Population figures

After a peak of nearly 98,000 fresh daily COVID-19 cases on September 16, 2020, the number of new cases reported per day in India has seen a slow but steady decline to reach below 12,000 in mid-February. But the trajectory of the curve began to reverse in the past week following a spike in cases in a few States — Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Kerala, the daily fresh cases have in fact been slowly declining for over a week. The recent case decline in the State stands out against the trend since early January 2021. Kerala was contributing between 45% and 50% of India’s total daily cases for many weeks. But despite the drop to about 33% in the past week, there has been an increase in the daily fresh cases nationally — from a seven-day average of 11,100 cases in the second week of February to 12,900 cases in the last week. In the last three weeks, from less than 3,000 daily cases, the numbers in Maharashtra have been increasing, particularly so in the past week ... » Learn More about A new peak: On spike in coronavirus cases

Over 50% voting was registered as 31 districts panchayats, 81 municipalities and 231 taluka panchayats went to the polls in the second phase in Gujarat on Sunday. Results will be announced on March 2. Except a few incidents of minor violence and scuffles, voting remained peaceful across the State. As per the State Election Commission’s primary data, over 60% voting was registered for district and taluka panchayats and 55% for municipalities. These are preliminary figures and will be revised. In the first phase, voting was held for the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar. The ruling BJP swept them winning over 80% of the seats. Elections were held for more than 8,400 seats with over 20,000 candidates in the fray in the second phase. ... » Learn More about Gujarat local body polls | Over 60% voter turnout recorded

Video Player Close A health worker receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac on the first day of the vaccination at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Manila, the Philippines on March 1, 2021. The Philippines launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Monday, less than a day after the arrival of the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac donated by China. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali) MANILA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Monday, less than a day after the arrival of the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac donated by China. Simultaneous vaccination took place in hospitals in Metro Manila on Monday morning. The Philippines' Department of Health said the Sinovac vaccines "will also be rolled out in other parts of the country in the coming days." The government aims to inoculate up to 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity, starting with health care workers, the elderly, and the poor communities. The ... » Learn More about Philippines starts rollout of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

After contracting for two quarters in a row, the Indian economy entered the positive territory with a growth of 0.4 per cent in the October-December quarter, mainly due to good performance by farm, services and construction sectors, official data showed on Friday. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/ Rediff.com Trade and hotel industry registered a contraction of 7.7 per cent during the third quarter this fiscal, as the sectors continued to suffer on account of coronavirus pandemic. According to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the farm sector recorded a growth of 3.9 per cent, and the manufacturing sector output grew by 1.6 per cent in the quarter under review. The construction sector advanced by 6.2 per cent, while electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services clocked a 7.3 per cent growth. The NSO said, "GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q3 of 2020-21 is estimated at Rs 36.22 lakh crore, as against Rs 36.08 lakh crore in Q3 of ... » Learn More about Economy shakes off Covid blues; records 0.4% growth in Q3

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

A study drove by the 'American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology' discovered that the antibodies that help in guarding against the COVID-19 infection are transferred from mothers to their babies while in the womb. This discovery adds to growing evidence that suggests that pregnant women who generate protective antibodies after contracting the coronavirus often convey some of that natural immunity to their fetuses. The findings also lend support to the idea that vaccinating mothers-to-be may also have benefits for their newborns. "Since we can now say that the antibodies pregnant women make against COVID-19 have been shown to be passed down to their babies, we suspect that there`s a good chance they could pass down the antibodies the body makes after being vaccinated as well," said Dr Yawei Jenny Yang, an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and the study`s senior author. Dr Yang and her team analysed blood samples from 88 ... » Learn More about Coronavirus antibodies move from pregnant ladies to their infants, new study finds

New Delhi: Indian government on Friday (February 26) said it will let people choose their coronavirus vaccination centres when the campaign expands next week, effectively letting beneficiaries pick either a home-grown shot or the AstraZeneca one, unlike now. The country will halt vaccinations this weekend to upgrade software used to coordinate its campaign, as it prepares to widen coverage beyond the 11.5 million health and front-line workers immunised since Jan. 16. But the inoculation campaign has progressed slower than expected due to a reluctance of health and front-line workers to take the home-grown Covaxin shot that was approved without late-stage efficacy data. Only 11% of vaccinated people have opted for the product developed by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research. With the world’s highest tally of infections after the United States, India wants to vaccinate 300 million of its 1.35 billion people by August. The decision to give ... » Learn More about People can choose their COVID-19 vaccination centre, says govt for faster roll-out

MediBuddy , the digital healthcare platform, has revealed its revamped corporate identity with a new tagline and logo. Going forward, the brand will transition to a new tagline; from ‘Aapka Health Buddy’ to ‘Your Health Buddy’. The new tagline not only aligns the brand with a more gender-neutral approach, citing the importance of healthcare for every individual regardless of gender. The tagline, now in English, also appeals to a larger population of India, breaking the language barrier. The rebranding exercise represents the company’s mission to make quality healthcare accessible to all. The logo has also been revamped with added vibrancy and the format will make the brand name easily recognisable. Satish Kannan, co-founder and chief executive officer, MediBuddy, said, “We are delighted to unveil our new corporate tagline, ‘Your Health Buddy’ which has uniformity in its approach and makes MediBuddy synonymous with the healthcare needs of the billions of citizens in India. It ... » Learn More about MediBuddy unveils refreshed logo and tagline

Video Player Close BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday urged Australia to create favorable conditions for practical cooperation between the two countries. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a query on a study conducted by an Australian institution that showed dwindling Chinese investment in Australia. China's direct investment in Australia fell by 61 percent to 783 million U.S. dollars in 2020, a record low in six years, according to the study by the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, Australian National University. The figures can well reflect some real problems in China-Australia relations, Wang said. The essence of bilateral economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and features win-win results, the spokesperson said. Chinese companies' investment in Australia has made great contributions to local economic development and people's livelihood and employment. While China's overall ... » Learn More about China urges Australia to create favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation

Video Player Close JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel's natural gas and oil revenues totaled 1.09 billion new shekels (about 330 million U.S. dollars) in 2020, according to an annual report issued on Monday by the country's Ministry of Energy. This is a record high figure and an increase of 29.4 percent compared to oil and natural gas revenues of 255 million dollars in 2019. The report includes revenue from royalties from natural gas, oil and minerals, as well as fees, which all together amounted to about 335 million dollars in 2020. Most of Israel's natural gas revenue came from the natural gas produced at Tamar and Leviathan fields in the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, a total of 15.59 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas was produced from both fields in 2020, an increase of 48.5 percent compared to about 10.5 BCM in 2019. According to the report, Israel's revenues from Tamar's royalties since it started operation in 2013 has reached 1.75 billion dollars. The ... » Learn More about Israel’s natural gas, oil revenues hit record high in 2020: report