Page 13 - Coronavirus

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

Older US adults should get another Covid-19 shot: Govt advisory panel

Older US adults should roll up their sleeves for another COVID-19 shot, even if they got a booster in the fall, an influential government advisory panel said on Wednesday. The panel voted 11-1 to say Americans 65 and older should get another dose of the updated vaccine that became available in September if at least four months has passed since their last shot. The committee advises the head of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who will decide whether to sign off on the recommendation. The panel's decision came after a lengthy discussion about whether to say older people may get the shots or if they should" do so. That reflects a debate among experts about how necessary another booster is and whether yet another recommendation will add to the public's growing vaccine fatigue. Some doctors say most older adults are adequately protected by the fall shot, which built on immunity derived from earlier vaccinations and exposure to the virus itself. And preliminary studies so

India's thermal coal imports fall for first time since Covid-19 pandemic

Surging production and supplies by world's largest miner Coal India have pushed stockpiles at power plants to record highs of over 43 million metric tonnes

Health care companies check market pulse with IPOs after pandemic

Noticeably, a large number of hospital chains have tapped the public markets. Some of them include Yatharth Hospital, Jupiter Life Line and Global Healthcare

Byju's controversies: The troubles hurting India's biggest edtech company

How did Edtech firm fall from the grace that it once enjoyed with the valuation peaking at $22 billion. Explained

India records 105 fresh Covid-19 infections, active cases stand at 875

India saw a single-day rise of 105 COVID-19 cases, while the number of active cases of the infection was recorded at 875, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. A new death due to the viral disease was reported from Punjab in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily Covid cases was in double digits till December 5, 2023, but it began to rise after the emergence of a new variant of the virus and cold weather conditions. After December 5, the maximum of 841 cases were reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak number of cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. India has witnessed three Covid waves in the past, with the peak incidence of daily cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021. At its peak, 4,14,188 new Covid cases and 3,915 deaths due to the infection were reported on May 7, 2021. Since the pandemic broke out in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people in India

Covid vaccine complications range from neurological to heart issues: Study

The viral-vector jabs were also tied to an increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system

Covid-19 updates: India records 110 new cases, total active tally at 893

India has logged 110 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 893, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. No new deaths have been reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases had begun to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. After December 5, a maximum of 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023 which is 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021. India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021. At its peak, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people have been infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths recorded.