Category: COVID-19

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COVID-19 Health Lite Blogs

Are We Wearing Masks Properly?

Patna: People seen wearing masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 (coronavirus) at Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna, on March 16, 2020. (Photo: IANS)
Patna: People seen wearing masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 (coronavirus). (Photo: IANS)

When it came to non-compliance towards covering face, breathing problems have emerged as a key reason, with 50 percent listing it in a nationwide survey, followed by discomfort and inconvenience at 44 per cent. Around 45 percent also assume that as long as social distancing was maintained, a mask was not required.

The survey, spread over 18 cities, was initiated by ApnaMask, an initiative by EkDesh, to understand overall compliance around wearing of masks. Only 44 per cent of Indians are wearing a mask while awareness levels around masks is at 90 per cent high. As the country is inching towards a complete Unlock, wearing a mask properly, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene will be the three essentials of prevention of Covid-19.

Coronavirus.

The survey also revealed that young people within the age group 26-35 years believe that social distancing suffices as a preventive measure and are indifferent to being infected and are not convinced about the ability of a face mask or cover to control spread of virus. Compliance towards wearing a mask was seen to be highest among those in the age group of 36-55 years. Only 28 per cent ensure to masking-up while taking delivery of groceries or home deliveries.

Findings also show that 90 percent of respondents who participated in the survey are aware of all the guidelines issued by the Government of India as well as other organizations to protect from Covid-19 infection. However, when it came to overall practice, compliance was low especially among the lower social strata. Interestingly, only around 44 per cent are completely compliant in terms of wearing it correctly and in all relevant situations.

When it comes to proper usage of masks, the survey revealed interesting findings: Only 50 per cent respondents wear a mask during the entire duration while out of home; Around 30 per cent put on the mask only when someone is in close vicinity; Over 73 per cent respondents ensure their masks cover mouth and nose when stepping out; and that users belief handkerchief and face shield offered highest protection with regards to coverage of ears, mouth and nose.

It also found that women are more compliant and conscious to using masks properly than men.

Respondents also showed a clear preference for N95 masks, cloth masks and surgical masks has emerged in the findings. The N95 masks was most popular, especially among the higher income group. Only around 21 per cent respondents go as far as using a face shield in addition to a mask. Over 70 per cent use a mask only while stepping out of home to visit crowded marketplaces or at work. Usage of a dupatta or scarf was lowest.

Finally, one out of four clean their mask only with water, and similar proportion of people keep their mask in sunlight for cleansing, found the study.

Also Read-Saina Targets To Improve Fitness

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-Top News COVID-19 World News

Trudeau announces more funding for food banks

Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau also announced an additional 100 million Canadian dollars (about $76 million) in federal funding for food banks across Canada to help them meet the surge in demand…Reports Asian Lite News

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged Canadians to stem the spread of the Covid-19 as “the country is at a tipping point of the pandemic”.

“We’re at a tipping point in this pandemic. Not only is the second wave underway, yesterday we hit the highest daily recorded cases, well above what we saw this spring,” he said at a press conference, Xinhua news agency reported.

“I know this is discouraging, especially going into Thanksgiving weekend. But remember this when things were at their bleakest during the first wave, Canadians pulled together and flattened the curve.”

Trudeau also announced an additional 100 million Canadian dollars (about $76 million) in federal funding for food banks across Canada to help them meet the surge in demand for their services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau.

According to a new Covid-19 modeling report issued by the Canadian government on Friday. The total of Canadian Covid-19 is on track to hit between 188,150 and 197,830 cases, and between 9,690 and 9,800 deaths as of October 17.

As of Friday noon, there were a total of 177,613 Covid-19 cases and 9,583 deaths, according to CTV.

The report said that a stronger response is needed now to check the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic as rates of infection are already accelerating rapidly in four populous provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Ontario reported 939 new cases Friday morning, smashing the previous record of 797 cases set on Thursday, while Quebec confirmed 1,102 new infections.

Also read:Canada suspends arms exports to Turkey

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COVID-19 EU News

Italy makes face masks mandatory outdoors

Italians faced some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world when the country became the first in Europe to be overwhelmed by the pandemic earlier in the year…Reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday announced his government’s decision to make wearing of masks mandatory in outdoor spaces in an effort to curb the further spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his announcement, Conte said that latest measure was required to avoid returning to another economically devastating lockdown in Italy, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe, the BBC reported.

