comprise of fever, tiredness, dry cough, aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea and pneumonia at the late stage. SARS-CoV-2 has severely crippled the healthcare system and has caused huge economic losses. Following the outbreak, the SARS-CoV-2 was recognized timely and its genome was sequenced, leading to the development of real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for its detection in clinical samples collected from suspected cases. The management of the pandemic is limited by a number of misconceptions and insufficient information about laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 to confirm the disease. This includes a lack of awareness about procedures for the collection, transport, testing, and handling of biological samples for COVID diagnosis. This article provides an overview of the current laboratory diagnostic methods with a purpose to provide information and guidance to laboratories, stakeholders, broader community and especially public health professionals involved in laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new enveloped RNA virus known as Coronavirus (COVID-19) are most prevalent in humans and wild animals. All four species that is alpha, beta, delta and theta have been identified till date and are responsible for human disease; causing influenza like illness (ILI). This virus has similar lineage of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and related Coronavirus (SARS-CoV). This outbreak initially presented as pneumonia-like illness in a group of people in Wuhan, China. The infection was said to be caused by seafood and unusual animals in the wholesale markets of this city. SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious and has resulted in a rapid pandemic. As of now it has spread to 197 countries with total no of cases in the world being 3.76 million as of early march. The mortality till now is 7.11% . The cases have been increasing since its first discovery in China. In India also the number has been increased. Till now India has total of 39,980 cases and mortality is attributed to be 3.26%. As per data from Ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) death is more commonly seen in males with age >60years. Among these most of the deaths were related to other co-morbid conditions. This article will help the readers with an overview of novel Coronavirus spanning around the clinical features, diagnostic modalities, treatment strategies and infection control measures. It will also help in raising awareness among healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 and aid in early recognition of these patients. Moreover, this review will also focus on the most recent information for the effective management, prevention, and treatment of patients worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive increase in COVID-19 infection had generated a second wave in India during May–June 2021 with a critical pandemic situation. The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a significant factor during the second wave. Conversely, the UK had passed through the crucial phase of the pandemic from November to December 2020 due to B.1.1.7. The study tried to comprehend the pandemic response in the UK and India to the spread of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha, UK) variant and B.1.617.2 (Delta, India) variant. This study was performed in three directions to understand the pandemic response of the two emerging variants. First, we served comparative genomics, such as genome sequence submission patterns, mutational landscapes, and structural landscapes of significant mutations (N501Y, D614G, L452R, E484Q, and P681R). Second, we performed evolutionary epidemiology using molecular phylogenetics, scatter plots of the cluster evaluation, country-wise transmission pattern, and frequency pattern. Third, the receptor binding pattern was analyzed using the Wuhan reference strain and the other two variants. The study analyzed the country-wise and region-wise genome sequences and their submission pattern, molecular phylogenetics, scatter plot of the cluster evaluation, country-wise geographical distribution and transmission pattern, frequency pattern, entropy diversity, and mutational landscape of the two variants. The structural pattern was analyzed in the N501Y, D614G L452R, E484Q, and P681R mutations. The study found increased molecular interactivity between hACE2-RBD binding of B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2 compared to the Wuhan reference strain. Our receptor binding analysis showed a similar indication pattern for hACE2-RBD of these two variants. However, B.1.617.2 offers slightly better stability in the hACE2-RBD binding pattern through MD simulation than B.1.1.7. The increased hACE2-RBD binding pattern of B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2 might help to increase the infectivity compared to the Wuhan reference strain. [Display omitted] • Comparative genomics of two emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1.1.7 and B. 1.617.2). • Evolutionary epidemiology, geographical distribution and country-wise transmission patterns of study of Alpha.1.1.7 and Delta. 