Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday offered to provide its coronavirus vaccine free-of-cost&nbsp;to United Nations staff all over the world. He made the proposal during his pre-recorded address to United Nations General Assembly. Putin called Russian-developed coronavirus vaccine Sputnik-V 'safe, reliable and effective'

"Russia is ready to provide the UN with all the necessary qualified assistance, in particular, we are offering to provide our vaccine, free of charge, for the voluntary vaccination of the staff of the UN and its offices. We have received requests from our UN colleagues in this respect, and we will respond to those," said Putin.

Sputnik-V vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya Institute in Russia. The vaccine has cleared Phase-2 trials. It is yet to clear Phase-3.

Although there have been claims from the Russian side that Sputnik-V prompts sufficient antibody response against coronavirus infection, critics remain skeptical about the vaccine. Mass trials of Sputnik-V vaccine have not been carried out but high ranking officials and ministers in the Russian Government have been given doses.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-death-toll-in-united-states-passes-200000-trump-blames-china-at-unga-329553">COVID-19: Death toll in United States passes 200,000; Trump blames China at UNGA</a>

Putin's own daughter has also been administered the vaccine but which of his two daughters was given the vaccine was a mystery when the news broke.

In his UN speech, Putin said Russia was open to co-operation with respect to Sputnik-V vaccine.

"I would like to reiterate that we are completely open to partner relations and willing to cooperate. In this context, we are proposing to hold an online high-level conference shortly for countries interested in cooperation in the development of anti-coronavirus vaccines," he added

Putin outlined Russia`s active contribution to global and regional counter-COVID-19 efforts, saying the country provided assistance to most affected nations both bilaterally and within multilateral formats. He called on the need to "qualitatively strengthen" the capability of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"...We first of all take into account the central coordinating role of the WHO, which is part of the UN system. We believe it essential to qualitatively strengthen WHO capability. This work has already begun, and Russia is genuinely motivated to engage in it," the Russian President remarked.

(With agency inputs)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday offered to provide its coronavirus vaccine free-of-cost to United Nations staff all over the world. He made the proposal during his pre-recorded address to United Nations General Assembly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday offered to provide its coronavirus vaccine free-of-cost to United Nations staff all over the world. He made the proposal during his pre-recorded address to United Nations General Assembly. Putin called Russian-developed coronavirus vaccine Sputnik-V 'safe, reliable and effective' "Russia is ready to provide the UN with all the necessary qualified assistance, in particular, we are offering to provide our vaccine, free of charge, for the voluntary vaccination of the staff of the UN and its offices. We have received requests from our UN colleagues in this respect, and we will respond to those," said Putin. Sputnik-V vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya Institute in Russia. The vaccine has cleared Phase-2 trials. It is yet to clear Phase-3. Although there have been claims from the Russian side that Sputnik-V prompts sufficient antibody response against coronavirus infection, critics remain skeptical about the vaccine. Mass trials of Sputnik-V vaccine have not been carried out but high ranking officials and ministers in the Russian Government have been given doses. Also Read | COVID-19: Death toll in United States passes 200,000; Trump blames China at UNGA Putin's own daughter has also been administered the vaccine but which of his two daughters was given the vaccine was a mystery when the news broke. In his UN speech, Putin said Russia was open to co-operation with respect to Sputnik-V vaccine. "I would like to reiterate that we are completely open to partner relations and willing to cooperate. In this context, we are proposing to hold an online high-level conference shortly for countries interested in cooperation in the development of anti-coronavirus vaccines," he added Putin outlined Russia`s active contribution to global and regional counter-COVID-19 efforts, saying the country provided assistance to most affected nations both bilaterally and within multilateral formats. He called on the need to "qualitatively strengthen" the capability of the World Health Organisation (WHO). "...We first of all take into account the central coordinating role of the WHO, which is part of the UN system. We believe it essential to qualitatively strengthen WHO capability. This work has already begun, and Russia is genuinely motivated to engage in it," the Russian President remarked. (With agency inputs)

Russia offers to give free coronavirus vaccine for UN staff across globe

Hollywood star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson&nbsp;on Saturday shared a glimpse from his upcoming Netflix film `Red Notice` as he resumed shooting for the film sporting face masks. 
 
