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South Korean politician tops presidential polls with talk of universal basic income

As governor of Gyeonggi province,Lee Jae-myung, advocated for universal basic income and instituted cash payments to all 24-year-old people for a year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, all province residents also received regular payments
“Keeping people from disasters and infectious diseases by providing public medical service is one of the government’s most fundamental duties, and my political career began from there,” Lee told Reuters in December.

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Nicaragua gov’t squeezes doctors, talk of ‘health terrorism’

As international health organizations warn of increasing infections in Nicaragua and independent Nicaraguan doctors call for a voluntary quarantine to slow the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, the government has made clear that comments out of step with its line are unacceptable as President Daniel Ortega seeks a fourth consecutive term.

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Surges and vaccines: Here’s what next six months of pandemic will bring

With billions of people around the world yet to be vaccinated and little chance now of eliminating the virus, we can expect more outbreaks in classrooms, on public transport and in workplaces over the coming months, as economies push ahead with reopening. Even as immunization rates rise, there will always be people who are vulnerable to the virus: Newborn babies, people who can’t or won’t get inoculated, and those who get vaccinated but suffer breakthrough infections as their protection levels ebb.
Nations like Denmark and Singapore, which have managed to keep cases relatively contained, are already moving toward a post-pandemic future with fewer safety restrictions. Others, such as the U.S. and U.K., are opening up even as infection numbers near records. Meanwhile, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand have vowed to keep vigilantly working to eliminate the virus locally. As a result, they are likely to be among the last places to leave behind the disruption wrought by walling out the pandemic.

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India Inc spent over Rs 1,600 crore on mitigating second Covid-19 wave: study

The support of the CSR initiatives of corporates included over 200 oxygen plants, setting up more than 75 makeshift hospitals and Covid wards with over 10,000 beds, 3,500 ventilators and 140,000 oxygen concentrators. Importantly, 33 companies contributed more than Rs 150 crore to conduct community awareness activities across 17 states, the report said.

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In a new review, scientists and others say boosters aren’t needed for the general population. 

Only in people older than 75 do the vaccines show some weakening in protection against hospitalization. Immunity conferred by vaccines relies on protection both from antibodies and from immune cells. Although the levels of antibodies may wane over time — and raise the risk of infection — the body’s memory of the virus is long-lived.

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Study finds why people with diabetes develop severe Covid-19

“Our research is showing that maybe if we are able to target patients with diabetes with interferon, especially early in their infection, that may actually make a big difference,” W. James Melvin, M.D. said.
Type 2 diabetes- a condition affecting more than 10 per cent of the US population– is one of the main risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. New research from U-M uncovers why this might be and offers hope for potential therapy.

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Diet impacts COVID-19 risk, severity: Study

The results also suggest that public health strategies that improve access to healthy foods and address social determinants of health may help to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our findings are a call to governments and stakeholders to prioritize healthy diets and wellbeing with impactful policies, otherwise we risk losing decades of economic progress and a substantial increase in health disparities,” said Merino.

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Pandemic prompting professionals to rethink their career paths: Amazon India survey

About 59 percent of the respondents said they were actively searching for a job.

More than one in three (35 percent) respondents said they saw their pay cut as a result of COVID-19, while 68 percent said they are looking to switch industries as a result of COVID-19.

One in three (33 percent) respondents said they are looking for a new job right now where ”they can do more meaningful work”.

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Peanuts potent in lowering cardiovascular disease risk: Study

“We showed for the first time a reduced risk for ischemic stroke incidence associated with higher peanut consumption in an Asian population,” said lead study author Satoyo Ikehara, PhD, specially appointed associate professor of public health in the department of social medicine at the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine in Suita, Japan.

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