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India top source of social media misinformation on COVID-19: Study
The study, “Prevalence and Source Analysis of COVID-19 Misinformation in 138 Countries”, was published in Sage’s International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions journal.
“Social media (84.94 per cent) produces the largest amount of misinformation, and the internet (90.5 per cent) as a whole is responsible for most of the COVID-19 misinformation. Moreover, Facebook alone produces 66.87 per cent of the misinformation among all social media platforms,” it stated.
Earlier, the World Health Organisation had also warned that false information on COVID-19 is spreading and putting people in danger.
India logs 25,404 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours
Indian vaccine makers end spat, pledge ‘smooth rollout’ of COVID-19 shots
The approval for Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN, developed with a government research body, faced criticism from industry experts and others as the company has yet to release efficacy and safety data, and it still has a Phase III trial underway.
Private sector should be an ally In India’s big vaccine push
The ugly truth about India is that its problems rarely revolve around production; too often they center on distribution. We produce more than enough food but can’t distribute it to our population, so we have a third of the world’s malnourished children. While we generate more than enough electricity, our distribution system is inefficient and unprofitable – and so businesses and homes are plagued by constant power cuts.
Ready to roll out COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days of emergency use authorisation: Govt
Bhushan further said that Co-WIN has the facility of automated session allocation, Aadhaar authentication to prevent malpractice, creation of Unique Health ID for willing beneficiaries, reporting and tracking of adverse events following immunization, if any, SMSes in 12 languages to guide beneficiaries and vaccinators, QR code-based vaccination certificate issued after all doses, DigiLocker integrated for data retrieval and storing QR code-based certificate, 24×7 Helpline including IT professionals.
Speedy distribution of Covid-19 vaccine a major challenge for global govts: WHO experts
Currently, there are 45 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 156 candidate vaccines in pre-clinical evaluation, the WHO scientists said.
This daunting challenge is not only for India but also for all the governments across the globe as they start inoculating their populations to tackle the pandemic, noted Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist of WHO, and Dr Hamsadvani Kuganantham, Consultant, WHO.
70 mn doses ready: Delays over pricing holding back India’s vaccine rollout
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, each cent spent on the price of a vaccine in a nation home to more than 1.3 billion people will have serious financial consequences for his administration.
Localised herd immunity, young population behind the dip in India’s Covid count?
While there is a glimmer of hope and India’s Covid-19 numbers are on a definite decline for a combination of reasons, a vaccination programme continues to be important, particularly given the presence of a mutant, more transmissible strain, several experts said while cautioning against infection upticks ahead.
S. African insurers may fund vaccines for broader population
Legislation has been amended to allow the companies to fund shots for people who don’t have medical insurance and talks are now focused on the number of those who may benefit, said Stavros Nicolaou, head of the Health Workgroup for B4SA, a grouping of South Africa’s biggest business organizations. In addition to medical insurers, companies such as miners may contribute funds so their workers can be covered, he said.
Insurer Centene to buy Magellan in $2.2 billion mental health push
The move by Centene to expand mental health support comes as more than two out of five Americans are struggling with mental or behavioral health issues associated with the pandemic, the company said.
“I was thinking about it long before the pandemic, the pandemic just emphasized it,” said Centene Chairman, President and Chief Executive Michael Neidorff.
Centene’s patients, after being diagnosed with a serious illness, such as cancer, would benefit from having increased access to mental health care, Neidorff added.
Power ministry proposes pushing back new emission norms deadline
“The target should be to maintain uniform ambient air quality across the country and not uniform emission norms for thermal power plants,” Nishat Kumar, an official at the Ministry of Power said in a January 2 note to the environment ministry, seen by Reuters.
Global Covid-19 cases surpass 85 million mark: Johns Hopkins University
The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 20,626,686 and 351,453, respectively, according to the CSSE.
India comes in second place in terms of cases at 10,323,965, while the country’s death toll soared to 149,435.
Brazil currently accounts for the second highest number of fatalities at 196,018.