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Eco/Invest/Demography

How the novel coronavirus has evolved and adapted to human hosts

In Asia, the original L strain persisted for longer as several countries, including China, were quick to shut borders and curtail movement. In contrast, North America and Europe did not restrict movement as much, at least initially, which allowed the G strains to spread – and mutate – at a faster pace.

“This virus moves in superspreader events, which means the virus doesn’t have to be particularly contagious,” said Catherine Bennett, epidemiology chair in the Faculty of Health at Melbourne’s Deakin University. “We will see different patterns because of cluster transmission.”

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Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine docs hacked from European Medicines Agency

Pfizer and BioNTech said documents relating to their vaccine candidate had been accessed, but that “no systems have been breached in connection with this incident.”

Cybercriminals have tried to attack several pharmaceutical companies developing vaccines including Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, AstraZeneca and South Korean laboratories, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Long, steady auto demand depends on economy, Covid situation: Maruti Suzuki

According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, passenger vehicle retail sales in November witnessed a year-on-year rise of 4.17 per cent to 2,91,001 units as Diwali-Dhanteras period led to rise in vehicle registrations, compared with 2,79,365 units in November 20

“The auto industry was expecting a large decline in consumer interest in terms of bookings and inquiries. Although there has been a decline, it is marginal and certainly not as much as the expectations or the fear that was in the industry,” Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastava told reporters in an interaction on Wednesday.
19.

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SpiceJet ties up with Om Logistics for COVID-19 vaccine transportation

Recently, the Gurugram-based airline said its dedicated freighter division SpiceXpress has the capability to transport sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from (-)40°c to (+)25°c.
The strategic partnership aims to not only provide a speedy and seamless solution for COVID-19 vaccine movement and delivery, but also to create a sustainable cold chain network both domestically and internationally, SpiceJet said in a release.

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India’s COVID-19 tally rises to 97.64 lakh with 31,521 fresh cases

The COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 92,53,306.

The active caseload remained below 4 lakh for the fourth consecutive day. There are 3,72,293 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 3.81 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

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UAE says Chinese coronavirus vaccine 86% effective, offers few details

It wasn’t immediately clear if the announced results included only those taking part in the testing in the UAE or if they also include results from China and elsewhere.

The statement described the vaccine as receiving official registration without elaborating on what that meant. Emirati officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

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India seeks cheaper renewable power contracts to spur solar, wind projects

“India’s shift away from fossil fuels is absolutely critical to limiting global climate change,” said Sunil Dahiya, a New Delhi-based analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. “Policies to promote clean energy and its renewable power auctions have given it geopolitical clout, which might diminish if the projects fail to take off. The country has to be more aggressive in making sure projects get built.”

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