The whole team of 'Red Notice'&nbsp;was seen following `the most aggressive health and safety COVID measures.The 'Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle'&nbsp;actor posted a picture on Instagram wherein he is seen on the sets of the film, while he received instructions.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFUtPRGFuge/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">The world has changed and so has our process - we are officially back to work on filming RED NOTICE. A very productive first week back of work, but certainly not without some angst and anxiety, but overall our incredible crew remained focused, disciplined and executed brilliantly all week long. We have implemented the most aggressive health and safety Covid measures in all of Hollywood, but as I shared with our crew yesterday, we’re all still in beta phase with no “COVID playbook” to reference. We’re an agile crew — learning on the go and we will create the blueprint for how effective a large scale production can operate during a pandemic. Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game changer. In the mean time I’ll continue to screw up my lines and pretend to listen to my director/writer here @rawsonthurber as he shows me my firing target 🎯 The world’s most wanted art thief. An FBI profiler. And the greatest conman the world has never known. #RedNotice @netflix @sevenbucksprod @flynnpictureco @masistills 📸</a>

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The actor was seen sporting a face mask and shield while he candidly poses for the click. Along with the snap, the 'Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs &amp; Shaw' star penned a note as he got back to filming. 
 
He shared, "The world has changed and so has our process - we are officially back to work on filming RED NOTICE. A very productive first week back of work, but certainly not without some angst and anxiety, but overall our incredible crew remained focused, disciplined and executed brilliantly all week long." 
 
Talking about the necessary precautions being taken care of, Johnson added, "We have implemented the most aggressive health and safety Covid measures in all of Hollywood, but as I shared with our crew yesterday, we`re all still in beta phase with no "COVID playbook" to reference." 
 
"We're an agile crew -- learning on the go and we will create the blueprint for how effective a large scale production can operate during a pandemic. Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game-changer," wrote the 48-year-old star who dished on the operations being carried out amid pandemic. 
 
He summarised the note by writing," Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game-changer.In the mean time, I`ll continue to screw up my lines and pretend to listen to my director here @rawsonthurber as he shows me my firing target." 
 
"The world`s most wanted art thief.An FBI profiler.And the greatest conman the world has never known. #RedNotice." The action-thriller also stars Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot.The shooting for the film was halted in March due to the coronavirus induced shutdown of the entertainment industry.

Hollywood star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on Saturday shared a glimpse from his upcoming Netflix film `Red Notice` as he resumed shooting for the film sporting face masks.

Hollywood star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson on Saturday shared a glimpse from his upcoming Netflix film `Red Notice` as he resumed shooting for the film sporting face masks. The whole team of 'Red Notice' was seen following `the most aggressive health and safety COVID measures.The 'Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle' actor posted a picture on Instagram wherein he is seen on the sets of the film, while he received instructions. View this post on Instagram The world has changed and so has our process - we are officially back to work on filming RED NOTICE. A very productive first week back of work, but certainly not without some angst and anxiety, but overall our incredible crew remained focused, disciplined and executed brilliantly all week long. We have implemented the most aggressive health and safety Covid measures in all of Hollywood, but as I shared with our crew yesterday, we’re all still in beta phase with no “COVID playbook” to reference. We’re an agile crew — learning on the go and we will create the blueprint for how effective a large scale production can operate during a pandemic. Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game changer. In the mean time I’ll continue to screw up my lines and pretend to listen to my director/writer here @rawsonthurber as he shows me my firing target 🎯 The world’s most wanted art thief. An FBI profiler. And the greatest conman the world has never known. #RedNotice @netflix @sevenbucksprod @flynnpictureco @masistills 📸 A post shared by therock (@therock) on Sep 19, 2020 at 8:42am PDT × The actor was seen sporting a face mask and shield while he candidly poses for the click. Along with the snap, the 'Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw' star penned a note as he got back to filming. He shared, "The world has changed and so has our process - we are officially back to work on filming RED NOTICE. A very productive first week back of work, but certainly not without some angst and anxiety, but overall our incredible crew remained focused, disciplined and executed brilliantly all week long." Talking about the necessary precautions being taken care of, Johnson added, "We have implemented the most aggressive health and safety Covid measures in all of Hollywood, but as I shared with our crew yesterday, we`re all still in beta phase with no "COVID playbook" to reference." "We're an agile crew -- learning on the go and we will create the blueprint for how effective a large scale production can operate during a pandemic. Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game-changer," wrote the 48-year-old star who dished on the operations being carried out amid pandemic. He summarised the note by writing," Proud to go shoulder to shoulder with our entire crew on this game-changer.In the mean time, I`ll continue to screw up my lines and pretend to listen to my director here @rawsonthurber as he shows me my firing target." "The world`s most wanted art thief.An FBI profiler.And the greatest conman the world has never known. #RedNotice." The action-thriller also stars Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot.The shooting for the film was halted in March due to the coronavirus induced shutdown of the entertainment industry.

