Page 209 - Coronavirus

Shanghai makes way towards Covid lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence

Shanghai cautiously works to restore transport services; Shanghai reports mostly zero new community cases this week; Beijing on edge as new infections keep appearing

BA.4 Omicron variant likely in Chennai teen: Tamil Nadu Health Minister

The 19-year-old female patient who lives in a gated community in Navalur, Chennai, and who tested positive on May 9, has recovered from the disease, the minister said

North Korea reports more fevers as Kim Jong Un claims virus progress

The outbreak has caused concern about serious tragedies in the poor, isolated country with one of the world's worst health care systems and a high tolerance for civilian suffering.

China reports 181 new local cases of Covid; one death in Shanghai

Despite Beijing's claim of a 'Zero Covid-19 Policy' in the country, the covid cases in China have been witnessing a surge on a regular basis

Shanghai inches towards Covid lockdown exit, Beijing plays defence

Shanghai's lockdown since the beginning of April has dealt a heavy economic blow to China's most populous city, stirred debate over the sustainability of the nation's zero-COVID policy

Germany allows further tax relief to cushion Covid's impact on economy

The German government has passed a bundle of tax relief measures to help citizens and companies cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing extends Covid control measures amid community transmission

Beijing will extend strict and tight Covid-19 control measures as hidden community-level transmission has been discovered through recent screenings, a municipal official said.

N Korea reports nearly 220,000 new Covid cases as Kim claims virus progress

North Korea said it found nearly 220,000 more people with feverish symptoms even as leader Kim Jong Un claimed progress in slowing a largely undiagnosed spread of Covid-19

Data story: India logs 2,323 new Covid cases; death toll at 524,348

India has so far administered 1,921,296,720 vaccine doses

China cuts borrowing rate more than expected to revive housing sector

China, in a monthly fixing, lowered the five-year loan prime rate (LPR) by 15 basis points to 4.45%, the biggest reduction since China revamped the mechanism in 2019

Share of term products will rise this yr: Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance CEO

Currently, the growth trend has not stalled but it may going forward, but life insurance as a sector will be one of the fastest growing sectors, says Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance CEO Tarun Chugh

530 fresh Coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate at 2.17%

Delhi reported 530 new COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the disease on Friday, while the positivity rate stood at 2.17 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. With the new infections, Delhi's COVID-19 caseload increases to 19,02,710, while the death toll stands at 26,199. A total of 24,458 Covid tests were conducted in the city a day ago, the department said in its latest bulletin. The capital had on Thursday logged 520 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 2.09 per cent and one death due to the disease. It saw 532 COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the disease on Wednesday, while the positivity rate was recorded at 2.13 percent. On Tuesday, the national capital had recorded 393 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.35 per cent and two deaths. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had touched the record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 percent on Ja

Mumbai sees 213 Covid-19 cases, no death; active tally reaches 1,144

Of the 213 new cases, only nine required hospitalisation, including one needing oxygen support, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said

Men's luxury brand portfolio up 46% in 2021 from pre-Covid yr 2019: Report

According to the 2022 edition of Atlas of Affluence (AOA), a white paper on luxury brand from Reliance Brand Ltd (RBL), 57 per cent of men claimed that their fashion spending has increased

Cong's Shashi Tharoor takes a swipe at Centre over tackling Covid-19

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday took a dig at the government by posting a picture seemingly from a shop where the book 'A Nation to Protect', chronicling its response to the Covid pandemic, is displayed in the "popular fiction" segment. "Check out #PopularFiction in India these days!" Tharoor tweeted along with the picture. The book authored by Priyam Gandhi-Mody has Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its cover page and gives an account of the central government's response to the Covid-19. Tharoor also took a swipe at the government by comparing the prices of food items during the current NDA rule and the UPA era. "One more difference between the UPA era & the NDA: you feel it daily!" Tharoor tweeted with the hashtag inflation. He shared a list of food items such as rice, wheat, sugar, tomato and onion with their prices in 2014 and 2022.

Covid booster needed for protection against Omicron variants, studies show

A COVID-19 booster dose will provide strong and broad antibody protection against Omicron sublineage variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, two new studies using serum from human blood samples suggest. Researchers from the Ohio State University in the US tested neutralising antibody levels against the BA.2 and BA.3 Omicron variants and Deltacron, a recombinant variant created by the exchange of genetic material between Delta and Omicron. The studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), and Cell Host & Microbe journal, showed that a third mRNA vaccine dose was required to generate a high enough concentration of antibodies to neutralise BA.2 and Deltacron, as well as other Omicron variants, including the original BA.1, and BA.1.1. Antibodies produced by just the two-dose series of mRNA vaccines were enough to neutralise BA.3 -- a sign this variant is not likely to produce a new surge of Omicron infections, the researchers said. "Three doses is better for everything,"

Live: SC transfers Gyanvapi Mosque case to district judge in Uttar Pradesh

Live news updates: From Pegasus snooping case to BJP meeting in Jaipur, catch all the live updates here

Data story: India logs 2,259 new Covid cases; death toll at 524,323

India has so far administered 1,919,632,518 vaccine doses

China's stimulus tops $5 trillion as Covid zero policy batters economy

"The mainstay of policy this year is fiscal spending and government investment, while the central bank is only playing a supportive role so far," said David Qu, China economist

South Korea reports 25,125 fresh Covid cases, 43 deaths in last 24 hours

The daily caseload was down from 28,130 in the previous day and lower than 32,441 tallied a week ago, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)