Covid19

10 Jul

Indian-origin 14 business owners arrested in $53 Million COVID-19 relief fraud case

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19, Health, IndiaBusiness, Health, india

A group of around 14 people, including several business owners and employees of Indian origin, have been charged in a massive fraud scheme involving a COVID-19 pandemic relief program in the US state of Texas. The case, considered the largest investigation to date by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force, has led to the arrest of defendants across Texas, California and Oklahoma. The defendants are alleged to have defrauded the proceeds of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a financial program introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more than $53 million in loans to various financial…

16 Jan

Kerala govt. makes masks compulsory in public places

Anshu RayCovid19

The Kerala government has passed a law making masks mandatory in all public places, workplaces and gatherings. The order also asked for social distancing to be followed to prevent the spread of Covid infection.The guidelines were passed as the state is more prone to the risk of a resurgence of COVID-19. Also, the government has advised shops, theaters and event organizers to provide sanitizers to people. On Monday, 114 new Covid-19 infections were reported in India, while active cases fell to 2,119, according to Union Health Ministry data. The national covid recovery rate has rose to 98.80 percent. The cases…

07 Jan

Covid 19: India reports 214 fresh cases in last 24 hours

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19Covid-19

India recorded 214 new coronavirus infections on Saturday (Jan 7), while the number of active cases rose marginally to 2,509, according to Union Health Ministry data. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases increase to 4.46 crore (4,46,79,761). In the last 24 hours, the death toll rose to 5,30,718 with 4 deaths - two joined by Kerala and one each reported from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh - data updated at 8 am said. The positivity rate was recorded at 0.11 percent on a daily basis. The weekly positivity rate stood at 0.12 percent, according to the health ministry's website.…

02 Jan

Don’t step outside unnecessarily, expert alerts people about Covid XBB.1.5 variant

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19, HealthCovid-19, india

India need not worry about the new Covid variant of XBB.1.5 as 90% of its eligible population has been vaccinated with 30-40% given a booster dose, said Dr M Wali, a physician at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. However, at the same time, Dr Wali asked people to "be vigilant" and isolate their elderly and children while advising against stepping outside unnecessarily. He advised people to "follow Covid-appropriate behavior and most importantly wear masks". Dr. Wali emphasized the importance of immunity in fighting the virus, saying that a booster dose, strong immunity, primary infection and immunization combine to reduce…

24 Dec

RT-PCR test compulsory for passengers from China, 4 more countries as global Covid cases spike

Anshu RayCovid19, Health, IndiaChina

The govt on Saturday said that RT-PCR tests will be compulsory for foreign people coming from Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, China and Japan as Covid cases has established a peak worldwide. The notice comes after the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya conducted a meeting with state ministers to evaluate the present Covid condition and ensure that the country is all set to check the spread of the virus. On the other hand, on Saturday, India reported 201 new coronavirus cases, increasing the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases rose to 3,397, the health ministry told.

23 Dec

West Bengal will not impose any new Covid curbs during the upcoming Christmas celebrations: Mamata Banerjee

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19, West Bengalindia, Mamata Banerjee

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said West Bengal will not impose any new Covid restrictions, especially during the upcoming Christmas celebrations and the Gangesagar Mela.The West Bengal Chief Minister said that the epidemic, which has paralyzed normal life for a long time since it hit the country in March 2020, will be dealt with as per need if there is any resurrection in the state. She said, "We are monitoring these things. We have also made a committee look after everything." Banerjee said the annual Gangasagar Mela (Mela), which attracts lakhs of pilgrims from different parts of India, will…

22 Dec

Covid-19: Karnataka makes masks compulsory in closed spaces

Anshu RayCovid19karnataka

Karnataka govt. on Thursday stated that it has decided to make face masks compulsory in closed spaces, even those that are not air-conditioned. This is in view of the sudden increase in Covid-19 cases in China, US, Japan and other nations. Following advisory of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Health Minister K Sudhakar conducted a meeting with officials at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here. Sudhakar stated places like theatres, colleges, schools and other office spaces must follow the mandatory Covid norms. Meanwhile, the govt. has guided district administrations to keep stock of oxygen and ICU beds. The govt has also…

22 Dec

PM Narendra Modi chairs high-level meeting to review status, preparedness of public health response to Covid-19

Anshu RayCovid19, HealthPrime Minister Narendra Modi

PM Modi today presided over a high-level meeting to evaluate the Covid-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, status of the vaccination campaign in the country and the occurrence of new Covid-19 variants and their public health interference for the country. This high-level review meeting was conducted in the backdrop of spike in COVID19 cases in some countries. PM was informed that there is sufficient availability with regard to medicines, vaccines and hospital beds. He recommended to regularly monitor availability and prices of essential medicines. He also highlighted the requirement to ensure that the entire Covid…

22 Dec

Fake WhatsApp message on COVID XBB variant going viral; Health Ministry cautions Indians

Anshu RayCovid19, HealthWhatsApp

In the midst of the ongoing fear over the growing number of COVID-19 cases across the world, India is also preparing to take appropriate measures to check the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the country. While the govt. has issued a fresh advisory to tackle the menace of COVID-19, it has also urged Indians to not trust fake news that is spreading on social media. The increasing concerns over the massive surge in COVID cases in China, a message is going viral on WhatsApp groups regarding the Omicron XBB variant. According to the message, it has been claimed that…

09 Dec

India Records 249 fresh covid cases in India

Priyanka BhowmickCovid19, Health, IndiaCovid-19, india

India recorded 249 fresh coronavirus infections on Friday, while the number of active cases dropped to 4,228, according to Union health ministry data. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country has gone up to 4,46,74,439. The death toll has risen to 5,30,653 with six deaths reported in Kerala, the data updated at 8 am said. No one died in covid in the last 24 hours. According to the ministry's website, the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 percent. A decrease of 16 cases has been registered in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span…