Forty cases of Delta Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2,a new “variant of concern” seen during the second wave ofthe Covid-19 epidemic, have been detected in India over the last two months since the detection of the first such case in April, the Union Health Ministry saidon Wednesday.
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Punjab reports 496 new Covid-19 cases, 801 recoveries and 22 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total cases: 5,93,572
Total recoveries: 5,72,008
Death toll: 15,923
Active cases: 5,641
Mask wearing compliance still remains low in India despite it being one of the worst-hit by the second wave of Covid-19, according to findings of a survey.
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Scientists have found signs of inflammation and neurodegeneration in the brains of individuals who died of Covid-19, similar to what is observed in people who die of conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease.
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Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is likely to increase its Covid-19 vaccine supply to the private sector from 10 per cent to 25 per cent next month, according to a top representative of the company.
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During the 7th and 8th phase of the Assembly election, Covid-19 cases increased. We had requested to club both the phases, despite requests they didn't listen. Now the positivity rate has been reduced to 3.61%: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
States' re-opening strategy in the wake of a decline in Covid cases is not "prudent" and might even result in a rise in infections as vaccine coverage remains low in many states, global forecasting firm Oxford Economics said on Wednesday.
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The Union Health Ministry has declared the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 a “variant of concern” as the newest strain of the virus in the country raises alarm bells and necessitates closer surveillance.
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AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccinesremain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants of the Covid-19 causing virus, which were first identified in India, according to a scientific study, underpinning a continued push to deliver the shots.
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An additional 61,120 vials of Amphotericin-B have been allocated to states, Union Territories and central institutions, Union Minister Sadananda Gowda said on Wednesday.
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Scientists have developed a universal vaccine that protected mice not just against Covid-19 but also other coronaviruses while triggering the immune system to fight off a dangerous variant.
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Health authorities have raised the Covid-19 alert to level 2 for Wellington, from 6 pm today until midnight on Sunday, after an Australian traveller who visited the New Zealand capital at the weekend tested positive on their return home.
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IndiGo will give a 10 per cent discount from Wednesday onwards to all passengers who have taken at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, a statement said.
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Maharashtra Covid-19 task force member Dr Shashank Joshi on Wednesday said there is no sufficient data available to be alarmed about the 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus. He also said people need to adhere to Covid-19 prevention guidelines and wear masks, avoid crowds and get vaccinated.
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Britain will not require delegates attending November's international climate conference in Glasgow to have been vaccinated against Covid-19, an official responsible for organising the event said on Wednesday.
Britain will strongly recommend that delegates are vaccinated but it will not be a mandatory requirement, Rosalyn Eales, Chief Operating Officer of the COP26 conference, told a group of lawmakers.
Ladakh has recorded over 97 percent of recoveries out of the total 19,871 Covid-19 cases with 38 people discharged in the union territory during the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.
As many as 19,309 people have been cured till now, they said, adding while 15,988 out of 16,397 Covid patients were dicharged in Leh district, 3,321 out of 3,474 patients were discharged in Kargil.
The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the Indian Air Force on a petition filed by one of its personnel posted in Jamnagar, challenging the show cause notice issued to him for termination of service after he expressed his unwillingness to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
In an order passed on Tuesday, a division bench of Justices A J Desai and A P Thaker issued the notice to the IAF and central government and also directed the IAF not to take any coercive action against the petitioner till July 1.
Morgan Stanley's staff and clients will not be allowed to enter the bank's New York offices if they are not fully vaccinated, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday slashed India's growth projection to 9.6 per cent for 2021 calendar year, from its earlier estimate of 13.9 per cent, and said faster vaccination progress will be paramount in restricting economic losses to June quarter
In its report titled 'Macroeconomics – India: Economic shocks from second Covid wave will not be as severe as last year's', Moody's said high-frequency economic indicators show that the second wave of Covid-19 infections hit India's economy in April and May. With states now easing restrictions, economic activity in May is likely to signify the trough.
Maharashtra Covid-19 task force member Dr Shashank Joshi on Wednesday said there is no sufficient data available to be alarmed about the 'Delta Plus' variant of coronavirus. He also said people need to adhere to Covid-19 prevention guidelines and wear masks, avoid crowds and get vaccinated.
