South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has raised $4.2 billion in its initial public offering that makes it the biggest listing in the United States so far this year.

The Seoul-based firm is backed by SoftBank Group was valued at around $109 billion in its market debut on Thursday.

Coupang's stock soared 81 per cent to open at $63.50. The company had priced 130 million shares sold in the IPO at $35 per share, higher than the marketing range $32-$34 per share, giving the Seoul-headquartered e-commerce giant a market value of $60 billion.

The blockbuster listing,&nbsp;the biggest in New York since Alibaba's US record $25 billion offering in 2014,&nbsp;will make an overnight billionaire of founder Kim Bom-suk, with the 42-year-old CEO's 10 per cent holding worth around $6 billion.&nbsp;

Founded in 2010, Coupang rose to prominence after launching its guaranteed same-day or next-day delivery service in the East Asian country. SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund owns 35.1 per cent of Coupang.

Coupang's spectacular debut further bolsters the recent fortunes of the Vision Fund, which is bouncing back from an annual loss last March. Last month, it announced record quarterly profit.

Coupang operates an online marketplace that sells everything from fresh groceries to toys, as well as food delivery app Coupang Eats.

"We're laser focused on our home market," Kim said in an interview. "We're going to invest in 50,000 more jobs and billions of dollars more in not only the infrastructure, but the unique end to end technology that powers all of those services."

In 2020, Coupang's net sales jumped 91 per cent year-on-year to $11 billion. Net losses narrowed to $567.6 million from $770.2 million posted in the prior year.

Coupang's successful share offering comes as the US IPO market is at its strongest in more than two decades and investors are flocking to buy shares in technology companies that have benefited during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IPO is the biggest in the United States this year, surpassing the $2.15 billion raised by dating app Bumble Inc. It also marks a jump in Coupang's valuation, which was pegged at $9 billion in a fundraising round in 2018, according to Pitchbook.

Analysts in South Korea said the strong response to Coupang's offering was a result of its market-leader position in the country at a time when, like many other e-commerce firms, its sales have grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Considering the high level of valuation inherent in the pricing, the market is giving a generous assessment of the company's achieving the top spot in market share," said Park Sang-joon, analyst at Kiwoom Securities.

Coupang was the top-ranked South Korean e-commerce firm in 2020 with 19.2 per cent market share, according to Euromonitor, compared to Naver Corp's 13.6 per cent and eBay Korea's 12.8 per cent. It was the 10th largest e-commerce firm in the world, based on retail value excluding sales tax.

Goldman Sachs, Allen &amp; Co, JPMorgan and Citigroup are the lead underwriters for the offering.

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has raised $4.2 billion in its initial public offering that makes it the biggest listing in the United States so far this year.

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has raised $4.2 billion in its initial public offering that makes it the biggest listing in the United States so far this year. The Seoul-based firm is backed by SoftBank Group was valued at around $109 billion in its market debut on Thursday. Coupang's stock soared 81 per cent to open at $63.50. The company had priced 130 million shares sold in the IPO at $35 per share, higher than the marketing range $32-$34 per share, giving the Seoul-headquartered e-commerce giant a market value of $60 billion. The blockbuster listing, the biggest in New York since Alibaba's US record $25 billion offering in 2014, will make an overnight billionaire of founder Kim Bom-suk, with the 42-year-old CEO's 10 per cent holding worth around $6 billion. Founded in 2010, Coupang rose to prominence after launching its guaranteed same-day or next-day delivery service in the East Asian country. SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund owns 35.1 per cent of Coupang. Coupang's spectacular debut further bolsters the recent fortunes of the Vision Fund, which is bouncing back from an annual loss last March. Last month, it announced record quarterly profit. Coupang operates an online marketplace that sells everything from fresh groceries to toys, as well as food delivery app Coupang Eats. "We're laser focused on our home market," Kim said in an interview. "We're going to invest in 50,000 more jobs and billions of dollars more in not only the infrastructure, but the unique end to end technology that powers all of those services." In 2020, Coupang's net sales jumped 91 per cent year-on-year to $11 billion. Net losses narrowed to $567.6 million from $770.2 million posted in the prior year. Coupang's successful share offering comes as the US IPO market is at its strongest in more than two decades and investors are flocking to buy shares in technology companies that have benefited during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPO is the biggest in the United States this year, surpassing the $2.15 billion raised by dating app Bumble Inc. It also marks a jump in Coupang's valuation, which was pegged at $9 billion in a fundraising round in 2018, according to Pitchbook. Analysts in South Korea said the strong response to Coupang's offering was a result of its market-leader position in the country at a time when, like many other e-commerce firms, its sales have grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Considering the high level of valuation inherent in the pricing, the market is giving a generous assessment of the company's achieving the top spot in market share," said Park Sang-joon, analyst at Kiwoom Securities. Coupang was the top-ranked South Korean e-commerce firm in 2020 with 19.2 per cent market share, according to Euromonitor, compared to Naver Corp's 13.6 per cent and eBay Korea's 12.8 per cent. It was the 10th largest e-commerce firm in the world, based on retail value excluding sales tax. Goldman Sachs, Allen & Co, JPMorgan and Citigroup are the lead underwriters for the offering.

Coupang's IPO takes Harvard dropout into mega-billionaire club

Japan fell silent on Thursday to mark 10 years since the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory: a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear meltdown that traumatised a nation.

Huge waves triggered by the 9.0-magnitude quake - one of the strongest on record - crashed into the northeastern coast, crippling the&nbsp;Fukushima&nbsp;Dai-ichi power plant and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air.

The world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families and towns to the waves in a few frightening hours on the afternoon of March 11, 2011.

At 2:46 p.m., the exact moment the earthquake struck a decade ago, Emperor Naruhito and his wife led a moment of silence to honour the dead in a commemorative ceremony in Tokyo. Silent prayers were held across the country.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the memorial ceremony that the loss of life was still impossible to contemplate.

"We must never let the valuable lessons learned from the great sacrifices made in the disaster fade away.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-legacy-of-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-369806">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-legacy-of-fukushima-nuclear-disaster-369806/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In a joint statement, Suga and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden said the two countries would continue to move forward shoulder-to-shoulder to finish the reconstruction of the region.

The Japanese government has spent about $300 billion (32.1 trillion yen) to rebuild the region, but areas around the&nbsp;Fukushima&nbsp;plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere.

Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the public worries about nuclear accidents.

The work to decommission the wrecked&nbsp;Fukushima&nbsp;Dai-ichi plant, deal with contaminated water and solid waste, and make the area safe is immense, as critics say it could take up to a century to return the plant to a usable state.

About 5,000 workers pass through gates each day to work on dismantling the crippled plant, which still has about 880 tonnes of melted fuel debris in its reactors.

The mass demonstrations against nuclear power seen in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. Some protesters held an antinuclear rally in front of the headquarters of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power on Thursday night.

