Category: COVID-19

In the last 24 hours, Tamil Nadu recorded 10 fresh Covid-19 cases, of which five patients tested positive upon their arrival from abroad, authorities said on Saturday.

Covid-19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in January 2020. About six weeks later, it was characterised as a pandemic. The deadly disease has to date infected over 763 million and claimed more than 6.9 million lives globally.

The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, present in 33 countries, is making a fresh surge in Covid infections as well as deaths in Italy, the US, the UK, Vietnam, and other nations, including India.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 to a Covid-19 "variant of interest" (VOI) due to its "sustained increase" and "growth advantage" reported from several countries.

Indian diet rich in iron, zinc, and fibre, regular consumption of tea, and use of turmeric in meals lowered severity and death due to Covid in the country, according to a study published in the April edition of the Indian Journal of Medical Research by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Patients with severe Covid-19 requiring mechanical ventilation are 16 times more likely to develop life-threatening ventricular tachycardia -- a heart rhythm condition -- within six months compared to those without severe infection, according to a research.

Sources said that so far the health department could detect 10 covid-19 cases including five from the Unakoti district, four from West District and one from North district which shares border with neighbour Assam and Mizoram and one among them has travel history to Maharashtra.

He informed that as per the protocol contact samples were also collected from the family members of the two COVID infected persons, where three more people were tested COVID positive taking the total number of infected persons to five.

In alarm bells for the authorities, Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded over 1,000 new Covid-19 infections and 9 deaths, with Mumbai and Pune remaining the worst-hit, according to the state health authorities here.

To understand how Omicron breaks all these barriers, a team from the Yale University in the US, measured activity of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) molecules that present fragments of viruses for recognition by appropriate T cells.

The surging cases of Covid-19 infection has also started affecting infants and children, with many of them reporting high fever, cough and even itchy eyes and conjunctivitis, said doctors here on Monday.

Decreasing levels of immunity in our population may trigger new Covid waves and to tackle this, India needs a strong disease surveillance along with high vaccine coverage, WHO Regional Director, South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh has stressed.

There has been a rising spate of heart attacks in India, particularly post Covid-19 pandemic. While some blame vaccines for triggering heart issues, health experts have allayed such fears, citing no evidence to prove that vaccines can cause heart attacks.

In the state capital, four new cases each surfaced from Aliganj and Sarojini Nagar, three from Alambagh, and two from Chinhat. The number of active Covid cases in Lucknow has shot up to 177.

"The deceased is a 70-year-old woman, a native of Makhdumpur village in Gaya district. She was admitted to Magadh medical college and hospital in Gaya three days ago after the complaint of uneasiness in breathing," said Dr Ranjan Kumar Singh, civil surgeon of Gaya.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Wednesday, while considering the rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, said the apex court is willing to hear lawyers through video conferencing.

India on Wednesday reported 4,435 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day jump since September 2022, according to the Union ministry of Health and Family Affairs.

However, the trick is to target a variant for the booster that is so different from the original strain of the virus that it triggers the maturation of new and diverse antibody-producing cells, said scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

As many as 300 new cases of Covid-19 and two deaths were registered in Delhi on Wednesday. According to the bulletin issued by the state Health Department, there are currently 806 active cases in the national capital and the infection rate is 13.89 per cent.

Amid the sustained rise of Covid cases across the country, the Union Health Ministry on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness status of the entire spectrum of management of the pandemic with states and UTs through video conferencing.

Amid a surge in Covid cases globally, travellers need to avoid at least seven countries while planning for a New Year trip. Several countries are expected to impose travel restrictions in the New Year to prevent infections from surging among their population.

The US government pressured Twitter to elevate certain Covid-19 information and suppress other content, while the platform suspended reputed medical professionals who disagreed with establishment views during the peak of the pandemic, new 'Twitter Files' have alleged.

The Karnataka Health department was concerned over the development of 12 passengers arriving from high-risk countries testing positive for Covid at the KempeGowda International Airport Bengaluru, sources confirmed on Monday.

In view of recent Covid surge across many countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday virtually reviewed the public health preparedness for management of Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccination progress with States Health Ministers.

With four patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries has gone to 19,80,559, while Delhi's total caseload is 20,07,112 and the death toll in the city stands at 26,521.