Coronavirus LIVE updates: India's active tally dips to 3.62% of total cases

Coronavirus live updates: At 1,872,440, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases, followed by Karnataka 899,011, Andhra Pradesh 874,000, Tamil Nadu 796,475, and Kerala 658,683

10:43 AM

India readies for 600 million COVID vaccine jabs; to use standard cold storage, reports Reuters

 India will deploy its vast election machinery to deliver 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the most vulnerable people in the next six to eight months through conventional cold chain systems, the expert leading the initiative said on Friday.

The government has lined up cold storage facilities with temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 48°F), said V.K. Paul, who heads the group of experts on vaccine administration for COVID-19 that advises India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

Paul said these preparations meet the requirements of what he said were the four emerging candidates in the race for India’s vaccine.

 

“The four that I can see, including Serum, Bharat, Zydus, and Sputnik need normal cold chain. I see no problem for these vaccines,” he told Reuters in an interview.

10:31 AM

Telangana reports 635 new Covid-19 cases as infection tally rises to over 277,000; four fatalities push death toll to 1,489: Officials

10:02 AM

Asian hospital giant IIH eyes Singapore-to-Turkey vaccine push

IHH Healthcare Bhd., Asia’s most valuable hospital group, said it is ready to administer coronavirus vaccine once they are rolled out in the 10 countries it operates in.
 

The Malaysian company has a trained staff of 55,000 across 80 hospitals it runs from Turkey to Singapore, as well as cold-storage facilities required to store the shots, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kelvin Loh Chi-Keon said in an interview.

 

“We still continue to battle Covid-19 and as governments make the vaccine available in the different geographies that we serve, we stand ready to support them,” he said. Read on...

9:38 AM

Achieve $100 bn climate finance goal for developing nations: Report

Meeting the pledge by developed countries to mobilise at least $100 billion a year to support developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change, lagging even before the Covid-19 pandemic, requires urgent action, according to a new report by independent experts released by the UN.

 

Since economic distress is now acute, and the climate crisis is only getting worse, the report emphasizes surpassing $100 billion in 2021 and beyond. It also stresses the sum as a starting point for significantly ramping up climate finance from all sources. Read on...

9:14 AM

'Post-Covid fatigue, brain fog real and affect patients, but not permanent'

Many patients who have recovered from COVID-19 report continued fatigue and forgetfulness, a condition being described as the Covid-19 brain fog. While some mild complications of COVID-19 after recovery, such as a persistent low-grade fever, could be more perceived than real, the brain fog does affect patients, lasts longer than expected, but is temporary, says Tanu Singhal, consultant, paediatrics and infectious diseases specialist at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Read on...

9:02 AM

Mexico approves emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine

The Mexican government's medical safety commission approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, making Mexico the fourth country to do so.

 

Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lpez-Gatell said Mexico's approval came on Friday after Britain, Canada and Bahrain.

 

Mexico is set to receive 250,000 doses of the vaccine, enough for 125,000 people, because each person requires two shots. Lpez-Gatell has said that front-line health workers will get the shots first. Read on...

8:11 AM

Coronavirus LIVE: Americans to get coronavirus vaccine for free, says Trump

8:10 AM

Coronavirus LIVE: US FDA approves Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use

7:50 AM

From the Frontline: Underpaid, overworked and now pushed to the limit

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in India, while the government has urged citizens to beat thalis and showered flower petals from helicopters to honour the healthcare fraternity’s critical role, a cruel irony has been playing out on the ground. The pandemic has highlighted the long-simmering problems of India’s overworked yet underpaid nurses, estimated to number about 1.8 million. Not only do they have to contend with old issues such as the systemic indifference of hospitals, salary structures not commensurate with their training, and power struggles with doctors, working on the frontlines has thrown up a new set of challenges. Read on...

7:41 AM

Oil pulls back amid New York coronavirus curbs, gains for a 6th week

Oil prices settled lower on Friday, as demand worries due to new coronavirus-related restrictions on business in New York overshadowed progress toward vaccination programs.

 

Brent futures settled down 28 cents, or 0.6% at $49.97 a barrel. The contract rose above $51 a barrel on Thursday to an early-March high.

 

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 21 cents, or 0.5%, to $46.57, having risen almost 3% in the previous session. Read on...