Page 136 - Coronavirus

Covid: 'Only 12% of people in 18-59 age group have taken precaution dose'

Around 12 per cent of the eligible 77 crore population in the age group of 18-59 years have taken the precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far, officials said on Tuesday. Besides, 35 per cent of the 16.80 crore population aged 60 years and above, healthcare and frontline workers have been administered the precaution dose, officials said. A total of 15.66 crore precaution doses have been given till now with 10.39 crore doses being administered since July 15 till now after the 'COVID Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava' was launched, official sources said. The precaution dose coverage among the 64,89,99,721 eligible population between 18-59 years was 8 per cent till July 14. Under the campaign which was launched on July 15, 9,28,598 special vaccination camps have been organised so far by all the states and UTs. This includes camps at railway stations (4,259), bus stations (9,183), airports (370), schools and colleges (1,16,675), on the way to religious places (3,522) and camps at other pl

Covishield usage highest as precaution dose for Covid, says report

The usage of Covishield has been the highest as the precaution dose for COVID-19 as compared to other vaccines, said Union Health Ministry sources

China's big cities, from Dalian to Shenzhen, ramp up Covid curbs

Chinese metropolises ordered measures such as lockdowns in big districts and business closures aimed at stamping out fresh Covid outbreaks

Long Covid syndrome in children less common than in adults, US study finds

The risk of long COVID in children appears to be lower than what has been reported in adults, according to a study conducted in the US. Some people who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus can experience long-term effects from their infection which can last for months. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that many of the symptoms children experience post-COVID-19 are similar to those seen in adults, but there are some features more unique to kids, such as hair loss, skin rashes and diarrhea. The risk for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID appears to be higher in children younger than five years of age, those with medical complexity and those admitted to the intensive care unit, the researchers said. "There has been a critical need to understand the impact of COVID-19 in children both in the short as well as long-term, said Suchitra Rao, infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado, US. "This is one of

US first lady Jill Biden tests negative for Covid-19 after rebound

First lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and will return to Washington on Tuesday, nearly a week after she came downwith a rebound case of the coronavirus. Her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, announced the negative test in a statement Monday night. Jill Biden had been isolating at her family's house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, since testing positive on Aug. 24, and at the time, her spokesperson said she was not experiencing any symptoms. She first tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15, when she and President Joe Biden were vacationing in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The president, who had his own back-to-back cases of COVID-19, was identified as a close contact of his wife and the White House said he was undergoing more frequent testing for the virus as a precaution. While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines called for Biden to wear a face covering in close proximity to others indoors, he was seen without a mask hugging and .

Delhi logs 214 new Covid cases, 4 deaths; positivity rate stands at 3.77%

Delhi on Monday reported 214 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.77 per cent, while four more people succumbed to the viral disease, according to data shared by the city health department. The new cases came out of 5,683 tests conducted the previous day, the department said in its latest bulletin. With the fresh cases and fatalities, Delhi's infection tally increased to 19,98,858 and the death toll climbed to 26,462, it said. The city on Sunday logged 397 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.05 per cent and five fatalities. The health department did not issue the daily bulletin on Saturday. On Friday, Delhi recorded 620 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.74 per cent and two fatalities. It logged 702 cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 4.49 per cent and four fatalities. On Wednesday, the city recorded 945 cases with a positivity rate of 5.55 per cent and six fatalities. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi stood at 2,259. As many as 1,8

Maharashtra sees 810 new Covid cases, 5 fatalities; active tally at 11,472

Maharashtra on Monday recorded 810 coronavirus cases and five fatalities, including three in Mumbai, raising the cumulative tally to 80,97,294 and the toll to 1,48,234, the state health department said. A day earlier, the state had reported 1,639 infections and five deaths due to COVID-19. Mumbai recorded 351 fresh cases. Of the five COVID-19 fatalities, three were reported from Mumbai and one each from Nagpur city and Gondia district. Maharashtra's COVID-19 fatality rate now stands at 1.73 per cent. A total of 1,012 people were discharged after COVID-19 treatment in the last 24 hours, which raised the count of recoveries in Maharashtra to 79,37,588, leaving the state with 11,472 active cases, the department said in a bulletin. The case recovery rate in the state is 98.03 per cent. With 15,659 samples tested in the last 24 hours, the overall number of tests conducted so far in the state went up to 8,40,66,066. Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Fresh cases 810, fata

