Page 113 - Coronavirus

China may ease Covid Zero by 2022-end to aid economy, says Mobius

China will probably ease its disruptive Covid Zero policy by the end of this year as its economy is in trouble and the government needs money "badly," said Mark Mobius

Employment exchange registrations yet to reach the pre-pandemic levels

Around 32.24 lakh jobseekers got registered on the employment exchanges during 2021, whereas only 20.7 lakh jobseekers were registered in 2020 pandemic year

Omicron BA.2 less severe than its original and Delta variants : Study

The Omicron BA.2 subvariant is less severe than the Delta variant and to an even greater extent than the original Omicron variant, according to a research team led by investigators at the US-based Massachusetts General Hospital. Of 1,02,315 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US from March 3, 2020 to June 20 this year, there were 20,770 labelled as Delta variants, 52,605 labelled as Omicron B.1.1.529 variants, the original Omicron variant, and 28,940 labelled as Omicron BA.2 subvariants, researchers found. Mortality rates were 0.7 per cent for Delta, 0.4 per cent for the original Omicron variant and 0.3 per cent for Omicron BA.2. The researchers said after adjustments, the odds of death were more than two times higher for the Delta and the original Omicron variant compared with Omicron BA.2. Patients with Delta and original Omicron variants were also more likely to need hospitalisation, invasive ventilation and intensive care admissions, according to the study, which has been published

New polio cases in nations due to halt in immunisation during Covid: expert

A pause in the immunisation programme at the beginning of Covid pandemic has led to the finding of fresh polio cases in countries like the US, UK and Mozambique this year, according to an expert associated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The finding of the poliovirus was also a reminder that if it exists anywhere in the world, it remains a threat everywhere, said Dr Ananda Sankar Bandyopadhyay, Deputy Director of Technology, Research and Analytics at the Foundation's Polio Team. The virus of polio was found in wastewater in a part of London and New York some months back. A case of wild poliovirus was detected in Mozambique in May and another in Malawi in February this year. Any polio detection is a result of low immunisation rates. When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit in 2020, polio campaigns were briefly paused for four months to protect communities and health workers from the coronavirus spread. This led to some increased spread of the poliovirus in countries," ...

Coronavirus updates: Active Covid-19 cases in country dip to 20,821

India's COVID-19 caseload climbed to 4,46,46,880 with 1,112 fresh infections while the number of active cases came down to 20,821, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 5,28,987 with one new fatality, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.77 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 786 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.77 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate stood at 1.06 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from COVID-19 surged to 4,40,97,072 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent, it said. So far, 219.57 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the nationwide vaccination drive, according to the ministry. India's COVID-

Tamil Nadu records 183 fresh Covid-19 cases; active tally at 2,533

Tamil Nadu registered 183 fresh Covid-19 infections on Wednesday while the active cases continued to drop. The active cases slipped to 2,533 from 2,736 on Tuesday, according to a bulletin. Both the daily additions and the active cases were on the decline over the past many days. As many as 386 people were cured of the disease today. There was no virus-related death, the bulletin said. As many as 35,91,226 people tested positive so far. The total recoveries stood at 35,50,645. The State recorded 38,048 deaths till date.

Latest LIVE: Congress prez Kharge constitutes 47-member Steering Committee

From INC getting a non-Gandhi president after 24 years and Rishi Sunak's appointment as UK PM to coronavirus cases and air pollution, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

WHO epidemiologist issues new advisory amid rise in Omicron variants

While the new Covid variants are causing fear worldwide, in India, they do not lead to more hospital admissions and deaths. Though it is considered mild, the new variants are still fast-spreading ones

Karnataka govt issues advisory after detection of new Covid sub-variant

The Karnataka government has issued an advisory urging people to adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour in view of newer sub-variants of Coronavirus being reported in neighbouring Maharashtra. The health department has also advised people with symptoms such as cough, cold and fever to get tested at nearest hospitals and isolate themselves till the results are out. "In view of reporting newer sub-variants of Omicron BQ.1 (US variant) BA.2.3.20 apart from XBB, which is a recombinant of BA.2.75 and BJ.1 in Maharashtra and in the context of the ensuing festival season of Deepavali and Kannada Rajyothsava the following advisory is issued to General public, the Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare said. "Those with fever, cough, cold, sore throat, breathing difficulty should compulsorily get tested immediately at the nearest hospital or health centres (preferably Rapid Antigen Test, if negative then RT-PCR, and get self-isolated till the results are received," the department sai

