Page 106 - Coronavirus

Do you still need to wear a mask? Here's what doctors have to say

Doctors say that most people have some form of immunity against the virus already

India jewellery industry up 60% from pre-Covid level in Q2FY23: Icra

On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the demand for jewellery in India contracted 2 per cent

Chinese authorities face public anger over 2nd child's quarantine death

Chinese authorities faced more public anger Thursday after a second child's death was blamed on overzealous anti-virus enforcement, adding to frustration at controls that are confining millions of people to their homes and sparked fights with health workers. The 4-month-old girl died after suffering vomiting and diarrhea while in quarantine at a hotel in the central city of Zhengzhou, according to news reports and social media posts. They said it took her father 11 hours to get help after emergency services balked at dealing with them and she finally was sent to a hospital 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The death came after the ruling Communist Party promised this month that people in quarantine wouldn't be blocked from getting emergency help following an outcry over a 3-year-old boy's death from carbon monoxide in the northwest. His father blamed health workers in the city of Lanzhou, who he said tried to stop him from taking his son to a hospital. Internet users expressed anger a

Thane reports 20 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours; active tally at 148

Maharashtra's Thane district has recorded 20 new cases of coronavirus, raising its infection count to 7,47,184, a health official said on Thursday. These latest numbers were reported on Wednesday. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the district has come down to 148 as compared to 165 the previous day, he said. The death toll in the district, which comes under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, remained unchanged at 11,967, he said. The recovery count has reached 7,35,818 he added.

India reports 635 new Covid-19 cases in a day; active tally dips to 7,175

India logged 635 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of Covid cases to 4,46,67,311, while the active cases declined to 7,175, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,546 with 11 fatalities which includes nine deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.79 per cent, according to the ministry website. A decrease of 386 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,29,590, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website 219.83 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on A

Oil falls as geopolitical tensions ease, China Covid concerns return

Brent crude futures dropped by 62 cents, or 0.7%, to $92.24 a barrel by 0110 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $84.94 a barrel

Mumbai logs 30 new Covid-19 infections, no death; active case tally at 208

Mumbai on Wednesday reported 30 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 11,54,732, while no fresh death linked to the infection was recorded in the metropolis, said the local civic body. A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) bulletin said the death toll remained unchanged at 19,742. On Tuesday, the city reported 27 COVID-19 cases and zero fatality. Significantly, Mumbai's case doubling rate has jumped over the 25,000-day mark (25,496), indicating a dramatic slowdown in spread of the respiratory illness. The count of recoveries reached 11,34,782 after 46 patients recuperated from the infection in the last 24 hours, leaving the metropolis with 208 active cases, said the bulletin. The growth rate of COVID-19 cases between November 9 and 15 was 0.003 per cent, it said. As many as 4,506 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative count to 1,85,16,389, said the BMC. Mumbai's coronavirus recovery rate stood at 98.3 per cent, it added.

Chinese authorities call on retired soldiers to help Foxconn iPhone plant

The plant, the world's largest iPhone manufacturing facility, has been hit by discontent over government mandated measures to curb the spread of Covid-19

Aviation ministry modifies rule to make masks optional on domestic flights

In-flight announcements may only mention that all passengers should preferably use masks/face covers; no specific reference to fine/penal action needed

Indoor relative humidity could influence Covid transmission, says study

Scientists have found that indoor relative humidity may also influence transmission of the COVID-19 virus, according to a study. Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air compared to the total moisture the air can hold at a given temperature before saturating and forming condensation. In a study, conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the research team reported that maintaining an indoor relative humidity between 40 and 60 per cent is associated with relatively lower rates of Covid-19 infections and deaths, while indoor conditions outside this range are associated with worse Covid-19 outcomes. To put this into perspective, most people are comfortable between 30 and 50 per cent relative humidity, and an airplane cabin is at around 20 per cent relative humidity. The findings, that appear in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, are based on the team's analysis of Covid-19 data combined with meteorological measurements from 12

Maharashtra: Thane records 5 new Covid-19 cases; active tally at 165

Five new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking its tally of infections to 7,47,164, a health official said on Wednesday. With the addition of the latest cases on Tuesday, the district currently has 165 active COVID-19 cases, he said. The death toll in the district remained unchanged at 11,967. The count of recoveries has reached 7,35,790, he added.

