Topic: covid-19. coronavirus
1 hotel, 2 backup offices, 200 isolated staff — how RBI ensured Covid didn’t disrupt banking
For nearly five months now, RBI has kept many of its staff and vendors, among others, isolated in a hotel and run payments system from its data centre in Navi Mumbai.
Tirupati temple to remain open despite 743 staff members testing Covid-positive
TTD authorities say they will test employees more aggressively, conduct random sampling and hold COVID camps to ensure early detection.
Low testing, poor health services — how Odisha is scrambling to fight Covid after good start
Odisha was among the first states to shut down, but returning migrants and poor health infrastructure have left Naveen Patnaik govt scrambling to contain a Covid spurt.
Amit Shah isn’t alone, most Covid-positive politicians opted for private hospital treatment
Around 20 ministers, both at the state and the Centre, have tested positive for Covid-19 so far but 17 of them chose private healthcare facilities over state-run hospitals.
Mamata govt forms 250-member doctors’ team to guide hospitals as Covid toll rises
As of 2 August, 1,678 people died of Covid in West Bengal — up from 668 deaths in April, May and June. The state is now seventh in India in terms of death toll.
Mumbai’s 5.5% Covid mortality rate a concern, officials say slums better off than high-rises
Mumbai has so far recorded 1,16,451 Covid positive cases and 6,444 deaths, with its mortality rate much higher than Maharashtra’s average of 3.55% and the country’s 2.13%.
Why southern states that better handled Covid before now account for 33% of India’s caseload
Authorities in the five southern states say increased testing has led to a spurt in Covid numbers but point out that mortality rate is low despite the high number of cases.
Half of Telangana’s Covid deaths were patients without comorbidities, most of them men
The state's data, now considered one of the most comprehensive in the country so far, is significant since Covid was believed to disproportionately affect people with comorbidities.
92% of June medicine bills were immunity-boosters containing tulsi, honey, amla, says survey
According to the survey by a firm, Pronto Consult, immunity boosters are now an increasing trend across categories not only in medicines, but also food-related products.
57% of Mumbai slum dwellers were exposed to Covid, developed antibodies, finds sero survey
With just 16% of the non-slums developing antibodies, focus is moving to these areas to contain spread of Covid. A second phase will follow up with everyone tested in a month.
Why even herd immunity may not fully protect us from coronavirus
The question of herd immunity — specifically, whether some cities and regions are acquiring it sooner than expected and thus have higher than expected protection against Covid-19 — has been attracting more attention lately. Even if this hypothesis is true, however, it still leaves the world with some truly significant challenges and mandates a continuing vigorous fight against the pandemic.
The evidence for herd immunity can be seen in Sweden, for example, where the case and death rate have plummeted, even though the Swedes still don’t wear masks or engage in extreme social distancing. In London, the bars, movie theaters and many other venues are open, yet the health situation appears to be stable, again with a low death rate. Of course both Sweden and southeast England were hit hard by the coronavirus early on, so if they acquired herd immunity, it may be because they had a larger percentage of the population get infected and develop some form of protection.
Some researchers are suggesting that regions acquire at...
Dubai businesses start growing again for the first time after coronavirus struck
Businesses in Dubai are benefiting from lifting of lockdown restrictions, with foreign visitors allowed to enter. However, a weaker outlook hasn't stopped job losses.
Defence
Defence Ministry clears purchase of indigenous basic trainer aircraft, upgrade of Israeli UAVs
HAL acquisition among projects worth Rs 8,722.38 crore to be cleared. The upgrade of Israeli Heron UAVs will include arming them, a need being pushed due to stand-off with China.
Modi redefined secularism with Ram Mandir as Hindu voters were fed up of Sonia-Left version
Assumptions that Indian secularism died with Ram Mandir bhoomi pujan are bunk. It is enshrined in the Constitution, and is worth preserving.