Budget 2018-19

  Omicron was first detected in southern Africa last month and has triggered global alarm as governments fear another surge in infections South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the  Omicron coronavirus variant  pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. Omicron was first detected in southern Africa last month and has triggered global alarm as governments fear another surge in infections. South Africa’s daily infections surged last week to more than 16,000 on Friday from roughly 2,300 on Monday. Ramaphosa said in a weekly newsletter that Omicron appeared to be dominating new cases in most of the country’s nine provinces and urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “ South Africa  now has sufficient supplies of vaccines, …vaccination is essential for our economic recovery because as more people are vaccinated more areas of economic activity will be opened up,” he said. The gov...

The directives will allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates without the need to spend 14 days in transit outside their countries before entering the Kingdom Saudi Arabia has announced that it will lift a travel ban on expats from six countries including India and Pakistan that was introduced to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The directives will allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates without the need to spend 14 days in transit outside their countries before entering the Kingdom, Arab News reported.  Saudi Arabia ‘s Ministry of Interior issued the directive saying that changes will commence at 1 am on December 1. The English-language newspaper said that expats arriving from these countries must spend five days in quarantine regardless of their Coronavirus vaccination status outside the Kingdom. Earlier in February, the direct entry ban was imposed due to a global spike in Covid-19 caThe ban covered Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, the U...

  The lockdown comes a day after a warning from National Health Commission officials that the outbreak would continue to worsen after spreading to 11 provinces in about a week China locked down a county that has seen the most Covid-19 cases in the nation’s latest delta outbreak, as an initial flareup in the northwest quickly spirals into a nationwide surge. Ejin, a county in China’s Inner Mongolia region, asked its 35,700 residents to stay home from Monday and warned of civil and criminal liabilities should anyone disobey the order, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a local government statement. The small county bordering Mongolia is the current outbreak’s hotspot, home to nearly one-third of the more than 150 infections found over the past week in the mainland. The lockdown comes a day after a warning from National Health Commission officials that the outbreak would continue to worsen after spreading to 11 provinces in about a week. China reported 38 Covid infections on Mond...

  Bangladesh aims to administer Covid-19 vaccines to nearly half of its population by next January. Bangladesh aims to administer Covid-19 vaccines to nearly half of its population by next January. Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said the Bangladeshi government is working to vaccinate 80 million people by December and January, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Bangladesh’s state-run news agency BSS. The minister said the government is considering vaccinating children aged between 12 and 17 years. Bangladesh has already announced a target of vaccinating 80 per cent of its population by 2022. The South Asian country has so far got nearly 70 million doses of the  Covid-19 vaccine.  Bangladesh launched the vaccine rollout in January. As of October 9, 36,178,946 people in Bangladesh have reportedly received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 17,940,300 were fully vaccinated. The coronavirus infection and fatality rates have fallen significantly since ...

  India remains on the red list under the international traffic system, which bans travel and imposes a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine for returning British residents Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union (EU) countries will be able to avoid a 10-day compulsory quarantine when they arrive in England from next Monday, the UK government said on Wednesday. Currently, only people who received their Covid-19 vaccine in the UK can avoid quarantine when arriving from these “amber list” countries under the government’s traffic list travel system. “We’ve taken great strides on our journey to reopen  international   travel  and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade — this is progress we can all enjoy,” said UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. “We will of course continue to be guided by the latest scientific data but th...

  More than 15.4 mn balance and unutilised Covid-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said More than 1.54 crore balance and unutilised  COVID-19 vaccine doses  are still available with the states, UTs and private hospitals to be administered, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. Over 38.86 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further 63,84,230 doses are in the pipeline, it said. Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 37,31,88,834 doses, according to the data available at 8 am. The new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21.

  The Karnataka government on Thursday said that passengers from Kerala with at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine certificates will be exempted from producing negative RT-PCR reports The Karnataka government on Thursday said that passengers from Kerala with at least one dose of COVID 19 vaccine certificates will be exempted from producing negative  RT-PCR reports , as the state has taken special surveillance measures for people coming from Kerala. According to the order regarding special surveillance measures for persons arriving from Kerala, vaccination certificate of having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be exempted form producing RT-PCR certificate. Earlier in its order on Thursday, the Karnataka government made it mandatory for travellers entering the state from Kerala via rail, road or air to produce the RT-PCR negative not be older than 72 hours or a vaccination certificate of at least one dose, as the State has taken up special surveillance measure...