Notably, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said 21 cases of the Delta Plus variant, considered highly infectious, have been found in the state so far, including nine in Ratnagiri, seven in Jalgaon, two in Mumbai, and one case each in Palghar, Thane and Sindhudurg districts.
IndiGo will give 10 per cent discount from Wednesday onwards to all passengers who have taken at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, a statement said.
The discount would be given on base fare and only "limited inventory" is available under this offer, the airline's statement noted.
"The offer is only available to vaccinated passengers aged 18 years and above, who are located in India at the time of booking and have already received a (at least one dose of) Covid-19 vaccine in the country," it said.
India administered a record 85 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Monday, as the Centre started providing free vaccines to all above 18 years as part of the liberalised immunisation drive.
Direct flights from the southern city of Shenzhen to Beijing have been suspended until at least July 1, booking apps showed, ahead of celebrations for the Chinese Communist Party's founding in the capital on that date.
China's most populous province Guangdong is battling a Covid-19 outbreak, with 170 confirmed local cases between May 21 and June 21. No new confirmed local cases were reported for June 22.
The ongoing efforts to spread awareness on Covid vaccination has received a boost by a rap song by Karnataka Pulmonologists' Association. The 1.40-minute rap connects the audience caught in the throes of the pandemic with a familiar language and encourages Covid-appropriate behaviour.
India on Wednesday reported 50,848 fresh Covid-19 cases and 1,358 deaths. The new cases take total infection in the country past the grim mark of 3 crore.
Brazil's federal prosecutor's office is investigating possible irregularities in a Health Ministry contract to purchase 20 million doses of the Covaxin vaccine manufactured by Indian laboratory Bharat Biotech.
The agreement signed in February commits the ministry to pay $320 million - at a cost of $15 per vaccine dose - to Precisa Medicamentos, the representative of Bharat Biotech in Brazil, according to a document sent to The Associated Press by the attorney general's press office.
While most of the older Delta Plus cases found in India and around the world are of the AY.1 variety, scientific reports indicate that the mutant virus is further mutating into an even more dangerous form called AY.2.
The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the "greatest threat" to America’s attempt to eradicate the Covid-19 pandemic, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned.
Speaking at a White House briefing on Covid-19 on Tuesday, Fauci said the variant, which was first identified in India, now makes up more than 20 per cent of all new cases in the US, a significant increase from nearly 10 per cent two weeks ago.
"Similar to the situation in the UK, the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the US to our attempt to eliminate Covid-19,” Fauci told reporters during a virtual news conference here.
Maharashtra has set a new record in vaccinating citizens against Covid-19. According to the Co-WIN dashboard, 5.59 lakh doses were administered on Tuesday. Earlier 5.34 lakh beneficiaries were vaccinated on April 26, 2021. Till date, state vaccinated over 2.87 crore beneficiaries.
The supercontagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is responsible for about 1 in 5 Covid-19 cases in the United States, and its prevalence has doubled in the last two weeks, heath officials said Tuesday.
India administered a record 85 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Monday, as the Centre started providing free vaccines to all above 18 years as part of the liberalised immunisation drive.
As the number of people infected with Delta Plus variant of coronavirus is rising in neighboring states, Karnataka’s efforts to contain the ongoing pandemic are once again challenged by interstate travelers.
The BJP and the AAP Tuesday engaged in a war of words over the availability of Covid vaccines in the national capital, with Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri slamming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for visiting Punjab "instead of focusing on health & welfare of people of Delhi".
Passengers on two flights between Australia and New Zealand have been ordered to immediately isolate and undergo Covid-19 testing after authorities traced a traveller who tested positive in Sydney after visiting Wellington.
China on Wednesday reported 24 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for June 22, compared with 25 cases a day earlier, the health authority said.
All of the new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement. There were no new deaths.
China also reported 21 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 27 a day earlier.
As of June 22, mainland China had a total of 91,653 confirmed coronavirus cases, it said.
China's death toll from the coronavirus remained unchanged at 4,636. - Reuters.
New Zealand raised the Covid-19 alert level in capital city Wellington on Wednesday, after an Australian tourist tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting the city over the weekend.
Wellington moved to Alert Level 2 from 6pm local time and will extend through to Sunday.
The measure meant social distancing rules will be in place across the city, but offices, schools and businesses can remain open. - Reuters.
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