Page 57 - Coronavirus

Omicron XBB.1.5 variant is highly transmissible and infectious: Lancet

This indicated that an individual with the XBB.1.5 variant could infect 1.2 times more people in the population than someone with the parental XBB.1 variant

India reports 754 new Covid-19 cases, one death; active tally at 4,623

More than 700 COVID-19 cases were recorded in a day after a gap of over four months, taking the active caseload to 4,623, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The country had recorded 734 cases on November 12 last year. Continuing with its recent upward trend, a total of 754 new coronavirus cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll has increased to 5,30,790 with one fatality reported by Karnataka, the data updated at 8 am stated. The total tally of Covid cases reported so far has reached 4.46 crore (4,46,92,710). Active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,57,297, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in th

Maternal mortality rate in US soared 40% during Covid-19 pandemic

Wider access to insurance coverage to improve prenatal and follow-up care, and increasing transportation to medical facilities could help lower the death rate, according to the CDC

Eric Garcetti: Everything you need to know about new US ambassador to India

Eric Garcetti's tenure as mayor of Los Angeles saw several high points, like adopting a $15 minimum wage and his regular briefings during the Covid-19 pandemic. But, it had some setbacks as well

China's post-Covid rebound gets off to unbalanced start, says CNBS

Industrial output was less impressive in the January-February period - expanding a slower-than-expected 2.4 per cent year on year

China economy rebounds from Covid slump as consumer spending picks up

Retail sales rose 3.5% from the same period last year, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday, in line with forecasts and reversing from a 1.8% drop in December

'Closely monitoring H3N2 situation': Tamil Nadu Health Department

Also, the Primary Health Centres have been asked to provide information on the number of fever cases being reported

H3N2 attacking kids, elderly; doctors say time to follow Covid protocols

H3N2 virus is attacking kids and elderly so it is time to follow Covid protocols yet again - wearing masks, following social distancing and other rules followed during the pandemic, say doctors

After 'decisive Covid victory', China reopens borders to tourists

Since abandoning Covid Zero, Communist Party has been prioritising a return to strong growth, with China's new Premier Li Qiang calling for more effort to meet a 5 per cent expansion target for 2023

China to reopen its borders to tourists, resume all visas Wednesday

China will reopen its borders to tourists and resume issuing all visas on Wednesday after a three-year halt during the pandemic as it sought to boost its tourism and economy. China is one of the last major countries to reopen its borders to tourists. The announcement on Tuesday came after it declared a decisive victory over COVID-19 in February. All types of visas will resume from Wednesday. Visa-free entry also will resume at destinations such as Hainan Island as well as for cruise ships entering Shanghai that had no visa requirement before COVID-19. Visa-free entry will resume for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao to enter Guangdong in southern China, and foreigners holding visas issued before March 28, 2020, that are still valid will be allowed to enter China. The notice didn't specify whether vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 tests would be required. The move would further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel, according to the notice posted on

India logs 402 new Covid infections in a single day, active cases at 3,903

India reported a single-day rise of 402 coronavirus cases while the active cases have increased to 3,903 in the country, according to the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday. Two fresh deaths one each in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh due to the virus have been reported, taking the overall death toll to 5,30,784, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed. The total number of Covid cases in the country stood at 4.46 crore (4,46,91,338). The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate is 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recovered from the disease was 4,41,56,651 and the case fatality rate was 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The complex health challenge of AMR and the need for One Health Approach

Often referred as a silent pandemic, AMR is one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity according to WHO

China's zero Covid response 'completely right', highly effective: Li Qiang

China's new Premier Li Qiang on Monday strongly defended the much-hated 'zero COVID' strategy followed by the country for over three years which hurt its economic growth also led to public protests, saying the policy was completely right and delivered highly effective outcomes. Addressing his first press conference, Li said it took less than two months for China, a highly populous country, to achieve a smooth transition in COVID-19 response and resume normal economic and social order, which is indeed remarkable. "For over three years, under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Chinese people have united in fighting COVID-19, and now we have achieved a major and decisive victory against the disease, Li said and avoided using the term zero COVID. "China is a country with a large population and unbalanced development. It took less than two months for it to achieve a smooth transition in its response to the disease and to restore normal socioeconomic order. It is indeed a remarkab

India reports 444 new Covid-19 infections, active cases rise to 3,809

India logged 444 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 3,809, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll increased to 5,30,782 with one death reported by Tamil Nadu, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,90,936). The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,56,345, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Maharashtra records 101 new Covid-19 cases, active tally reaches 551

Maharashtra on Sunday recorded 101 cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 81,38,437, an official from the state health department said. The toll remained unchanged at 1,48,424, while the count of recoveries reached 79,89,462 after 36 patients recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours, the official said. With this, the recovery rate stands at 98.17 per cent and fatality rate in the state is 1.82 per cent, he said. The state now has 551 active cases, the official said. At least 8,922 swab samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted in the state to 8,65,01,776, he said. Mumbai saw 19 new cases on Sunday, which took its tally to 11,54,624, which includes 19,747 casualties. Of the latest infections, 40 were recorded in the Mumbai circle, followed by 25 in Pune, 16 in Nashik, seven in Kolhapur, six each in Latur and Akola circles and one in Nagpur, the official said Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures: Fresh cases: 101,

Single-day rise of 524 Covid cases in India: Union Health Ministry data

India logged 524 new coronavirus cases after a gap of 113 days, while the active cases rose to 3,618, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has increased to 5,30,781 with one death reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,90,492). The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,56,093, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Doctors in UP issue warning against self-medication for H3N2 influenza

With influenza A subtype H3N2 virus claiming two lives in India, one each in Karnataka and Haryana, doctors in Lucknow have urged people to avoid self-medication

Centre raises alarm over increase in Covid positivity rate in some states

Amid a rise in cases of the seasonal influenza subtype H3N2, the Centre on Saturday expressed concern over a gradual increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in some states and said it needed to be promptly addressed. The Centre requested all states and Union territories to follow operational guidelines for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens presenting as cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). The states were also requested to take a stock of hospital preparedness such as availability of drugs and medical oxygen, vaccination coverage against COVID-19 and influenza. "While the COVID-19 trajectory has decreased substantially in last few months, the gradual rise in COVID-19 test positivity rates in some states is a concerning issue that needs to be promptly addressed," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to states and UTs on Saturday. Despite low number of new cases, equally low number of hospitalisations an

Misinformation, lies killed thousands globally: Anurag Thakur on Covid-19

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday described the spread of misinformation and lies during the COVID-19 pandemic as "infodemic", and said thousands of people lost their lives due to it across the world. Thakur was speaking at the Youth 20 (Y20) consultation meeting organised at a private university in Pune city. Y20 is an official consultation forum for youth from all G20 member countries to be able to dialogue with each other. Talking about mental health issues, Thakur said, "More than a pandemic, it was an infodemic because of the spread of lies and misinformation. And it led to the loss of thousands and thousands of lives across the world." Infodemic is a blend of two words - information and pandemic or epidemic. "At times, we have to see whether technology is an enabler or not," the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports said. He also said that India's position in the world has changed positively. "Today, India decides the position of its nat

India logs 456 new Covid-19 infections, active case tally rises to 3,406

India recorded 456 new coronavirus infections, pushing the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases increased to 3,406, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. The death toll stands at 5,30,780 with one death reported in Gujarat, data updated by the ministry at 8 am stated. So far, the country has logged a total of 4.46 crore (4,46,89,968) Covid cases. The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was at 98.80 per cent, according to the Health Ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,55,782, while the case fatality rate was 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry, 220.64 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide inoculation drive.