A decade on, the disaster has shaped Japan's preparations for natural disasters, with many towns along the coast building new or higher sea walls.

Evacuation routes and plans have been refined and improved in a country that regularly deals with disasters ranging from typhoons to earthquakes.

Nuclear energy&nbsp;is still the world's second-largest source of low-carbon power as&nbsp;it provides 10 per cent&nbsp;of the world's electricity.

There are 440 nuclear reactors in some 50 countries around the world&nbsp;and 50 more nuclear reactors are under construction.

Canada has 19 operable nuclear reactors that generate 15 per cent&nbsp;of the country's electricity.

The United States has 94 nuclear reactors that generate 20 per cent&nbsp;of its electricity...

The United Kingdom has 15 nuclear reactors&nbsp;that generate 16 per cent&nbsp;of its electricity...

In South Korea there&nbsp; 24 nuclear reactors account for 26 per cent&nbsp;of the electricity.

In Russia, there are 38 reactors are generating 20 per cent&nbsp;of the electricity.

49 nuclear reactors in China&nbsp;are generating 5 per cent&nbsp;of the country's electricity.

23 nuclear reactors in India are generating 3 per cent&nbsp;of the electricity and in France,&nbsp;just 56 nuclear reactors are generating 71 per cent&nbsp;of the country's electricity.

Scientists say that these power plants are the safest way to produce electricity&nbsp;but meltdowns like the one in Chernobyl and Fukushima reveal just how vulnerable people&nbsp;are.

In 2018 Greenpeace activists in France --- broke into a nuclear plant to illustrate its vulnerability lawmakers even declared that the plant could easily be accessed by terrorists...

Meanwhile, in the United States, nuclear plants are running out of ways to store highly radioactive waste. The Yucca mountain in Nevada,&nbsp;the site selected for dumping waste, is&nbsp;a place that is both volcanically and seismically active.

In India, nuclear plants have operated safely during earthquakes because most of them are in weak seismic zones. Although&nbsp;they lie in coastal areas they&nbsp;have never really been tested against a tsunami, except in 2004 --- when the Kalapakkam atomic reprocessing plant was flooded when a tsunami hit the Tamil Nadu coast.

The Fukushima tragedy was a failure in acknowledging environmental risks. The tragedy is far from over for hundreds of thousands of Japanese people as some 40,000 people are still displaced by the disaster.

&nbsp;

Japan fell silent on Thursday to mark 10 years since the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory: a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear meltdown that traumatised a nation.

Japan fell silent on Thursday to mark 10 years since the worst natural disaster in the country's living memory: a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami and nuclear meltdown that traumatised a nation. Huge waves triggered by the 9.0-magnitude quake - one of the strongest on record - crashed into the northeastern coast, crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air. The world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families and towns to the waves in a few frightening hours on the afternoon of March 11, 2011. At 2:46 p.m., the exact moment the earthquake struck a decade ago, Emperor Naruhito and his wife led a moment of silence to honour the dead in a commemorative ceremony in Tokyo. Silent prayers were held across the country. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the memorial ceremony that the loss of life was still impossible to contemplate. "We must never let the valuable lessons learned from the great sacrifices made in the disaster fade away.'' WATCH | In a joint statement, Suga and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden said the two countries would continue to move forward shoulder-to-shoulder to finish the reconstruction of the region. The Japanese government has spent about $300 billion (32.1 trillion yen) to rebuild the region, but areas around the Fukushima plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere. Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the public worries about nuclear accidents. The work to decommission the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, deal with contaminated water and solid waste, and make the area safe is immense, as critics say it could take up to a century to return the plant to a usable state. About 5,000 workers pass through gates each day to work on dismantling the crippled plant, which still has about 880 tonnes of melted fuel debris in its reactors. The mass demonstrations against nuclear power seen in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. Some protesters held an antinuclear rally in front of the headquarters of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power on Thursday night. A decade on, the disaster has shaped Japan's preparations for natural disasters, with many towns along the coast building new or higher sea walls. Evacuation routes and plans have been refined and improved in a country that regularly deals with disasters ranging from typhoons to earthquakes. Nuclear energy is still the world's second-largest source of low-carbon power as it provides 10 per cent of the world's electricity. There are 440 nuclear reactors in some 50 countries around the world and 50 more nuclear reactors are under construction. Canada has 19 operable nuclear reactors that generate 15 per cent of the country's electricity. The United States has 94 nuclear reactors that generate 20 per cent of its electricity... The United Kingdom has 15 nuclear reactors that generate 16 per cent of its electricity... In South Korea there 24 nuclear reactors account for 26 per cent of the electricity. In Russia, there are 38 reactors are generating 20 per cent of the electricity. 49 nuclear reactors in China are generating 5 per cent of the country's electricity. 23 nuclear reactors in India are generating 3 per cent of the electricity and in France, just 56 nuclear reactors are generating 71 per cent of the country's electricity. Scientists say that these power plants are the safest way to produce electricity but meltdowns like the one in Chernobyl and Fukushima reveal just how vulnerable people are. In 2018 Greenpeace activists in France --- broke into a nuclear plant to illustrate its vulnerability lawmakers even declared that the plant could easily be accessed by terrorists... Meanwhile, in the United States, nuclear plants are running out of ways to store highly radioactive waste. The Yucca mountain in Nevada, the site selected for dumping waste, is a place that is both volcanically and seismically active. In India, nuclear plants have operated safely during earthquakes because most of them are in weak seismic zones. Although they lie in coastal areas they have never really been tested against a tsunami, except in 2004 --- when the Kalapakkam atomic reprocessing plant was flooded when a tsunami hit the Tamil Nadu coast. The Fukushima tragedy was a failure in acknowledging environmental risks. The tragedy is far from over for hundreds of thousands of Japanese people as some 40,000 people are still displaced by the disaster.

World still exploring nuclear options 10 years after Fukushima disaster

The Biden administration is currently reviewing its Afghanistan policy and has so far not made any decision on the American force posture in the war-torn country, Secretary of State Tony Blinken has said, ahead of the May 1 deadline for a final withdrawal of US troops - stipulated in a Taliban-US deal last year.

The Biden administration has decided to review the Doha deal the Trump administration had signed with the Taliban in February 2020. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains to Washington's 18-year war in the country. The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001.

''I don't want to prejudge the outcome of that review,''&nbsp;Blinken told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.

''There haven't been any decisions made yet on force posture when it comes to May 1 but as we are doing the review we are also pressing ahead with the diplomatic effort to try to drive the two parties to negotiate and to put in place agreements that would be the foundation for a just and durable peace in Afghanistan,''&nbsp;Blinken said.

''That of course is a very tall order but one that we are working on and especially enlisting others into the effort because as we were discussing a little bit earlier neighbouring countries have a huge stake in Afghanistan not being a terrain for civil war that spills over the borders and they have influence with various parties,''&nbsp;he said in response to a question.