“From now on, masks and protective gear have to be brought with us when we leave our house and worn. We have to wear them all the time unless we are in a situation of continuous isolation,” he was quoted as saying.

Besides outdoor spaces, masks must also be worn in shops, offices, on public transport, and in bars and restaurants when not seated at a table, the Prime Minister further said.

Italians faced some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world when the country became the first in Europe to be overwhelmed by the pandemic earlier in the year.

Although it has managed to keep the virus in check more successfully than many other European countries in recent months, cases in the last 24 hours have surged past the 3,000 mark for the first time since April 24, registering 3,678 new infections, according to the Health Ministry.


On Wednesday, the country also announced compulsory testing for anyone travelling from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

As of Thursday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Italy increased to more than 334,000, while the death toll stood at 36,061.

Also read:Indian Boxers Set To Train in Italy

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COVID-19 USA

Jews protest as US Covid-19 spike turns communal

Jewish leader, State Senator Simcha Felder said that Governor Cuomo’s choice to single out a particular religious group was outrageous…Reports Asian Lite News

The resurgence of Covid-19 cases in few parts of New York has led to the communal targeting of the Jewish minority, which countered it with protests and making a bonfire of masks.

After Governor Andrew Cuomo singled out the Jewish community for the Covid-19 clusters of rising infection rates in some parts of the city and state and imposed stringent restrictions on places of worship, hundreds of Jewish demonstrators took to the streets overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday, many defiantly without masks and burning masks challenging police, who stood by.

A Jewish leader, State Senator Simcha Felder said: “Governor Cuomo’s choice to single out a particular religious group… was outrageous.

“His language was dangerous and divisive, and left the implication that Orthodox Jews alone are responsible for rising Covid-19 cases in New York state.”

While it had been the epicentre in the early days of the pandemic, New York city and state have beaten back the disease with an infection rate of around 1 per cent, while restrictions have been eased with schools reopening for in-person teaching and allowing indoor dining in restaurants.

But in recent weeks, fresh new cases have been reported which were linked to five clusters in the state, three of them with large Jewish populations, one of them in the city and two others outside the city.

Cuomo, a Democrat, and other politicians have focused their criticism on the Jewish community over mask-wearing and social distancing, while there were three other areas without large Jewish population and people of other faiths not adhering to the rules.

“Orthodox Jewish gatherings often are very, very large and we’ve seen what one person can do in a group,” Cuomo said, adding that he will “see if they will agree to live and abide by the rules and advocate compliance”.

New York, Aug. 18, 2020 (Xinhua) — New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo provides a coronavirus update during a press briefing in Albany of New York State, the United States, May 15, 2020. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)

At the heart of the clusters known as ‘red zones’, all but essential businesses will be shut, dining indoors will be banned and places of worship will be allowed to have only 10 people.

The restrictions are reimposed on a sliding scale in the orange and yellow zones on its periphery.

The restrictions are being imposed in the middle of the Jewish holidays of Succoth commemorating their wandering in the desert before reaching Israel.

The protesters, most of whom belong to orthodox sects of Judaism that follows a strict interpretation of the Bible, chanted, “Jewish lives matter”.

In a taunt to politicians, that echoed the rallying cry, “Black lives matter”, at the protests against police brutality which were backed by Democrats despite not practising social distancing or strictly adhering to masks.

Besides making bonfires, the protesters beat up a photographer recording the scene and a member of one of their sect who they accused of being a police informer.

Police did not intervene.

Also read:George Floyd murder suspect freed on $1m bail

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-Top News COVID-19

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

Over 35m people have been confirmed as being infected with coronavirus – the WHO’s estimate puts the true figure at closer to 800m…Reports Asian Lite News

World Health Organization (WHO) said on a special meeting that one in 10 people around the world may have contracted Covid-19.

A top official said the estimate meant “the vast majority of the world remains at risk”.

Just over 35m people have been confirmed as being infected with coronavirus – the WHO’s estimate puts the true figure at closer to 800m.

Experts have long said the real number of cases would exceed those confirmed.

The WHO is meeting at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the global response to the pandemic.