China shuts down world's largest electronic market after Covid-19 spike

China's technology hub Shenzhen on Monday ordered the closure of the world's largest electronics wholesale market to contain a recent spike in coronavirus cases in the southern city, amidst a call by a leading Chinese think tank for a change in the country's 'zero-COVID' policy that it said was causing widespread disruption of business. Merchants in the Huaqiangbei district, home to the world's largest electronics market, received an official notice that the market will be closed till Thursday to contain the COVID spread. All tenants are required to work from home during the period and take a nucleic acid test every day, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted one of the district's biggest operators, Huaqiang Electronics World. Key manufacturing enterprises, including telecommunications equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co, China's top chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group, were ordered to follow a closed-loop

Uber in India has more two- and three-wheeler ride demand than cabs

Introduced in 2019, Uber Auto and Uber Moto have seen a three-fold increase in demand after the coronavirus pandemic

What is Tomato Flu? Causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment

Tomato Flu cases have surged in India, more than three months after its inception. Read this detailed article to understand Tomato Flu, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Pakistan eyes IMF board's crucial meeting on bailout package today

Pakistan is eyeing an important and crucial meeting of the executive board of the IMF, which is to be held today to take a decision on a bailout package for the country

Covid-19 curbs must change to help economy, says Chinese think tank

A Chinese think tank issued a rare public disagreement on Monday with the ruling Communist Party's severe zero COVID policy, saying curbs that shut down cities and disrupt trade, travel and industry must change to prevent an economic stall. The Anbound Research Center gave no details of possible changes but said President Xi Jinping's government needs to focus on shoring up sinking growth. It noted the United States, Europe and Japan are recovering economically after easing anti-disease curbs. Preventing the risk of economic stall should be the priority task," the think tank said in a report titled, It's Time for China to Adjust Its Virus Control and Prevention Policies. Even such mild public disagreement with official policy is almost unknown in a politically sensitive year when Xi, China's most powerful leader since at least the 1980s, is expected to try to extend his time in office. The report, dated Sunday, was posted on the Anbound Research Center's accounts on the popular WeC

RIL 45th AGM Live: Ambani announces Giga factory for power electronics

From Reliance Industries 45th Annual General Meeting to Covid updates, catch all the latest news here

New durable coating may kill Covid virus in minutes, say US scientists

Scientists in the US have developed a durable and safe-to-use coating that may kill the COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2 virus, E. coli and MRSA bacteria, and a variety of other pathogens within minutes. The coating developed by researchers at the University of Michigan killed 99.9 per cent of microbes even after months of repeated cleaning and abrasion on real-world surfaces like keyboards, cell phone screens and chicken-slathered cutting boards. The coating could be a game changer in traditionally germ-laden public spaces like airports and hospitals, said Anish Tuteja, a professor at the University of Michigan. "Disinfectant cleaners can kill germs in only a minute or two but they dissipate quickly and leave surfaces vulnerable to reinfection" said Tuteja, a co-corresponding author of the research published in the journal Matter. "We do have long-lasting antibacterial surfaces based on metals like copper and zinc, but they take hours to kill bacteria. This coating offers the best of b

US likely to authorise updated Covid booster shots for new Omicron variants

The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve new ovid-19 booster shots for newer Omicron strains this week, making them accessible to people in the country

Maharashtra's Thane records 326 new Covid-19 cases; active tally at 2,447

As many as 326 new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Maharashtra's Thane district, taking its infection tally to 7,41,175, a health official said on Monday. With the addition of the latest cases on Sunday, the district currently has 2,447 active COVID-19 cases, he said. The death toll in Thane remained unchanged at 11,939. The recovery count has reached 7,27,042, he added.

China steps up measures to wipe out Covid-19 as political summit looms

China is enforcing lockdown restrictions in areas around Beijing more intensively, and will mass test the nearby port city of Tianjin

Data story: India logs 7,591 new Covid cases; death toll at 527,799

India has added 66,763 cases in the past 7 days

Delhi reports 397 fresh Covid-19 cases, 5 deaths; positivity rate at 3.05%

Delhi on Sunday recorded 397 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.05 per cent, while five more people succumbed to the viral disease, according to data shared by the city health department. The new cases came out of 13,004 tests conducted the previous day, the department said in its latest bulletin. With the fresh cases and fatalities, Delhi's infection tally increased to 19,98,644 and the death toll climbed to 26,458, it said. The health department did not issue the daily bulletin on Saturday. On Friday, Delhi recorded 620 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.74 per cent and two fatalities. It logged 702 cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 4.49 per cent and four fatalities. On Wednesday, the city recorded 945 cases with a positivity rate of 5.55 per cent and six fatalities. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi stands at 2,605. As many as 1,942 patients are in home isolation, the bulletin said. Of the 9,405 beds reserved for COVID-19 patients i

Beijing on edge as neighbouring Shijiazhuang sees new Covid outbreak

China is facing a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city 290 kilometres from Beijing, laying increasing pressure on the capital which has been faced with imported Covid infections