“We are already preparing for the future, for a new vaccine, which is Pan-Corona. So that if there is any other such virus that comes in or any other such variant that comes in, the vaccine would be able to respond to all of them. So that’s really our next preparedness which we’ve already started. We have a very strong team which is working on that.”
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Global reinsurers’ profitability improve in H1, inflation and rate deceleration remain concern, Willis Re
Continued favourable pricing, particularly for commercial lines business, supported meaningful premium growth for the
majority of the (re)insurers
The average combined ratio for the (re)insurers was 93.7%,with every company posting a sub-100% combined ratio.
Despite the strong H1, two concerns weigh on the outlook: the decelerating rating environment and the prospect of higher inflation, said the report.
Ships resume berthing at halted port terminal in China
DCGI and institutional ethics committee investigating claim of adverse event in COVID vaccine trial: Officials
A 40-year-old Chennai-based business consultant, who was a volunteer for the third phase of the vaccine trial conducted by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), has sought Rs 5 crore compensation for allegedly suffering serious neurological and psychological symptoms after taking the dose
“It is evident that the intention behind the spreading of such malicious information is an oblique pecuniary motive. The Serum Institute of India, will seek damages in excess of 100 crore for the same and will defend such malicious claims,” Serum Institute said.
China scientists say the coronavirus may have originated in India
In May, the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the 194-member states of the WHO, approved a resolution to set up an independent inquiry to conduct an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the international response as well as that of WHO.
WHO says would be ‘highly speculative’ to say COVID did not emerge in China
China is pushing a narrative via state media that the virus existed abroad before it was discovered in the central city of Wuhan, citing the presence of coronavirus on imported frozen food packaging and scientific papers claiming it had been circulating in Europe last year.
“I think it’s highly speculative for us to say that the disease did not emerge in China,” Mike Ryan said at a virtual briefing in Geneva after being asked if COVID-19 could have first emerged outside China.
UK regulator set to approve COVID-19 vaccine next week – FT
The government asked the regulator on Friday to assess AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine for a possible rollout. It has secured 100 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and has targeted a rollout to begin before Christmas.
G20 must lead world by addressing climate change, working towards universal healthcare: Prabhu
“The future of the world is also the responsibility of the G20. G20 countries as a grouping must guide and lead the world by addressing climate change and working towards universal healthcare,” he said. Prabhu said the global economy is itself under threat, it is already witnessing challenges.
Fiscal deficit at 120 pc of annual target at October-end
The deficit widened mainly on account of poor revenue realisation. The lockdown imposed to curb spreading of coronavirus infections had significantly impacted business activities and in turn contributed to sluggish revenue realisation.
The fiscal deficit at the end of September 2020 was about 114.8 per cent of the annual budget estimate.
New Delhi ambulance group grapples with surging COVID-19 quarantine deaths
Currently more than 23,000 people are recovering at home in Delhi, which has been recording a total of around 100 deaths a day this month and more than 5,000 infections.
“Corona has gone out of control in Delhi,” said Shunty, who founded the non-governmental organisation more than 25 years ago. It runs 16 ambulances, almost all of them working overtime these days.
“Too many deaths are happening, especially among the old and people with other complications.”
Pharma firm in India to make Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Kirill Dmitriev, RDIF head, said earlier this week that Moscow and its foreign partners had the capacity to make more than a billion doses of Sputnik V starting from next year — enough to vaccinate over 500 million people — and that it would cost under $20 per person on international markets.
UK asks regulator to assess AZ-Oxford vaccine amid questions
The step comes amid questions about preliminary results from trials of the jab, after the company and the university acknowledged that the most encouraging part of their findings stemmed from a dosing error.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he had asked the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to determine whether the vaccine “meets rigorous safety standards.”
Suspected North Korean hackers targeted COVID vaccine maker AstraZeneca –
Cyberattacks against health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as state-backed and criminal hacking groups scramble to obtain the latest research and information about the outbreak.
Western officials say any stolen information could be sold for profit, used to extort the victims, or give foreign governments a valuable strategic advantage as they fight to contain a disease that has killed 1.4 million people worldwide.