Category: COVID-19

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-Top News COVID-19 EU News

Europe reels under second Covid-19 wave

Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen in Berlin
Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen in Berlin (IANS)

Europe has continued its battle with a second wave of the novel coronavirus, with several countries reporting a record surge in the number of single-day confirmed cases.

On Friday, Germany, Greece and Slovenia set new records for daily cases, a day after Italy, Portugal and Lithuania hit their single-day highs, reports Xinhua news agency.

German national disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), said that new Covid-19 infections in the country broke Thursday’s record with 7,334 cases confirmed within one day, bringing the total number to 348,557.

Thursday’s daily figure of 6,638 had marked a jump of some 1,500 over the day before. The previous daily infection peak, at around 6,300 cases, was registered in March, German news agency dpa reported.

Increased infection numbers were linked particularly to private celebrations with family and friends. However, there were also more Covid-19-related outbreaks reported in older people’s homes and nursing homes, according to the RKI.

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

Meanwhile, France confirmed 25,085 Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, increasing the total count to 834,770.

The number of new infections was lower than a record 30,621 registered on Thursday, but it remained at a high level unseen during the first wave.

In Italy, the first European country battered by the pandemic, 10,010 new coronavirus infections were reported on Friday, pushing the total number to 391,611,.

Due to the grim development, countries have started to turn to tougher measures against the second wave.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday defended his government’s coronavirus restrictions as “the right and responsible thing to do” in the fight to curb the spread of the disease in the country.

“Without action, our health service will be overwhelmed,” he said. “I want to avoid another national lockdown.”

Also on Friday, the region of Kozani in northern Greece became the first area of the country to enter lockdown during the second wave of the pandemic.

Authorities announced that until October 29, protective face masks will be compulsory everywhere, and public gatherings and traveling outside the region are forbidden. Retail shops, restaurants, cinemas, and gyms will remain closed for two weeks.

In Cyprus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that because of the possibility of the coronavirus to get out of control in the country, President Nicos Anastasiades would chair a meeting of the scientific team advising the ministry to consider new restrictive measures.

eople wearing face masks walk on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France (Xinhua/Gao Jing/IANS)

In Slovenia, new restrictions kicked in as of Friday in the country’s so-called “red” regions.

Two more of Slovenia’s 12 statistical regions have been turned from “orange” into “red” on the coronavirus incidence meter, which means that lockdown restrictions now apply in nine regions in total.

Bars, restaurants and sports facilities will close in all “red” regions on Saturday as part of the tightened coronavirus measures.

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-Top News COVID-19

Ebola drug remdesivir ineffective against Covid-19: WHO

How remdesivir can save lives in nations with lower hospital capacity.
  • How remdesivir can save lives in nations with lower hospital capacity.

Trials with four drugs conducted among 11,000 patients in 30 countries “appeared to have little or no effect” on survival and on the progression of the disease among hospitalized patients…Reports Asian Lite News

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday dashed hopes that the Ebola drug remdesivir and three other existing medications could be useful tools against Covid-19.

Trials with four drugs conducted among 11,000 patients in 30 countries “appeared to have little or no effect” on survival and on the progression of the disease among hospitalized patients, the WHO said in Geneva.

The UN health agency’s Solidarity Trial involved remdesivir, the HIV treatment lopinavir/ritonavir, the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and Interferon, which was developed for multiple sclerosis, said dpa international.

The European Union had placed its bets on remdesivir. The European Commission announced a contract this month to secure additional supplies of the antiviral drug for up to 500,000 patients.

Despite questions about its effectiveness, remdesivir was the first drug to receive EU approval to treat severe cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

US President Donald Trump has received remdesivir as well as the anti-inflammatory medication dexamethasone and other drugs following his recent novel coronavirus infection, according to his doctors.

Although dexamethasone was not included in the WHO trials, it was shown to reduce mortality among hospitalized Covid-19 patients in a British study.

Also read:One in 10 in world may have had Covid 19: WHO

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-Top News COVID-19 World News

40% World’s population lack access to handwashing facilities: UNICEF

Although handwashing with soap is vital in the fight against infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus, 40 per cent of the world’s population, or 3 billion people, do not have access to it, according to new Unicef estimates.