  Of those dead in Seychelles, five had taken Covishield and one had been given Sinopharm. The coronavirus has killed six fully vaccinated people in the Seychelles, which is suffering heightened Covid-19 infections despite inoculating a greater proportion of its people than any other nation. Of those, five had taken Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine made in India, and one had been given Sinopharm, Jude Gedeon, the island nation’s public health commissioner said at a press conference on Thursday. Covishield has mainly been reserved for people over 60 in the Seychelles. The rise in infections, which surged at the beginning of May and has remained at elevated levels ever since, is likely due to the arrival of the highly-transmissible delta variant, which was first identified in India, Gedeon said. “It looks like delta came in Seychelles in May which explain the surge at the beginning of May,” Gedeon said. “We presume that the majority of cases we got in May was from...

  False claims are fueling vaccine hesitancy in pockets, undermining efforts to vaccinate some of the most vulnerable people in Asia. Though Gerry Casida is on the priority list for a free Covid-19 vaccine in the Philippines because of his asthma, he’s isn’t planning to get the shot any time soon. A video he found on social media of a woman claiming vaccines are being used for genocide helps explain why. “I’ve read a lot of posts on Facebook about how many died in other countries because of vaccines, and how that’s being concealed,” the construction worker, 43, from Manila said. “My mom also consulted a folk healer, who said the vaccines could affect my heart.” Millions of people like Casida in some of the worst  Covid hotspots  in Southeast Asia are in no rush for inoculation or just saying no, swayed by disinformation on social media from both local sources as well anti-vaccination movements in the U.S. Those false claims are fueling vaccine hesitancy in some pockets of...

  During a broadcast interview, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he’s “quite concerned” about the Delta variant in the US Washington [US], July 1 (ANI): The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the greatest threat to the United States’ attempt to eradicate COVID-19, White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday. During a broadcast interview, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said he’s “quite concerned” about the Delta variant in the US. Dr Fauci told US media that the delta variant can spread “much more efficiently” and “cause more severe disease”. “The  Delta variant  has the capability of spreading much more efficiently from person to person. It also can cause more severe disease. So there are two things about it that are troublesome,” said the top US COVID-19 expert. Fauci further said that the good news is that COVID-19 vaccines have shown to be very ef...

  Biden came up well short on his goal of delivering 80 mn doses of coronavirus vaccine to rest of world by end of June as a host of logistical and regulatory hurdles slowed pace of US vaccine diplomacy President Joe Biden came up well short on his goal of delivering 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the rest of the world by the end of June as a host of logistical and regulatory hurdles slowed the pace of US vaccine diplomacy. Although the Biden administration has announced that about 50 countries and entities will receive a share of the excess  COVID-19 vaccine  doses, the US has shipped fewer than 24 million doses to 10 recipient countries, according to an Associated Press tally. The White House says more will be sent in the coming days and stresses that Biden has done everything in his power to meet the commitment. It’s not for lack of doses. All the American shots are ready to ship, the White House said. Rather, it’s taking more time than anticipated to sort ...

  A total of 360 Indians, who were stranded in Pakistan due to Covid-19 induced restrictions, returned via the Attari-Wagah border, officials said on Monday A total of 360 Indians, who were stranded in Pakistan due to COVID-19 induced restrictions, returned via the Attari-Wagah border, officials said on Monday. While speaking to ANI, Protocol Officer (Police) Arunpal Singh said, “360 Indians and 50 No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) visa holders, who were stranded in Pakistan due to COVID restrictions, returned via Attari-Wagah border yesterday.” Liyaqat Ali, a resident of Baramulla, at the  Attari-Wagah border  near Amritsar told ANI, “I went to Pakistan in December last year to meet my maternal uncle and got stuck due to COVID-induced restrictions…. I am happy to be back home after 6 months.” People were seen carrying huge suitcases and bags and arranging them inside the vehicle. Last year, on December 29, 2020, a total of 137 people who had arrived in India before...

  South Africa is imposing new restrictions to curb the third wave of the  coronavirus disease , as well as the spread of the Delta variant, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa is imposing new restrictions to curb the third wave of the coronavirus disease, as well as the spread of the  Delta plus variant , President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday. According to the country’s leader, the new variant has been detected in five provinces and is displacing the Beta variant as the dominant one. “Based on scientific advice we received from the Ministerial Advisory Committee and further consultation with our provinces and metros and traditional leaders, and on the recommendation of the National Coronavirus Command Council, Cabinet has decided that the country should move to Adjusted Alert Level 4. Cabinet decided that to ensure that our response is appropriate and proportionate to the current situation, the additional restrictions we are announcing this evening will be in ...

