DRDO Defence Research and Development organisations have long worked on cancer.  It made a drug on cancer known as 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 2-D
The 2 DG drug attacks the infected tissues which have a certain disease and stops the glucose supply to that infected tissue or cell. As the cell does not get glucose, it itself starts dying.

This drug does not prevent Covid but it will help in a faster recovery of Covid-19 patients who are hospitalised and it cuts down the oxygen dependency.

The drug was developed in 2020 but as DRDO works for the Ministry of Defence, it was kept under the carpet

The drug, a joint venture between the Défense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Dr Reddy's Lab, has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India. 

DRDO  has developed “ATMAN AI”, an Artificial Intelligence algorithm that can detect the presence of COVID-19 disease in Chest X Rays. As you know X-ray report comes within one and a half hour. For Covid, we cannot completely depend on a city scan because a city scan tells you how much infection is there in the lungs. Even the AIIMS director had said that we should not completely depend in the city scan report. This tool will save time.

Reliance Industrialist Mukesh Ambani had a deal with an Israeli company for a tool called Q.B.T (Quick breathe Tool). This system will identify people and patients with coronavirus at an early stage. The system reports the result in a few seconds.

The virus mutates or changes its nature when it keeps on spreading and replicating itself in new hosts. This triple mutant s getting weaker and less dangerous than the first mutant. Scientist claim that the triple mutant itself is dying. But still, we need to be careful because the virus keeps on changing its form. It works on the concept of mutation.

What is mutation?

Mutation can occur by natural selection when certain traits created by genetic mutations help an organism survive or reproduce. Such mutations are thus more likely to be passed on to the next generation, so they increase in frequency in a population. These changes occur at many different levels, and they can have widely differing consequences. 

we will also likely see second wave cases falling by the 2nd week of May and by early Jun, daily cases should be considerably less. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are at the peak of Second-wave but unfortunately in these places, many new cases are evolving where there were no covid cases. So, this time is very crucial as we all have reached the peak of the corona.

Will the pandemic end?

Yes, definitely it will end. India already faced the first wave and second wave which is highly dangerous as compared to the third wave. Third-wave which may hit in October to December 15% will get immune, 15% of children do not need the vaccine, 40% will be vaccinated. About 30% of people may be left out but till that we can also hope for better medications, and treatments in general, which limits the need for ICU even for the seriously sick. Hospitals are better prepared and will be able to manage much more severe cases.

What is a universal vaccine programme?

A universal vaccine is one vaccine that protects against all viruses or strains of viruses within a given virus family" explained Kimball Duncan.

For example, with COVID-19, we see variations in specific strains, for example, those coming from Brazil or the UK or South Africa. The objective of a universal vaccine is to protect against all of those strains and anticipate those variations in viruses that would potentially avoid detection using traditional vaccinology techniques

Sputnik light: Now, Russia has released a new single-dose vaccine named Sputnik Light. 

 It is 72 per cent effective against COVID-19. You can get a better immune system in only one dose and corona can be controlled in a massive way.

Which vaccine is better?

Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine gives around 92% protection against covid in 42 days whereas covaxine is 82% effective and covishield gives 81% efficiency. In this way, we see there is not much difference in all these vaccines.

What government should do to increase the speed of vaccination?

• Government should privatise vaccine so that the public can have more options to get vaccine of Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, covishield or covaxine.
• Government should allow a foreign vaccine to open their centre in India.
• People moved from cities to the village and carried corona from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc.