Covid pandemic

Hyderabad : The Bharat Biotech on Monday (March 1, 2021) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has set a powerful example for all the Indians. "We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine himself and are deeply appreciative of the gesture. This has set a powerful example for all Indians to follow, which will go a long way in reducing vaccine hesitancy and building confidence in immunization against the ongoing pandemic," said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Limited. He added, "We express our sincere gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for reposing his trust in the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN." Bharat Biotech Chairman & Managing Director also urged the fellow citizens to not hesitate from taking part in the COVID-19 immunization program so that the country can bring an end to the public health crisis. ... » Learn More about This has set powerful example: Bharat Biotech on PM Narendra Modi taking first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

business activity ended a touch slower in the last week of February as rising Covid-19 cases across a few states weighed on mobility, brokerage firm Nomura said in note on Monday. The Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) eased to 98.5 for the week ended February 28, down from 99.3 recorded in the previous week as the Google retail and recreation mobility and Apple driving indices moderated, even as the Google workplace mobility improved, it said. While this posed a near term risk to India’s economic normalisation, Nomura’s medium term projections remained intact. On average, the NIBRI rose to 98 in February compared to 93.6 in the previous month and 92.2 in December, implying a faster rate of normalisation, the note said. The Japanese brokerage had forecast India’s growth to contract 6.7% in the current fiscal followed by a sharp rebound to 13.5% growth in FY22 on the back of tailwinds from the lagged impact of easy financial conditions, front loaded fiscal ... » Learn More about Pace of India’s business resumption slowed down in last week of February amid rising Covid-19 cases: Nomura

A team of researchers has developed a tool to identify security and privacy risks associated with Covid-19 contact tracing apps . "COVIDGuardian", the first automated security and privacy assessment tool, tests contact tracing apps for potential threats such as malware, embedded trackers and private information leakage. Using the "COVIDGuardian" tool, cybersecurity experts from Queen Mary University of London assessed 40 Covid-19 contact tracing apps that have been employed worldwide for potential privacy and security threats. They found that 72.5 per cent of the apps use at least one insecure cryptographic algorithm. "Three quarters of apps contained at least one tracker that reports information to third parties such as Facebook Analytics or Google Firebase. While most apps were free of malware, the Kyrgyzstan app 'Stop Covid-19 KG' was discovered to have malware," the researchers said in a paper scheduled to be presented at the virtual International Conference ... » Learn More about New tool spots to identify security and privacy issues with COVID-19 tracing apps

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board on Monday (March 1) announced that the final T20 international of the five-match series between New Zealand and Australia has been shifted to Wellington from Bay Oval in Auckland and it will now be going ahead behind closed doors. The final T20 international of the three-match series between New Zealand women (White Ferns) and England women will also be played in Wellington behind closed doors. “The final Black Caps v Australia and White Ferns v England T20 double-header, scheduled for the Bay Oval on Sunday March 7, will now be played on the same date and time at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The change has been forced on NZC because of logistical complications arising from the transfer of this Friday’s second double-header from Auckland to Wellington,” the NZC said in an official statement. “The current Alert Level 2 protocols in Wellington mean all three double-headers – on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, will be played behind closed ... » Learn More about NZ vs Australia: Final T20 shifted to Wellington due to COVID-19 lockdown, to be played behind closed doors

Email Digital Story Innovation Team By Inga Ting, Katia Shatoba and Alex Palmer Posted March 02, 2021 06:03:08 Map: Australia The single biggest and most complex vaccine campaign in the nation's history has begun. On February 22, Australia officially joined the global race to inoculate millions of people against COVID-19. Quarantine and border workers, frontline healthcare workers, and aged and disability care residents and staff are among the first in line. The data on this page tracks how each of the states and territories is progressing in this mammoth task, as well as how Australia compares to the rest of the world. Figures for Australia are sourced from federal, state and territory health authorities, while international numbers are from the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. Both sets of numbers are updated regularly. The government has fallen drastically short of its target for the end of February, delivering just ... » Learn More about Tracking Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout numbers

Anti-vaccine campaigners in the United States have come out in force against the three coronavirus vaccines that have proven effective in trials, amid a worsening pandemic that has killed more than 270,000 Americans and infected more than 13,7 million. On Wednesday, the US also surpassed 200,000 new infections and more than 100,000 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, the first time either daily level has been reached. The opposition to the vaccines comes as pharmaceutical companies Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca/Oxford are seeking emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On Wednesday, the UK approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first Western country to approve widespread use of a vaccine. The mistrust of vaccines and, more specifically the coronavirus vaccines, is international. Since March, mass protests have taken place in 26 countries including Germany, the UK, Brazil and in several US states. So-called "anti-vaxxers" — ... » Learn More about Anti-vaccine groups target COVID-19

Chennai: Tamil Nadu has extended the existing state-wide lockdown till March 31. The Tamil Nadu government has put in place centre’s guidelines for containing the spread of COVID-19 cases. The order directed the district administration to make sure of strict enforcement of measures to prevent and manage COVID-19 and can as far as possible use provision of section 144. Adding to this, the district administration will be taking appropriate COVID-19 measures, including social distancing and ensuring everyone wears a mask. Moreover, spitting in public places will be penalised. Meanwhile, other states like Maharashtra and Gujarat are also witnessing massive surge in coronavirus cases and the respective state governments have extended the  lockdown in some districts. In Amravati and Achalpur cities, lockdown was extended for a week in view of the coronavirus situation, while restrictions were also imposed for the weekend in Nagpur, Buldhana and Yavatmal. Adjoining ... » Learn More about After Maharashtra and Gujarat, lockdown extended in THIS state amid surge in COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Department informed on Sunday, adding that SOPs will remain in force throughout the duration of the event. The Kumbh Mela will take place from April 1 to 30 in Haridwar this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to State Chief Secretary Om Prakash, People violating COVID-19 SOPs at 2021 Kumbh Mela Haridwar, will be prosecuted. All participants will have to register on the Kumbh Mela Administration 's official website and upload documents including a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report, taken up to 72 hours prior, after which, an e-pass will be generated. "During the mela, pilgrims must maintain a distance of 6 feet and wear masks. Those coming from abroad will have to follow guidelines prescribed by the Union Health Ministry ," a statement quoted the Chief Secretary. Action will be taken against violators under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, it added. ... » Learn More about Uttarakhand: Legal action to be taken against COVID-19 SOP violators in Kumbh

Indraprastha Gas Limited ( IGL ) has raised prices of compressed natural gas ( CNG ) by 70 paise per kg and piped natural gas ( PNG ) by 91 paise per standard cubic meter (SCM) in Delhi and adjoining areas. Prices have been raised "to partially offset the impact on account of increase in its operational, manpower and fixed costs during COVID-19 pandemic," the company said in a statement. The new CNG prices would be Rs 43.40 per kg in Delhi and Rs 49.08 per kg in Noida, Greater Noida & Ghaziabad. For PNG, households will have to pay Rs 28.41 per scm in Delhi and Rs 28.36 per scm in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. New prices will be effective from Tuesday in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Muzzafarnagar, Shamli, Karnal, Kaithal and Rewari, IGL said. ... » Learn More about IGL hikes CNG, PNG prices to offset increased costs due to Covid

State Bank of India , the largest bank in India has committed to support the next phase of government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive, SBI has decided to contribute Rs. 11 crore to the PM CARES Fund . Dinesh Khara , Chairman, SBI said, “It is at times of adversity that the true form of unity is tested, and we all can take pride in the efforts that our nation has put in to fight the pandemic. The fight against the pandemic is not yet over, and as a responsible Corporate Citizen, we consider it our duty to support the government's efforts to vaccinate all.” “I request everyone to come forward and help in whatever way they can to ensure a successful vaccination drive.” added Dinesh Khara. SBI, the bank with highest number of followers on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter worldwide last year, committed 0.25% of its annual profit to support the fight against COVID-19 and also made significant contributions in the form of supply of masks, sanitizers among ... » Learn More about SBI commits Rs 11 crore to support Covid-19 vaccination drive