Page 5 - Coronavirus

Five years after lockdown: Is India prepared for another health crisis?

In the years that followed, government spending on healthcare has remained abysmally low

'Go corona, go': 5 years to Covid-19 lockdown and the frenzy that followed

Five years ago, on March 24, the first lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. Here's recounting what happened after the lockdown commenced

Human Coronavirus HKU1 detected in India What it is and why it matters

In Kolkata, West Bengal, a 49-year-old lady contracted the human coronavirus HKU1. The hospital reports that the patient was admitted after a 15-day period of a persistent fever

Best of BS Opinion: Transparency is key to both democracy and global ties

Openness, reliability, and hope are critical to successful democracies and have a cumulative effect on both domestic and global ties

Flu cases surge in Delhi-NCR: 54% households report Covid-like symptoms

According to a LocalCircles poll, within the past month, at least 54% of Delhi-NCR homes had one or more people with symptoms like fever, cough, headaches, and respiratory problems

'Aatmanirbhar means readiness for uncertainty', says Principal Secy to PM

BS Manthan: PK Mishra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister of India, believes the country must adopt an 'anti-fragile' approach in an uncertain world

New bat virus HKU5-CoV-2 sparks pandemic fears - Is it the next COVID-19?

China has discovered a new coronavirus in bats that can enter the human body like Covid-19. The new virus, HKU5-CoV, hasn't been detected in humans yet but has been identified in a laboratory

India's vaccine aid during Covid saved many lives, says Guyana minister

Anthony recalled how India did not hoard vaccines like other countries, even when India was itself struggling with Covid management

Covid-like bat virus discovered by researchers at Wuhan lab in China

The study was led by Shi Zhengli, Chinese virologist from the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), where the Covid-19 was alleged to have emanated from

Mapping burden of long Covid: Work commences on review of studies

The healthcare sector in India still doesn't know the exact nature of the burden of long Covid with OPDs seeing a surge in patients but no proper documentation. That's the gap researchers in Gandhinagar have set out to fill with a review of various studies so the big picture becomes clear. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG) are in the process of identifying studies to be included for the review to help discern an overall pattern in trends, including effects and risk factors. The review is funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Despite visible, grave symptoms, long Covid continues to evade diagnosis, as scientists have found no significant laboratory markers that could indicate its presence. "Long Covid is definitely a chronic condition, but we do not know the exact nature of its burden," said Komal Shah, associate professor at the IIPHG. "Studies report a surge in out-patient department (OPD) cases, especially among those wi

Trump calls for halting funds to schools, colleges that need Covid vaccines

Schools, colleges and states that require students to be immunised against COVID-19 may be at risk of losing federal money under a White House order signed Friday by President Donald Trump. The order is expected to have little national impact because COVID-19 vaccine mandates have mostly been dropped at schools and colleges across the United States, and many states have passed legislation forbidding such mandates. The order directs the Education Department and Health and Human Services to create a plan to end vaccine mandates for COVID-19. It isn't clear what money the plan would use as leverage. Most federal education money is ordered by Congress. It aims to fulfil a campaign promise from Trump, who often said he would not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate. The order applies only to COVID-19 vaccines. All states have laws requiring that children attending schools be vaccinated against certain diseases including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough a

Five years of Covid: Struggles, adaptations and hope for small businesses

From closures to online pivots, how small enterprises weathered the pandemic storm

Covid's quiet fade: Nearly 3 deaths per month still being reported

The latest numbers show that there have been 41 cases of Covid in the most recent four-week period ending mid-January, with three deaths

CIA suspects Covid originated from a lab but lacks confidence in finding

The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has low confidence in its own conclusion. The finding is not the result of any new intelligence, and the report was completed at the behest of the Biden administration and former CIA Director William Burns. It was declassified and released Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency, John Ratcliffe, who was sworn in Thursday as director. The nuanced finding suggests the agency believes the totality of evidence makes a lab origin more likely than a natural origin. But the agency's assessment assigns a low degree of confidence to this conclusion, suggesting the evidence is deficient, inconclusive or contradictory. Earlier reports on the origins of COVID-19 have split over whether the coronavirus emerged from a Chinese lab, ...

Trump admin considers order to pause virus research linked to Covid-19

The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to temporarily halt federal funding for certain 'gain-of-function' virus research, although some pathogens, like H5N1, may be exempt from this

Additional expense of Rs 10.2 cr by Kerala to buy PPE kit during Covid: CAG

Despite having prescribed unit rates for PPE kits at Rs 545 to control prices, the government procured kits at much higher rates, up to 300 per cent above the unit rate, in March and April 2020

'Ambulance Man' Shunty promises to introduce 'pink ambulances' for women

AAP candidate Jitender Singh Shunty says he wants to make Shahdara constituency a better place for women residents as he outlines his plans for introducing 'pink ambulances', hostels for working women and creches for their children if elected from the seat in the Delhi assembly polls. A formal Quick Response Team (QRT) for women's safety and the establishment of a disaster management team to address emergencies in the narrow lanes of the locality are among his other key proposals. Known for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which earned him the title of "Ambulance Man," Shunty told PTI that his priorities include serving the people of Shahdara and addressing the needs of women. "If elected, I will honour my commitment to social welfare," Shunty said, adding his initiatives would focus on supporting working women, single mothers, and female professionals who have come from outside to work in Delhi. "There are many female residents in this area who need safe and affordable ...

Saved millions from losing jobs: US Treasury defends Biden's Covid spending

While the US economy had done "remarkably well" in the aftermath of the pandemic, it outperformed other advanced economies and did better than in past recessions, Yellen said

'We Tried to Tell Y'All': Meredith D Clark chronicles rise of Black Twitter

Black Twitter's most lasting legacy, according to Clark, is pulling off a "full-scale revolution" in how American news media reported on Black people

Explained: How to protect yourself from norovirus, Covid-19, flu, and RSV

In the winter months, it seems few are safe from some kind of illness flu, COVID-19, norovirus, colds. While many of the germs that cause this misery can circulate throughout the year, scientists think that the winter surge of flu and cold activity may be because we spend more time indoors and the cold, dry air may weaken our defences. But knowing what these bugs are and how they spread can help. While it may be difficult to make it through the season totally unscathed, there are some things you can do to protect yourself from these respiratory and stomach viruses. How do I know whether I have the cold, the flu, COVID-19 or something else? Some symptoms are hard to distinguish among illnesses, especially with respiratory viruses. Others are unmistakable. Norovirus is a foodborne illness that can spread through water and contaminated surfaces and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain for about one to three days. The common cold can be caused by several different t