Tag: pandemic

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Bollywood COVID-19 Lite Blogs

Salman: This is a phase and it shall pass

Meanwhile, he is excited about his popular “Dabangg” avatar of Inspector Chulbul Pandey getting an animated avatar on the small screen. “Dabangg: The Animated Series” will be created keeping in mind his young fans…writes Ahana Bhattacharya

The crisis period has not ended yet and people are suffocating with the continuous lockdown restrictions. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has shared words of encouragement for fans facing various crises amidst the ongoing second wave of the Covid pandemic.

“I would just like to say that we all need to stay positive and hold the fort until these bad times pass. This is a phase and it shall pass. I know all of us are going through very critical times, we must have faith and help each other in whatever way we can,” Salman said.

Meanwhile, he is excited about his popular “Dabangg” avatar of Inspector Chulbul Pandey getting an animated avatar on the small screen. “Dabangg: The Animated Series” will be created keeping in mind his young fans.

“‘Dabangg: The Animated Series’ is an adaptation and reimagination of ‘Dabangg’. The action-comedy series chronicles the day-to-day life of police officer Chulbul Pandey, who stands in the face of evil to keep the city safe. He is joined by his younger brother Makkhi, who, new to the police force, attempts to emulate his older brother in every sticky situation,” Salman said.

Quizzed if he is lending his voice to the lead character of Chulbul Pandey, the actor replied: “Unfortunately I am not lending the voice to the character in the animated series, but fans wouldn’t be disappointed because the voiceover actors have done a fantastic job.”

Backed by Cosmos-Maya and Arbaaz Khan Productions, “Dabangg: The Animated Series” streams on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

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-Top News China

‘Lab leaks happen all the time’: Ex-FDA chief

This comes as calls for a further investigation into the pandemic has intensified in the past few days…reports Asian Lite News.

Amid mounting concerns regarding a renewed probe of the origins of COVID-19 in China, former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that accidental lab leaks ‘happen all the time’ and there have been six last known outbreaks of SARS-1 from China.

In an interview with US media, Gottlieb expressed concern about safety protocols at research labs in the US and abroad. He said that a conclusive determination on where the pandemic originated was critical to prevent deadly outbreaks in the future, reported Fox News.

“These kinds of lab leaks happen all the time, actually…Even here in the United States, we’ve had mishaps, and in China, the last six known outbreaks of SARS-1 have been out of labs, including the last known outbreak, which was a pretty extensive outbreak that China initially wouldn’t disclose that it came out of a lab,” he said.

This comes as calls for a further investigation into the pandemic has intensified in the past few days.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology sought hospital care after they fell ill in November 2019, a month before Beijing reported the first patient with COVID-like symptoms.

The report provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits.

The controversy about COVID-19 origins has resurfaced after the Weekend Australian newspaper revealed that Chinese scientists were thinking about bioweapons, visualising a World War-III scenario.

Wuhan Institute of Virology

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said earlier this month that the evidence suggests that the coronavirus originated from the lab in Wuhan city of China, adding that the risk of bioweapons and bioterror arising from the region is “very real”.

Pompeo told Fox News that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”covered up” the origins of COVID-19 and that evidence continues to mount despite their efforts to deny access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“We worked to get every bit of evidence that we could, we tried to deliver this to the CDC, tried to work with the Chinese. They covered it up terribly,” Pompeo said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has asked the US intelligence community to “redouble their efforts” to come to a conclusion on the origins of COVID-19 and report back to him within 90 days.

“I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days,” Biden said in a statement on the investigation into the origins of COVID-19. (ANI)

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-Top News World News

WHO Chief calls for global pandemic treaty

Ghebreyesus said that the defining characteristic of the pandemic is the lack of sharing: of data, information, pathogens, technologies and resources…reports Asian Lite News.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proved that the world needs a pandemic treaty to strengthen both the World Health Organization (WHO) and global health security, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday.