''So we are engaging them, we are engaging the UN and others to try to move the parties to a meaningful negotiation even as we are looking very hard at the obligations the Taliban has made in the agreement that you reference particularly with regard to not supporting terrorist groups that could strike the US and reducing violence,''&nbsp;he said.

US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday and they discussed the latest developments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks.

India, a major stakeholder in Afghanistan, has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban.

India has extended developmental assistance to tune of around USD 3 billion in the last few years to Afghanistan.

The US, Blinken said, has boosted diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan, ahead of the May 1 deadline for a final withdrawal of US troops. The president's goal is very clear, he said.

''It's to bring our troops home. And it's to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorism and an ongoing threat to the United States,''&nbsp;he said.

''We are engaged in a diplomatic effort right now to try to drive the two parties to negotiate and to move forward on commitments that the Taliban made to the US a year ago to negotiate meaningfully on a peaceful future for Afghanistan. Not only are we doing that, as important, we're enlisting other countries, the United Nations, in that effort. Many of Afghanistan's neighbours have a real stake in its future and influence with the parties,''&nbsp;Blinken said.

While the diplomatic effort is ongoing, the US is reviewing its own troop posture, including the May 1 deadline, he said.

''We haven't made any decisions yet about that, and we went to see where this effort goes to actually get the parties to engage in a meaningful way. The Taliban made other commitments when it comes to reducing violence, when it comes to non-harbouring or supporting terrorists. We want to see them make good on those obligations,''&nbsp;Blinken said.

The Biden administration on Tuesday said the US is working closely with Afghan parties to encourage progress on a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire, asserting that any durable outcome has to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, and it is not for the US to dictate the deals.

The Biden administration is currently reviewing its Afghanistan policy and has so far not made any decision on the American force posture in the war-torn country, Secretary of State Tony Blinken has said, ahead of the May 1 deadline for a final withdrawal of US troops - stipulated in a Taliban-US deal last year.

The Biden administration is currently reviewing its Afghanistan policy and has so far not made any decision on the American force posture in the war-torn country, Secretary of State Tony Blinken has said, ahead of the May 1 deadline for a final withdrawal of US troops - stipulated in a Taliban-US deal last year. The Biden administration has decided to review the Doha deal the Trump administration had signed with the Taliban in February 2020. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains to Washington's 18-year war in the country. The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001. ''I don't want to prejudge the outcome of that review,'' Blinken told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday. ''There haven't been any decisions made yet on force posture when it comes to May 1 but as we are doing the review we are also pressing ahead with the diplomatic effort to try to drive the two parties to negotiate and to put in place agreements that would be the foundation for a just and durable peace in Afghanistan,'' Blinken said. ''That of course is a very tall order but one that we are working on and especially enlisting others into the effort because as we were discussing a little bit earlier neighbouring countries have a huge stake in Afghanistan not being a terrain for civil war that spills over the borders and they have influence with various parties,'' he said in response to a question. ''So we are engaging them, we are engaging the UN and others to try to move the parties to a meaningful negotiation even as we are looking very hard at the obligations the Taliban has made in the agreement that you reference particularly with regard to not supporting terrorist groups that could strike the US and reducing violence,'' he said. US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday and they discussed the latest developments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks. India, a major stakeholder in Afghanistan, has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban. India has extended developmental assistance to tune of around USD 3 billion in the last few years to Afghanistan. The US, Blinken said, has boosted diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan, ahead of the May 1 deadline for a final withdrawal of US troops. The president's goal is very clear, he said. ''It's to bring our troops home. And it's to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorism and an ongoing threat to the United States,'' he said. ''We are engaged in a diplomatic effort right now to try to drive the two parties to negotiate and to move forward on commitments that the Taliban made to the US a year ago to negotiate meaningfully on a peaceful future for Afghanistan. Not only are we doing that, as important, we're enlisting other countries, the United Nations, in that effort. Many of Afghanistan's neighbours have a real stake in its future and influence with the parties,'' Blinken said. While the diplomatic effort is ongoing, the US is reviewing its own troop posture, including the May 1 deadline, he said. ''We haven't made any decisions yet about that, and we went to see where this effort goes to actually get the parties to engage in a meaningful way. The Taliban made other commitments when it comes to reducing violence, when it comes to non-harbouring or supporting terrorists. We want to see them make good on those obligations,'' Blinken said. The Biden administration on Tuesday said the US is working closely with Afghan parties to encourage progress on a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire, asserting that any durable outcome has to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, and it is not for the US to dictate the deals.

No decision yet on US force posture in Afghanistan, says Blinken

The demand for Welsh independence has witnessed a record surge, according to a new survey.

The&nbsp;Welsh independence campaigners can use the Brexit transition period as an outline for breaking away from the United Kingdom.

As per the latest poll, approximately 40 per cent of the Welsh people are in favour of parting from Britain due to the difference in social attitudes as a whole, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's coronavirus response.

It comes after&nbsp;Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said,&nbsp;"For the first time since devolution, we are dealing with a UK government which is aggressively unilateral".

Almost a quarter of a century back,&nbsp;Wales had voted in favour of devolution&nbsp;or greater powers from the British government.

But now, the political movement for independence is gathering steam.

One of the groups that wants an independent Wales has seen a big spike in membership. In the last 12 months,&nbsp;it has grown from less than 4,000 members to nearly 18,000.

The growing support for independence&nbsp;is a warning for 10 Downing Street. The British government is already facing&nbsp;a demand for independence from Scotland.

Scotland's First Minister&nbsp;Nicola Sturgeon plans&nbsp;to push for a second referendum if re-elected in May.

With citizens reeling from the cost of Brexit, the pandemic seems to have supercharged the calls for independence.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticised for his pandemic response, and the devolution of lockdown policy to the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has emboldened their populations.

While&nbsp;those in favour of independence are still not in the majority, the support base both in Scotland and Wales&nbsp;is large enough to put the future of the British union at stake.

&nbsp;

The demand for Welsh independence has witnessed a record surge, according to a new survey. The Welsh independence campaigners can use the Brexit transition period as an outline for breaking away from the United Kingdom.

The demand for Welsh independence has witnessed a record surge, according to a new survey. The Welsh independence campaigners can use the Brexit transition period as an outline for breaking away from the United Kingdom. As per the latest poll, approximately 40 per cent of the Welsh people are in favour of parting from Britain due to the difference in social attitudes as a whole, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's coronavirus response. It comes after Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said, "For the first time since devolution, we are dealing with a UK government which is aggressively unilateral". Almost a quarter of a century back, Wales had voted in favour of devolution or greater powers from the British government. But now, the political movement for independence is gathering steam. One of the groups that wants an independent Wales has seen a big spike in membership. In the last 12 months, it has grown from less than 4,000 members to nearly 18,000. The growing support for independence is a warning for 10 Downing Street. The British government is already facing a demand for independence from Scotland. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon plans to push for a second referendum if re-elected in May. With citizens reeling from the cost of Brexit, the pandemic seems to have supercharged the calls for independence. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticised for his pandemic response, and the devolution of lockdown policy to the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has emboldened their populations. While those in favour of independence are still not in the majority, the support base both in Scotland and Wales is large enough to put the future of the British union at stake.