Ten months on, the crisis shows no sign of ending. Several countries are seeing second waves after easing restrictions and in some cases numbers are even higher.

The estimate that 10 per cent of the world’s population has contracted the virus came from Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

“This varies depending on country, it varies from urban to rural, it varies between different groups,” he said.

“But what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world remains at risk. We know the pandemic will continue to evolve but we also know we have the tools that work to suppress transmission and save lives right now and they are at our disposal.”

Calling for solidarity and firm leadership from countries, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been marked differences in the number of cases around the world.

“Although all countries have been affected by this virus, we must remember that this is an uneven pandemic. Ten countries account for 70 per cent of all reported cases and deaths and just three countries account for half,” he said.

More than one million people have died from the virus, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. After the US, India and Brazil have seen the most infections.

Also read:Trump, Melania Test Covid-19 Positive

Also read:Egyptian President warns of Covid 19 second wave

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COVID-19 EU News

‘Act now to prevent lockdown’: Irish PM

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.

The Prime Minister said moving to level five could have “severe implications”, including the risk of losing hundreds of thousands of jobs…Reports Asian Lite News

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin urged citizens to “act now” in order to prevent an “immediate comprehensive lockdown”. The country was readying for level three Covid-19 restrictions which will come into force from Wednesday.

“If we all act now we can stop the need to go further, with introducing level four and five restrictions,” Martin was saying in his address on Monday night.

The Prime Minister said moving to level five could have “severe implications”, including the risk of losing hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The challenge for his government “at this stage” was to be as “effective and proportionate as possible” in how it deals with the pandemic, he added.

  • 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)

Under the level three restriction, tighter limitations will be enforced on gatherings and people will be advised to work from home unless absolutely necessary.

It will also require sporting fixtures to take place behind closed doors, with only professional or elite sporting activities permitted.

Martin added that the restrictions will be reviewed in three weeks’ time.

Meanwhile, the Donegal and Dublin counties were already placed under level three restrictions in recent weeks, the BBC reported.

On Monday, Ireland reported were 518 new coronavirus cases, with no deaths.

The country’s overall caseload currently stands at 38,549 with a total of 1,810 fatalities.

Also read:Covid-19: Nearly 16K cases missed in UK daily figures

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COVID-19 UK News

Covid-19: Nearly 16K cases missed in UK daily figures

Workers sterilise the exterior of the South Block County Hall apartment building, in London, Britain

15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of the country’s single-day case figures,PHE said..Reports Asian Lite News.

Nearly 16,000 daily coronavirus cases went unreported in the UK due to a technical glitch, leading to delayed efforts to trace contacts of people who tested positive, Public Health England (PHE) said on Monday.

In a statement, PHE said that 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of the country’s single-day case figures,

They were then added in to reach the October 3 figure of 12,872 new cases and the following day’s 22,961.

The glitch, which occurred on October 2 has since been been resolved, also meant that the daily count reported on the government’s coronavirus dashboard over the past week was lower than the actual number.

In the statement, PHE’s interim chief executive Michael Brodie said the glitch was caused by some data files reporting positive test results exceeding the maximum file size.

He said they worked with NHS Test and Trace to “quickly resolve the issue and transferred all outstanding cases immediately into the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system”.

“We fully understand the concern this may cause and further robust measures have been put in place as a result,” the BBC quoted Brodie as saying.

Slamming the development, Labour’s shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said it was “shambolic and people across the country will be understandably alarmed”.

Bridget Phillipson, shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury told on Monday morning that she wanted to know whether it had had “any impact on government decision making around local restrictions”.

As of Monday, there were 505,619 Covid-29 cases and 42,440 deaths reported in the UK.

Also read:Lockdowns won’t stop third Covid 19 wave: UK Scientist

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COVID-19 EU News

France to shut Paris bars for two weeks

Regarding the closure of bars, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the move would be difficult for Parisians…Reports Asian Lite News

Bars across Paris will be shut completely for two weeks from Tuesday onwards as part of the French government’s new stricter measures in the wake of a spike in the number of fresh coronavirus cases.

The latest development comes after the government raised the capital city’s Covid-19 alert to the maximum level, which is imposed when the infection rate in a locality exceeds 250 per 100,000 people and at least 30 per cent of intensive care beds are reserved for infected patients, the BBC reported.

