Page 11 - Coronavirus

1,200 cases of Covid sub-variant JN.1 logged so far, says Insacog

A total of 1,200 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 have been reported in the country so far with Nagaland becoming the latest of the 17 states and Union territories to have detected its presence, according to INSACOG on Saturday. Data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed Karnataka has reported the highest number of JN.1 cases at 215, followed by Andhra Pradesh (189), Maharashtra (170), Kerala (154), West Bengal (96), Goa (90), Tamil Nadu (88) and Gujarat (76). Telangana and Rajasthan have recorded 32 JN.1 cases each, Chhattisgarh has recorded 25, Delhi 16, Uttar Pradesh 7, Haryana five, Odisha three, and Uttarakhand and Nagaland one each, according to the data accessed by PTI. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance of the detailed operational ...

441 fresh Covid cases, active tally down to 3,238: Health ministry data

India has recorded 441 fresh COVID-19 infections while the number of active cases has come down to 3,238, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. No deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it began to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, JN.1. After December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021. Of the 3,238 active cases, a large majority (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality," an official source said. India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak incidence of daily cases and deaths being repo

Number of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 cases cross 1,000-mark in India

14 states and union territories reported no fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday

N Korea to welcome Russian tourists, country's first since pandemic: Report

Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since its borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown. The report, published Wednesday by the Russian state-run Tass news agency, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. It also follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. Tass did not specify a timeframe but the report brough some surprise to Asia observers who had expected the first post-pandemic tourists to North Korea to come from China, the North's biggest diplomatic ally and economic pipeline. According to Tass, an unspecified number of tourists from Russia's far eastern region of Primorye will first fly to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where they will visit monuments such as the Tower of Juche Idea, named after the North's guiding philosophy of juche or

Three fresh Covid deaths across country, 609 new cases recorded: Govt

India has recorded 609 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 3,368, the health ministry said on Friday. Three deaths -- two in Kerala and one in Karnataka -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases began to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. After December 5, 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023 which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality," the official source stated. India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past with the peak inci

923 cases of Covid sub-variant JN.1 reported from 15 states: INSACOG

COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 has spread to 15 states and Union territories with a total of 923 cases of the infection reported so far, according to the INSACOG. Data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed Karnataka has reported the highest number of cases at 214, followed by Maharashtra (170), Kerala (154), Andhra Pradesh (105), Gujarat (76) and Goa (66). Telangana and Rajasthan have recorded 32 JN.1 cases each, Chhattisgarh has recorded 25, Tamil Nadu 22, Delhi 16, Haryana five, Odisha three, West Bengal two and Uttarakhand one. Even though the number of cases is rising and the JN.1 sub-variant has been detected in the country, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness, officials said. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the .

India records 514 new cases of Covid-19, active cases decline to 3,422

India recorded 514 new cases of COVID-19, while the number of active cases of the infection has declined to 3,422, the health ministry said on Thursday. Three deaths two in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023, but cases began to increase after the emergence of a new sub-variant -- JN.1 -- and cold weather conditions. After December 5, a maximum of a single-day rise of 841 new cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which is 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the total active cases, around 92 per cent are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 sub-variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality," the official source stated. India has witnessed three waves of

Nearly 10K died from Covid-19 last mth due to gatherings, new variant: WHO

The head of the U.N. health agency said Wednesday holiday gatherings and the spread of the most prominent variant globally led to increased transmission of COVID-19 last month. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10,000 deaths were reported in December, while hospital admissions during the month jumped 42% in nearly 50 countries mostly in Europe and the Americas that shared such trend information. "Although 10,000 deaths a month is far less than the peak of the pandemic, this level of preventable deaths is not acceptable," the World Health Organization director-general told reporters from its headquarters in Geneva. He said it was certain that cases were on the rise in other places that haven't been reporting, calling on governments to keep up surveillance and provide continued access to treatments and vaccines. Tedros said the JN.1 variant was now the most prominent in the world. It is an omicron variant, so current vaccines should still provide some protection. Maria Van ..

Plant-based diets linked with lower Covid incidence, finds research

People following a largely plant-based or vegetarian diet are 39 per cent less likely to get infected with Covid, new research has found. Researchers found that omnivores consuming meat more than three times a week reported a "significantly higher" incidence of COVID-19 than those dependent on plant-based or vegetarian diets. They were also more likely to have had moderate to severe infection, the study published in the "British Medical Journal Nutrition Prevention & Health" has found. The researchers, including those from the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, said it may be that plant-based diets provide more nutrients that boost the immune system and help fight viral infections The findings suggest that a diet high in vegetables, legumes and nuts, and low in dairy and meat products may thus help ward off the infection, they said. However, being an observational study, the team could not establish a causal relationship. They also acknowledged that, having relied on personal ...

