Page 9 - Coronavirus

US President Biden returns to White House after testing Covid negative

US President Joe Biden returned to the White House on Tuesday, after days of self-isolation at his Delaware House, with his doctors saying that his symptoms of COVID-19 have been resolved. I am feeling well, Biden said when asked how is he feeling. The president took a Binax rapid antigen test and is negative, Dr Kevin O'Connor, Physician to the White House said in a memorandum to the White House Press Secretary. Biden's symptoms have resolved, he said. He did not respond to shouted questions about why he dropped out of the race and whether his deputy Vice President Kamala Harris could beat the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. During his quarantine period, the 81-year-old President sent political shockwaves around the country on Sunday with a post on social media announcing that he was not accepting the Democrat nomination. He added that he would focus all his energies on his duties as president for the remainder of his term and offered his full support and endorseme

Harris secures delegates needed to become Democratic nominee for prez

Recovering from Covid-19 at his home in Delaware, Biden called into Harris' campaign event. He sounded hoarse but appreciative of his vice president

Biden continues to recover from Covid, remains out of public view

President Joe Biden's "symptoms have almost resolved completely" from COVID-19, according to his physician, as the president on Monday remained out of public view for the fifth straight day. Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign in a letter posted Sunday on social media. He also announced in a statement on Sunday that he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. The president was last seen in public late Wednesday after arriving at a U.S. air base in Dover, Delaware, after testing positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas earlier in the day. He then motorcaded to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Biden's physician, Dr Kevin O'Connor, said that the president had completed his 10th dose of the COVID-fighting medication Paxlovid on Monday morning and continued to perform all of his presidential duties. His symptoms have almost resolved completely. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal, O'Connor ..

Forgotten pandemic lessons? India's ambulance system needs urgent reforms

A recent report revealed that the focus of the Indian ambulance market, valued at $1.5 billion in 2022, still remains largely on patient transfer rather than critical emergency care

Did Covid cut India's life expectancy by 2.6 years? Here's what Centre says

A recent report revealed that India saw a 2.6-year reduction in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020, with Muslims and Scheduled Tribes (STs) experiencing the most severe impacts

Health ministry terms study on Covid deaths in India as 'misleading'

The findings of a paper published in academic journal Science Advances on life expectancy during the Covid pandemic in India in 2020 are based on "untenable and unacceptable" estimates, the Union health ministry said on Saturday after the findings were highlighted in some media reports. While the paper's authors claim to have followed standard methodology of analysing the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), there are critical flaws in the methodology, the ministry said in a statement. "The most important flaw is that the authors have taken a subset of households included in the NFHS survey between January and April 2021, compared mortality in these households in 2020 with 2019, and extrapolated the results to the entire country," it said. The NFHS sample is representative of the country only when it is considered as a whole. The 23 per cent of households included in this analysis from part of 14 states cannot be considered representative of the country, the statement said. "T

Biden faces intensified calls to step aside after diagnosed with Covid-19

Nearly two-thirds of Biden's own party say he should withdraw from the race, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll released hours before Biden's Covid diagnosis

N Korea to launch major tourism site in 2025 despite blocking tourists

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country's eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by next year, state media reported Thursday, though the country still blocks visits by most foreign tourists. The Wonsan-Kalma zone is one of Kim's most talked-about tourism projects. For years North Korea has been building luxury hotels and recreational facilities there to create a key attraction for international visitors. But the project reportedly suffered setbacks due to shortages of construction materials as a result of toughened UN sanctions and COVID-19 restrictions. Kim toured the Wonsan-Kalma zone with top deputies on Tuesday and discussed preparations for its opening by May 2025 as decided by a ruling party meeting in January, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. A coastal wonderland to be known to the world as the best tourist resort of (North Korea) would be successfully built, Kim was quoted as saying by KCN

President Biden's Covid announcement targets Musk, Trump in political jibe

Biden, 81, tested positive on Wednesday, a day after he attended the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas

Risk of developing Long Covid falls, but remains substantial, shows study

The World Health Organization says tens of thousands of Covid cases are being reported globally. The actual number of infections is likely to be significantly higher

President Biden tests positive for Covid-19, has mild symptoms: White House

US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said on Thursday. Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Biden will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the president's status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation, she said. The president was scheduled to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth, t

51% of applications under PM Cares scheme for Covid orphans rejected

9,331 applications were received for scheme, according to data shared by the Women and Child Development Ministry