After Brexit, demand for Welsh independence surges

Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

The Biden administration published revised guidelines Wednesday for nursing home visits during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing guests to go inside to see residents regardless of whether they or the residents have been vaccinated.

The recommendations, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with comment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are the first revision to the federal government’s nursing home guidance since September. And they arrived as more than 3 million vaccine doses had been administered in nursing homes, the agency said.

Federal officials said in the new guidance that outdoor visits were still preferable because of a lower risk of transmission, even when residents and guests have been fully vaccinated.

The guidance was also the latest indication that the pandemic in the United States was easing, with coronavirus cases continuing to decrease across the nation, though the seven-day average remains at more than 58,000. The CDC released long-awaited guidance Monday for Americans who have been fully vaccinated, telling them that it was safe to gather in small groups at home without masks or social distancing.

About 62.5 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including about 32.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated by Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson’s single-dose vaccine or the two-dose series made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

In a statement laying out the reasons for updating the recommendations, Dr. Lee A. Fleisher, the chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, cited the millions of vaccines administered to nursing home residents and staff and a decline in coronavirus cases in nursing homes.

“CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical toll that prolonged isolation and separation from family have taken on nursing home residents and their families,” he said.

Earlier in the pandemic, the coronavirus raced through tens of thousands of long-term care facilities in the United States, killing more than 150,000 residents and employees and accounting for more than a third of all virus deaths since late spring. But since the arrival of vaccines, new cases and deaths in nursing homes have fallen steeply, outpacing national declines, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

The eight pages of recommendations, which are not legally binding, did come with suggested limits, saying that “responsible indoor visitation” should be allowed at all times unless a guest is visiting an unvaccinated resident in a county where the COVID-19 positivity rate is higher than 10% and less than 70% of residents in the nursing home have been fully vaccinated. The guidance also says to limit visits if residents have COVID-19 or are in quarantine.

So-called compassionate care visits — when a resident’s health has severely deteriorated — should be allowed regardless of vaccination status or the county’s positivity rate, the guidance said.

When a positive case is identified in a nursing home, visits should be halted and residents and staff tested, the guidance said. Visits can resume in other parts of the facility if there are no positive tests there, but if cases are discovered in other areas, nursing homes should suspend all visits.

The Biden administration published revised guidelines Wednesday for nursing home visits during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing guests to go inside to see residents regardless of whether they or the residents have been vaccinated.

The Biden administration published revised guidelines Wednesday for nursing home visits during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing guests to go inside to see residents regardless of whether they or the residents have been vaccinated. The recommendations, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with comment from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are the first revision to the federal government’s nursing home guidance since September. And they arrived as more than 3 million vaccine doses had been administered in nursing homes, the agency said. Federal officials said in the new guidance that outdoor visits were still preferable because of a lower risk of transmission, even when residents and guests have been fully vaccinated. The guidance was also the latest indication that the pandemic in the United States was easing, with coronavirus cases continuing to decrease across the nation, though the seven-day average remains at more than 58,000. The CDC released long-awaited guidance Monday for Americans who have been fully vaccinated, telling them that it was safe to gather in small groups at home without masks or social distancing. About 62.5 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including about 32.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated by Johnson &amp; Johnson’s single-dose vaccine or the two-dose series made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. In a statement laying out the reasons for updating the recommendations, Dr. Lee A. Fleisher, the chief medical officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, cited the millions of vaccines administered to nursing home residents and staff and a decline in coronavirus cases in nursing homes. “CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical toll that prolonged isolation and separation from family have taken on nursing home residents and their families,” he said. Earlier in the pandemic, the coronavirus raced through tens of thousands of long-term care facilities in the United States, killing more than 150,000 residents and employees and accounting for more than a third of all virus deaths since late spring. But since the arrival of vaccines, new cases and deaths in nursing homes have fallen steeply, outpacing national declines, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. The eight pages of recommendations, which are not legally binding, did come with suggested limits, saying that “responsible indoor visitation” should be allowed at all times unless a guest is visiting an unvaccinated resident in a county where the COVID-19 positivity rate is higher than 10% and less than 70% of residents in the nursing home have been fully vaccinated. The guidance also says to limit visits if residents have COVID-19 or are in quarantine. So-called compassionate care visits — when a resident’s health has severely deteriorated — should be allowed regardless of vaccination status or the county’s positivity rate, the guidance said. When a positive case is identified in a nursing home, visits should be halted and residents and staff tested, the guidance said. Visits can resume in other parts of the facility if there are no positive tests there, but if cases are discovered in other areas, nursing homes should suspend all visits.

US releases new COVID-19 guidance for nursing homes, permitting indoor visits

As rules that had been in place for months were relaxed across Texas on Wednesday, Plexiglas barriers came down, tables were added onto the floors of restaurants, and signs requiring masks were removed from the front doors of businesses.

On South Padre Island, throngs of spring breakers drank and danced at a beachside bar, and in a move that harked back to pre-pandemic times, the Texas Rangers announced that when the baseball season starts next month, they would allow the stadium — 40,518 seats — to be filled to capacity.

But Britt Harasmisz, who tends the patio bar at Barflys in San Antonio, kept her mask on even after a co-worker removed the sign — “MASKS REQUIRED UPON ENTRY” — that had been posted outside since June. As much as some hoped otherwise, Harasmisz said, normalcy had not returned.

“A lot of people have been vaccinated — Governor Abbott was vaccinated,” Harasmisz, 24, said. “But a lot of us on the front lines have not.”

When Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas announced last week that he was loosening restrictions across the state, he inflamed a tension that officials have wrestled with from the outset of the pandemic, having to balance tough measures to curb the coronavirus’s spread with the economic anguish wrought by those measures.

As the pendulum has swung in Texas, many workers — in supermarkets, restaurants, bars, retail stores and elsewhere — described growing frustrations and fears as the quandary played out in their own lives with consequences that were devastatingly real. They were the ones losing tips or hours of work, if they did not lose their job altogether. But they were also the ones who had to confront the customers refusing to cover their faces.

“We are in contact with people all day long,” said Rebecca Masson, who owns Fluff Bake Bar, a bakery in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, adding that she and her employees have not been vaccinated yet.

“Why are we wasting an entire year of working so hard for this?” Masson, 48, said of the months of precautions she and her staff have taken to avoid the virus. “I have employees, and they have families,” she said. “It is not just me I am thinking about. I am thinking about my employees and the people they go home to.”

Abbott, a Republican, cited personal freedom and the financial fallout as drivers of his decision, arguing that “businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.” And there were many who agreed with him, seeing the mandates as an unnecessary incursion that they were eager to be rid of.

