A look at the top Covid-19 developments of the day:

  1. Schools for Classes 1 to 12 will reopen in Maharashtra from January 24, state Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Thursday, ANI reported. All schools will have to adhere to Covid-19 protocols, she added. Gaikwad said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has given his approval to the proposal for reopening schools.
  2. The subject expert panel on coronavirus vaccines on Wednesday recommended to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation that Covishield and Covaxin be granted regular market approval. Currently, the vaccines have clearance for restricted emergency use.  
  3. The Centre has supplied over 158.96 crore vaccine doses to states and Union Territories till now, the health ministry said. Over 12.72 crore vaccine doses are currently available with states and Union Territories, it added. The number of vaccines administered in the country has crossed 160 crore, the Centre said.
  4. A third dose of the coronavirus vaccine produces antibodies that can effectively neutralise the Omicron variant of Covid-19, a study published in the medical journal Lancet on Wednesday. The study showed that two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines could not neutralise Omicron as effectively as the Alpha and Delta variants. The research was conducted by the Francis Crick Institute and the National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom.
  5. Covid-19 cases have come down in Delhi but it is not time yet to ease restrictions, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. “Hopefully, the numbers will decline as fast as it went up,” he said. “But, we have to wait and watch.” The Capital registered 13,785 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, a slight increase from the previous day’s figures.
  6. The subject expert panel on Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday recommended to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation that Covishield and Covaxin be granted regular market approval. Currently, the vaccines have clearance for restricted use in emergency situations.
  7. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced the end of all measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, including mandatory face masks, Reuters reported. He said that scientists believe that the Omicron wave is likely to have peaked across the country.
  8. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stated that tight restrictions will be imposed in the country if there is community transmission of the Omicron variant, Reuters reported. Ardern, however, ruled out lockdowns in such situations.
  9. United States President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the Covid-19 pandemic has left citizens exhausted, but claimed that he had “outperformed” expectations in dealing with it, AP reported. He said that he may have to pare back the “Build Back Better” economic recovery package, but said that “big chunks” of the plan could remain in place.
  10. Persons previously infected with the coronavirus were better protected against the Delta variant than those who had only been vaccinated, Reuters quoted a study in the United States as saying on Wednesday. Protection against the Delta was said to have been the strongest among those who were inoculated and had also been infected with the disease.