  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked the government why “large-scale testing is not being done” to check and prevent the spread of the Delta plus variant of coronavirus Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked the government why “large-scale testing is not being done” to check and prevent the spread of the Delta plus variant of coronavirus and how effective are the vaccines against it. Many experts feel that the Delta plus variant, which has been declared as a ‘variant of concern’ by the Union health ministry, may trigger a third wave of COVID-19 infections in the country. “Questions to the Modi government on  Delta plus variant : Why is testing not being done on a large scale to check and prevent it? How effective are the vaccines against it and when will complete information be available? What is the plan to control it in the third wave of the virus,” he posed in a tweet in Hindi. India was hit severely by a brutal second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April ...

  Women took on 173 additional hours of unpaid child care last year, compared to 59 additional hours for men, study says. Child care demands at home skyrocketed during the pandemic, but men and women did not split the burden equally. Globally, women took on 173 additional hours of unpaid child care last year, compared to 59 additional hours for men, a study released Friday by the Center for Global Development, a poverty non-profit, found. The gap widened in low- and middle-income countries, where women cared for children for more than three times as many hours as men did. Women have felt many of the pandemic’s worst economic effects, including an estimated $800 billion in lost income, in large part due to increased demands on their time at home. The Covid-19 recession unraveled gains in pay equality, female labor force participation and unemployment, particularly among Black and Latina women in the U.S. Global job loss rates among women were roughly 1.8 times larger than those amon...

  A single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine offers around 60 per cent protection against infection A single dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine offers around 60 per cent protection against infection from SARS-CoV-2 in adults aged 65 years and above, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. To obtain real-world data on the effectiveness of these vaccines in care homes, the researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK used data from the VIVALDI study. That research investigated SARS-CoV-2 transmission, infection outcomes, and immunity in residents and staff in long-term care facilities in England for adults aged 65 years and older since June 2020. This analysis included long-term care facility residents undergoing routine asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 testing between December 8, 2020 — the date the first vaccine was administered in the study cohort — and March 15, 2021 using national testing data linked within the COVID-19...

  ‘Al-Rumayyan joining our Board is also the beginning of internationalisation of Reliance,’ says RIL Chairman at 44th AGM Reliance Industries chairman  Mukesh Ambani  told shareholders at the company’s 44th AGM on Thursday that the country is in midst of humanitarian crisis owing to coronavirus pandemic. “Our business and financial success since last AGM have exceeded expectations despite Covid pandemic. But what has given me far greater happiness than our business performance is RIL’s humanitarian efforts during these exceedingly difficult times,” said Mukesh Ambani. Even in a challenging environment, RIL’s performance continued to be outstanding. Consolidated revenue was Rs 5.4 trillion, consolidated EBITDA was Rs 98,000 cr, and almost 50% of EBITDA was contributed by consumer businesseses, added Ambani. RIL’s contribution to Indian economy remained unmatched in FY21 – 6.8% of India’s merchandise exports, 75,000 new jobs, Rs 21,044 crore of customs plus excise, Rs 85,3...

  AIIMS survey finds over 50% children had asymptomatic Covid infection It’s highly unlikely that any future wave of Covid-19 by the prevailing variants of coronavirus will disproportionately affect children aged two years or older, a serosurvey conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has found. This comes against the backdrop of a number of officials and health experts raising an alarm about the possible third wave affecting children more than adults. AIIMS collected data between March 15 and June 10, 2021, from 4,509 participants across four states, of which 700 were less than 18 years of age and 3,809 were above it. The interim study found seroprevalence (the prevalence of Covid antibodies) in 55.7 per cent of those between 2 and 17 years of age, and in 63.5 per cent of those above 18. “There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence between adults and children,” the study said. A large proportion of children had asymptomatic...

  The council meet is expected to deliberate the exemption and concession on   Covid-19   related items The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is likely to consider the taxation of Covid-19 relief essentials in its next meeting scheduled for June 12. The meeting is expected to deliberate the exemption and concession on Covid-related items, following the recommendation submitted by the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Tuesday. The GoM recommendation is yet to be made public, but it is learnt that the issue of taxing the vaccine has been sent back to the Council. However, it suggested temporarily reducing the  GST rate  to 5 per cent on commercial imports and domestic supply of Coronavirus (Covid-19) medicines and material, including medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters and testing kits. The GoM headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has not made any concrete recommendations on vaccine rates, but the demand of some states to lower it may be...

  A third Chinese vaccine, produced by CanSino Biologics , has submitted clinical trial data, but no WHO review has been scheduled. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by drugmaker Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries. A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators on a product’s safety and efficacy. It will also allow the shot to be included in COVAX, the global programme to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which faces major supply problems due to an Indian export suspension. The independent panel of experts said in a statement it recommended Sinovac’s vaccine for adults over 18, with a second dose 2-4 weeks later. There was no upper age limit as data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people. The WHO’s technical advisory group, which began meeting on May 5, took the decision after reviewing the latest c...