Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Weighing the choices: on precautionary vaccine doses

Weighing the choices: on precautionary vaccine doses

Opening up the third dose for those above 18 years is a positive step

As India sees a steady slump (गिरावट, मंदी) in its daily coronavirus (a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.) count (गिनती करना, संख्या), the Centre has announced opening up (to make something available/accessible) the third, or ‘precautionary (निवारक, सुरक्षा, सुरक्षात्मक) doses’, to everyone over 18 years. The restriction is that these doses must be the same as the ones administered (प्रशासन, बांटना, प्रदान करना) earlier and there must be at least a nine-month gap following the second dose, implying (मतलब, सुझाव, संकेत) that Covishield and Covaxin (India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate (COVAXIN) developed by a Hyderabad-based company (Bharat Biotech) in collaboration with the ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research)) will comprise almost all of the demand. The experience of the past two years from around the world has shown that the third dose (खुराक, मात्रा) has only a little additional benefit over two doses in preventing an infection because of the constantly mutating (परिवर्तन, बदल जाना) character (चरित्र, प्रकृति, पहचान) of the virus. But, because it helps keep antibody (it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom)) levels boosted, they are useful in protecting against a severe infection. A major aspect of vaccines (टीका, टीका-संबंधी) is the risk of adverse (विपरीत, खतरनाक, हानिकारक) events following vaccination (treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization), and previous experience has suggested that certain vaccines may induce (प्रेरित करना, उत्पन्न करना) a higher risk of blood clots (a thrombus is a blood clot, and thrombosis is the formation of a clot that reduces blood flow) in younger populations. While these instances (उदाहरण, एक विशिष्ट मामला) are extremely limited, they become particularly relevant (उचित, अनुरूप, उपयुक्त) in India given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) the size of the population and that a large number of people — young and old — have already been exposed (come into contact with (the disease causing virus)) to the virus. Normally, a technical committee of experts, such as the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) (The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) was established by an order of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2001. As India’s apex advisory body on immunization, the NTAGI provides guidance and advice to the MoHFW on provision of vaccination and immunization services for the effective control of vaccine preventable diseases in the country. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) fulfils a need for informing decision-making concerning the introduction of new vaccines and strengthening the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)), weighs (तौलना, विचार करना) the evidence before recommending an approved vaccine for roll-out (official launch/introduction) but this practice has been effectively eschewed (avoid, ignore, reject, rebuff, refuse; renounce, forgo) in the context of booster doses, as well as (and in addition; and also) earlier decisions to inoculate (to inject/introduce a vaccine into the body of someone to produce immunity to a particular disease; immunize, vaccinate) those below 15.

The pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area) is far from over and reports from several other countries suggest that no country can consider itself immune (resistant, not subject, not liable (from the effects of something); freed from, absolved from, released from, excused from, relieved of, spared from, excepted from, exempted from) from emerging variants (different or form or version or mutant of something (virus)). With schools reopened, mask mandates (instruction, directive, direction, decree, command, order) made voluntary and restrictions on international travel lifted (cancel, remove, withdraw, revoke, discontinue) in India, it is reasonable for the Centre to anticipate (wait for, expect, await) a future wave led by a more transmissible variant — reports of the highly infectious (transmissive, contagious, communicable, transmissible, spreading) XE variant have already surfaced (emerge, arise, appear) here — and, therefore, take steps to buffer (lessen, diminish, moderate, mitigate) against it. However, there is no public information on whether studies have been done to establish (prove, demonstrate, show, indicate) if administering a different vaccine as a third dose is better at boosting antibodies than repeating a vaccine. This ideally ought to (must, should) have been a major area of research for the Centre. Another aspect that bears (undergo, go through, experience) a closer look is progress on vaccines other than Covaxin and Covishield. The Serum Institute of India appears to be gearing up for large volumes of, not Covishield, but Covavax (Covavax is a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine and it will be used for children aged above 3 years). Covaxin, following the World Health Organization’s recommendation to pause exports pending an upgrade (improvement, betterment, enhancement) of its production facilities (amenity, resource, service, centre, place, location (provided for a particular purpose), is also unlikely (doubtful, implausible, improbable, questionable) to see fresh stocks any time soon (in the very near future (but an exact time or date isn’t known)). Both vaccines in fact (actually, in actuality, really, in reality) will be available at discounted rates in private facilities. Demand is currently lacklustre (dull, uninspired/uninteresting, mundane) but were it to spike (a sharp rise/increase of something), will supply be adequate? The Centre needs to be more transparent about the rationale (reason, logic, grounds, basis, motive) guiding its vaccine policy.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.weigh (verb)

Hindi Meaning - तौलना, विचार करना
English Meaning - consider, think about, contemplate, deliberate about, reflect on.