“We have to get back to normal now,” said Amber Jowers, a bartender at Barflys who removed the sign requiring masks at exactly midnight.

But as the rules were lifted Wednesday, there was intense resistance across the state, with critics arguing that the governor’s decision was irresponsible while Texas remains in the grip of the pandemic.

“It is inevitable we will see hospitalizations and deaths that we would not otherwise see,” said Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat and the Harris County judge, the top elected official for the county that includes Houston. “We know there is an end in sight. We know the masks work. We know the vaccine distribution is steadily increasing. So why cause hospitalizations and deaths unnecessarily?”

Businesses can choose to require masks, and in many cities, they must still be worn inside municipal buildings. In Austin, officials said they would keep in place a local ordinance requiring masks and were bracing for a legal fight with Abbott and his administration.

Houston, Dallas and Austin were among the cities where school systems said students and staff members were still required to wear masks. But in Johnson City, west of Austin, the school board on Tuesday voted 4-3 to drop the mask mandate. Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District, which covers an upscale suburban area near Lubbock, sent an email to parents saying that masks were now optional. And in Lubbock, the matter is scheduled for debate Thursday.

“We’ve got a substantial number of teachers who want vaccinations that have not gotten them,” said Zachary Brady, the school board president in Lubbock, noting that the state had only recently made teachers eligible for coronavirus vaccines. “To me, the two conversations are just inextricably linked.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been at least 2,706,294 virus cases and 45,760 related deaths in Texas during the pandemic, according to a New York Times database. Over the past week, there has been an average of 5,230 new cases per day, a decrease of 14% from two weeks earlier.

There were fears that Texas could backslide, particularly as new variants of the virus emerge.

But Abbott has urged residents to maintain their vigilance and has argued that Texas is well-positioned with access to vaccines and more testing. “COVID has not suddenly disappeared,” he said in announcing his decision. “But state mandates are no longer needed.”

Bert Rossel, 39, was among those who believed that the threat posed by the virus was overblown. “It’s survival of the fittest,” Rossel said. “My BMI is higher than normal. Obese people are more susceptible to corona, but it’s been over a year. I would have gotten it already.”

In Fort Worth, Charles Fuller, 22, went Tuesday night to Neon Moon Saloon, where a trash can out front invited patrons to toss their masks, which would be burned at midnight. On Wednesday night, he and his friends planned to go bar hopping to celebrate a friend’s 21st birthday.

“It feels good to get back to normal,” he said. “It’s probably not healthy, but whatever — I already had it.”

Under the relaxed rules, schools and other governmental facilities can continue to mandate masks, and businesses can set their own guidelines for covering faces and carrying out social distancing measures.

But Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, said he would pursue legal action against officials in Austin and surrounding Travis County over their insistence on using a local ordinance to keep a mask mandate in place.

“City/county leaders must not be thinking clearly,” Paxton said in a post on Twitter. “Maybe it’s oxygen deprivation from quintuple-masking. Whatever the case, they’ve tried this before. They lost.”

But officials in Austin countered that any effort to challenge them was a distraction from what should be the highest priority: confronting the virus. About 16% of Texans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a rate that considerably trails the national average.

“If the state chooses to sue us, then it’s basically them going out of their way to undermine the health of Texas,” said Greg Casar, an Austin city councilman. “My hope is that they focus on vaccine distribution rather than messing with Austin and putting more lives at risk.”

Critics argued that business owners were put in a difficult position in having to devise their own standards and even more trouble in having to implement them. In Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, officials have asked business owners to enforce the rules and have law enforcement agencies ready to respond to calls for help removing customers.

“It is a very unfair thing to put the business in this position because they have to make the policy themselves,” said Nelson Wolff, the Bexar County judge and a Democrat. “It is a terrible burden; they are going to make people mad no matter what they do. The governor made a huge mistake doing this.”

Many workers said they expected that the relaxed statewide rules would make their jobs more difficult. “Definitely not looking forward to the conversations we are going to have with customers that refuse to wear a mask,” said Remington Bruce, the head of operations for MAD, a tapas restaurant in Houston.

At EZ’s Brick Oven &amp;amp; Grill in San Antonio, the rules are strict: Customers and workers have to wear masks. A patron who refuses must order to go or sit outside. Plexiglas lines the counters, which are sanitized routinely. Their vigilance was informed by the death of one of their managers, Adam Colunga, 34.

“We’re doing all the hard work to prevent another Adam from happening,” said Sean Medina, 30, who is a general manager at the restaurant. “But Governor Abbott took away the power from us, giving it to the maskless instead.”

As rules that had been in place for months were relaxed across Texas on Wednesday, Plexiglas barriers came down, tables were added onto the floors of restaurants, and signs requiring masks were removed from the front doors of businesses.

