Category:

Health

Faster than the virus’: India’s financial hub gears up for a third COVID-19 wave

The city is spending tens of millions of dollars to build the paediatric units and is already procuring ventilators, monitors and other medical equipment, Chahal said. Apart from these units, the government is also in talks with hospitals to increase the number of paediatric beds and ICUs.

The paediatric task force, led by Dr Suhas Prabhu, plans to train about 660 paediatricians on how to handle children affected by COVID-19, and then broaden the training to more staff. The third wave might not end up affecting children greatly, but cities like Mumbai cannot afford to be caught off guard, Prabhu said.

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Bringing treatment to doorsteps of patients will reduce burden on health system: PM Modi

“Creating micro containment zones and distributing medicines at the doorstep of the people is a good initiative. We have to follow the initiative comprehensively in villages,” the PM said. “Bringing doctors, labs and e-marketing companies together to provide a telemedicine facility named ‘Kashi Kavach’ is also a very innovative initiative,” he said.

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India and Pfizer hit impasse over vaccine indemnity demand -sources

“The whole problem with Pfizer is the indemnity bond. Why should we sign it?” an Indian government source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

“If something happens, a patient dies, we will not be able to question them (Pfizer). If somebody challenges in a court of law, the central government will be responsible for everything, not the company,” the source added.

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IMF says ending COVID-19 pandemic possible at cost of some $50 billion

The proposal, drafted by IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath and staff economist Ruchir Agarwal, builds on efforts already under way by the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, United Nations, World Health Organization and other groups.

Implementing the plan would cost some $50 billion, with $35 billion to be paid for by grants from rich countries, private and multilateral donors, and the remaining $15 billion to be funded by national governments using low- or no-interest financing available from multilateral development banks.

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MHA asks states, UTs to strengthen facilities for vulnerable groups, kids orphaned due to COVID-19

The Centre has asked states and union territories to ”immediately review” the existing facilities for such groups, especially for children who have been orphaned, senior citizens who may require timely assistance and support (medical as well as safety and security), and members of the scheduled castes/scheduled tribes who may need guidance to access government-supported facilities.

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Covid deaths may be double, triple the official tally: WHO

On that basis, the WHO said it estimated that 1.1 million to 1.3 million people in 53 European countries died from Covid-19 in 2020, roughly double the number recorded in official data. It also calculates that, over the same period, 1.3 million to 1.5 million people died in 35 countries in the Americas, compared with the 9,00,000 deaths officially recorded.

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Covid-19 could become like common cold in future, study suggests

The research, published in the journal Viruses, makes this likely prediction based on mathematical models that incorporate lessons learned from the current pandemic on how our body’s immunity changes over time.

“Over the next decade, the severity of Covid-19 may decrease as populations collectively develop immunity,” said Fred Adler, a professor of mathematics and biological sciences at the University of Utah in the US said.

The study suggests that changes in the disease could be driven by adaptations of our immune response rather than by changes in the virus itself.

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