Dwayne Johnson resumes shooting for 'Red Notice' following COVID protocols

India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 51 lakh with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in last 24 hours.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, according to Union Ministry of Health data.

Meanwhile, India on Wednesday became only the second country in the world, after the United States, to record more than 5 million cases.

The south Asian nation, the world's second-most populous country, has been reporting more new daily cases than the United States since mid-August and accounts for just over 16% of globally known cases.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 29 million people and the numbers are expected to pass 30 million, with 9.39 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 51 lakh with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in last 24 hours. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, according to Union Ministry of Health data.

India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 51 lakh with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in last 24 hours. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, according to Union Ministry of Health data. Meanwhile, India on Wednesday became only the second country in the world, after the United States, to record more than 5 million cases. The south Asian nation, the world's second-most populous country, has been reporting more new daily cases than the United States since mid-August and accounts for just over 16% of globally known cases. The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 29 million people and the numbers are expected to pass 30 million, with 9.39 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. (With inputs from agencies)

India tally crosses 51-lakh mark with spike of 97,894 new cases

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 29 million people and the numbers are expected to pass 30 million, with 9.39 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 29,760,579 confirmed coronavirus cases.

The death count has also surged to 939,427.

Meanwhile, India on Wednesday became only the second country in the world, after the United States, to record more than 5 million cases.

The south Asian nation, the world's second-most populous country, has been reporting more new daily cases than the United States since mid-August and accounts for just over 16% of globally known cases.

The United States has about 20% of all global cases, although it has just 4% of the world's population. Brazil, the third worst-hit country, accounts for roughly 15% of global cases.

It took 18 days for global cases to surge from 25 million to more than 30 million. It took 20 days for the world to go from 20 million to 25 million and 19 days to go from 15 million to 20 million.

The global rate of new daily cases is slowing, reflecting progress in constraining the disease in many countries, despite a few big surges.

Health experts stress that official data almost certainly under-reports both infections and deaths, particularly in countries with limited testing capacity.

The race to develop and bring to market a novel coronavirus vaccine has grown increasingly frenetic in recent weeks with about 200 candidates in development globally.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said his country could have a vaccine ready for distribution before the U.S. election on Nov. 3, while a Chinese health official this week said China may have a vaccine ready for public use as early as November.

While the trajectory of the coronavirus still falls far short of the 1918 Spanish flu, which infected an estimated 500 million people, killing at least 10% of them, experts worry the available data is underplaying the true impact of the pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 29 million people and the numbers are expected to pass 30 million, with 9.39 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 29 million people and the numbers are expected to pass 30 million, with 9.39 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 29,760,579 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death count has also surged to 939,427. Meanwhile, India on Wednesday became only the second country in the world, after the United States, to record more than 5 million cases. The south Asian nation, the world's second-most populous country, has been reporting more new daily cases than the United States since mid-August and accounts for just over 16% of globally known cases. The United States has about 20% of all global cases, although it has just 4% of the world's population. Brazil, the third worst-hit country, accounts for roughly 15% of global cases. It took 18 days for global cases to surge from 25 million to more than 30 million. It took 20 days for the world to go from 20 million to 25 million and 19 days to go from 15 million to 20 million. The global rate of new daily cases is slowing, reflecting progress in constraining the disease in many countries, despite a few big surges. Health experts stress that official data almost certainly under-reports both infections and deaths, particularly in countries with limited testing capacity. The race to develop and bring to market a novel coronavirus vaccine has grown increasingly frenetic in recent weeks with about 200 candidates in development globally. U.S. President Donald Trump has said his country could have a vaccine ready for distribution before the U.S. election on Nov. 3, while a Chinese health official this week said China may have a vaccine ready for public use as early as November. While the trajectory of the coronavirus still falls far short of the 1918 Spanish flu, which infected an estimated 500 million people, killing at least 10% of them, experts worry the available data is underplaying the true impact of the pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

Coronavirus cases worldwide to soon surpass 30 million

The coronavirus pandemic threatens to erase progress made in the last decade in improving child education and health, particularly in the poorest countries, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

The conclusion comes in the Washington-based development lender's Human Capital Index for 2020, which ranks countries on how well children are prepared for the future, with an emphasis on factors like schooling and healthcare.