819 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states: Govt

A total of 819 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 were reported from 12 states till Monday, official sources said. They said 250 cases were reported from Maharashtra, 199 from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 49 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 each from Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, 26 each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 21 from Delhi, three from Odisha and one from Haryana. Even though the number of JN.1 cases is rising, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness, officials said. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance of the detailed operational guidelines for the revised Covid surveillance strategy shared with them by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The states have

India logs 475 fresh Covid-19 cases; number of active cases at 3,919

India has logged 475 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 3,919, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Six deaths -- three from Karnataka, two from Chhattisgarh and one from Assam -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases began to increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. After December 5, 841 new cases were reported on December 31, 2023 which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality," the sources stated. India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past

Nineteen new cases of JN.1 subvariant of Covid-19 detected in Mumbai

Nineteen persons have tested positive for JN.1 sub-variant of coronavirus in Mumbai, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday. Out of 22 samples found positive for JN.1 subvariant in Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis, 19 were from Mumbai, Daksha Shah, executive health officer of the BMC told PTI. Two samples belonged to patients from outside the city, and one was a duplicate, she said. According to a release issued by the civic body, these samples were sent for testing last month, and the reports arrived on Monday. All 19 patients who tested positive for JN.1 in the city suffered mild symptoms, and two of them had comorbidities. The patients have recovered from the infection, it stated. Most of the samples were tested at private laboratories, the release said. Of the 8,262 samples tested between December 1, 2023 and January 8, 2024, only 394 tested positive for coronavirus, it stated.

K-shaped recovery post pandemic is flawed, prejudiced narrative: SBI report

The repeated argument that India witnessed a K-shaped recovery post-pandemic is "flawed, prejudiced, and ill-concocted", said a research report by SBI on Monday. According to the report, post-pandemic, households are reconfiguring their savings towards physical assets, including real estate, it said. "The oft-repeated conundrum debating a K-shaped recovery post-pandemic seems at best flawed, prejudiced, ill-concocted and fanning interests of select quarters to whom India's remarkable ascendance, signalling more the renaissance of the new global south, is quite unpalatable," the report said. K-shaped recovery reflects uneven recovery where certain sectors of the economy thrives while other sectors continue to decline or struggle to recover. It further said post-pandemic, there has been two-way shift between savings channelised into physical assets from financial assets in consonance with the global trend to take advantage of lower interest rates. However, it said, recent data shows

JN.1 Covid sub-variant cases in Delhi hit 24, patients show mild symptoms

The national capital has so far reported 24 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1, including three patients who were from outside Delhi, with all of them recovering from the infection, officials said on Monday. There is nothing to worry about as the patients had mild symptoms, they said. "The first patient of JN.1 sub-variant had got admitted to a hospital since she was stressed but recovered within a few days. The remaining patients have also recovered. Three of the patients who are from outside Delhi were detected with Covid during pre-operative screening. What we have learnt so far is that majority of the patients have recovered in home isolation," said an official. Delhi had reported its first case of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 in December last year. The official asserted that there are hardly any symptoms and the patients are recovering within two to three days. Till last week, there were 16 cases of JN.1 variant in Delhi. According to the recent reports of genome sequencing ...

Delhi Airport wins arbitration against AAI, secures refund & payment waiver

The tribunal outlined specific directives that entail a refund of Rs 500 crore from AAI and a waiver of Rs 1,800 crore payment to the authority

India reports 605 new Covid-19 infections, active cases rise to 4,002

The number of people who have recovered from the disease has gone up to 44,481,341, an increase of 648 since Sunday morning

JN.1 becomes dominant strain in most parts of India, shows Insacog data

The prevalence of JN.1 is low in the Eastern region

India records 756 new Covid infections, active cases in country at 4,049

India has recorded 756 new cases of Covid, while the number of active cases of the infection stood at 4,049, the health ministry said on Sunday. Five deaths -- two each from Kerala and Maharashtra and one from Jammu and Kashmir -- have been reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases began to again increase after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions. After December 5, a maximum increase in single day cases was reported on December 31, 2023 when 841 cases were reported, official sources said. Of the total active cases, a large majority of these (around 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality," the sources stated. India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the past

India records single-day rise of 774 Covid-19 cases, active cases at 4,187

India has recorded a single-day rise of 774 COVID-19 cases while the number of active cases stands at 4,187, the Union health ministry said on Saturday. Two deaths -- one each from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 but it began to rise again amid cold weather conditions and after the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, JN.1 After December 5, the highest single-day rise of 841 cases was reported on December 31, 2023, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said. Of the 4,187 active cases, the majority (over 92 per cent) are recovering under home isolation. An official source said, "The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in the new cases nor a surge in the hospitalisation and mortality." India has witnessed three waves of COVID-19 in the pa

Covid-19 peaks in Singapore but doctors watching out for possible surges

Doctors in Singapore believe the latest COVID-19 wave has peaked in the country, even as some clinics still face higher than usual patient loads, and doctors are watching out for possible surges in the coming months. The doctors are seeing cases stabilise, down by around 20 per cent from December, according to a Channel News Asia report on Friday. However, clinics are already planning for more man power and medication supplies in anticipation of another surge in the months ahead. Healthway Medical, for instance, now sees an average of 50 to 60 patients come in daily with respiratory infections across its 57 clinics, the report said. COVID-19 and influenza cases make up the bulk of them. This is around 10 per cent higher than regular patient loads but a slight drop from the peak around Christmas. The peak of all the upper respiratory tract infection cases has plateaued. Majority of people have already returned from travelling, CNA quoted head of primary care at Healthway Medical Gr