“This is an idea whose time has come,” said Ghebreyesus, in his closing remarks at the WHO’s 74th World Health Assembly (WHA), which took placee online from May 24 to Tuesday.

Ghebreyesus said that the defining characteristic of the pandemic is the lack of sharing: of data, information, pathogens, technologies and resources.

“A treaty would foster improved sharing, trust and accountability, and provide the solid foundation on which to build other mechanisms for global health security.

“Pandemics are a threat to all of us. So we must work together to build a healthier, safer, fairer future — for all of us,” he said.

At the 2021 WHA, which had the theme “Ending this pandemic, preventing the next one”, Ghebreyesus also called for a stronger and better-financed WHO.

“At present, pathogens have greater power than WHO. They are emerging more frequently in a planet out of balance. They exploit our interconnectedness and expose our inequities and divisions” he noted.

People head to the entrance of a mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the United Center in Chicago, the United States,

“The safety of the world’s people cannot rely solely on the goodwill of governments,” Ghebreyesus said, adding the need for more resources and authority along with an international treaty to connect countries that would strengthen the world’s health security.

Ghebreyesus noted that the continuing decline in global Covid cases and deaths is very encouraging, “but it would be a monumental error for any country to think the danger has passed”.

The world still faces “the same vulnerabilities that allowed a small outbreak to become a global pandemic”, he said.

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-Top News

UK launches plans for Global Pandemic Radar

Prime Minister said that the Global Pandemic Radar will ensure the early detection of new variants and emerging pathogens, so vaccines and treatments needed to stop them can be rapidly developed, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that the United Kingdom will work with the World Health Organisation, other partners and nations to develop an advanced international pathogen surveillance network to identify COVID-19 variants and emerging diseases.

“The world must never be caught unawares again by a virus spreading among us unchecked. We need to build a system of disease surveillance fit for the 21st century, with real-time data sharing and rapid genomic sequencing and response,” Johnson was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The prime minister also claimed that the “Global Pandemic Radar,” as the network was called, will ensure the early detection of new variants and emerging pathogens, so vaccines and treatments needed to stop them can be rapidly developed.

According to the official statement, as part of its rotatory presidency of the Group of Seven, the UK government is working with the WHO, NGOs, government centers of disease control and research organisations to take forward a report it commissioned from the Wellcome Trust, a London-based charitable foundation focused on health research, which sets out the mechanisms for a global pathogen surveillance system that can identify new variants of COVID-19 and detect other diseases before they become pandemics.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was also quoted as saying, “The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the vital need for a robust, modern system to keep the world ahead of emerging diseases through active monitoring at the community level, swift and accurate sequencing of new pathogens, and data-sharing across the globe.”

He said the UK has set a strong example for pathogen surveillance and sequencing, as well as vaccine development.

The Global Pandemic Radar is expected to become fully operational before the end of 2021.

This announcement follows the publication today of new analysis commissioned by the UK government from Jeremy Farrar, Chair of the Wellcome Trust. The report sets out the mechanisms for a global pathogen surveillance system that can identify new variants of COVID-19 and detect other diseases before they become pandemics.

The work builds on existing surveillance mechanisms and data sharing agreements for HIV, TB and malaria.

Meanwhile, the spread of the new Covid-19 variant first detected in India has raised concerns that England’s final step of the roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions scheduled for June 21 might be delayed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers earlier Wednesday that there is “increasing confidence” that the current vaccines will be effective against all variants of the virus, including the Indian strain.

From Monday, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children’s play areas.

Millions in England were allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 people, and meet indoors in groups of up to six or as two households. Meanwhile, all remaining accommodation including hotels, hostels and B&Bs can reopen from May 24.

People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of green-list countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.

The UK has so far reported 4,468,355 Covid-19 cases and 127,956 deaths. (with inputs from ANI/Sputnik)

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Bollywood COVID-19 Lite Blogs

Ahana joins ‘Find a bed’ initiative by young students

Aahana hoped that the “initiative by the young students of IIMUN (India’s International Movement to Unite Nations) is not only going to save lives but will also help thousands of people in distress”…reports Asian Lite News.

