Category:

Health

Latest

EU countries to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations after ‘Safe, Effective’ verdict from WHO

The closely-watched announcement from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came after the WHO and Britain’s health watchdog both said the vaccine was safe, adding that it was far riskier to not get the shot as several countries face a worrying rise in coronavirus cases.

However, Norway and Sweden said they were not ready to resume using the vaccine.

read more

COVID-19 patients above 65 years of age more prone to reinfection, says study

“Our study confirms what a number of others appeared to suggest — reinfection with COVID-19 is rare in younger, healthy people, but the elderly are at greater risk of catching it again,” said study co-author Steen Ethelberg, from the Statens Serum Institut.

“Since older people are also more likely to experience severe disease symptoms, and sadly die, our findings make clear how important it is to implement policies to protect the elderly during the pandemic,” Ethelberg said.

read more

Amazon starts offering healthcare service to other employers

The move shows how the No. 2 U.S. private employer is diving further into healthcare, the latest industry it has aimed to disrupt after retail, enterprise technology and Hollywood.
Piloted in September 2019 for staff near its Seattle headquarters, “Amazon Care” lets employees video-chat with doctors for diagnoses and referrals. It also facilitates housecalls and drug delivery in greater Seattle, a non-virtual benefit that Amazon said would be available in greater Washington, D.C., and Baltimore in the coming months.

read more

Over 20 mn kids in India facing extremely high water vulnerability: UNICEF

Extreme water vulnerability is the combination of the highest levels of physical water scarcity risks and lowest levels of drinking water service that affects a given population (surface water, unimproved or limited water service), it said.

“Women and girls are the most often burdened with fetching water long distances, which disrupts their education and opportunity for any work. This is exacerbated by the fact that India is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which exposes women and children to increasing environmental hazards.

read more