Page 13 - Coronavirus

Besides Covid-19, diabetes and renal disease reduce Indian lifespan

Covid-19 was the leading cause of death in India, as per the study. The age-standardised rate of deaths for both males and females was 156.8 per 100,000 population

Over 80 million people worked under MGNREGA in FY24, shows data

It is the lowest number of beneficiaries to have accessed employment under the scheme since the Covid-19 pandemic

How to save the pandemic treaty

As countries cavil over specific clauses in a draft pandemic treaty, there is good reason to fear that the document will be whittled down so much that it becomes useless

Bharat Biotech's TB vaccine MTBVAC begins clinical trials in India

The trials will assess the vaccine's safety, immune response, and efficacy in preventing TB in adults and adolescents. MTBVAC has been developed after research spanning over three decades

No country is fully prepared for future pandemics, says ADB report

India's score on the Global Health Security Index declined from 43.6 in 2019 to 42.8 in 2021. The country's score was lower than others. Japan, Brazil and Russia, meanwhile, recorded an improvement

Probes target Bolsonaro, but his Covid decisions catching up to him first

As Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's term wound down in the final days of December 2022, he had decided to skip the ritual of handing over the presidential sash to his successor, and instead made plans to travel abroad. But there was a problem, according to a Federal Police indictment unveiled on Tuesday: Bolsonaro didn't have the necessary vaccination certificate required by US authorities. So Bolsonaro turned to his aide-de-camp, Mauro Cid, and asked him to insert false data into the public health system to make it appear as though he and his 12-year-old daughter had received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the indictment. Cid told police he tasked someone with the carrying out the deed, then printed out the certificates inside the presidential palace on December 22 and hand-delivered them to Bolsonaro, according to detective Fabio Alvarez Shor, who signed the indictment. It is Bolsonaro's first indictment since leaving office, and tampering with public records in Brazil is

More Chinese tied knot in 2023, lifting marriage rates 1st time in 9 yrs

The number of newlyweds rose to 7.68 million last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs last week

Despite grounds for optimism, India economy is yet to hit high-growth phase

India's macroeconomic stability is impressive compared to many of its peers

Many countries bouncing back from Covid but poorest are not, says UN

Many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the poorest are not and a significant number are seeing their conditions deteriorate, the UN Development Program said Wednesday. Achim Steiner, head of the agency, said that after two decades during which rich and poor countries were coming closer in terms of development, the finding is a very strong warning signal that nations are now drifting apart. The Human Development Index that the agency has produced since 1990 is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. But development in half of the world's poorest countries remains below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, the report said. It's a rich person's versus a poor person's world in which we are seeing development unfolding in very unequal, partially incomplete ways, Steiner said at a news conference. Why does this matter? Not only because it creates more vulnerability, it creates also more misery and protracted

Many countries bouncing back from Covid-19 but poorest are not: UN report

Many countries are bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the poorest are not and a significant number are seeing conditions deteriorating, a report from the UN Development Progamme said on Wednesday. Achim Steiner, head of the agency, said that after two decades during which rich and poor countries were coming closer in terms of development, the finding is a very strong warning signal that nations are now drifting apart. The Human Development Index that the agency has produced since 1990 is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. But development in half of the world's poorest countries remains below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, the report said. It's a rich person's versus a poor person's world in which we are seeing development unfolding in very unequal, partially incomplete ways, Steiner said at a news conference. Why does this matter? Not only because it creates more vulnerability, it creates also more misery a

New covid-19 variant JN.1 dominant in China, check symptoms and more

JN.1, a new COVID variant, has become dominant in China. A total of 6,653 cases were reported last month

Serum looks beyond Covid with new vaccines for malaria, dengue: CEO

Serum produces AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield in India, and also makes Novavax's protein-based Covid shots

Best of BS Opinion: A wiser world after Covid, Preserving the magic & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

A wiser world after Covid

Another pandemic or global scale disaster is inevitable but the Covid experience will help us deal with it better

Persistent Covid infections may be more common than expected: Report

A high proportion of COVID-19 infections in the general population lead to persistent infections lasting a month or more, according to a study. It has long been thought that prolonged COVID-19 infections in immunocompromised individuals may have been the source of the multiple new variants that arose during the pandemic and seeded successive waves of infection, the researchers said. However, until now, the prevalence of persistentS-CoV-2 infections in the general population and how the virus evolves in these situations remained unknown, they said. The study, published in the journal Nature, used data from the UK Office for National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey (ONS-CIS), which tested participants monthly. Of the over 90,000 participants, 3,603 provided two or more Covid positive samples between November 2020 and August 2022. Of these, 381 individuals tested positive for the same variant over a period of a month or longer. Within this group, 54 individuals had a persistent .

Covid surge in North India: Delhi records highest daily total since May

In the last 15 days, Delhi has recorded 459 cases of Covid-19, up from 191 the previous fortnight and 73 in the prior 15-day period

Domestic air passenger traffic expected to surpass pre-Covid levels: ICRA

The domestic air passenger traffic is expected to surpass the pre-Covid levels of 141.2 million and reach 150-155 million this fiscal, registering an estimated growth of 8-13 per cent, credit ratings agency Icra said on Wednesday. Icra also projected a significant reduction in industry's net loss for the next two fiscals and was also of the view that supply-chain challenges and engine failure issues may remain near-term headwinds. Icra maintains a "stable" outlook on the domestic aviation industry, amidst the continued recovery in domestic and international air passenger traffic, and relatively stable cost environment, it said. The momentum in traffic growth is expected to continue in FY2025 as well, with a similar estimated year-on-year growth, aided by rising demand for both leisure and business travel and improving airport infrastructure, it said. The international passenger traffic for Indian carriers surpassed the pre-Covid levels in FY2023, although it trailed the peak levels

Why PVR INOX MD Ajay Bijli thinks leading a 3D life is the key to wellness

Make time for that forgotten hobby, advises Bijli, who revived his 1980s-style rock band during the pandemic

No impact on immune system of man who took over 200 Covid vaccines: Study

Researchers have examined a man in Germany who claims to have received 217 vaccinations against COVID-19 and found that his immune system was fully functional. Until now, it has been unclear what effects hypervaccination such as this would have on the immune system. Some scientists were of the opinion that immune cells would become less effective after becoming used to the antigens. However, the case study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal found that the immune system of the person is fully functional. More than 60 million people in Germany have been vaccinated againstS-CoV-2, a majority of them several times, the researchers said. The man examined by a team at FriedrichAlexander University ErlangenNurnberg (FAU) in Germany claims to have received 217 vaccinations for private reasons. There is official confirmation for 134 of these vaccinations, they said. "We learned about his case via newspaper articles," said Kilian Schober from FAU. "We then contacted him an

CDC notifies guidelines for individuals, organisations to curb Covid spread

These guidelines offer practical advice for individuals and organisations to navigate the complexities of illness, recovery, and preventing transmission