This year's report shows that most countries, particularly poorer ones, have made steady gains in improving health and education prior to the pandemic.

Despite that, the bank said in a statement a child in a low-income country will likely achieve only 56 percent of their human capital compared to one with access to a complete education and full healthcare.

The indicator purports to measure the level in life that a child born today can hope to reach by age 18.

World Bank President David Malpass told reporters those gains are now jeopardized by the pandemic.

"Human capital is absolutely vital to the financial and economic future of the country as well as the social well being," he said.

Inequalities among children are set to increase, Malpass said, warning of disturbing trends such as the eighty million children lacking essential vaccinations.

"We think more than one billion children have been out of school due to Covid, and (they) could lose as much as $10 trillion in lifetime earnings," he said, citing their reduced education level as well as the potential they would drop out of school.

He warned girls face a "disproportionate" risk, and called on countries to invest in education broadly.

First launched in 2018, this year's Human Capital Index includes data from 174 countries representing 98 percent of the world's population.

The coronavirus pandemic threatens to erase progress made in the last decade in improving child education and health, particularly in the poorest countries, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

The coronavirus pandemic threatens to erase progress made in the last decade in improving child education and health, particularly in the poorest countries, the World Bank said on Wednesday. The conclusion comes in the Washington-based development lender's Human Capital Index for 2020, which ranks countries on how well children are prepared for the future, with an emphasis on factors like schooling and healthcare. This year's report shows that most countries, particularly poorer ones, have made steady gains in improving health and education prior to the pandemic. Despite that, the bank said in a statement a child in a low-income country will likely achieve only 56 percent of their human capital compared to one with access to a complete education and full healthcare. The indicator purports to measure the level in life that a child born today can hope to reach by age 18. World Bank President David Malpass told reporters those gains are now jeopardized by the pandemic. "Human capital is absolutely vital to the financial and economic future of the country as well as the social well being," he said. Inequalities among children are set to increase, Malpass said, warning of disturbing trends such as the eighty million children lacking essential vaccinations. "We think more than one billion children have been out of school due to Covid, and (they) could lose as much as $10 trillion in lifetime earnings," he said, citing their reduced education level as well as the potential they would drop out of school. He warned girls face a "disproportionate" risk, and called on countries to invest in education broadly. First launched in 2018, this year's Human Capital Index includes data from 174 countries representing 98 percent of the world's population.

Pandemic threatens child education, health gains: World Bank

World Health Organisation's(WHO)&nbsp;Europe unit warned countries in Europe&nbsp;against shortening the 14-day quarantine period for suspected coronavirus cases as, it said, COVID-19 has seen "alarming rates of&nbsp;transmission across Europe".

The WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said the number of coronavirus cases seen in September "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us."

"Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region," he told an online press conference from Danish capital Copenhagen.

WHO has said that it will not change its guidance that calls for 14-day quarantine period for anyone exposed to coronavirus.

France has reduced the recommended length for self-isolation has been reduced to seven days. In UK and Ireland the recommended number of days for isolation is 10.

"Our quarantine recommendation of 14 days has been based on our understanding of the incubation period and transmission of the disease. We would only revise that on the basis of a change of our understanding of the science," WHO Europe's senior emergency officer Catherine Smallwood said.

The 53 member states of WHO Europe have recorded nearly five million cases of Covid-19 and more than 227,000 related deaths, according to the organisation's own figures.

The number of daily cases recorded is currently between 40,000 and 50,000, comparable to a daily peak of 43,000 on April 1 -- although testing in many countries has increased considerably.

COVID-19 restrictions to be tightened in England

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday that restrictions would be tightened in northeast England from Friday.

The step is being taken to stem the rise of new coronavirus cases. Hancock told Parliament that residents would be banned from socialising with others outside their households or support bubbles. He said there would be table service only in restaurants and bars and that leisure venues needed to close between 10pm and 5am.

