Hyderabad: On average, men produce more Covid-19 antibodies than women, say, Portuguese researchers, adding that, 90 per cent of the patients have detectable antibodies up to seven months post contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The results, published in the European Journal of Immunology, also show that age is not a confounding factor in levels of antibodies produced, but disease severity is.
For the findings, the research team set up an in-house sensitive specific and versatile Covid-19 serology test. They started to monitor the antibody levels of over 300 Covid-19 hospital patients and healthcare workers, and over 200 post-Covid-19 volunteers.
Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 tally climbed to 78.14 lakh with 53,370 fresh cases in a day, while 70,16,046 people have so far recuperated pushing the national recovery rate to 89.78 per cent on Saturday, the Union health ministry said.
The total number of coronavirus cases mounted to 78,14,682 and the death toll to 1,17,956, with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 650 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the ministry data updated at 8 am on Saturday showed.
The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.51 per cent. There are 6,80,680 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 8.71 per cent of the total caseload, the ministry data said. According to ICMR, a cumulative total of 10,13,82,564 samples have been tested up to October 23, with 12,69,479 samples tested on Friday.
Kerala
In a relaxation of sorts in health safety protocols, the Kerala government on Saturday announced new guidelines to allow the near and dear ones of COVID-19 victims to have one last look at their faces before the cremations or burials. Health Minister KK Shailaja said only very close relatives of the dead will be allowed to see their deceased kin's faces.
"Under no circumstances should there be crowding at the funeral. The last religious rituals should be done without touching the body. Those allowed to see the faces of the dead should not touch them. None above the age of 60 or below 10 and those with ailments should come in contact with the body. The health authorities' instructions should be duly followed at the time of the funeral," said Shailaja.
Maharashtra
Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that he has tested Covid-19 positive and gone into isolation.
"I have been working every single day since the lockdown, but now it seems that God wants me to stop for a while and take a break!," Fadnavis tweeted.
Revealing that he has contracted the coronavirus and gone into isolation, assured that he was taking all mediation and as per the advice of his doctors. Maharashtra's active COVID caseload stands at 1,44,426 and the death toll is pegged at 43,015. Till date, 14,45,103 patients have been cured and discharged till date.
Telangana
Telangana registered 1,273 new coronavirus cases, increasing the state's total tally to 2.3 lakh, even as 1,708 more patients recovered from the virus. Of the 2.3 lakh cases, active cases total 19,937 in Telangana.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas logged the highest 227 new cases in the past 24 hours, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri district (104), Rangareddy (102), Nalgonda (76), Khammam (75), Bhadradri Kothagudem (69), Karimnagar (55), Warangal Urban (51), Siddipet (41), Rajanna Sircilla (32), Suryapet (31), Nizamabad (30) and others. Only five more people succumbed to the virus in the last one day, increasing the state's COVID death toll to 1,303.
Delhi
Delhi on Friday reported over 4,000 coronavirus cases in a day, sparking concerns of a virus wave amid the festive season. Barring October 19, the national capital has been reporting over 3,000 cases daily for the last 10 days -- a worrying sign, especially when COVID-19 levels have shown a drastic drop nationally. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday ruled out reopening of schools in the national capital for now. “Schools are not reopening for now,” Kejriwal told reporters on sidelines of an event.
Jammu and Kashmir
The COVID-19 tally of Jammu and Kashmir rose to 91,329 on Saturday with 577 fresh cases, while the death toll climbed to 1,430 as six more people succumbed to the disease, officials said.
Of the fresh cases, 213 are from Jammu and 364 from the Kashmir Valley, they said. Srinagar district reported the highest number of new cases at 130, followed by 116 in Jammu district, the officials said.
