Covid wave

North Korea’s daily fever cases dropped to below 100,000 for the first time, state media said on Saturday, less than three weeks after the country’s first acknowledgement of a COVID-19 outbreak. The isolated country has been in a heated battle against an unprecedented COVID wave since declaring a state of emergency and imposing a nationwide lockdown this month, fuelling concerns about lack of vaccines, medical supplies and food shortages. Some 88,520 more people showed fever symptoms as of Friday evening, compared with nearly 400,000 about 10 days ago, the official KCNA news agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. The total number of fever patients since April rose to 3.36 million among the 25 million population. KCNA did not report any additional death. As of Friday, the death toll stood at 69. North Korea has not confirmed the total number of people testing positive for the coronavirus, apparently lacking in testing supplies. … [Read more...] about North Korea Says New Fever Covid-19 Cases Under 100,000 as Virus Fight Heats Up

While fresh COVID-19 cases in India continue to be at manageable levels, doctors in India—alongside medical experts globally—grapple with a mysterious spike in unexplained hepatitis in children who’ve tested positive for COVID-19. A team of medics from the Bundelkhand Medical College (BMC), Sagar, Madhya Pradesh and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research, Chandigarh report that an investigation of 475 children, who tested Covid positive from April-July in 2021, showed 37 (about 8%) with Covid Acquired Hepatitis (CAH). Though sporadic reports from various parts of India have emerged in the last two years, this is the first systematic investigation to quantify the scale of the syndrome in the country. 10 children had the more serious, rare, but better documented, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), that is marked by inflammation in multiple organs and can kill three in every ten diagnosed children. In CAH, the symptoms include nausea, loss of … [Read more...] about Madhya Pradesh study finds hepatitis in COVID-19-affected children

South Africa is experiencing a surge of new COVID-19 cases driven by two omicron sub-variants, according to health experts. For about three weeks the country has seen increasing numbers of new cases and somewhat higher hospitalizations, but not increases in severe cases and deaths, said Professor Marta Nunes, a researcher at Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Analytics at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. “We're still very early in this increase period, so I don’t want to really call it a wave,” Nunes said. “We are seeing a slight, a small increase in hospitalizations and really very few deaths.” South Africa's new cases have gone from an average of 300 per day in early April to about 8,000 per day this week. Nunes says the actual number of new cases is probably much higher because the symptoms are mild and many who get sick are not getting tested. South Africa's new surge is from two variations of omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, which appear to be very much like the original … [Read more...] about South Africa in new surge of COVID-19 from versions of Omicron variant

It is often said of documentation, to underline the importance of that task, that if you do not record it, it never happened. While that might not strictly be true in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, painstaking documentation of the country’s journey through its rather unexpected, unprecedented battle with a single-strand RNA virus is a welcome move for the future. Indeed, every country has its own battle, but Till We Win is a valiant attempt to chronicle those very crucial early months of the pandemic. It is also valiant, because the authors are scientists who seldom write in medias res, they are more used to waiting for the results of a trial to be assessed and present a picture that attempts to be as accurate as possible. As far as we can see, the pandemic is still around, waving in and out of countries and communities, and every day, new understanding emerges and old theories are categorically busted. But then, as we have already acknowledged, extraordinary times call for … [Read more...] about ‘Till We Win: India’s Fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic’ review: How to fight a terror virus

Double-dose vaccination, booster shot, and exposure to previous COVID-19 infection have so far made the Omicron cases less severe in terms of low hospitalisation rates and deaths, says CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology director Vinay Nandicoori. This is in contrast to the Delta wave in the summer of 2021 when vaccination rate was just 2%, and the high viral load led to unprecedented hospitalisation figures and fatalities, overwhelming the healthcare systems. “We are in a much better place when compared to a year ago, but let there be no doubt that if Omicron was the first variant, it could have caused as much havoc as seen in Hong Kong among the unvaccinated and those with comorbidities,” he points out, in an exclusive interaction. “We have to remind ourselves that the Omicron variant is still a potent virus, has scope to improve, and if it gets a combination of the right conditions, things could get worse for persons getting infected. But, the hope is that with … [Read more...] about As COVID mutations continue, CCMB chief sounds caution