Data story: India records 830 new Covid cases; zero deaths in last 24 hrs

India has added 11,392 cases in the past 7 days

Biden gets updated Covid-19 booster shot; urges people to get vaccinated

President Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve and got his updated COVID-19 booster shot on Tuesday, as he urged millions of people who have yet to be boosted to do so by Halloween, if possible, so they can gather safely with family and friends this holiday season. Get vaccinated, he said, noting that it's free. Not enough people are getting it. Biden also called on Congress to provide the billions of dollars the administration has requested to buy additional vaccines, tests and treatments. Some lawmakers have balked at the request for more than $20 billion in new coronavirus funding. Biden, who was flanked by his COVID-19 response team, declared that the fight against the spread of virus is global in nature and the funding we seek is critical to that effort. Over 20 million people, including nearly 1 in 5 older adults, have gotten the updated COVID-19 booster, the White House said. The vaccine has been reformulated to target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of omicron, the most dominant ..

Japan rolls out Covid vaccination for children aged 6 months to 4 years

Japan began Covid-19 vaccination for children aged between six months and four years at a hospital in Tokyo

Latest Live: Rishi Sunak becomes richest-ever occupant of UK's Number 10

From Sunak's appointment as UK PM, Cyclone Sitrang to coronavirus cases and air pollution, catch all the latest developments from across the globe here

Mumbai logs 32 new Covid-19 cases, no death; active tally drops below 800

Mumbai on Tuesday recorded 32 new cases of coronavirus, raising the overall tally to 11,53,502, while no fresh death linked to the infection was registered in the metropolis, the local civic body said. The death toll remained unchanged at 19,738. The city has reported less than 100 COVID-19 cases on the second consecutive day after 53 on Monday. The cumulative count of recoveries rose to 11,32,966 after 128 patients recuperated from the infection in the last 24 hours, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). A bulletin issued by the civic body said the city currently has 798 active cases. As many as 1,738 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking their total number to 1,84,32,428, said the bulletin. Mumbai's coronavirus recovery rate was 98.2 per cent, while the case doubling rate stood at 6,047days, it stated.

Death risk from Covid-triggered heart issues very high in 1st month: Study

The risk of death from heart attack or failure after Covid-19 is very high within the first 30 days of infection, but remains heightened for some time afterwards, a new research has revealed

Omicron BF.7 threat: Experts urge people to follow Covid protocol

In the wake of detection of BF.7 Omicron sub-variant in different parts of India, experts have called for diligent following of Covid-19 protocols in Karnataka, said Navodaya Gilla

Japan govt retains economic view for 4th straight month as demand rises

The Japanese economy is recovering moderately, the government said in a report, retaining the view for the fourth successive month, owing to demand bouncing back

Data story: India records 862 new Covid-19 cases, lowest in 196 days

India has so far administered 2,195,665,598 vaccine doses

Delhi records 53 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death; positivity rate at 3.26%

Delhi recorded 53 fresh Covid cases with an increased positivity rate of 3.26 per cent and one death due to the disease on Monday, according to data shared by the health department. With these new cases, the capital's infection tally climbed to 20,05,676 while the death toll stood at 26,508, the department said in its latest bulletin. The new cases were detected from 1,625 tests conducted on Sunday, it said. The Delhi government had on Thursday issued an order withdrawing the Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital. Experts, however, said people, especially those in the vulnerable category like pregnant women and the elderly, should continue to wear masks in crowded areas. Doctors at leading government and private hospitals in the city concurred that people should exercise "extra caution" because though cases in Delhi are on the lower side, a new variant of the coronavirus is being reported which is very transmissible. The city on Sunday reporte

China's economic growth accelerates but weak amid Covid shutdowns

China's economic growth picked up in the latest quarter but still was among the weakest in decades as the ruling Communist Party tries to reverse a slump while enforcing anti-virus controls and a crackdown on debt in its vast real estate industry. The world's second-largest economy grew by 3.9% over a year earlier in the three months ending in September, up from the previous quarter's 0.4%, official data showed Monday. The announcement was planned for last week but postponed while the ruling Communist Party met to award President Xi Jinping a new term as leader. Xi, the most powerful leader in decades, wants a bigger party role in business and technology development. That has prompted warnings tighter control of entrepreneurs who generate jobs and wealth will depress growth that already was in long-term decline. The party gave Xi a free hand by installing a seven-member ruling Standing Committee made up of his allies. Supporters of free enterprise including Premier Li Keqiang, the