The estimates issued on Thursday revealed that the number is much higher in the least developed countries, where nearly three-quarters do not have handwashing facilities at home, reports Xinhua news agency.

Kelly Ann Naylor, associate director of water, sanitation and hygiene at Unicef, said that it was “unacceptable” that the most vulnerable communities are unable to use the simplest of methods to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of hand hygiene in disease prevention. It has also stressed a pre-existing problem for many: handwashing with soap remains out of reach for millions of children where they’re born, live and learn.

“We must take immediate action to make handwashing with soap accessible to everyone, everywhere — now and in the future,” she said.

The situation is also alarming at schools: 43 per cent globally (70 percent in the least developed countries) lack a handwashing facility with water and soap, affecting hundreds of millions of children, according to the estimates.

Against this backdrop, Unicef, along with the World Health Organization, launched the “Hand Hygiene for All” initiative to support the development of national roadmaps to accelerate and sustain progress toward making hand hygiene a mainstay in public health interventions.

The initiative brings together international, national, and local partners, to ensure affordable products and services are available and sustainable, especially in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

The estimates coincided with the Global Handwashing Day marked annually on October 15, which serves as a platform to raise awareness on the importance of handwashing with soap.

The global campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of handwashing with soap as a key factor in disease prevention.

Also read:463 mn children unable access remote learning: UNICEF

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-Top News COVID-19 UAE News

UAE FM takes Covid 19 vaccine

Al-Nahyan tweeted an image of himself receiving the trial vaccine with a caption saying “corona vaccination is our way to return to normal life.”…Reports Asian Lite News

The United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has taken the Covid 19 vaccine.Reports Arab News

Al-Nahyan tweeted an image of himself receiving the trial vaccine with a caption saying “corona vaccination is our way to return to normal life.”

Last month, UAE issued emergency approval for the COVID-19 vaccine for frontline healthcare workers.

“The vaccine will be available to our first line of defense heroes who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus,” the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said.

Its effective and has resulted in a “strong response” by generated antibodies in trial volunteers, the health minister said.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, announced that it conducted 116,470 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.

On Friday,As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced 1,412 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 112,849.

According to the Ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and are receiving the necessary care.

MoHAP also announced 3 deaths due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 455.

Also read:Israel Parliament Approves Peace With UAE

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-Top News Asia News COVID-19

Israel to partially lift lockdown measures

Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)

The first phase of the exit plan will begin on Sunday amidst declining numbers of new infections…Reports Asian Lite News

Israel’s special cabinet for handling the COVID-19 decided to partially lift a month-long lockdown on Sunday, by easing some of the restrictions.

The first phase of the exit plan will begin on Sunday amidst declining numbers of new infections, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Health Ministry said in a joint statement on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the cabinet decision, the restriction limiting residents to a 1,000-meter radius of their homes will be lifted.

Kindergartens and businesses that do not attend clients will be reopened, but schools and other businesses would still be closed. Restaurants would be allowed to take only take-away orders.

Gatherings of more than 20 will still be prohibited and local lockdowns in “red” cities with high morbidity rates might be imposed, the government said.

“The lockdown has been a major success,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the meeting, citing “a decline in all data”.

He said that the exit needs to be “gradual, responsible, careful and controlled” to avoid “an additional lockdown in two or three weeks”.

Israel imposed a second nationwide lockdown on September 18 to curb the rapid resurgence of the pandemic.

Netanyahu’s government has been facing growing public anger over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing economic crisis.

Also read:Israel Parliament Approves Peace With UAE

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COVID-19 Health Lifestyle Lite Blogs

Cardiac Care Via Tele-Consultation

Tele-cardiology: How Covid-19 changed healthcare from traditional to digital. (Photo Courtesy: Pixabay)
United Nations: Confident of winning in the struggle against epidemic in China

We are going through a difficult, unique and challenging time because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has changed our lives remarkably, has affected practically every person, every individual, every professional, every industry. Affected governments across the globe and their functioning in ways more than we could have ever imagined…writes Dr.T.S Kler.

Until an effective vaccine is created, Covid is here to stay and the sooner we accept it and change or adapt the way we live, we will be able to cope up with the same in a much efficient manner. The whole world moved to Digital mode of communication across all sectors to keep up with the new normal. And similarly, we all witnessed a major shift in the healthcare industry replacing face to face patient visits with Tele-consultation, which have proven to be a boon for doctors and patients, ensuring safety for all.

