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Pandemic

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Struggling economies, widening inequality and millions vulnerable: the urgent need for vaccine equity

Sep 19, 2021 | , , , ,

Inequitable vaccine distribution is not only leaving millions or billions of people vulnerable to the deadly virus, it is also allowing even more deadly variants to emerge and spread across the globe.

Moreover, an unequal distribution of vaccines will deepen inequality and exaggerate the gap between rich and poor and will reverse decades of hard-won progress on human development.
WHO has set a global target of 70 per cent of the population of all countries to be vaccinated by mid-2022, but to reach this goal a more equitable access to vaccines will be needed.Research suggests that enough vaccines will be produced in 2021 to cover 70 per cent of the global population of 7.8 billion. More than 4.6 million people have died from the virus since it swept across the globe from the beginning of 2020, but it’s expected that the rate of people dying will slow if more people are vaccinated.

COVID-19 booster dose not central theme at the moment: Government

Sep 18, 2021 | , , ,

ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said administering both doses is absolutely essential and there should be no breakage in that.

“We need to remember one thing very clearly that booster dose is not the central theme at the moment in the scientific discussion as well as in the public health domain. Getting the two doses remains the major priority,” Bhargava said.

India wants Serum Institute to lower price of AstraZeneca shot,places order for vaccine

Jan 11, 2021 | , , , ,

The order was for 11 million doses and the government would buy the shots at 200 rupees ($2.72) per dose.
“From 16th January we are starting the world’s largest vaccination program. Around 30 million healthcare workers and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase, said Modi. In the second phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be given shots”

“Health workers – government as well as private – will be vaccinated first of all. Sanitation workers, other frontline workers, defence forces, Police and other paramilitary forces will also be vaccinated in the first phase,” Modi said in a meeting with chief ministers through video. He added that India’s vaccines are the most cost effective.

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New Covid-19 mutations threaten to stall fragile economic recovery:RBI governor

Jan 11, 2021 | , , ,

In his forawrd in the latest Financial Sytability Report(FSR), released by the RBI on Monday, Das has cautioned the disconnect between certain segments of financial markets and the real economy that has been accentuating in recent times, both globally and in India.
As growth impulses take root, the private sector capex cycle should revive as existing capacities get utilised and new capacities are added, he said..

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Digital health in spotlight as pandemic shifts tech show focus

Jan 11, 2021 | , , , ,

“One of the big problems is the lack of ability to examine patients remotely,” said Samir Qamar, a family physician and founder of MedWand told AFP.

Companies have been developing remote tools that can be used at home, including stethoscopes, otoscopes, heart and blood pressure monitors, but need to show they are highly accurate in order to gain regulatory approval, Qamar noted.

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India generated around 33,000 tonnes Covid-19 waste in 7 months: Central Pollution Control Board

Jan 10, 2021 | , , ,

In September, 5,490 tonnes of such waste was generated. Gujarat contributed the maximum 622 tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu (543 tonnes), Maharashtra (524 tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (507 tonnes) and Kerala (494 tonnes), as per the data.

The CPCB had in March last year issued specific guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of such waste at healthcare facilities, quarantine centres, homes, sample collection centers, laboratories, pollution control boards, urban local bodies and common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs).

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A year after first death in China, Coronavirus source still a puzzle and may remain one forever

Jan 10, 2021 | , , ,

Establishing the source is vital for extinguishing future outbreaks early, leading virologists say, providing clues that can guide policy decisions on whether to cull animal populations, quarantine affected persons, or limit wildlife hunting and other human-animal interactions.

“If we can identify why they (viruses) keep emerging, we can reduce those underlying drivers,” said Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a global NGO focused on infectious disease prevention.

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Germany reckons with mental health impact of Covid-19

Jan 9, 2021 | , , , ,

n a recent survey by health insurance company Pronova BKK, three quarters of the 154 psychiatrists and psychotherapists questioned said they were expecting an increase in mental illness over the next 12 months as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

According to the charity German Depression Aid, people with depression experienced the spring’s restrictive measures as far more stressful than the general population.

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