As rules that had been in place for months were relaxed across Texas on Wednesday, Plexiglas barriers came down, tables were added onto the floors of restaurants, and signs requiring masks were removed from the front doors of businesses. On South Padre Island, throngs of spring breakers drank and danced at a beachside bar, and in a move that harked back to pre-pandemic times, the Texas Rangers announced that when the baseball season starts next month, they would allow the stadium — 40,518 seats — to be filled to capacity. But Britt Harasmisz, who tends the patio bar at Barflys in San Antonio, kept her mask on even after a co-worker removed the sign — “MASKS REQUIRED UPON ENTRY” — that had been posted outside since June. As much as some hoped otherwise, Harasmisz said, normalcy had not returned. “A lot of people have been vaccinated — Governor Abbott was vaccinated,” Harasmisz, 24, said. “But a lot of us on the front lines have not.” When Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas announced last week that he was loosening restrictions across the state, he inflamed a tension that officials have wrestled with from the outset of the pandemic, having to balance tough measures to curb the coronavirus’s spread with the economic anguish wrought by those measures. As the pendulum has swung in Texas, many workers — in supermarkets, restaurants, bars, retail stores and elsewhere — described growing frustrations and fears as the quandary played out in their own lives with consequences that were devastatingly real. They were the ones losing tips or hours of work, if they did not lose their job altogether. But they were also the ones who had to confront the customers refusing to cover their faces. “We are in contact with people all day long,” said Rebecca Masson, who owns Fluff Bake Bar, a bakery in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, adding that she and her employees have not been vaccinated yet. “Why are we wasting an entire year of working so hard for this?” Masson, 48, said of the months of precautions she and her staff have taken to avoid the virus. “I have employees, and they have families,” she said. “It is not just me I am thinking about. I am thinking about my employees and the people they go home to.” Abbott, a Republican, cited personal freedom and the financial fallout as drivers of his decision, arguing that “businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.” And there were many who agreed with him, seeing the mandates as an unnecessary incursion that they were eager to be rid of. “We have to get back to normal now,” said Amber Jowers, a bartender at Barflys who removed the sign requiring masks at exactly midnight. But as the rules were lifted Wednesday, there was intense resistance across the state, with critics arguing that the governor’s decision was irresponsible while Texas remains in the grip of the pandemic. “It is inevitable we will see hospitalizations and deaths that we would not otherwise see,” said Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat and the Harris County judge, the top elected official for the county that includes Houston. “We know there is an end in sight. We know the masks work. We know the vaccine distribution is steadily increasing. So why cause hospitalizations and deaths unnecessarily?” Businesses can choose to require masks, and in many cities, they must still be worn inside municipal buildings. In Austin, officials said they would keep in place a local ordinance requiring masks and were bracing for a legal fight with Abbott and his administration. Houston, Dallas and Austin were among the cities where school systems said students and staff members were still required to wear masks. But in Johnson City, west of Austin, the school board on Tuesday voted 4-3 to drop the mask mandate. Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District, which covers an upscale suburban area near Lubbock, sent an email to parents saying that masks were now optional. And in Lubbock, the matter is scheduled for debate Thursday. “We’ve got a substantial number of teachers who want vaccinations that have not gotten them,” said Zachary Brady, the school board president in Lubbock, noting that the state had only recently made teachers eligible for coronavirus vaccines. “To me, the two conversations are just inextricably linked.” As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been at least 2,706,294 virus cases and 45,760 related deaths in Texas during the pandemic, according to a New York Times database. Over the past week, there has been an average of 5,230 new cases per day, a decrease of 14% from two weeks earlier. There were fears that Texas could backslide, particularly as new variants of the virus emerge. But Abbott has urged residents to maintain their vigilance and has argued that Texas is well-positioned with access to vaccines and more testing. “COVID has not suddenly disappeared,” he said in announcing his decision. “But state mandates are no longer needed.” Bert Rossel, 39, was among those who believed that the threat posed by the virus was overblown. “It’s survival of the fittest,” Rossel said. “My BMI is higher than normal. Obese people are more susceptible to corona, but it’s been over a year. I would have gotten it already.” In Fort Worth, Charles Fuller, 22, went Tuesday night to Neon Moon Saloon, where a trash can out front invited patrons to toss their masks, which would be burned at midnight. On Wednesday night, he and his friends planned to go bar hopping to celebrate a friend’s 21st birthday. “It feels good to get back to normal,” he said. “It’s probably not healthy, but whatever — I already had it.” Under the relaxed rules, schools and other governmental facilities can continue to mandate masks, and businesses can set their own guidelines for covering faces and carrying out social distancing measures. But Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, said he would pursue legal action against officials in Austin and surrounding Travis County over their insistence on using a local ordinance to keep a mask mandate in place. “City/county leaders must not be thinking clearly,” Paxton said in a post on Twitter. “Maybe it’s oxygen deprivation from quintuple-masking. Whatever the case, they’ve tried this before. They lost.” But officials in Austin countered that any effort to challenge them was a distraction from what should be the highest priority: confronting the virus. About 16% of Texans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a rate that considerably trails the national average. “If the state chooses to sue us, then it’s basically them going out of their way to undermine the health of Texas,” said Greg Casar, an Austin city councilman. “My hope is that they focus on vaccine distribution rather than messing with Austin and putting more lives at risk.” Critics argued that business owners were put in a difficult position in having to devise their own standards and even more trouble in having to implement them. In Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, officials have asked business owners to enforce the rules and have law enforcement agencies ready to respond to calls for help removing customers. “It is a very unfair thing to put the business in this position because they have to make the policy themselves,” said Nelson Wolff, the Bexar County judge and a Democrat. “It is a terrible burden; they are going to make people mad no matter what they do. The governor made a huge mistake doing this.” Many workers said they expected that the relaxed statewide rules would make their jobs more difficult. “Definitely not looking forward to the conversations we are going to have with customers that refuse to wear a mask,” said Remington Bruce, the head of operations for MAD, a tapas restaurant in Houston. At EZ’s Brick Oven &amp; Grill in San Antonio, the rules are strict: Customers and workers have to wear masks. A patron who refuses must order to go or sit outside. Plexiglas lines the counters, which are sanitized routinely. Their vigilance was informed by the death of one of their managers, Adam Colunga, 34. “We’re doing all the hard work to prevent another Adam from happening,” said Sean Medina, 30, who is a general manager at the restaurant. “But Governor Abbott took away the power from us, giving it to the maskless instead.”

With Texas’ mask mandate over, workers worry about encroaching virus

Delhi on Thursday recorded 409 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in nearly two months, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 per cent, according to health department data.

The death toll climbed to 10,934 with three more fatalities, the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department stated.

Delhi had recorded 370 new cases on Wednesday and 320 on Tuesday. The city reported three deaths due to the disease on Wednesday and four on Tuesday.

On Sunday and Monday, 286 and 239 cases, respectively, were recorded in the national capital. The city had registered 321 coronavirus cases and one death last Saturday, and 312 cases and a fatality on Friday.

A total of 585 cases were reported on January 1 and 384 on January 4. The daily count had dropped to 306 on January 11 and risen again to 386 on January 12, according to official figures.

The numbers had started to come down in February. On February 26, the month's highest daily count of 256 cases was recorded.

On Thursday, 409 new coronavirus cases were recorded, taking the infection tally to 6,42,439, the bulletin said.

The number of active cases of the disease in the city rose to 2,020 from 1,900 on Wednesday, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 from 0.52 per cent the previous day.

Health experts and doctors have attributed this "sudden rise" to people turning complacent, not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and "assuming all is well now".

The total number of tests conducted on Wednesday stood at 69,810, including 42,187 RT-PCR tests and 25,623 rapid antigen tests, the bulletin said.

The number of people under home isolation on Thursday rose to 1,028 from 982 on Wednesday, it said, adding that over 6.29 lakh people have recovered from the infection till date.&nbsp;

Delhi on Thursday recorded 409 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in nearly two months, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 per cent, according to health department data.

Delhi on Thursday recorded 409 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in nearly two months, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 per cent, according to health department data. The death toll climbed to 10,934 with three more fatalities, the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department stated. Delhi had recorded 370 new cases on Wednesday and 320 on Tuesday. The city reported three deaths due to the disease on Wednesday and four on Tuesday. On Sunday and Monday, 286 and 239 cases, respectively, were recorded in the national capital. The city had registered 321 coronavirus cases and one death last Saturday, and 312 cases and a fatality on Friday. A total of 585 cases were reported on January 1 and 384 on January 4. The daily count had dropped to 306 on January 11 and risen again to 386 on January 12, according to official figures. The numbers had started to come down in February. On February 26, the month's highest daily count of 256 cases was recorded. On Thursday, 409 new coronavirus cases were recorded, taking the infection tally to 6,42,439, the bulletin said. The number of active cases of the disease in the city rose to 2,020 from 1,900 on Wednesday, while the positivity rate rose to 0.59 from 0.52 per cent the previous day. Health experts and doctors have attributed this "sudden rise" to people turning complacent, not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and "assuming all is well now". The total number of tests conducted on Wednesday stood at 69,810, including 42,187 RT-PCR tests and 25,623 rapid antigen tests, the bulletin said. The number of people under home isolation on Thursday rose to 1,028 from 982 on Wednesday, it said, adding that over 6.29 lakh people have recovered from the infection till date.

