The CDC's advisers said Thursday that it was time to recognize a...
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Refugees lack COVID shots because drugmakers fear lawsuits
So far there is scant information on COVID vaccine litigation, but...
Global community steps up with $93 billion support package to boost resilient recovery in World’s poorest countries
The funds will be delivered to the world’s 74 poorest countries...
Chubb and Marsh partnership to provide $150 million cover for the COVAX Program for 92 low and middle-income countries
Through Chubb’s and Marsh’s collaboration, up to $150 million in insurance is provided for the COVAX No Fault Compensation Program to cover compensation payments to eligible individuals in the 92 lower-income countries and economies, known as the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) eligible economies.
Insurance broker Marsh led the global placement of the bespoke solution. Chubb is the lead insurer, supported by a further 10 insurers located in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Bermuda.
India has one of the lowest Covid mortality rates in world: Vardhan
Health ministry releases revised guidelines for home isolation of mild Covid-19 cases
Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung or liver or kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease etc shall only be allowed home isolation after a proper evaluation by the treating medical officer, it added.
In case of falling oxygen saturation levels or shortness of breath, the person should require hospital admission and seek immediate consultation with the treating physician or surveillance team.
Past Covid-19 infection does not fully protect young people against reinfection: Lancet
“As vaccine roll outs continue to gain momentum it is important to remember that, despite a prior Covid-19 infection, young people can catch the virus again and may still transmit it to others,” said Professor Stuart Sealfon, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a senior author of the study.
“Immunity is not guaranteed by past infection, and vaccinations that provide additional protection are still needed for those who have had Covid-19,” Sealfon said.
1 in 4 global Covid-19 deaths occurred in Americas: Pan American Health Organization
“One in four Covid deaths reported worldwide last week took place right here, in the Americas. Nearly every country in Central America is reporting a rise in infections,” said Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa Etienne..
For the first time, Canada’s infection rates have surpassed the US Covid-19 infection rates, the PAHO director informed.
The surge of infections is being led by new Covid-19 variants, which slow vaccination rollouts, due to lack of vaccine availability, are also providing major setbacks for a number of countries in the Americas.
Men, elderly with diabetes at higher risk of death from Covid
With each five-year increase in age, the relative risk for Covid-19 related death in people living with diabetes increased by 43 percent, said the team of researchers from German Diabetes Centre, Leibniz Centre for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Germany
India will need 5 lakh ICU beds, 3.5 lakh medical staff in next few weeks, says Dr Devi Shetty
While most of the newspaper headlines and prime time television coverage has been over the lack of oxygen for the patients in ICUs, “I am having sleepless nights for the next headline, which is going to be that patients are dying in ICUs because there are no nurses and doctors to take care of the patients. And this is going to happen. I do not doubt it now,” said Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, the chairman and founder of Narayana Health, a chain of 21 medical centres in India, in his online address at the Symbiosis Golden Jubilee Lecture Series in Pune recently.
At present, India has only 75,000 to 90,000 ICU beds and almost all are already occupied – when the second wave of the pandemic hasn’t even reached its peak yet, he said. India is reporting about 3.5 lakh cases a day, and some experts say the number could go up to 5 lakh cases daily at its peak.
COVID-19: India records new daily high of 3,86,452 cases, 3,498 new fatalities
Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 31,70,228 comprising 16.90 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 81.99 per cent.
US advises its citizens in India to leave as soon as it is safe to do so amid sharp rise in COVID-19 cases
In a health alert, the US Embassy in New Delhi said: ”Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.” ”We urge US citizens to enrol in STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Programme) at step.state.gov in order to receive critical information from the Embassy related to health and safety in India,” it said.
Delaying vax will give virus opportunity to develop new variants
Government of India has announced that all individuals aged above 18 years would be eligible to get Covid-19 vaccination starting May 1. This must be considered as the end game for the deadly pandemic to be driven out of India but this would not be achieved if the young and the old hesitate to take vaccine, say the experts.