A statement issued by Prime Minister Jean Castex’s office said: “These measures, indispensable in the fight to curb the virus’ spread, will apply to Paris and the three departments immediately surrounding it, for a duration of two weeks.”Further details will be revealed later Monday.

While bars will shut, restaurants and bistros that serve food and alcohol can stay open, as long as they register contact details from customers and close at 10 p.m.

Regarding the closure of bars, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the move would be difficult for Parisians.

“We are French, we love to drink, to eat, to live, to smile and to kiss each other,” the BBC quoted the Minister as saying to French TV channel LCI and Europe 1 on Sunday.

On September 26, Marseille, the third biggest French city, closed all bars, restaurants and gyms also for a period of two weeks.

France has witnessed a constant increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases since late August.

On Saturday, the country reported nearly 17,000 cases, the biggest single-day spike.

The following day, it reported 12,565 Covid-19 cases.

As of Monday, France accounted for an overall caseload of 629,509, while the death toll stood at 32,171.

Also read:France opens new era in relationship with animals

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Africa News COVID-19

Egyptian President warns of Covid 19 second wave

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has warned local authorities to prepare for a coronavirus second wave as the new academic year starts, Arab News Reports.

El-Sisi called on both the country’s health and education sectors to ensure the safety of students, as well as not to disrupt education amid the pandemic.

Public education in Egypt is set to return on Oct. 17 after months of suspension.

Egypt has reported 103,575 coronavirus cases, 5,970 deaths and 97,274 recoveries so far.

The president, as well as other Egyptian officials, have urged all citizens to practice caution to avoid further spike in infections.

Also read:Egypt gladly welcomes Sudan peace agreement

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COVID-19 India News

India Targets 500 Mn Doses Of Vaccine

Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. (Photo: IANS)
Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. (Photo: IANS)

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that the Centre is working on plans to procure 400-500 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, which will be administered to up to 25 crore people by July 2021.

“Government plans to receive and utilise 400-500 million Covid-19 vaccine doses. Our target is to cover 20-25 crore people by July 2021. For that, we are building capacities in HR, training, supervision, etc, on a massive scale,” he said at his weekly webinar ‘Sunday Samvaad’ for his social media followers.

The Minister said that a high-level committee under Niti Aayog Member, Health, V.K. Paul is drawing up the entire process. “Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most,” he said.

Harsh Vardhan said that these committees are working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines in the country, obtaining commitments from their manufacturers to make available maximum number of doses for India’s inventory, on supply chain management and also on prioritisation of high-risk groups.

(Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua/IANS)

“This is work in progress which will be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift roll-out of the immunisation programme,” he said.

He also indicated that the frontline workers and those having underlying health conditions are in the top priority list of the government for vaccine administration, saying that his ministry is currently preparing a format in which states will submit lists of priority population groups to receive the vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of Covid-19.

“The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients,” he added.

“The vaccine will be distributed as per pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner. To ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be shared in the coming months,” he said.

Harsh Vardhan also informed that the states are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level distribution of the vaccine.

“This exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October,” he said.

The Drugs Controller General of India has granted license to Tagoor Laboratories Pvt Ltd to manufacture and market Favipiravir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) for treatment of Covid-19, the company said.

Cases Surge

With a surge of 75,829 coronavirus cases in 24 hours, India’s total tally on Sunday crossed the 65-lakh mark, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) data showed.

The number of new cases was, however, less by 3,647 vis-a-vis the previous day’s 79,476 figure.

As per the latest data, 75,829 more cases and 940 more fatalities in 24 hours took India’s total cases to 65,49,373 and the COVID-19 death toll to 1,01,782.

Out of the total, 9,37,625 are active cases, whereas 55,09,966 patients have been cured and discharged.

It took the country 205 days to register this death toll ever since the first case was reported. A month ago, India had recorded 67,376 deaths.

A 76-year-old man had succumbed to coronavirus on March 13, becoming the first COVID-19 fatality in the country.

While the recovery rate stands at a 83.84 per cent, the fatality rate has come down to 1.56 per cent, the data said.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state with 14,16,513 cases, including 37,480 deaths, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research data, India tested 11,42,131 samples in a day on Saturday, taking the total tests so far to 7,89,92,534.