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Restaurant dining linked to COVID-19; severe illness less common with GI symptoms

“Masks cannot be effectively worn while eating and drinking, whereas shopping and numerous other indoor activities do not preclude mask use,” researchers said in the report on Friday in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection,” they added.

Vaccine likely in a few months, but life won’t return to normal until end of 2021:Dr. Fauci

“If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it’s going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021,” he added.

Nearly 30 U.S. states are reporting downward trends in Covid-19 cases, but the pandemic will likely worsen again, said Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert.

Aviva sells Singapore unit for $1.98 billion as new CEO shifts focus

The British company said on Friday it will sell its majority shareholding in the business to the Singlife consortium, which includes alternative asset firm TPG, Japanese insurer Sumitomo Life and other existing Singlife shareholders.

Promising to shake up the organisation after she took over in July, new CEO Amanda Blanc pledged to reduce its operations in Asia and Europe.

Analysts have said the insurer is operating in too many countries and sectors, and its shares have lagged rivals.

India staring at another health disaster amid a raging battle with Covid-19

But the biggest crisis is India’s longstanding battle with tuberculosis. The country has as many as 2.7 million TB patients currently, by far the most in the world, and the disease kills an estimated 421,000 Indians each year. The current gap in care could lead to an additional 6.3 million cases and 1.4 million deaths from tuberculosis by 2025, according to a study by Zarir Udwadia, a pulmonologist at Mumbai’s P.D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre.

AstraZeneca still aiming for Oxford Covid-19 vaccine by year-end:CEO

The pause highlights the importance of rigorous final-stage trials to pick up on potential side effects or rare events, according to Hatchett. It also shows the need to have a diversified portfolio of Covid-19 vaccines under development, a strategy that CEPI is using with its partners, he said.

“It points to the fact that vaccine development is tricky and unpredictable, and that things that look like they are going along very well can encounter difficulties,” he said.

IRDAI plans broad basing exclusive Carona covers, moots digital health insurance claim platform:Alamelu

“We are thinking of ways and means, sooner than later we will issue instructions on how standardised Covid-specific health insurance policies can be mainstreamed, renewed, features of porting migration so that Corona Rakshak and Corona Kavach policyholders continue to get a good cover not only for Covid but entire health sector.” said T.L. Alamelu,member (Non-Life),IRDAI on Friday while addressing an ASSOCHAM National e-Summit on Challenges, Opportunities & Way Forward for Health Insurance Under Covid Attack.

She also indicated that  the regulator is currently is working on plans to develop a digital claim settlement mechanism involving all stakeholders – policyholders, insurers, TPAs, hospitals that could be stitched up with National Digital Health Mission.

Puri launches framework for cities to inculcate climate-sensitive approach to urban planning

At a virtual event, after launching ”Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0”, Puri said, “It is estimated that climate change will impact the Indian GDP by 2-6 per cent on an annual basis. 

“This means that our future development goals and investments will also be severely affected if we do not address climate risks now.”

Munich Re to stop selling Pandemic Business Coverage after losses

“We are currently examining whether we will offer new contracts that include pandemic protection in property and casualty insurance in the future,” Torsten Jeworrek, Munich Re’s head of reinsurance, said in an interview.

“For the moment it has been suspended, for example with respect to event cancellations.” The company will continue to cover pandemics in its life and health contracts.Most of Munich Re’s Covid 19-related losses this year stemmed from the scrapping of major events and other hits to companies’ income during lockdown..