This pandemic led to a sudden nation-wide lockdown, the hospitals were turned into Covid centres, leaving other patients in need of care and treatment high and dry. Statistics show that Indians are already into self- medication which can be very dangerous in case of critical conditions. During the early days of Covid, patients had little or no access to the hospitals and they continued to take treatment according to their will and whatever was prescribed to them in their earlier visits to the doctors. To ensure continuity of quality treatment and care for patients with heart disease, it became important to differentiate between deferrable and non-deferrable activity.

heart functions. (Photo: Pixabay)

In such a scenario, despite being in its early days in terms of acceptance and patient adoption, telecardiology has played a pivotal role. While has made sure that patients with cardiovascular diseases get the much-needed diagnosis, second opinion and relevant treatment, it moreover helped in limiting clinical visits, unless there was an emergency case which could not otherwise be controlled.

The use of telemedicine within cardiac care primarily seeks to achieve remote, real-time diagnosis and treatment of heart disease – including cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia.

During this pandemic situation, telemedicine emerged as a key solution providing all sorts of necessary healthcare-related support required by all stakeholders, including – doctor consultation, urgent medicine delivery, home testing and home care. Not only were the existing players seen expanding and stretching their limits but there were many new players and start-ups who entered the market to serve the country in times of such distress. Telemedicine helps in bridging the gap between patients and doctors from overseas by making it possible for medical practitioners or hospitals to consult with different specialists, regardless of their location. However, when it comes to complex medical conditions requiring expert opinion, it’s not easy to find and connect with seasoned specialists.

Tele-cardiology: How Covid-19 changed healthcare from traditional to digital. (Photo Courtesy: Pixabay)

Hypothetically, let’s say a patient can identify a trusted doctor abroad; getting an appointment for an office visit with associated travel arrangements could easily take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. With SeekMed, however, a patient can get through a video consultation with a doctor of repute in less than a week. Patients also have a choice to consult with multiple doctors on the platform before deciding on the doctor they best respond to.

Telemedicine holds the potential to easily meet the needs of today’s cardiologists and has the capacity to completely revolutionize the delivery of cardiac care.

Also Read-Parul Sharma Captures The ‘Uncomfortable Stillness’

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COVID-19 World News

Aussie Health Minister calls for easing Covid curbs

Greg Hunt (Photo: IANS file)

The national death toll remained unchanged at 904…Reports Asian Lite News

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has issued a renewed call for Covid-19 restrictions to be eased in the state of Victoria.

As of Thursday afternoon there had been 27,362 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Australia, with 23 new cases detected in the last 24 hours, according to the latest data from the federal health ministry.

Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, reported six new cases on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, confirmed another 11 cases, five of which were recently returned travellers in hotel quarantine and two of which have remained under investigation.

The national death toll remained unchanged at 904.

Hunt said on Wednesday that Victoria had recorded an average of fewer than the threshold of 10 new Covid-19 cases for re-opening.

“We have a Commonwealth definition in terms of hotspots, and that’s a rolling average of less than 10 cases. Victoria is below that rolling average,” Hunt told reporters in Canberra.

“Victoria has reached the Commonwealth standard to go to the next stage,” he said.

Also read:Australia to reinitiate ‘trans-Tasman’ travel bubble plans

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COVID-19 Economy World News

Poorest countries need support : World Bank

New Delhi: World Bank President David Malpass addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Oct 26, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Malpass highlighted the significance of the G20 debt relief program, saying that there’s been progress both in terms of fiscal benefits and also transparency benefits..Reports Asian Lite News

  • New Delhi: World Bank President David Malpass addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Oct 26, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

The global economy is experiencing a K-shaped recovery, as advanced economies have been able to provide support while the poorest countries are facing an increasingly desperate recession, World Bank Group President David Malpass said.

“What we’re seeing so far is sometimes described as a K-shaped recovery,” Xinhua news agency quoted Malpass as saying at a virtual press conference on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“That means the advanced economies have been able to provide support, especially for their financial markets and for people that have jobs that can be done by working from home,” he said.