New Delhi: Industry body CII has urged the government to take “strongest” national steps including curtailing economic activity to contain the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. CII President Uday Kotak has asked for highest-level response measures to address the rising wave of COVID-19 cases, as currently safeguarding lives is key to cut the transmission links. “The healthcare infrastructure and supply build-up are being undertaken on an emergency basis by the governments at the centre and states, but will take time. “At this critical juncture when the toll of lives is rising, CII urges the strongest national steps including curtailing economic activity to reduce suffering,” the President has said in a statement. The chamber said that the current pace of daily caseloads, the requirement for hospital beds and ICU beds, oxygen, and medicines will continue to escalate. “Healthcare and frontline workers are giving their best efforts to tackle the influx of patients, but it may … [Read more...] about COVID-19 Crisis: CII Calls for Strongest National Steps, Curbs on Economic Activity

When the COVID-19 emerged in China, sparking a pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome in humans, the transmission was linked to food. Initial cases were traced back to a seafood market in the city of Wuhan, and gradually, concerns about the virus being passed on through non-vegetarian food, Chinese cuisine, food delivery and packaging became prevalent. Food-related behaviour of the general population was certainly altered during the pandemic, and an online questionnaire-based study covering 600 respondents in both urban and rural areas showed that ‘immunity’, ‘supplements’ and ‘vegetable cleaners’ were among the top-searched terms on the internet during that period. The study, taken up by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) here, aimed to evaluate the trend of COVID-associated food and nutrition news search by Indian internet users between January 27, 2020, and June 30, 2021, and its impact on their perceptions and practices. The rise in … [Read more...] about Infodemic in pandemic: how COVID influenced food choices

With Delhi facing the third wave of COVID-19, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that there was a need to promote wearing of face masks as a movement to check the spread of virus. Inaugurating a PWD project to strengthen Rohtak road in Mundka, the chief minister said he hoped that just as people faced the first two waves of coronavirus, they would face the third wave too and that it will end soon. "Till there is a medicine for corona, face masks are the medicine. These are the biggest protection against COVID-19 infection. We need to promote wearing face masks as a movement," he said. Citing the arrival of 32,000 Indians from virus-hit countries in March as well people coming from different parts of the country, he noted that Delhi faced a tough situation. On the issue of air pollution, he said air quality in Delhi remains good from January till mid-October but worsens after that due to stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and UP. Delhi has provided an alternative in the … [Read more...] about Need to Promote Use of Face Masks to Check Spread of Covid-19: Kejriwal Amid Rising Cases in Delhi

Delhi on Monday reported 377 new Covid cases and one more death, while the positivity rate stood at 3.37 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. The capital had on Sunday logged 613 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 2.74 per cent and three deaths. The city had on Saturday seen 673 Covid cases and four deaths, the highest single-day fatality count in over two months. It had reported three Covid deaths on March 7 and four fatalities due to the disease on March 4. The city on Friday had recorded 899 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 3.34 per cent. On Thursday, Delhi had recorded 1,032 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero death, while the positivity rate was 3.64 per cent. With 377 fresh cases reported on Monday, the national capital’s overall Covid tally increased to 1900735 while the death toll mounted to 26,196. A total of 11,198 tests were conducted a day earlier, according to the latest health bulletin. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi had … [Read more...] about Delhi Logs 377 Covid Cases, 1 More Death in a Day; Positivity Rate 3.37%

North Korea reported six new deaths amid a COVID-19 wave, as the country’s military was mobilised to distribute medical supplies, state media KCNA said on Tuesday. The state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters reported 269,510 more people with fever symptoms, bringing the total to 1,483,060, while the death toll grew to 56 as of Monday evening, KCNA said. It did not say how many people have tested positive for COVID-19. “A powerful force” of the army’s medical corps was dispatched to improve the supply of medicines in the capital Pyongyang, the centre of the country’s first acknowledged epidemic, a day after leader Kim Jong Un ordered its immediate deployment. KCNA said the team’s mission was aimed at “defusing the public health crisis prevailing over the capital city of Pyongyang,” calling it vital to the ongoing anti-epidemic campaign. Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here. … [Read more...] about Covid: More Than 260,000 Infected In Last 24 Hours In North Korea, Death Toll Rises To 56