Each and everyone in our society is ready to lend support to people in the tough time. It is great to hear that students or youngsters take good initiatives. Actress Aahana Kumra has extended support for an initiative that aims at providing a one-stop solution to locate a bed at a Covid centre. The movement, named Find A Bed, has been initiated by over 20,000 students across 160 cities and Aahana is its cause ambassador.

“As India grapples with the toughest times, Find A Bed is an initiative for anyone who has mild symptoms of Covid-19 but cannot quarantine at home, may not need to be hospitalised but have to find a bed at a Covid centre,” said Aahana.

Aahana hoped that the “initiative by the young students of IIMUN (India’s International Movement to Unite Nations) is not only going to save lives but will also help thousands of people in distress”.

On the work front, Aahana will be seen in Madhur Bhandarkar’s film “India Lockdown” and in the remake of the French television drama “Call My Agent!”. The actress also has a role in the period drama “Shamshera” starring Ranbir Kapoor.

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-Top News EU News Travel

EU member states urged to ease travel curbs

Non-essential travel regardless of individual vaccination status is currently permitted from seven countries with a good epidemiological situation…reports Asian Lite News.

The European Commission has called on the member states of the European Union (EU) to grant entry to travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and those coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation.

“The Commission proposes to allow entry to the EU for non-essential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation, but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine,” the EU’s executive arm said in a statement on Monday.

It added that a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization should also be accepted, reports Xinhua news agency.

Non-essential travel regardless of individual vaccination status is currently permitted from seven countries with a good epidemiological situation.

The Commission called for “continued vigilance” in view of the emergence of coronavirus variants of concern and proposed the use of a new “emergency brake mechanism,” which would limit the risk of such variants entering the EU.

The proposal will be discussed this week at the Council of the EU.

In March, the Commission proposed the adoption of a digital certificate that can prove that the holders are either Covid-19 negative, vaccinated or recovered from the disease.

The certificate system is being negotiated among EU institutions and could be finalized by summer to salvage the bloc’s tourism industry.

Earlier, World Health Organisation’s (WHO) regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that more Europeans have been vaccinated against Covid-19 than have been confirmed to be infected.
 
“Based on numbers of confirmed cases, 5.5 per cent of the entire European population has now had Covid-19, while 7 per cent has completed a full vaccination series,” Kluge said in a press release.

To date, some 215 million vaccine doses have been administered in Europe, he said. Approximately 16 per cent of the WHO European Region’s population has received the first vaccine dose.

The WHO European Region has so far registered 51,506,373 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,076,173 deaths.

Medical professionals returning back on duty abroad wear protective gear and Personel Protective Equipment (PPE) suits as they arrive to board a flight at the Indira Gandhi International Airport

Despite the recent decline in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths, Kluge reiterated his dire warning to citizens in the region to be vigilant and remain “conscious of the fact that vaccines alone will not end the pandemic.”

“Without informing and engaging communities, they remain exposed to the virus. Without surveillance, we can’t identify new variants. And without contact tracing, governments may need to reimpose restrictive measures,” Kluge said.

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-Top News COVID-19 USA

Time to prepare for next pandemic: Kamala

Kamala Harris

Vice President Harris will virtually address the UN body at a time when United States is making efforts to help India fight against the pandemic…reports Asian Lite News

Vice President Kamala Harris will tell the members of the United Nations that now is the time for global leaders to begin serious efforts into how they will respond to the next global pandemic, according to media report.

Vice President Harris will virtually address the UN body at a time when United States is making efforts to send Covid-hit India the raw material needed for making Covishield and other products needed in the fight against the COVID-19 surge overtaking the nation.

“At the same time that the world works to get through this pandemic, we also know that we must prepare for the next,” Harris will say, according to excerpts of the speech obtained by The Associated Press.

