Category: COVID-19

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Asia News COVID-19

Covid 19: WHO donates medical aid to Syria

The shipment, delivered to the country on Saturday through the Damascus International Airport, included personal protection gear for health workers…reports Asian Lite News

The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated 8.8 tonnes of medical supplies to Syria to aid the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, state media reported.

The shipment, delivered to the country on Saturday through the Damascus International Airport, included personal protection gear for health workers as well as medications and other medical equipment, Xinhua news agency reported citing the state media as saying.

After signing a receipt note, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said the global health body was able to supply the Eastern Mediterranean countries with various necessary needs.

He said the WHO provided laboratory aids for disease diagnosis and training courses for health workers in addition to working on providing them with personal protection needs and drawing plans to implement what the science has reached to deal with the pandemic.

Syrian Health Minister Assistant Ahmad Khleifawi stressed the importance of the visit of the WHO delegation as it is the first for the organization’s regional director to Syria after the outbreak of the pandemic.

The overall official number of Covid-19 cases in Syria is 5,319, with 1,692 recoveries and 264 deaths.

Also read:UN plans aid for Syrian wildfire victims

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

Boris rules out full national lockdown

The UK Prime Minister’s statement came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced big changes to the Job Support Scheme set to replace furlough in November in a bid to support businesses affected by the pandemic in England’s “high alert” Tier Two areas…reports Asian Lite News

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated his stand to avoid a national lockdown against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying his government will work hard to protect jobs and put the country in a better position for an economic recovery.

“I don’t believe a full lockdown is the right course,” Xinhua news agency quoted Johnson as saying at a press briefing on Thursday at Downing Street.

“To all those enduring these restrictions in all parts of the country, I want to repeat my thanks for your bravery, for your patience, and for your public spirited-ness,” the Prime Minister said.

Johnson said the current restrictions are working and that virus reproduction number, known as the R number, is half its “natural rate”.

His statement came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced big changes to the Job Support Scheme set to replace furlough in November in a bid to support businesses affected by the pandemic in England’s “high alert” Tier Two areas.

Under the revised scheme, employers will pay less and staff can work fewer hours before they qualify for project.

Among the measures, instead of employees working at least a third of their hours to qualify for support, they will now have to work just one day a week.

Meanwhile, employers will now only pay 5 per cent of wages toward the cost of hours not worked.

Sunak also announced that a new grant scheme will open for businesses, including hospitality in Tier Two areas, for up to 2,100 pounds per month.

A man wearing a face mask walks past a shop in London, Britain

Joining Johnson for the press briefing, Sunak said: “Our plan for jobs will support British people and businesses wherever they live and whatever their situation… We will listen and respond to peoples’ concerns as the situation evolves.”

Also present at the press briefing, the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said hospitalizations have dramatically increased from a month ago with more people going into intensive care and an increase in deaths.

The R number, which currently stands between 1.2 and 1.5, is half its natural rate, which shows masks and handwashing is working, said Vallance.

“But we need to do more,” he added.

The new three-tier COVID-19 alert system set out by Johnson came into force last week across England as the country struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The alert system comprises three levels: “Medium”, “High” and “Very High” with the level being decided according to local infection rates.

The UK has so far reported a total of 813,451 coronavirus cases and 44,437 deaths.

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-Top News COVID-19 EU News

Spain mulls curfews to curb Covid-19 flare ups

The Spanish government announced that was considering fresh curfews to tackle a resurgence in the number of new coronavirus cases,

Addressing the media here on Tuesday, Health Minister Salvador Illa said that imposing a curfew in Madrid and also in some other parts of the country would require invoking a State of Emergency, the Guardian newspaper reported.

The State of Elarm, which restricts mobility into and out of the Spanish capital and a further 12 municipalities in the region, was imposed earlier after they passed several Covid-19 criterias.

The Minister added that a curfew lasting for over two weeks would “require the support of some opposition parties”.

On Tuesday, Spain reported 13,873 new coronavirus cases and 218 fatalities, which increased the overall infection tally and the death toll to 988,322 and 34,210, respectively.

