Covid is back in the news. What you need to know about the latest wave
Durgesh Nandan Jha
TNN
May 27, 2025, 14:27 IST IST
Reports of Covid-19 cases are trickling in from across India. Some Southeast Asian countries are also witnessing a recurrence. Why there's no need to panic
Reports of Covid-19 cases are trickling in from across India. Some Southeast Asian countries are also witnessing a recurrence.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
City doctors blame ‘long Covid' for severe viral infections that have laid Kolkata low
1 2 Kolkata: The pandemic may have ended three years ago but it continues to cast its shadow on the city's healthscape. A past history of 'long or severe' Covid may have led to long-term weakening of respiratory and immune functions, making thousands in the city more vulnerable to recurrent infections, say doctors. Additionally, rapid weather fluctuations, sudden shifts from high humidity to rain, followed by intense heat combined with elevated levels of air pollution are further weakening the body's natural defences, leading to more frequent and severe infections, they say. Most private hospitals are now running at 90% occupancy with a majority of the patients suffering from Influenza A and other viral infections. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata At Woodlands Hospital, around 75% of patients currently being treated for influenza and pneumonia are Covid survivors. "Particularly those who experienced moderate to severe illness have suffered lasting architectural and functional damage in the lungs. When individuals from this group, especially the elderly, come down with flu or pneumonia, their disease tends to be more severe. The risk is further compounded if they have underlying conditions like asthma, COPD, diabetes or a history of smoking," said Dipnarayan Mukherjee, microbiology consultant at the hospital. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses In Chom Thong Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo According to Rajdip Sen, consultant physician at BP Poddar Hospital, post-Covid pulmonary complications are making individuals vulnerable to lower respiratory tract infections. "About 30% of influenza and pneumonia patients here have Covid history. In many of these cases, we are observing increased disease severity, particularly among those who had moderate to severe Covid," he said. Immune dysregulation following Covid may compromise the body's ability to mount an effective defence against common respiratory pathogens, Sen said and added that these patients "often present with a more aggressive clinical course, prolonged hypoxia and delayed recovery, necessitating closer monitoring and in some cases, extended hospitalisation." Charnock Hospital internal medicine consultant Jayanta Dutta said they, too, are receiving a "significant" number of patients with a history of severe Covid, many of them elderly. "It's possible that the elderly have some residual damage like fibrosis that makes them vulnerable to infections now. We have also seen growth in lung diseases like asthma, upper respiratory tract infections and COPD among those who had long Covid. This group remains prone to pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections due to lower immunity," he added. Manipal Hospital Dhakuria has received more than hundred patients with respiratory tract infection over the past 10 days. "Long Covid has left some with lung fibrosis which may have flared up now. Lower resistance induced by Covid and comorbidities could also be a reason in the case of elderly patients. But most severe Covid patients have no trace of lung damage or else this outbreak would have been far worse," said Manipal infectious diseases physician Sayan Chakrabarty. MS Purkait, medical superintendent, Techno India DAMA Hospital said, "If those with prior history of Covid, especially the elderly, develop influenza or pneumonia within a year of Covid, the symptoms are more serious and may require hospitalization. Sometimes, the infections may co-occur, making the treatment complex and prolonged. We are seeing many such cases now."
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Mizoram reports 5 new Covid cases, active tally rises to 6: Officials
Aizawl: At least five people have been registered in Mizoram with Covid-19 infection during the past 24 hours, state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officials said on Friday. With these new cases, the total number of active Covid-19 cases stands at six. The officials said 19 people have been infected with the coronavirus in the state so far this year. All those identified as infected are from Aizawl district. No deaths due to Covid-19 have been reported this year and none of the patients are reported to have serious symptoms. Covid-19 infections were first identified in the state this year in mid-May, when two cases were reported. The officials said last year, 73 people were infected with Covid-19.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
TD vaccination drive launched
Kanpur: District magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh on Friday launched a special Td (tetanus-diphtheria) vaccination drive for 10 to 16 years age group teens from Talimul Islam Girls junior high school. The drive will go on till August in, which around 7,000 students of 226 schools of district would be vaccinated to protect them from tetanus and diphtheria diseases. The DM interacted with girl students and apprised them about the significance of vaccine. He said that both tetanus and diphtheria are serious and life-threatening diseases and the most effective way to prevent them was timely vaccination. This vaccine was given as a booster at the age of 10 and 16 years with the aim of strengthening immunity of children, so that the effectiveness of the previously received DPT vaccines can be maintained he added. The District Magistrate directed the teams of the Health and Education department to ensure the presence of children in every school and do intensive monitoring. TNN
