Effectiveness of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Corona Virus Vaccine (CovishieldTM) in preventing SARS-CoV2 infection, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2021

BackgroundIndia experienced the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, driven by the delta variant. Apprehensions around the usefulness of vaccines against delta variant posed a risk to the vaccination program. Therefore, we estimated the effectiveness of two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Covishield) vaccine against COVID-19 infection among individuals [≥]45 years in Chennai, India. MethodsA community-based cohort study was conducted from May to September 2021 in a selected geographic area in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The estimated sample size was 10,232. We enumerated individuals from all eligible households and periodically updated vaccination and COVID-19 infection data. We computed vaccine effectiveness with its 95% confidence interval for two doses of the Covishield vaccine against any COVID-19 infection. ResultsWe enrolled 69,435 individuals, of which 21,793 were above 45 years. Two dose coverage of Covishield in the 18+ and 45+ age group was 18% and 31%, respectively. The overall incidence of COVID-19 infection was 1099 per 100,000 population. The vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 disease in the [≥]45 age group was 61.3% (95% CI: 43.6 - 73.4) at least two weeks after receiving the second dose of Covishield. Genomic analysis of 74 (28 with two doses, 15 with one dose, and 31 with zero dose) out of the 90 aliquots collected from the 303 COVID-19 positive individuals in the 45+ age group showed delta variants and their sub-lineages. ConclusionWe demonstrated the effectiveness of two doses of the ChAdOx1 vaccine against the delta variant in the general population of Chennai. We recommend similar future studies considering emerging variants and newer vaccines. Two-dose vaccine coverage could be ensured to protect against COVID-19 infection.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 and effect of public health interventions, Chennai, India, March - October 2020

ObjectivesTo describe the public health strategies and their effect in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic from March to October 2020 in Chennai, India. SettingChennai, a densely populated metropolitan city in Southern India, was one of the five cities which contributed to more than half of the COVID-19 cases in India. ParticipantsWe collected the de-identified line list of all the 192,450 COVID-19 case-patients reported from 17 March to 31 October 2020 in Chennai and their contacts for the analysis. We defined a COVID-19 case-patient based on the RT-PCR positive test in one of the Government approved labs. Outcome measuresThe primary outcomes of interest were incidence of COVID-19 per million population, case fatality ratio, deaths per million and the effective reproduction number (Rt). We also analysed the indicators for surveillance, testing, contact tracing and isolation. ResultsOf the 192,450 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 case-patients reported in Chennai from 17 March-31 October 2020, 114,889 (60%) were males. The highest incidence was 41,064 per million population among the 61-80 years. The incidence peaked during June 2020 at 5239 per million and declined to 3,627 per million in October 2020. The city reported 3,543 deaths, with a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 1.8% and the crude death rate was 431 per million. When lockdown began, Rt was high (4.2) in March and fluctuated from April to June 2020. The Rt dropped below one by the first week of July and remained so until October 2020, even with the relaxation of restrictions ConclusionThe combination of public health strategies controlled the COVID-19 epidemic in a large, densely populated city in India. We recommend continuing the interventions to prevent resurgence, even as vaccination is being rolled out. StrengthsO_LIWe did a comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 strategies and outcome in a large, densely populated metropolitan city in India. C_LIO_LIWe documented that the community-centric public health strategies were feasible and effective in controlling the COVID-19 outbreak even in a large, thickly populated city C_LIO_LIThe lessons learnt are relevant to similar settings in low-and middle-income countries. Given the ongoing multiple waves of COVID-19 and the difficulty in controlling the transmission, our experience and lessons learnt will be valuable for policymakers and scientific advisors globally C_LI LimitationsO_LIWe analysed the data available from the GCC database and not from the hospitals where patients with moderate to severe illness were admitted. Hence, we could not report the severity of illness among admitted patients. C_LIO_LISecond, the COVID-19 incidence might have been underestimated while testing was low during the early phase of the epidemic C_LI

Restricted mouth opening and its definitive management: A literature review.

PURPOSE: This review was intended to discuss the various possible modifications suggested in the literature for prosthetic steps and surgical corrective procedures in nonresponding or complicated cases during rehabilitation of patients with restricted mouth opening. MATERIAL AND METHODS:: Medline, PubMed, and Google were searched electronically for articles using keywords: microstomia and treatment options for restricted mouth opening. The various articles on prosthodontic rehabilitation in microstomia were segregated. From these, various modifications in the prosthetic steps were reviewed. RESULTS:: Oral hygiene maintenance is difficult for patient either due to limited access or due to associated lack of manual dexterity, so dental decay and periodontal problems are more extensive in such patients; hence, tooth loss is a common finding. All prosthetic procedures require wide mouth opening to carry out various steps, starting from tray placement during impression making to the final prosthesis insertion, especially removable prosthesis. Various prosthetic modifications given by authors are included in this review for each step in prosthodontic management. A total of eight stock tray designs, 12 custom tray designs, and 17 removable prosthesis designs are discussed along with fixed (either tooth-supported or implant-supported) and maxillofacial prosthesis. However, some patients require surgical intervention also for the correction of microstomia either for function or for esthetic purpose before prosthetic rehabilitation and are also enumerated here. CONCLUSION: Among all prosthetic restorative options, removable prosthesis is most difficult for dentist to fabricate as conventional methods are either very difficult or impossible to apply. To get a more accurate final prosthesis, we need to modify these steps according to the existing case. Several modifications available are discussed here which can help while managing these patients.

A comparative study for plaque removing efficacy between commonly used denture cleansers in India.

AIM: A comparative study for plaque removing efficacy between toothpaste, liquid handwashing soap, and two chemical-soak denture cleansers (clinsodent denture cleansing powder and fittydent denture cleansing tablet). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 healthy complete denture patients were selected and checked for denture cleansing using toothpaste, liquid handwashing soap, and two chemical denture cleansers: Clinsodent powder and fittydent tablets. Cleansing with plain water was kept as control for twenty patients. RESULTS: The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed ranks test for checking the efficacy. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparing the plaque removing efficacies of each denture cleanser used in the study. All four denture cleansers were significantly effective in removing plaque when compared with plain water, but there was no significant difference among them. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference among action of four denture cleansers used in this study. Thus we can infer that patients can use liquid handwashing soap or commercial products to overcome disadvantages of toothpastes. Recommendation from the results of this study is the use of liquid handwashing soap for cleansing after every meal and soaking of the denture in commercial denture cleanser during the night.