India logs 501 new Covid-19 infections in a day; active case tally at 7,561

India saw a single-day rise of 501 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have declined from 7,918 to 7,561, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Currently, the total Covid cases stand at 4,46,66,676, while the death toll has climbed to 5,30,535 with two more fatalities -- one each from Delhi and Rajasthan. The active cases comprised 0.02 per cent of the total infections and the recovery rate increased to 98.79 per cent, according to the data. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,28,580 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. As many as 219.82 crore doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country so far under the vaccination drive.

Over 50% Indian firms experienced economic crime in 2 years: Survey

95% of them suffered new types of fraud as a result of the disruption caused by Covid-19

Chhattisgarh records 6 coronavirus cases, no new death; active tally at 39

Chhattisgarh on Tuesday reported six new COVID-19 cases at a positivity rate of 0.25 per cent, taking the overall tally to 11,77,684, while the death toll remain unchanged at 14,145, an official said. The recovery count stood at 11,63,500 after 9 people recovered during the day, leaving the state with 39 active cases, he said. Durg led with 2 cases, followed by 1 in Raipur, among other districts. No coronavirus cases were reported in 23 of the 28 districts, said the official. With 2,366 swab samples examined during the day, the tally of tests carried out so far in the state went up to 1,87,75,096, he added. Chhattisgarh's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 11,77,684, new cases 6, death toll 14,145, recovered 11,63,500, active cases 39, today tests 2,366, total tests 1,87,75,096.

Hospitals see influx of foreign patients in Sept qtr as travel norms ease

Several corporate hospitals say international patient footfalls have crossed pre-pandemic levels

US transport dept fines Air India $1.4 mn for delaying refunds of $121 mn

Refunds were on account of flights cancelled during Covid-19 pandemic; AI among six airlines that collectively forked out $600 mn in refunds and $7.25 mn in penalties

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif tests positive for Covid-19 after returning from UK

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tested postive for COVID-19, a day after returning from his trip to the UK, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Tuesday. Shehbaz, 71, returned to Pakistan on Monday after taking a detour to London from the COP27 climate conference in Egypt to visit his elder brother Nawaz Sharif. In a tweet, Aurangzeb said the premier was feeling unwell for the past two days and took a COVID-19 test on Tuesday on the doctor's advice, which returned positive. She appealed to the nation and to PML-N workers to pray for Prime Minister Shehbaz's speedy recovery. This is the third time the premier has tested positive for the virus, after having previously contracted COVID-19 earlier this year in January and in June 2020.

Covid-19 lockdowns spark violent protests in China's Guangzhou City

In videos on social media, hundreds of people can be seen marching in the streets and pushing over police barriers in Guangzhou's Haizhu district, which has been in lockdown since late last month

China recalibrates policy, issues directions to rescue property sector

The move coincided with a publicly announced 20-point playbook from the National Health Commission aimed at reducing the economic and social impact of containing Covid

Over 1.5 mn people had missed or delayed TB diagnosis in 2020: Study

Over 1.5 million people in 45 high-burden countries, including India, are estimated to have had a missed or delayed tuberculosis diagnosis in 2020 due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study. The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, shows that children may be disproportionately affected in over half of countries analysed, those aged 65 or over in more than two thirds of countries, with sex being a risk factor in almost half of countries. The team, including researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, noted that vulnerable populations in high-burden countries worldwide must be prioritised in efforts to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) care. "Our results show that in many countries those who already faced the most difficulty in obtaining TB diagnosis and care have suffered worsening access as a result of the pandemic," said study joint lead author Finn McQuaid, from ...