Page 164 - Coronavirus

UK to roll out 4th Covid-19 booster vaccine doses to all aged 50 and over

Scientific advisers on the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have recommended an extra dose be offered in the autumn months.

Gujarat's ceramic tiles hub to take month-long break after production glut

'Leave' in August could be annual feature and will follow Chinese industry taking a break every February

We need to be prepared for new Covid-19 waves: WHO scientist Swaminathan

Be prepared for fresh COVID-19 waves, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has warned, amid the onset of new variants that are more transmissible, immune evasive and growing concerns about greater hospitalisations. There is mounting evidence that suggests that Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are infecting people who have been vaccinated. We need to be prepared for these #COVID19 waves -- each new #variant will be more transmissible & immune evasive -- higher numbers infected will translate into greater hospitalisations & sickness. All countries must have a data driven plan to quickly respond to changing situations, Swaminathan tweeted on Thursday. She was tweeting in response to a Twitter thread by Senior Advisor at World Bank Group Philip Schellekens who said that we are seeing a global U-turn in COVID-19 mortality. Following months of decline, it has started to rise again, which did not come as a big surprise given properties of BA.5, relaxed attitudes towards infection

Arunachal reports 43 new Covid-19 cases, zero deaths in last 24 hours

The state had recorded 45 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day spike in a fortnight

Assam reports 707 new Covid cases, two deaths; positivity rate at 11.5%

The total number of affected now stands at 7,28,616 and the positivity rate has increased to 11.55 per cent during the last 24 hours from the previous day's 10.75 per cent

Mizoram records 119 fresh coronavirus cases, zero deaths on Friday

Mizoram has the second highest number of active cases in the northeastern region, at 1,067, after Assam (3,150) , as per official data on Friday

South Korea reports 38,882 new Covid cases; total infections at 18,680,142

South Korea reported 38,882 new Covid cases as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 18,680,142, the health authorities said Friday

Australian PM calls national cabinet meeting amid rise in Covid cases

The PM will meet with state and territory leaders on Monday amid pressure for the federal government to reinstate pandemic leave payments for workers forced into isolation

New Zealand reports 10,470 new Covid community cases, 16 deaths on Friday

Currently, 773 Covid patients are being treated in hospitals, including 14 in intensive care units or high dependency units

Assam's Cachar district makes face masks mandatory as Covid cases rise

Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the Cachar district administration of Assam has made it mandatory to wear face masks in all offices and public gatherings in the district.An order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of the district read, "In view of the increasing trend of Covid-19 cases in Cachar district in last one week, the district-specific COVID guidelines are hereby notified and are to be followed by all concerned - All the Officers or Officials within Cachar district are to wear a mandatory face mask in their respective offices or areas (Both Government & Private) while performing regular public services and Covid appropriate behaviour need to be maintained.""All the Doctors, Paramedical Staffs and other Staffs of Health Institutions/Hospitals (BothGovernment & Private) are to use compulsory face masks during service delivery (i.e. in OPD, Emergency, IPD, OT, Labor room, Laboratory. Waiting areas, Registration Counter etc.). All people are to mandatory use face mask .

Data story: India logs 20,038 new Covid cases, active tally at 139,073

India has so far administered 1,994,734,994 vaccine doses

China's economy shrinks during Coronavirus shutdown in last three months

The economy shrank by 2.6 per cent, compared with the January-March period's already weak quarter-on-quarter rate of 1.4 per cent, official data showed Friday

Free Covid-19 precautionary dose for all above 18 years from today

This special vaccination drive is a part of the celebration for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and aims to provide free precaution dose for all adults (18 years and above) eligible population

Thane records 168 new Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 1,518

Thane district in Maharashtra has reported 168 new coronavirus positive cases, which took its overall infection count to 732,105, a health official said on Friday

Bengal reports 3,029 fresh Covid-19 cases, 5 more deaths in last 24 hours

West Bengal reported 3,029 fresh Covid-19 cases, 50 more than the previous day, raising the tally to 2,062,293, the health department said on Thursday

Sikkim reports 70 Covid-19 cases in last 24 hrs; death toll reaches 459

Sikkim reported 70 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 39,675, while the death toll mounted to 459 with one fresh fatality

China's budget deficit widens 600% as Covid-19 pandemic cuts revenue

The deficit in the budgets for all levels of government was 5.1 trillion yuan ($758 billion), according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the Ministry of Finance released Thursday

Ensure second dose coverage of Sputnik V vaccine: Centre to states

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday said it has been observed that the uptake of precaution dose of Sputnik V is only 0.5 per cent of those due for it

Covid-19 pandemic: India reports over 20,000 new cases after 145 days

This is an increase of 3,233 infections as compared to yesterday. The country reported 16,906 new COVID cases on Wednesday

Glenmark nasal spray cuts down viral load of Covid by 94% in 24 hrs

Glenmark had conducted the study on 306 vaccinated and unvaccinated adults with symptomatic mild Covid-19 disease across 20 clinical trial sites in India