Meanwhile, the country’s Navarre region,has already announced a two-week lockdown which will come into force from Thursday and will be much stricter than the measures imposed on Madrid.

People will only be allowed in and out of Navarre for work, university studies, to care for relatives, or for emergencies, the Guardian quoted the regional government as saying.

Restaurants, cafes and bars will be closed, while shops can open at 40 per cent capacity but close by 9 p.m.

The lockdown in and around the capital is due to expire on Saturday.

Also read:Portugal, Spain agree on new cross-border strategy

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-Top News COVID-19 USA

NY Foundation’s Grant to Boost Testing in India

These grants are part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s ongoing Covid-19 response strategy, a global $100 million commitment to improve public health and expand equitable access to testing and contract tracing…reports Asian Lite News

New York-based Rockefeller Foundation on Monday announced two new grants totalling $5.5 million (approximately Rs 40.3 crore) to support the expansion of Covid-19 testing and contact tracing across India.

The grants, awarded to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and PATH, will support domestic manufacturing of critical testing materials and the deployment of scalable testing programmes, essential to mitigating the virus’ spread.

Additionally, the grants will advance the efforts to leverage data and technology to strengthen pandemic surveillance and response.

“Scaling up Covid-19 testing provides crucial data insights that can help inform India’s response and direct targeted interventions to those most in need,” Naveen Rao, Senior Vice President (Health), Rockefeller Foundation, said in a statement.

“These grants reflect our commitment to supporting India’s equitable recovery from Covid-19, and we look forward to working alongside the government of India to advance this urgent goal,” Rao added.

India has recorded significant rise in Covid-19 cases over the past few months, placing it on track to surpass the US as the country with the highest number of infections.

These grants are part of The Rockefeller Foundation’s ongoing Covid-19 response strategy, a global $100 million commitment to improve public health and expand equitable access to testing and contract tracing.

As part of the newly announced grants, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) — an initiative of the Indian government’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — is receiving funding to scale up local manufacturing of reagents and testing solutions in India, providing the country with the elements needed to domestically produce reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing kits.

C-CAMP will leverage public-private partnerships to develop a roadmap for the production of RT-PCR testing kits and provide data-driven projections, informing a national plan for the production of at least 10 million testing kits per month.

“RT-PCR tests remain the gold standard for confirming active Covid-19 infections. By helping scale up domestic test production, this grant will strengthen India’s diagnostic capacities and improve its ability to mitigate the virus,” said Taslimarif Saiyed, C-CAMP CEO and Director.

PATH, a leading global public health organisation, has received a grant to expand Covid-19 testing capacity in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab, The Rockefeller Foundation said.

With this funding, PATH will support state governments to develop and deploy optimised testing strategies that can be replicated and scaled up rapidly, seek to make Covid-19 screening and diagnostic tools available at an affordable cost, create an ecosystem of faster diagnosis of Covid-19 in key geographies, and establish pandemic surveillance models.

These collaborations will not only help to solve a critical domestic challenge, provide for import substitution, but will also enable India to better contribute to the global Covid-19 response.

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

UK police gains access to NHS’s test and trace details

People who fail to self-isolate “without reasonable justification” could have their names, address and contact details passed on to their local authority and then to the police…Reports Asian Lite News

People who have been asked to self-isolate through the test and trace system of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) could have their contact details shared with the police, it was announced.

In a statement on Sunday, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that police forces will have access “on a case-by-case” basis to information, enabling them to know if an individual has been told to self-isolate, Xinhua news agency reported.

People who fail to self-isolate “without reasonable justification” could have their names, address and contact details passed on to their local authority and then to the police, the DHSC’s said.

“This may lead to enforcement action being taken against you, which could include you being fined,” it added.

Currently, people in England are legally required to self-isolate if they test positive for the novel coronavirus.

Those who fail to do so face fines starting at 1,000 pounds and increasing up to 10,000 pounds for repeat offenders or serious breaches, the DHSC said.

  • Professor Chris Whitty.

