They thought they were being vaccinated. It was an ordeal.

They thought they were being vaccinated. It was an ordeal.

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Residents of the slums in the city of Bhopal, in central India, who remember hearing about the offer in December, said they struggled to accept it. 750 rupees ($ 10) is about twice what they would normally earn for a day of hard work.

“They told us that it is the corona vaccine and that we should take it so we don’t get sick,” said Yashoda Bai Yadav, a Bhopal housewife who participated in the trial alongside her husband.

But they say they later found out from local activists that some of them had not received an approved vaccine. Instead, they unwittingly participated in a clinical trial for India’s homemade vaccine, Covaxin. Only half of the participants in the Covaxin Phase 3 trial received a vaccine – the other half received a placebo, a normal part of clinical trials.

One participant, Radha Aherwar, only discovered that it was possible to receive a placebo while speaking to CNN, saying, “Ah, so what I got was not a vaccine? I didn’t know there was a chance that you could get a shot of water. ”

Their experience suggests that the medical team at People’s Hospital, which was conducting the study, may not have adequately explained that they were part of a study and that only some of the participants would receive the vaccine. Both alleged lapses, if proven to be true, appear to violate India’s clinical trial rules that require informed consent from all participants.

The study was sponsored by vaccine developers, Indian biotechnology company Bharat Biotech and the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR). Bharat Biotech, ICMR and Hospital Popular denied any wrongdoing.

This also raises questions about the quality of the trial data. Experts like Amar Jesani, editor of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, fear that this could lead to the vaccine’s hesitation among some groups in India.

YOU ASKED. WE RESPOND

Q: I’m Pregnant. Should I get the Covid-19 vaccine?

ONE: We asked CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen for advice. Wen is not just an emergency physician and a public health specialist; she is also the mother of a 3-year-old son and a 10-month-old girl who was born during the pandemic.

Here’s what she said: “Based on what we know about the vaccine, there is no reason to believe that it will have a detrimental effect on pregnancy or the long-term health of the mother or baby. The lack of evidence does not mean which cannot exist, but that kind of very low theoretical risk needs to be weighed against the real and potentially very high risk of a serious Covid-19 outcome. ”

Read Wen’s full guidance here.
Submit your questions here. Are you a healthcare professional battling Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you are facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

Johnson & Johnson vaccine big day

Vaccine consultants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are due to meet on Friday to discuss the possible emergency authorization of a third coronavirus vaccine for the U.S., this one made by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine arm Janssen Biotech.
Its authorization can help to speed up the implementation of vaccination across the country. President Joe Biden on Thursday celebrated 50 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered since he took office, using it as a measure against his promise to put 100 million vaccines in people’s arms in their first 100 days. But he also warned that there is “a long way to go” before life returns to normal.

Covid restrictions forced Russian diplomats to leave North Korea on a hand-drawn tram

Eight officials from the Russian embassy in Pyongyang and their families spent more than 34 hours trying to leave North Korea this week, a tiring trip that ended with at least one diplomat pushing his luggage and young children on a tram to Russian territory.

North Korea’s borders have been effectively blocked for months as part of Kim Jong Un’s efforts to keep Covid-19 under control, leaving the few diplomats operating within the country. The labyrinthine journey was the only way for Russian diplomats and their families to leave, the Russian embassy said on its verified Facebook page.

Russian diplomats who worked at the Pyongyang embassy had to use a hand truck when they returned from North Korea with their family members.

Arthritis Drugs May Help Critically Covid-19 Patients, Study Suggests

Drugs commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may help critically ill patients with Covid-19 in intensive care units, a new study has found. The drugs reduce inflammation and doctors hope they can help patients recover from the overwhelming immune response that sometimes triggers Covid-19.

But experts warn that more research is needed before doctors start using the drugs more widely. Another new study found that a similar drug did not help patients hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia to improve significantly. The two studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II says those who refuse vaccines “should think about other people and not themselves.”
  • South Korea began launching the vaccine on Friday, while health officials extended current social distance measures and banning meetings of five or more people until March 14.
  • US officials in China have urged local authorities to refrain from subjecting US officials in the country to Covid-19 anal smears, according to a US-based diplomat based in China.
  • Athletes are being encouraged to vaccinate against Covid-19 before the Tokyo Olympics, but it will not be mandatory, IOC Vice President John Coates said on Thursday.
  • The Thai government has introduced a “golf quarantine” program to boost its struggling tourism sector.

BEST TIP

Going to the gym? Wear a mask.

The use of masks and other safety precautions are essential to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during group exercises indoors, according to two new reports published by the US Centers for Disease and Prevention. The two studies, published on Wednesday, linked Covid-19 outbreaks during the summer to exercise facilities in Chicago and Honolulu.

In the Chicago report, 60% of people who attended face-to-face gym classes at a facility between August 24 and September 1 tested positive for Covid-19. Another 7% of participants reported symptoms consistent with the disease.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“Frankly, when the United States provides resources and gets out of the way, the Cherokee nation does a wonderful job of providing health care.” – Chuck Hoskin, Jr., chief chief of the Cherokee nation

Covid-19 has disproportionately hit Native American communities, but when it comes to the distribution of vaccines, tribal health providers are actually overtaking many states. CNN’s Harmeet Kaur talks to the Cherokee nation’s chief chief, Chuck Hoskin, Jr. about the success of his tribe’s vaccine. Listen now.

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