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Health

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Khuntia panel submits report to centre on increasing country’s insurance penetration

Subhash Chandra Khuntia, chairman, IRDAI, revealed that a proposal to initiate pilot projects covering some states or districts prone to natural disasters like cyclone and flooding has been sent to the government and the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA).

The idea is to cover all dwelling units in a vulnerable geographical area against natural catastrophes. The cost of coverage upto a limit can be funded by the Government and the owners can pay additional premium for higher coverage. Since dwelling unit insurance is very cheap, this is quite affordable and feasible and will save Government expenditure in terms of compensation to the affected after the incident,’..
Looking at the size of India in terms of population, geographical spread, diversity and low insurance penetration, there is tremendous scope to have more insurance companies. The market is far below the saturation point.

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Scientists find dangerous chemical pollutants in disposable face masks

Aa full investigation is necessary to determine the quantities and potential impacts of these particles leaching into the environment, and the levels being inhaled by users during normal breathing. This is a significant concern, especially for health care professionals, key workers, and children who are required to wear masks for large proportions of the working or school day.” 

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WTO mulling intellectual property waivers for vaccines

The argument, part of a long-running debate about intellectual property protections, centers on lifting patents, copyrights, and protections for industrial design and confidential information to help expand the production and deployment of vaccines during supply shortages. The aim is to suspend the rules for several years, just long enough to beat down the pandemic.
The issue has become more pressing with a surge in cases in India, the world’s second-most populous country and a key producer of vaccines, including one for Covid-19 that relies on technology from Oxford University and British-Swedish pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca.

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HC asks Centre why it should not face contempt for failing to supply oxygen

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli also rejected the Centre’s submission that Delhi was not entitled to 700 metric tonnes of medical oxygen in light of existing medical infrastructure.
“We see grim reality everyday of people not able to secure oxygen or ICU beds in hospitals which have reduced beds due to gas shortage, the high court said.

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Pfizer lifts sales forecast for coronavirus vaccine to $26 billion

The raised goal assumes 1.6 billion doses of vaccine, which is co-developed with BioNTech SE, will be delivered in the year, with the two-shot vaccine emerging as the best-selling product for the U.S. drugmaker in the first quarter.
“Based on what we’ve seen, we believe that a durable demand for our COVID-19 vaccine – similar to that of the flu vaccines – is a likely outcome,” Chief Executive Albert Bourla said in his prepared remarks.

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Maruti Suzuki cuts production as car sales fall due to Covid lockdown

The problem is on the “sales side because in several states there is a partial lockdown and there’s a curfew in some states and the dealers who sell the cars are having to close down,” Maruti Chairman R.C. Bhargava said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. “Half the sales outlets are closed at the moment.”India’s largest carmaker was producing at full capacity before it also decided to shut some plants in order to divert oxygen to hospitals last week.

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