2.choice (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पसंद, विकल्प, संभावना
English Meaning - option, possibility, possible course of action.

3.precautionary (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निवारक, सुरक्षा, सुरक्षात्मक
English Meaning - preventive, safety, protective.

4.vaccine (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीका, टीका-संबंधी
English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

5.dose (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खुराक, मात्रा
English Meaning - an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

6.slump (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिरावट, मंदी
English Meaning - decline, tumble, downturn, steep fall, decrease.

7.count (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिनती करना, संख्या
English Meaning - (total) number.

8.administer (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रशासन, बांटना, प्रदान करना
English Meaning - dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine).

9.imply (verb)

Hindi Meaning - मतलब, सुझाव, संकेत
English Meaning - suggest, hint, intimate.

10.mutate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिवर्तन, बदल जाना
English Meaning - change (genetically), undergo (genetic change).

11.character (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चरित्र, प्रकृति, पहचान
English Meaning - nature, identity; attributes, features, qualities, properties, traits.

12.adverse (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - विपरीत, खतरनाक, हानिकारक
English Meaning - dangerous, harmful, detrimental, unhealthy; unfavourable, disadvantageous, bad.

13.induce (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना, उत्पन्न करना
English Meaning - bring about, bring on, cause, give rise to.

14.instance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उदाहरण, एक विशिष्ट मामला
English Meaning - a specific case.

15.relevant (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - उचित, अनुरूप, उपयुक्त
English Meaning - pertinent, applicable, appropriate, suitable, applicable.

16.open up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to make something available/accessible.

17.coronavirus (CoV) (noun)

English Meaning - a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

18.Oxford vaccine/Covishield (noun)

English Meaning - (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) or (AZD1222) is named Covishield in India. Serum Institute of India (SII), a biotechnology company has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for this vaccine candidate ‘Covidshield’.

19.Covaxin (noun)

English Meaning - India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate (COVAXIN) developed by a Hyderabad-based company (Bharat Biotech) in collaboration with the ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research).

20.antibody (noun)

English Meaning - it is also called ‘immunoglobulin’; a protective protein produced mainly by plasma (blood) cells in the immune system in response to the presence of antigens (disease causing organisms (bacteria & viruses) and other harmful/toxic foreign substances like insect venom).

21.vaccination (noun)

English Meaning - treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

22.blood clot (noun)

English Meaning - a thrombus is a blood clot, and thrombosis is the formation of a clot that reduces blood flow.

23.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

24.expose (verb)

English Meaning - come into contact with (the disease causing virus).

25.National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) (noun)

English Meaning - The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) was established by an order of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2001. As India’s apex advisory body on immunization, the NTAGI provides guidance and advice to the MoHFW on provision of vaccination and immunization services for the effective control of vaccine preventable diseases in the country. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation in India (NTAGI) fulfils a need for informing decision-making concerning the introduction of new vaccines and strengthening the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

26.roll-out (noun)

English Meaning - official launch/introduction.

27.eschew (verb)

English Meaning - avoid, ignore, reject, rebuff, refuse; renounce, forgo.

28.context (noun)

English Meaning - circumstances, conditions, factors, state of affairs.

29.as well as (phrase)

English Meaning - and in addition; and also.

30.inoculate (verb)

English Meaning - to inject/introduce a vaccine into the body of someone to produce immunity to a particular disease; immunize, vaccinate.

31.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

32.far from (phrase)

English Meaning - not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from.

33.immune (adjective)

English Meaning - resistant, not subject, not liable (from the effects of something); freed from, absolved from, released from, excused from, relieved of, spared from, excepted from, exempted from.

34.variant (noun)

English Meaning - different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).

35.mandate (noun)

English Meaning - instruction, directive, direction, decree, command, order.

36.lift (verb)

English Meaning - cancel, remove, withdraw, revoke, discontinue.

37.anticipate (verb)

English Meaning - wait for, expect, await.

38.infectious (adjective)

English Meaning - transmissive, contagious, communicable, transmissible, spreading.

39.XE variant (noun)

English Meaning - XE is a recombinant variant of the SARS COV 2 virus. XE is a cross between Omicron’s two most well-known strains, BA.1 (original strain) and BA.2 (the more infectious strain).

40.surface (verb)

English Meaning - emerge, arise, appear.

41.buffer (verb)

English Meaning - lessen, diminish, moderate, mitigate.

42.establish (verb)

English Meaning - prove, demonstrate, show, indicate.

43.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

44.bear (verb)

English Meaning - undergo, go through, experience.

45.gear up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - get ready, prepare, equip (oneself) for something.