COVID-19
Active Covid cases surge in 10 states/UTs
India recorded more than 16,000 fresh Covid-19 cases for the second day running, even as the number of active cases has surged in 10 states and Union territories in the last seven days while rising by nearly 15,000 nationally to more than 1.5 lakh.
45+ with comorbidities will need doc certificate for jab: Govt
People aged between 45 and 60 years having co-morbidities will just need a certificate from a registered medical practitioner — from the public or private sector — verifying that they have a disease that can increase the risk of infection, hence eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine on priority, according to officials.
Co-Win is robust, issues are state-specific: NHA chief
Amid concerns about software glitches in Co-Win, the government said the software is robust and the issues are related to data in specific states like Maharashtra. “There are no software-related glitches. The platform can handle much more traffic than it is getting right now,” R S Sharma, chief executive of National Health Authority and head of the Empowered Group on Covid-19 vaccinations, told TOI.
Surge in births at home in Delhi due to Covid scare
The latest birth registration data of municipal bodies has revealed that in the past few months, the consistent trend of institutional deliveries going up – less than 10% non-institutional births were registered in 2019 – got reversed because of Covid.
Over 1.30 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India so far: Health ministry
From March 1, the Covid-19 vaccination will be extended to people aged 60 years and above and those aged above 45 years with comorbidities, it stated. On February 24, the Centre held meeting with all states and Union territories to review the progress of Covid-19 vaccination drive with a focus on improving pace of vaccination.
Merkel warns of Covid 3 wave if Germany does not open cautiously
"We have to proceed wisely and carefully now so that a third wave does not necessitate a new complete shutdown throughout Germany," Merkel said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, as reported by CNN.
Will the new COVID variants render vaccines ineffective?
In the timeline when many are already doubting the safety and workability of the COVID-19 vaccines being ambitiously used right now, will the vaccines be effective enough to fight out the new virus strains? Will it be safe for use in the future?
Covid mutation that may weaken effectiveness of vaccines found
A new form of coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly in New York City and it carries a worrisome mutation that may weaken the effectiveness of vaccines. As per the research by two teams, the new variant --B.1.526 -- first appeared in samples collected in New York in November. However, by the middle of February, it appeared in about one in four viral sequences in the database shared by the scientists.
Japanese WHO expert voices skepticism on China's theory
A Japanese expert from the World Health Organization (WHO), who visited Wuhan as part of the investigative team to look into the origins of Covid-19, has voiced skepticism on China's stance that the virus had originally entered the country from abroad through a cold chain.
A group of devotees participating in Attukal Pongala will be cooking with ‘valiyachennellu’ from Wayanad this year
Life & Style: The famed Pongala, which falls on February 27 in connection with the annual festival at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in the Kerala capital, will be held in the homes of devotees in keeping with COVID-19 regulations and some of them will be offering the goddess bran-rich valiyachennellu, a native organic rice
