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New variant detected in France

New variant detected in France

The new Covid-19 variant, B.1.640, was detected by French researchers and is probably of Cameroonian origin, is not "circulating widely at the moment" and has so far been identified in less than 1 per cent of the samples sequenced in France, the World Health Organization said. The strain is known as the 'IHU' variant because it was first identified by academics at the IHU Mediterranee Infection Institute in Marseille, France, reports Xinhua news agency. At a press meet on Thursday, Maria van Kerkhove the technical lead for the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, said that it was first detected in September…
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Omicron Probably In Most Countries, Spreading At Unprecedented Rate: WHO

Omicron Probably In Most Countries, Spreading At Unprecedented Rate: WHO

The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned Omicron was spreading at an unprecedented rate and urged countries to act as drug maker Pfizer said its coronavirus pill was effective against the variant.Dutch primary schools will close early as Europe battles a fresh wave of infections and hospital admissions, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a major parliamentary test seeking to impose fresh Covid curbs. Omicron, first detected by South Africa and reported to the WHO on November 24, has a large number of mutations, setting alarm bells ringing since its discovery. The WHO chief also voiced concern that many…
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Covaxin to get WHO nod soon? Chief scientist says Covid-19 vaccine trial data ‘looks good’

Covaxin to get WHO nod soon? Chief scientist says Covid-19 vaccine trial data ‘looks good’

WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan on Thursday said data on Bharat Biotech’s vaccine Covaxin looks good. As Covaxin awaits WHO approval, Swaminathan said the pre-submission meeting was held on June 23 and the data packet is being assembled. The Phase-3 trial data looks good, they’ve looked at the variants too, she said in an interview to CNBC-TV18. “The overall efficacy is quite high. The vaccine efficacy against the Delta variant is low but it is still quite good," she said. The safety profile so far meets the WHO benchmarks, the scientist said. “We keep a close eye on all…
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Delta Variant To Become Dominant Strain Of COVID-19 In Coming Months: WHO

Delta Variant To Become Dominant Strain Of COVID-19 In Coming Months: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus will become the dominant variant globally in the coming months. The global health agency said the highly transmissible strain is now present in nearly 100 countries as per conservative estimates and might become dominant in few months. In its Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update as on June 29, the WHO said cases of the Delta variant have been reported in 96 countries and "though this is likely an underestimate as sequencing capacities needed to identify variants are limited". "A number of these countries are attributing surges…
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Covid Delta variant detected in 96 countries: WHO

Covid Delta variant detected in 96 countries: WHO

The Delta Covid-19 variant has now been detected in 96 countries, 11 more than last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest update. The Delta variant, also referred to as a “double mutant” because it carries two mutations, is 55 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, initially detected in the UK, and will rapidly become the dominant strain of globally, Xinhua news agency quoted the WHO as saying in the update issued on Wednesday. Africa has reported many new outbreaks of the variant as Tunisia, Mozambique, Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi are among the 11 countries…
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Vaccination along with safety measures are necessary when it comes to fighting the Delta Plus: WHO

Vaccination along with safety measures are necessary when it comes to fighting the Delta Plus: WHO

"Vaccination plus masks, because just a vaccine is not enough with 'Delta.' We need to make an effort over a short period of time, otherwise there would be a lockdown," Vujnovic said on the Soloviev Live YouTube show. She explained that vaccination is essential because it lowers the probability of spreading the virus and lowers the risks of severe disease. However, "additional measures" will probably be required as well, Vujnovic warned. Earlier in this month, the WHO included the Delta variant in its list of coronavirus variants of concern as the strain had become prevalent and has caused a resurgence…
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India looks forward to WHO’s approval for Covaxin: Foreign Secretary

India looks forward to WHO’s approval for Covaxin: Foreign Secretary

India is looking forward to the WHO’s approval for its indigenous Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech and is in talks with major vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna about sourcing and possible local manufacture of their jabs in India, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said today. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has applied to the WTO for the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of its vaccine candidate Covaxin. However, the WHO has sought “more information” from Bharat Biotech on its EUL application. Addressing the WHO’s “South-East Asia Regional Health Partners’ Forum on Covid-19”, Shringla also stated that India was…
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Covid-19 variant first detected in India found in at least 53 territories: WHO

Covid-19 variant first detected in India found in at least 53 territories: WHO

The coronavirus variant first detected in India has now been officially recorded in 53 territories, a World Health Organization report showed Wednesday. Additionally, the WHO has received information from unofficial sources that the B.1.617 variant has been found in seven other territories, figures in the UN health agency's weekly epidemiological update showed, taking the total to 60. The report said B.1.617 had shown increased transmissibility, while disease severity and risk of infection were under investigation.Globally over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths continued to decrease, with around 4.1 million new cases and 84,000 new deaths reported…
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WHO says “resurgence” of COVID-19 in India caused due to “religious and political mass gathering”

WHO says “resurgence” of COVID-19 in India caused due to “religious and political mass gathering”

The World Health Organisation has said a recent risk assessment of the situation in India found that “resurgence and acceleration” of COVID-19 transmission in the country had several potential contributing factors, including “several religious and political mass gathering events which increased social mixing”. The WHO, in its COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, published Wednesday, said that viruses in the B.1.617 lineage were first reported in India in October 2020. “The resurgence in COVID-19 cases and deaths in India has raised questions on the potential role of B.1.617 and other variants (e.g., B.1.1.7) in circulation,” the update said. “A recent risk assessment of the…
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International Nurses Day 2021

International Nurses Day 2021

With the increase in the cases of Covid19, hospitals are loaded with patients who need tremendous care and help. At this time, the role of the healthcare workers including doctors, health experts and nurses has increased  way too much. Nurses are the first to come and the last to leave. They are working beyond what their duty is. They have been there with the patients, not just to heal their wounds but also to fill in positivity in them during this hard times. As per World Health Organization (WHO), 9 million more nurses and midwives are to be required by 2030…
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