Delhi records 409 fresh COVID-19 cases, highest in over 2 months

The Centre on Thursday said Bharat Biotech's indigenously developed Covaxin is out of the "clinical trial mode" and that it has now been granted the regular restricted emergency use authorisation just like Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute.

Addressing a weekly press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said Covaxin and Covishield have the same licensure status now.

"The condition of it (Covaxin) being required to be administered under clinical trial mode is no more there," Paul said.

"Both the COVID-19 vaccines Covaxin and Covishield have the same licensure status. It has already being given to around 19 lakh people. Covaxin has stood the test of time in terms of great safety. Only 311 individuals had minimal side effects. It is the triumph for India's research and development enterprise and science and technology enterprise," he said.

India's drug regulator on January 3 had granted permission for the restricted use of Covaxin in emergency situations in the public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in case of infection by mutant strains.

The Subject Expert Panel on COVID-19 of the CDSCO had recommended granting emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech's indigenously developed Covaxin while removing the condition for the vaccine to be administered in "clinical trial mode".

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in a communique to Bharat Biotech said, "Accordingly, based on the recommendations of the SEC, the condition, 'this permission is for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest as an abundant precaution in clinical trial mode' in the permission is amended to read as this permission is for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest."

"However, you are required to continue ongoing phase-3 clinical trial as per approved clinical trial protocol and submit revised summary of product characteristics, prescribing information and fact sheet," it said.

Replying to a question whether the government has a timeline in mind for phase 3 vaccination drive and who gets included in that, Paul said, "We are now focused on the relatively large group of individuals above the age of 60 as well as those aged 45- 60 with comorbidities. We are building a momentum to cover this significantly large group."

"We will see progress and moving forward, yes, further increase in the circle of those who are eligible will be considered," Paul said.

The Centre on Thursday said Bharat Biotech's indigenously developed Covaxin is out of the "clinical trial mode" and that it has now been granted the regular restricted emergency use authorisation just like Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute.

The Centre on Thursday said Bharat Biotech's indigenously developed Covaxin is out of the "clinical trial mode" and that it has now been granted the regular restricted emergency use authorisation just like Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute. Addressing a weekly press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul said Covaxin and Covishield have the same licensure status now. "The condition of it (Covaxin) being required to be administered under clinical trial mode is no more there," Paul said. "Both the COVID-19 vaccines Covaxin and Covishield have the same licensure status. It has already being given to around 19 lakh people. Covaxin has stood the test of time in terms of great safety. Only 311 individuals had minimal side effects. It is the triumph for India's research and development enterprise and science and technology enterprise," he said. India's drug regulator on January 3 had granted permission for the restricted use of Covaxin in emergency situations in the public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in case of infection by mutant strains. The Subject Expert Panel on COVID-19 of the CDSCO had recommended granting emergency use authorisation to Bharat Biotech's indigenously developed Covaxin while removing the condition for the vaccine to be administered in "clinical trial mode". The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in a communique to Bharat Biotech said, "Accordingly, based on the recommendations of the SEC, the condition, 'this permission is for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest as an abundant precaution in clinical trial mode' in the permission is amended to read as this permission is for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest." "However, you are required to continue ongoing phase-3 clinical trial as per approved clinical trial protocol and submit revised summary of product characteristics, prescribing information and fact sheet," it said. Replying to a question whether the government has a timeline in mind for phase 3 vaccination drive and who gets included in that, Paul said, "We are now focused on the relatively large group of individuals above the age of 60 as well as those aged 45- 60 with comorbidities. We are building a momentum to cover this significantly large group." "We will see progress and moving forward, yes, further increase in the circle of those who are eligible will be considered," Paul said.

Covaxin out of clinical trial mode, granted restricted emergency use authorisation

Continuing its vaccine diplomacy, India will send to Iran 500,000 doses of Indian Covid vaccine Covaxin, the first tranche of which reached the country on Thursday. India has already dispatched 125,000 doses of&nbsp; Covaxin, produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, to the Islamic Republic.

"A tradition of exchanges continues. Made in India vaccines arrive in Iran," tweeted India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

This is the first shipment of Indian vaccines to Iran. Next week, the country will receive 375,000 doses of Covaxin from India as part of the second consignment. Covaxin&nbsp;has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 81%.

Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour tweeted,"125,000 doses of Covaxin is being exported from Hyderabad customs to Iran, today."

WION had first reported last month that Tehran had&nbsp;requested India for vaccines. India has so far sent India-made Covid vaccines to 68 countries, either as a gift&nbsp;or on a commercial basis. The total quantity of such vaccines stands at 583.05 lakh doses, which includes doses for UN peacekeepers. India started its Covid vaccine exports in January, days after it began its mega domestic Covid vaccination programme.

Continuing its vaccine diplomacy, India will send to Iran 500,000 doses of Indian Covid vaccine Covaxin, the first tranche of which reached the country on Thursday.

Continuing its vaccine diplomacy, India will send to Iran 500,000 doses of Indian Covid vaccine Covaxin, the first tranche of which reached the country on Thursday. India has already dispatched 125,000 doses of Covaxin, produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, to the Islamic Republic. "A tradition of exchanges continues. Made in India vaccines arrive in Iran," tweeted India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. This is the first shipment of Indian vaccines to Iran. Next week, the country will receive 375,000 doses of Covaxin from India as part of the second consignment. Covaxin has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 81%. Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour tweeted,"125,000 doses of Covaxin is being exported from Hyderabad customs to Iran, today." WION had first reported last month that Tehran had requested India for vaccines. India has so far sent India-made Covid vaccines to 68 countries, either as a gift or on a commercial basis. The total quantity of such vaccines stands at 583.05 lakh doses, which includes doses for UN peacekeepers. India started its Covid vaccine exports in January, days after it began its mega domestic Covid vaccination programme.

Iran to get 500,000 doses of Covid vaccine from India

A digital artwork sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's on Thursday, in the first ever sale by a major auction house of a piece of art that does not exist in physical form.

"Everydays: The First 5,000 Days" is now the most expensive "non-fungible token" piece ever sold, a sign of longterm confidence in the burgeoning market that creates collectible digital assets by transforming virtual work into something ownable.

Beeple -- an artist from Charleston, South Carolina, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann -- is now among the top three most valuable living artists, Christie's said.

"Everydays" is based on a long-term project: beginning on May 1, 2007, when he was still a bored web designer, he sought to create a work of art each day, without interruption, in order to progress in drawing and graphic design.