Harris, according to the excerpts, will broadly outline how the administration thinks the US and other nations should consider focusing their attention. The steps include improving accessibility to health systems, investing in science, health workers and the well-being of women, and surging capacity for personal protective equipment and vaccine and test manufacturing.

Harris’ speech will be co-hosted by UN permanent representatives of Argentina, Japan, Norway and South Africa.

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Meanwhile the overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 146.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.10 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Monday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 146,830,782 and 3,106,384, respectively.

People wearing face masks visit the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C during covid 19 surge

The US is the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 32,077,076 and 572,200, respectively, according to the CSSE.

In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 16,960,172 cases.

The other countries with more than two million confirmed coronavirus cases are Brazil (14,340,787), France (5,559,121), Russia (4,708,640), Turkey (4,629,969), the UK (4,420,443), Italy (3,962,674), Spain (3,468,617), Germany (3,306,692), Argentina (2,860,884), Colombia (2,774,464), Poland (2,758,856), Iran (2,396,204) and Mexico (2,328,391), the CSSE figures showed.

In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 390,797 fatalities.

Nations with a death toll of over 50,000 are Mexico (214,947), India (192,311), the UK (127,681), Italy (119,238), Russia (106,434), France (103,017), Germany (81,671), Spain (77,591), Colombia (71,351), Iran (69,574), Poland (65,415), Argentina (61,644), Peru (59,724) and South Africa (54,148).

Also read:We are determined to help India, says Biden

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-Top News COVID-19 World News

World unites to help India fight pandemic

US, UK, EU, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan among others send help to India to tide the crisis, reports Asian Lite News

As India battles a devastating second wave of coronavirus, support from other countries continue to pour in. 

The European Union has expressed its solidarity, while France President Emmanuel Macron said that the country stands with India against this struggle that seems to be sparing no one. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that they are looking at what they can do to help India, while Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the country stands ready to help fight the virus. UAE is sending a huge shipment of oxygen concentrators and Saudi Arabia large number of oxygen generators to India.

The Chinese government has also extended its support, while Pakistani citizens have called for help for India. Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting permission to enter India in order to help people infected with the virus. Russia has also offered Remdesivir and oxygen to India to fight coronavirus.

The European Union will discuss its support to India in the upcoming EU-India Leaders’ Meeting on May 8. President of the European Council Charles Michel said, “The #EU stands in solidarity with Indian people amidst resurgent #COVID19 pandemic. The fight against the virus is a common fight.”

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar responded to the tweet and said, “Appreciated the support offered by EU on Covid challenges currently faced by India. Confident that EU will help strengthen our capabilities at this critical juncture.”

“I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no-one. We stand ready to provide our support,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, as tweeted by Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain.

China too has extended help to India. During a press briefing Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian was asked what help China is extending to India. Lijian said, “We have noticed the relevant reports and China expresses sincere condolences to the recent deterioration of the situation in India. The Chinese government and the Chinese people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the pandemic, and are willing to provide support and assistance in accordance with the needs of the Indian side.”

He said that the Chinese government is communicating with India on this and believes that Indian people will overcome the pandemic soon.

Pakistan’s civil society has also called for help for India even as they continue to face oxygen shortage challenges. Edhi Foundation offered help in these trying times. Chairman Faisal Edhi wrote to PM Modi seeking permission to enter India.

“We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely… we would like to extend our help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing, and further circumventing, the current health conditions,” he said in a letter. Edhi added that they only seek permission to enter the country and would arrange all necessary supplies required by their team themselves.

According to media reports, Russia has offered Remdesivir and medical oxygen to India. The country said that it can deliver 3-4 lakh Remdesivir injections in 15 days.

India, too, has sought help from various countries under ‘Oxygen Maitri’ to replenish the dwindling oxygen stock. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) have identified several countries for procurement of high capacity tankers and oxygen gas cylinders. Government is coordinating with Singapore and UAE to lift high-capacity tankers by Indian Air Force transport planes. Lack of containers is posing a problem in quick transportation of oxygen. Twenty-three mobile oxygen generation plants will also be airlifted from Germany to be used in Armed Forces Medical Service hospitals that are treating Covid-19 patients.