Reacting to the development, a National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson said forces would continue to encourage “voluntary compliance” but would enforce regulations and issue fines where appropriate, the BBC reported.

“Officers will engage with individuals to establish their circumstances, using their discretion wherever it is reasonable to do so.”

Meanwhile, the Health Service Journal, a news service which covers policy and management in the NHS in England, reported that the office of England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, feared the move would put people off from being tested.

A spokesman for the British Medical Association, which represents doctors in the UK, also said the test-and-trace system needed “the full confidence of the public” to be effective.

The UK has so far reported a total of 725,292 coronavirus cases and 43,736 deaths.

Also read:Covid-19 reinfections ‘to be expected’: UK scientists

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-Top News COVID-19 EU News

Italy announces new anti-Covid restrictions

“The curve of contagion is worrisome, the numbers are serious, and there is a need to intervene urgently.”said Conte…Reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that his government has approved fresh anti-coronavirus curbs after more than 11,000 new cases were reported in just 24 hours.

“The curve of contagion is worrisome, the numbers are serious, and there is a need to intervene urgently,” Xinhua news agency quoted Conte as saying at a televised press conference on Sunday.

“We just approved new measures that should allow us to face this new wave of infections, which is severely affecting not only Italy but the whole of Europe,” he said.

On Sunday, Italy reported 11,705 new infections, which increased the country’s overall caseload to 126,237, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Health.

The death toll currently stood at 36,543.

“We cannot waste time,” Conte said. “We must act by fielding all the measures necessary to avert a new generalized lockdown… which would end up severely compromising the entire economic fabric.”

He spoke in reference to Italy’s March to May nationwide lockdown, which brought the country’s economy to a halt.

The Prime Minister also detailed the new measures, which include giving city mayors the option of shutting down busy streets and squares after 9 p.m. in a bid to prevent public gatherings; a ban on amateur contact sports; and the suspension of all local fairs, festivals, conferences and congresses.

Pubs, bars, restaurants, pizzerias and ice cream shops can be open for business between the hours of 5 a.m. to midnight, as long as customers are seated.

  • Rome, Aug. 18, 2020 (Xinhua) — Restaurant staff wait for customers in Rome, Italy, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting/IANS)

If the customers are standing, then these venues can only serve until 6 p.m., while gaming and betting venues must close at 9 p.m.

“Deliveries are allowed at all times, and takeout is allowed until midnight,” Conte said.

Schools will stay open, with flexible hours for high schools and universities in order to encourage staggered schedules.

“We are aware that we are imposing economic sacrifices to the businesses that will suffer the negative consequences of these closures, and the government is committed to making up for them,” Conte said.

Also read:UK adds Italy to quarantine list

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

Covid-19 reinfections ‘to be expected’: UK scientists

It was unclear how soon people who had recovered from Covid-19 could become vulnerable to reinfection, but emerging reports showed the timeframe was “relatively short”…Reports Asian Lite News

UK scientists have warned that Covid-19 reinfections were “to be expected” amid a recent surge in the number of fresh cases, according to a media report.

The conclusion by researchers on the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium is based on what is known about people’s immunity to other coronaviruses that cause the common cold, Xinhua news agency quoted the report by the Guardian newspaper as saying on Saturday.

It was unclear how soon people who had recovered from Covid-19 could become vulnerable to reinfection, but emerging reports showed the timeframe was “relatively short”, said the report.

Currently, there are seven types of coronavirus that infect humans.

Among them, Sars, Mers and Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, are considered the deadliest.

The four others cause common colds and can reinfect people six months after they have recovered, according to the report.

London, Sept. 15, 2020 (Xinhua) — People sit on the lawn at Potters Fields Park in front of Tower Bridge in London, Britain, on Sept. 14, 2020. In order to curb the rise in coronavirus cases, tough new limits on social gatherings came into force in Britain on Monday, meaning that in most regions, it is now illegal for groups of more than six to meet up. The “rule of six” kicked off at midnight across England, Wales and Scotland in the latest push to curb the recent surge in coronavirus infections. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua/IANS)

Nearly two dozen cases of suspected or confirmed Covid-19 reinfections emerged across the globe, but the real number is thought to be far higher, since most were not recorded, it added.