Now, 5,062 consecutive days later, "Everydays" brings together in digital form his first 5,000 pieces, beginning with a simple image of his Uncle Jim and ending on a detailed graphic portrait of characters from Donald Trump to Buzz Lightyear to Michael Jackson, depicted as dystopian muses around a child drawing.

Since 2007 Beeple has accumulated nearly two million Instagram followers and collaborated with major brands and famous musicians, attracted by his graphic universe.

But he had never sold any work under his own name until recently, when a new technology catapulted him into orbit as one of the most fashionable artists in the world.

NFTs are collectible digital assets that use blockchain technology to turn virtual work into something unique, with a documented provenance that cannot be altered, guaranteeing authenticity and making the work ownable.

That goes for pretty much anything on the internet where, previously, content by its nature was easy to duplicate.

At the end of February another of his works, "Crossroads," was resold for $6.6 million on the platform Nifty Gateway, which specializes in virtual works. Beeple received 10 percent.&nbsp;

And an animation that he himself had sold at the end of October last year for a symbolic dollar was recently acquired for $150,000.

A digital artwork sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's on Thursday, in the first ever sale by a major auction house of a piece of art that does not exist in physical form.

A digital artwork sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's on Thursday, in the first ever sale by a major auction house of a piece of art that does not exist in physical form. "Everydays: The First 5,000 Days" is now the most expensive "non-fungible token" piece ever sold, a sign of longterm confidence in the burgeoning market that creates collectible digital assets by transforming virtual work into something ownable. Beeple -- an artist from Charleston, South Carolina, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann -- is now among the top three most valuable living artists, Christie's said. "Everydays" is based on a long-term project: beginning on May 1, 2007, when he was still a bored web designer, he sought to create a work of art each day, without interruption, in order to progress in drawing and graphic design. Now, 5,062 consecutive days later, "Everydays" brings together in digital form his first 5,000 pieces, beginning with a simple image of his Uncle Jim and ending on a detailed graphic portrait of characters from Donald Trump to Buzz Lightyear to Michael Jackson, depicted as dystopian muses around a child drawing. Since 2007 Beeple has accumulated nearly two million Instagram followers and collaborated with major brands and famous musicians, attracted by his graphic universe. But he had never sold any work under his own name until recently, when a new technology catapulted him into orbit as one of the most fashionable artists in the world. NFTs are collectible digital assets that use blockchain technology to turn virtual work into something unique, with a documented provenance that cannot be altered, guaranteeing authenticity and making the work ownable. That goes for pretty much anything on the internet where, previously, content by its nature was easy to duplicate. At the end of February another of his works, "Crossroads," was resold for $6.6 million on the platform Nifty Gateway, which specializes in virtual works. Beeple received 10 percent. And an animation that he himself had sold at the end of October last year for a symbolic dollar was recently acquired for $150,000.

Artist Beeple's digital work fetches nearly $70 million in auction

The European Union on Thursday&nbsp;approved Johnson &amp; Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine, as the bloc seeks to speed up a stuttering inoculation campaign and boost its supplies of vaccines.

&nbsp;

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📢 EMA has just recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19vaccine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19vaccine</a> Janssen to prevent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> in people from 18 years of age. 
👉 <a href="https://t.co/j7jetH1Tbx">https://t.co/j7jetH1Tbx</a> <a href="https://t.co/cKGKujrqYp">pic.twitter.com/cKGKujrqYp</a>
— EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/EMA_News/status/1370002324605853701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Johnson&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Johnson is the fourth to be endorsed for use in the EU after Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Moderna. Three other vaccines are under "rolling review" by the Amsterdam-based EMA,&nbsp;Novavax, CureVac and Russia's Sputnik.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/denmark-suspends-use-of-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-due-to-blood-clot-fears-369692" hreflang="en">Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine due to blood clot fears&nbsp;</a>

US pharma giant J&amp;J filed on February 16 for approval for the vaccine, developed by its Belgian subsidiary Janssen.&nbsp;The company has committed to deliver 200 million doses of its vaccine to the bloc this year.

As well as being the first that requires a single injection as opposed to two, the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine is easier to store.

The J&amp;J shot however appears less protective than Pfizer and Moderna's regimes, which both have an efficacy of around 95 per cent against all forms of Covid-19 from the classic coronavirus strain.

'Bumpy' strategy'

The EU has been struggling with a disappointing vaccination rollout that started in January and faltered because of a lack of doses produced by the three suppliers so far.&nbsp;

The head of the EU's vaccine supply task force, Thierry Breton, said on Tuesday the EU's "bumpy" vaccine strategy should be augmented by the addition of the Johnson &amp; Johnson jab.

Reported production shortfalls in the United States by Johnson &amp; Johnson would not impact the EU because Brussels had made contingency plans for all vaccines, he said.

"Do not believe that because one company has a problem that overall it will jeopardise the whole programme," said Breton, the EU's industry commissioner.

Europe's vaccination strategy faced fresh problems on Wednesday as Denmark and Norway said they were temporarily suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots

The European Union on Thursday approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine, as the bloc seeks to speed up a stuttering inoculation campaign and boost its supplies of vaccines.

The European Union on Thursday approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine, as the bloc seeks to speed up a stuttering inoculation campaign and boost its supplies of vaccines. 📢 EMA has just recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for #COVID19vaccine Janssen to prevent #COVID19 in people from 18 years of age. 👉 https://t.co/j7jetH1Tbx pic.twitter.com/cKGKujrqYp — EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) March 11, 2021 × Johnson & Johnson is the fourth to be endorsed for use in the EU after Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Moderna. Three other vaccines are under "rolling review" by the Amsterdam-based EMA, Novavax, CureVac and Russia's Sputnik. Also read| Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine due to blood clot fears US pharma giant J&J filed on February 16 for approval for the vaccine, developed by its Belgian subsidiary Janssen. The company has committed to deliver 200 million doses of its vaccine to the bloc this year. As well as being the first that requires a single injection as opposed to two, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is easier to store. The J&J shot however appears less protective than Pfizer and Moderna's regimes, which both have an efficacy of around 95 per cent against all forms of Covid-19 from the classic coronavirus strain. 'Bumpy' strategy' The EU has been struggling with a disappointing vaccination rollout that started in January and faltered because of a lack of doses produced by the three suppliers so far. The head of the EU's vaccine supply task force, Thierry Breton, said on Tuesday the EU's "bumpy" vaccine strategy should be augmented by the addition of the Johnson & Johnson jab. Reported production shortfalls in the United States by Johnson & Johnson would not impact the EU because Brussels had made contingency plans for all vaccines, he said. "Do not believe that because one company has a problem that overall it will jeopardise the whole programme," said Breton, the EU's industry commissioner. Europe's vaccination strategy faced fresh problems on Wednesday as Denmark and Norway said they were temporarily suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots

European Union gives green light to Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

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Rajasthan News in Hindi: In-depth coverage of Rajasthan Crime, Political News, Education, Rajasthan Weather Update and Latest Rajasthan News on Zee News Rajasthan.