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-Top News India News

Health infra creaks as Covid-19 cases cross 2 million mark

Reports are emerging from across the country of hospitals running out of ICU beds, and crucial supplies such as oxygen cylinders, reports Asian Lite News

The number of active cases in India on Tuesday crossed the two million mark as the mammoth surge of new infections continued to push the overburdened health care system to limits. Reports are emerging from across the country of hospitals running out of ICU beds, and crucial supplies such as oxygen cylinders.

The latest in the series of grim landmarks for the country comes only 10 days after active cases in the country crossed the 1 million active cases mark on April 10.

As of Tuesday morning, there were a total of 2,59,170 active cases across the country, the highest active caseload ever recorded in India since the start of the outbreak in March last year.

For the third day running, India’s daily case tally remained above the quarter million mark as 2,56,596 new cases were reported, while a record 1,757 daily deaths were lodged. India’s overall caseload has now reached 15.3 million — the second-highest after the United States — and 1,54,320 people have lost their lives to the disease.

Active cases — those Covid-19 patients still carrying the virus, and thus under treatment — is a crucial metric representing the country’s battle against the disease because it directly reflects the pressure on the health care system in a region.

When the first wave of the Covid-19 outbreak was raging at its peak, India’s active cases only hovered over the 1 million mark briefly (for a period of five days between September 15 and September 20 last year).

This means that the current active caseload, and by extension the burden on the country’s hospitals and nursing homes, is more than double what the country saw even during the peak for the first wave.

This also makes India only the second country after the US to have more than 2 million active cases at any given point of time.

The metric is even more crucial in current circumstances because the country’s health care system is being weighed down by cases, particularly in regions that have massive chunks of active cases such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi, many of which have been reporting not only shortage of supplies such as oxygen tanks, but are also running out of ICU beds, and even space in morgues and funeral homes.

One of the major reasons to have caused an acute area-specific shortage of life-saving supplies is the uneven distribution of the active cases in the country.

Maharashtra, for instance, is home to only 9% of the country’s population, but is currently bearing the load of one of every three (33.4%) active cases in India. The western state, the worst-hit by Covid-19, had 678,198 active cases as of Tuesday morning.

Just the top 10 states by active cases are responsible for over 80% of all such cases.

Delhi, which is home to 0.3% of the country’s population, has 3.8% of India active cases – 76,887.

Uttar Pradesh had 208,523 active cases (10% of the country’s caseload), Karnataka 142,084 (7%), Chhattisgarh 129,000 active cases (6.4%) and Kerala with 103,327 active cases (5.1%) made the top five along with Maharashtra.

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-Top News EU News

Merkel gets first dose of Covid vaccine

Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic,” Merkel was quoted as saying, Xinhua news agency reported…reports Asian Lite News.

People around the world is on a continuous fight against the pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel received on Friday her first dose of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, she announced via government spokesman Steffen Seibert on Twitter.

“I am delighted to have received my first vaccination with AstraZeneca today. I thank everyone involved in the vaccination campaign — and everyone who gets vaccinated. Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic,” Merkel was quoted as saying, Xinhua news agency reported.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is now only recommended for people aged over 60 in Germany. Its use for younger people remained optional at doctors’ discretion for people without an increased risk of blood clots. The chancellor is 66 years old and thus falls into the group of those eligible for AstraZeneca vaccine in Germany.

Over three and a half months after the start of the Covid-19 vaccination program in Germany, more than 5.3 million people had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 6.4 percent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal government agency for disease control and prevention.

As of Thursday, a total of 20,744,105 vaccine doses had been administered in Germany as the country recently stepped up its vaccination campaign. Starting from last week, vaccine shots are not only administered at national vaccination centers and by mobile teams, but also available at general practitioners (GPs).

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