1.617.2. • Landscape of significant mutations such as L452R, E484Q, N501Y, D614G and P681R. • RBD-hACE2 receptor binding pattern analysis in B.1.1.7 and B. 1.617.2 compare to Wuhan reference strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nation-wide genomic analysis could detect seven different phases of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in India. • Variant of concern and variant of interest were dominated only post-first wave in India. • More than 0.5 million mutational events could be detected across 20,086 high quality genomes. • Four major mutational events i.e., spike (D614G), NSP 12b (P314L), NSP3 F106F and 5′ UTR 241 occurring in more than 19,000 genomes. COVID-19 has posed unforeseen circumstances and throttled major economies worldwide. India has witnessed two waves affecting around 31 million people representing 16% of the cases globally. To date, the epidemic waves have not been comprehensively investigated to understand pandemic progress in India. Here, we aim for pan Indian cross-sectional evolutionary analysis since inception of SARS-CoV-2. High quality genomes, along with their collection date till 26th July 2021, were downloaded. Whole genome-based phylogeny was obtained. Further, the mutational analysis was performed using SARS-CoV-2 first reported from Wuhan (NC_045512.2) as reference. Based on reported cases and mutation rates, we could divide the Indian epidemic into seven phases. The average mutation rate for the pre-first wave was <11, which elevated to 17 in the first wave and doubled in the second wave (∼34). In accordance with mutation rate, VOCs and VOIs started appearing in the first wave (1.5%), which dominated the second (∼96%) and post-second wave (100%). Nation-wide mutational analysis depicted >0.5 million mutation events with four major mutations in >19,300 genomes, including two mutations in coding (spike (D614G), and NSP 12b (P314L) of rdrp), one silent mutation (NSP3 F106F) and one extragenic mutation (5′ UTR 241). Whole genome-based phylogeny could demarcate post-first wave isolates from previous ones by point of diversification leading to incidences of VOCs and VOIs in India. Such analysis is crucial in the timely management of pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has threatened the existence of humanity andthis infection occurs due to SARS-CoV-2 or novel coronavirus, was first reported in Wuhan, China. Therefore, there is a need to find a promising drug to cure the people suffering from the infection. The second wave of this viral infection was shaking the world in the first half of 2021. Drugs Controllers of India has allowed the emergency use of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) in 2021 for patients suffering from this viral infection. The potentiality of 2-deoxy-D-glucose to intervene in D-glucose metabolism exists and energy deprivation is an effective parameter to inhibit cancer cell development. Once 2DG arrives in the cells, it becomes phosphorylated to 2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate (2-DG6P), a charged molecule expressively captured inside the cells. On the other hand, 2DG lacks the ability to convert into fructose-6-phosphate, resulting in a hampering of the activity of both glucose-6-phosphate isomerase and hexokinase, and finally causing cell death. Hence, the potential and effectiveness of 2DG with the main protease (Mpro) of novel coronavirus (nCoV) should be investigated using the molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The ability of 2DG to inhibit the Mpro of nCoV is compared with 2-deoxyglucose (2DAG), an acyclic molecule, and 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2DR). The binding energy of the molecules with the Mpro of nCoV is calculated using molecular docking and superimposed analysis data is obtained. The binding energy of 2DG, 2DR and 2DAG was −2.40, −2.22 and −2.88 kcal/mol respectively. Although the molecular docking does not provide reliable information, therefore, the binding affinity can be confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations. Various trajectories such as Rg, RMSD, RMSF, and hydrogen bonds are obtained from the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. 2DG was found to be a better inhibitor than the 2DAG and 2DR based on the results obtained from the MD simulations at 300 K. Furthermore, temperature-dependent MD simulations of the Mpro of nCoV with promising 2DG was performed at 295, 310 and 315 K, and the effective binding with the Mpro of nCoV occurred at 295 K. With the use of DFT calculations, optimized geometry and localization of electron density of the frontier molecular orbitals were calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• COVID-19 outbreak situation in India is considered. • A deterministic compartmental model is proposed. • Basic reproduction number and effective reproduction number are estimated. • Impact of intervention on disease spread is studied. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has already created emergency situations in almost every country of the world. The disease spreads all over the world within a very short period of time after its first identification in Wuhan, China in December, 2019. In India, the outbreak, starts on 2 nd March, 2020 and after that the cases are increasing exponentially. Very high population density, the unavailability of specific medicines or vaccines, insufficient evidences regarding the transmission mechanism of the disease also make it more difficult to fight against the disease properly in India. Mathematical models have been used to predict the disease dynamics and also to assess the efficiency of the intervention strategies in reducing the disease burden. In this work, we propose a mathematical model to describe the disease transmission mechanism between the individuals. Our proposed model is fitted to the daily new reported cases in India during the period 2 nd March, 2020 to 12 th November, 2020. We estimate the basic reproduction number, effective reproduction number and epidemic doubling time from the incidence data for the above-mentioned period. We further assess the effect of implementing preventive measures in reducing the new cases. Our model projects the daily new COVID-19 cases in India during 13 th November, 2020 to 25 th February, 2021 for a range of intervention strength. We also investigate that higher intervention effort is required to control the disease outbreak within a shorter period of time in India. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the strength of the intervention should be increased over the time to eradicate the disease effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]