# Japan’s joy: Two overseas reports showcase some positive trends in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. The first has to do with Japan’s mystery - Almost overnight, Japan has become a stunning, and somewhat mysterious, coronavirus success story.

Daily new Covid-19 cases have plummeted from a mid-August peak of nearly 6,000 in Tokyo to caseloads in the densely populated capital now routinely below 100, an 11-month low.

# Mix and match: And the other interesting piece is on mixing vaccines, and its promising outcome. People who received a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine followed by an mRNA vaccine shot had a lower risk of infection compared to those immunised with both doses of the AstraZeneca preventive, according to a report quoting a nationwide study in Sweden.

# Second wave, not yet over: Meanhwile, in India, the Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said, the second wave of Covid-19 had not yet receded and the government was closely monitoring the States where numbers are rising.

“The second wave has not ended. Many countries have faced third and fourth waves. We are on alert...,” she said.

# Striking distance of a billion vaccinations: The government is all set to achieve its vaccination target this week with administering over 84 lakh vaccine doses on Monday, as per the Health Ministry data. The cumulative vaccination numbers are now nearing the 98-crore mark.

# Relaxed timings: Maharashtra meanwhile announced that the State would issue standard operating procedures to extend the timings of shops and restaurants as the number of Covid cases are on the decline.

# Technical review: The Technical Advisory Group of the World Heath Organization (WHO) will meet on October 26 to consider emergency use listing for Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine of Bharat Biotech.

# No home remedy this: But over the past 18 months, we’ve seen an increasing number of people calling us about home remedies to prevent or cure Covid-19, particularly during an outbreak. They’re calling for advice before using items such as bleach or disinfectant. Or they’re calling to ask about side-effects after gargling, spraying or bathing in them, said a report citing the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre.

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