Sanjay Singh surrenders in 2021 Covid norms violation case, gets bail

AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh on Thursday surrendered before an MP-MLA court here in a case related to the violation of COVID-19 norms in 2021, and was granted bail. His advocate Madan Pratap Singh said, "Sanjay Singh surrendered in the MP/MLA court here in compliance of bailable warrant issued by the court. The hearing was done before Special Magistrate Shubham Verma in the court. The court granted bail to Singh on a bond of Rs 20,000." The court had issued the warrant against Singh after he failed to appear in several hearings. An FIR was registered at the Bandhu Kala police station on April 13, 2021 in which it was alleged that Sanjay Singh held an election meeting at the Hasanpur village in favour of the AAP's district panchayat member Salma Begum, Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Pandey said. Around 50 people attended the meeting that was held during the COVID-19 pandemic without taking permission from the local administration, Pandey said. He said the public meeting w

Reliance Retail plans to launch sports format to compete with Decathlon

Reliance is in talks to lease 8,000-10,000 sq ft space across malls and high streets in top cities for the new venture. The name of the new brand has not been disclosed yet

Here's why Singapore govt is making life tougher for global talent

The programme was announced in 2022 to assess an employment pass's complementarity with the local workforce

High costs, safety worries hurt Paris Olympics turnout; hotel bookings drop

Flight bookings to the French capital - an indicator of tourist activity - are expected to increase by 10 per cent year-on-year from June 6 onwards

Anand Mahindra asks industry to boost capital investment to 'ride the tide'

Indian companies need to enhance capital investment in order to take advantage of the growth opportunities available in India and abroad, according to Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra. Addressing shareholders in the company's annual report for 2023-24, the leading industrialist noted that the interplay of geopolitics and economic linkages in the post-COVID era has seen India's position strengthen. India's emerging role as one of the vital nodes in future-proofed supply chains across industries opens the door for growth within the country and expansion beyond, he stated. "How can we, in private industry, ensure that we ride this upsurging tide? ..In the spirit of 'ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country', I would argue that the most important thing industry can do at this critical juncture is to increase private investment," Mahindra said. Private capital investment is the key to capitalising on this opportunity as it is a key driver of .

3% more babies with low birth weight born during pandemic in India: Study

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, number of babies in India born with a low birth weight rose sharply -- by about three per cent, a new study has found. Babies born during the pandemic were also found to be at double the risk of having a low weight at birth. The increase in babies born with a low weight could impact the development of "human capital" in the long term, as these infants are known to often "struggle with school", corresponding author Santosh Kumar, an associate professor of development and global health economics at the University of Notre Dame, US, said. "Children who have lower birth weight as infants often go on to struggle with school and this limits their capacity to develop what economists often call 'human capital' -- the key knowledge and skills that will affect their ability to earn a good living and support themselves and their families," Kumar said. Roughly one in every four babies (3 crore) around the world are born with a low weight, which the World Health ..

Covid norms violation case: AAP's Sanjay Singh skips hearing at UP court

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh did not appear before an MP-MLA court here on Saturday in a 2021 COVID-19 norms violation case, citing his preoccupation with the ongoing Parliament session. The court will now hear the matter on July 6. Sanjay Singh's advocate Madan Singh said his client could not appear before the special MP-MLA court due to the ongoing Parliament session. An application on his absence was filed in the court, which fixed July 6 as the next date of hearing. During the last hearing, the court had issued a bailable warrant against Sanjay Singh for skipping several hearings and fixed June 29 as the next date of hearing. Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Pandey said that on April 13, 2021, an FIR was registered against Sanjay Singh at Bandhu Kala police station alleging that he held a meeting in Hasanpur village in favour of the AAP's district panchayat member Salma Begum. Around 50 people attended the meeting that was held during the COVID-19 pandemic without taking

India has taken lead in pushing 'one health' goals: Niti Aayog's Dr VK Paul

India is ahead of several countries in drafting a legal framework to support the implementation of the 'One Health' initiative, which shows its leadership in the matter, Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said on Thursday. The 'One Health' approach that integrates the health of people, animals and the environment, is crucial for addressing complex health challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety. Inaugurating a two-day National Consultation on Legal Environment Assessment for the 'One Health' initiative, here, Paul said, "COVID-19 has forced us to re-focus our attention on the importance of zoonotic diseases and the intricate linkages between the human, animal and plan ecosystems," Paul said. Issues of critical health challenges posed by zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety, and climate change are interconnected and require a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to breaking down the silos between human health, animal health