  • New Delhi: World Bank President David Malpass addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Oct 26, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

But for the developing countries, especially the poorest developing countries — the downward leg in the K — people are facing an increasingly desperate recession, “because of the loss of jobs, the loss of income, and also the loss of remittances coming from workers working outside the country”, the World Bank chief said.

Malpass highlighted the significance of the G20 debt relief program, saying that there’s been progress both in terms of fiscal benefits and also transparency benefits.

In April, the G20 endorsed the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) to help the poorest countries manage the impact of the pandemic, allowing them to suspend payments on official bilateral debt until the end of 2020.

In a virtual meeting earlier on Wednesday, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed to extend the DSSI by another six months, and to examine by April 2021 if the economic and financial situation requires further extension.

Malpass further said he would propose a $25 billion supplemental Covid-19 emergency financing package to support most indebted IDA countries, the poorest countries drawing on the World Bank’s International Development Association.

Also read:IMF Foresees Steep Fall And Rise For India’s GDP

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COVID-19 USA

Nearly 700k child cases of Covid 19 reported in US

Washington, Sept. 3, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Students study online at a recreation center in Los Angeles, the United States, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/IANS)
  • Washington, Sept. 3, 2020 (Xinhua) — Students study online at a recreation center in Los Angeles, the United States, on Sept. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/IANS)

Nearly 700,000 children in the US have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, according to a new report.

The report released on Wednesday by the American Academy of Paediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association said that a total of 77,073 new child cases were reported from September 24 to October 8, a 13 per cent increase in over two weeks, reports Xinhua news agency.

So far, a total of 697,633 child Covid-19 cases had been reported in the US, and children represented 10.7 per cent of all those infected, said the report.

The overall rate was 927 cases per 100,000 children in the population.

Children accounted for 0.9 per cent to 3.6 per cent of total reported hospitalizations, and 0 to 0.23 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths, said the report.

“At this time, it appears that severe illness due to Covid-19 is rare among children. However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age and race/ethnicity so that the effects of coronavirus on children’s health can be documented and monitored,” it added.

The report comes as the US remains the world’s worst-hit country with the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

As of Thursday morning, the total number of cases in the country stood at 7,911,497, while the death toll increased to 216,734, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Also read:Cleveland-Cliffs takes over ArcelorMittal USA

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

Wales Bans Travellers From UK Corona Hotspots

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

First minister Mark Drakeford has announced that Wales is going to ban people from parts of the UK with high rates of Covid-19, the media reported.

According to BBC report, the Mr Drakeford has said that he would go ahead if the Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not impose travel restrictions in England.

The ban is expected to cover all of Northern Ireland, England’s tier two and three areas and the Scottish central belt, it reported.

It is also learnt that Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon fully supported Mr Drakeford’s move.

Meanwhile, the new three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions has come into force in England.

Most of the country is in the lowest tier – medium – but millions of people in the North and the Midlands face extra curbs on households mixing, the BBC reported.

Boris Johnson said that a new three-tier system of regional Covid-19 restrictions “is the right way forward”, according to the report.

The PM told the House of Commons the policy “can bring down the virus” but that he did not rule out going further.

The Liverpool region is the only area to be under the toughest rules, with pubs and bars not serving meals closed.

Government health officials are due to meet later to discuss the possibility of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and some other areas joining the top tier.

The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said it was “disappointing” the government was “piling the pressure” on the region “without negotiating”.

“It risks confusing people coming so soon after the tier two announcement,” he said, adding that “unfunded restrictions are unfair and will cause real damage to lives, jobs and businesses”.

It comes after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a two to three week “circuit-breaker” lockdown in England to bring the rising infection rate under control.

The new system sees every area of England classed as being on medium, high or very high alert.

Areas on medium alert are subject to the national restrictions currently in force, including the rule of six on indoor and outdoor gatherings and the 22:00 closing time for pubs, bars and restaurants.

In addition to these restrictions, in areas on high alert – including north-east England, much of the North West and parts of the Midlands, along with West and South Yorkshire – different households are not allowed to mix indoors.

Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.

Pubs and bars will be closed unless they are serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area.

Further restrictions may be agreed for particular regions in the top tier and in the Liverpool City Region gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos will also close.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the system was a “moderate” and “balanced” approach to saving lives while trying to protect the economy.