With 16,171 new Covid-19 cases, the UK’s overall infection tally has increased to 705,428, while the death toll stands at 43,579.

The country’s coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, has edged up slightly, according to latest government figures.

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said the R number is now between 1.3 and 1.5, up from last week which was between 1.2 and 1.5.

If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

Also read:UK Prepares For a No-Deal Brexit

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Africa News COVID-19 Education

Egypt to reopen schools with tighter anti-Covid measures

Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt

Egypt has about 23 million students in over 56,000 public schools nationwide…Reports Asian Lite News

Tens of thousands of schools have reopened across Egypt to start the new academic year while implementing precautionary measures against the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Education Ministry.

The Ministry’s plan for the 2020/2021 academic year is based on maintaining social distancing, sufficient ventilation and regular disinfection at schools, while raising awareness of students and parents about the pandemic and necessary precautions, reports Xinhua news agency.

There will also be temperature checks for students, teachers and visitors before entering schools.

Egypt has about 23 million students in over 56,000 public schools nationwide.

Students of each grade will attend school for a specific number of days only, not the whole week.

“Precautionary measures are observed at schools, social distancing is maintained and students of different grades are scheduled to attend in different days,” Reda Hegazy, deputy education minister for teachers affairs, told Xinhua on saturday at one of the preparatory schools in Giza.

He explained that there is a new official TV channel to provide classes to students, while teachers at schools will complete the process side by side with the TV classes.

At the gate of a high school near Cairo University, the temperatures of students were checked before they headed to the morning assembly, where all students and teachers were seen with face masks on.

Schools were suspended in Egypt since in March in the wake of the pandemic.

Amid declining Covid-19 cases and deaths, the country has been easing restrictions over the past three months.

So far, Egypt has registered 105,159 Covid-19 cases and 6,099 deaths, with 98,089 recoveries

Also read:Egyptian, S.African leaders discuss Nile dam dispute

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-Top News COVID-19 USA

New York Targets Individual Blocks To Curb Spread

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (Photo: Governor's Office/IANS)

New York will target individual blocks rather than entire neighbourhoods as the state tries to fight the coronavirus in fall and winter, said Governor Andrew Cuomo…reports Asian Lite News.

“You draw a very tight focus, bring it down within that targeted area and you don’t disrupt anyone else in the meantime,” said Cuomo on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

This approach will allow businesses to reopen once the clusters on their block are controlled, he said, adding that with contact tracing, the state will be able to identify exactly where the cases are coming from, and which businesses or places are not contributing to the spread.

Once a block with a high infection rate is designated, an increase in testing would take place with stricter enforcement, according to the governor.

“If there’s a cluster it means there wasn’t compliance,” he added.

“No other state has tried such a granular approach to rising cases,” The New York Times on Friday quoted public health experts as saying. “New York State’s plan cuts through city neighbourhoods, ZIP codes and, in some cases, even streets.”

State and city officials hope this approach will prevent the need for any new citywide lockdowns, which would further devastate the local economy, the paper added.

NYS’s positivity rate in coronavirus “Red Zones” has dropped slightly to 4.34 per cent, while the state’s overall infection rate remains low, at 1.1 per cent, with over 1,784 new cases.

The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 33,347 coronavirus deaths in the state as of Saturday afternoon, the worst in the United States.

Also Read-German President In Quarantine

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-Top News COVID-19

German President In Quarantine

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier entered quarantine after one of his bodyguards tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokeswoman for the president’s office…reports Asian Lite News.

Steinmeier’s first test was negative. Further tests are planned in the coming days, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Germany on Saturday recorded 7,830 new infections of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest daily spike since the pandemic began, according to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s state disease control and prevention agency.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas went into quarantine in September after one of his bodyguards had caught COVID-19. Maas later tested negative for the disease.

In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel self-quarantined for two weeks after meeting with an infected doctor. She later tested negative.

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