(With inputs from AFP)

World Health Organisation's(WHO) Europe unit warned countries in Europe against shortening the 14-day quarantine period for suspected coronavirus cases as, it said, COVID-19 has seen "alarming rates of transmission across Europe".

World Health Organisation's(WHO) Europe unit warned countries in Europe against shortening the 14-day quarantine period for suspected coronavirus cases as, it said, COVID-19 has seen "alarming rates of transmission across Europe". The WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said the number of coronavirus cases seen in September "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us." "Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region," he told an online press conference from Danish capital Copenhagen. WHO has said that it will not change its guidance that calls for 14-day quarantine period for anyone exposed to coronavirus. France has reduced the recommended length for self-isolation has been reduced to seven days. In UK and Ireland the recommended number of days for isolation is 10. "Our quarantine recommendation of 14 days has been based on our understanding of the incubation period and transmission of the disease. We would only revise that on the basis of a change of our understanding of the science," WHO Europe's senior emergency officer Catherine Smallwood said. The 53 member states of WHO Europe have recorded nearly five million cases of Covid-19 and more than 227,000 related deaths, according to the organisation's own figures. The number of daily cases recorded is currently between 40,000 and 50,000, comparable to a daily peak of 43,000 on April 1 -- although testing in many countries has increased considerably. COVID-19 restrictions to be tightened in England British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday that restrictions would be tightened in northeast England from Friday. The step is being taken to stem the rise of new coronavirus cases. Hancock told Parliament that residents would be banned from socialising with others outside their households or support bubbles. He said there would be table service only in restaurants and bars and that leisure venues needed to close between 10pm and 5am. (With inputs from AFP)

WHO warns 'alarming rates of transmission' in Europe as UK imposes restrictions in northeast England

World Health Organisation's top emergency expert Mike Ryan stressed the need for countries to have "consistent messaging" for the public in order to combat coronavirus pandemic effectively.&nbsp;

In an increasing sign of WHO's unease with the way coronavirus pandemic is being politicised in some countries, Ryan said that the pandemic should not be made into a "political football".

"It's understanding the confusion, it's understanding their (people's) concern, it's understanding their apprehension. And not laughing at it and not turning that into some kind of political football," said Dr Ryan

His comments came just a day after US President Donald Trump contradicted Robert Redfield, Director of Centre for Disease Control (CDC) over the possible availability of coronavirus vaccine.

Redfield had said that coronavirus vaccine will broadly be rolled out in mid-2021 and masks might be more effective.

“If you’re asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we’re probably looking at third ... late second quarter, third quarter 2021,” Redfield told US Senate.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-has-dragged-150-million-more-children-into-poverty-unicef-328144">Coronavirus has dragged 150 million more children into poverty: Unicef</a>

Trump, at a news conference, said he believed a vaccine will be rolled out much sooner. He said he called Redfield after his testimony to question him about it, and that Redfield appeared to have been "confused" by the question.

US Presidential Elections are due in November this year.

"It is important that we have consistent messaging from all levels, and it's not for one country or one entity; consistent messaging between science and between government," the WHO's Mike Ryan said in response to a question about the exchange.

This is not the first time USA and the WHO have exchanged words. In May this year, Trump even threatened to halt funding to the WHO.

(With inputs from Reuters)

World Health Organisation's top emergency expert Mike Ryan stressed the need for countries to have "consistent messaging" for the public in order to combat coronavirus pandemic effectively.

World Health Organisation's top emergency expert Mike Ryan stressed the need for countries to have "consistent messaging" for the public in order to combat coronavirus pandemic effectively. In an increasing sign of WHO's unease with the way coronavirus pandemic is being politicised in some countries, Ryan said that the pandemic should not be made into a "political football". "It's understanding the confusion, it's understanding their (people's) concern, it's understanding their apprehension. And not laughing at it and not turning that into some kind of political football," said Dr Ryan His comments came just a day after US President Donald Trump contradicted Robert Redfield, Director of Centre for Disease Control (CDC) over the possible availability of coronavirus vaccine. Redfield had said that coronavirus vaccine will broadly be rolled out in mid-2021 and masks might be more effective. “If you’re asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we’re probably looking at third ... late second quarter, third quarter 2021,” Redfield told US Senate. Also Read | Coronavirus has dragged 150 million more children into poverty: Unicef Trump, at a news conference, said he believed a vaccine will be rolled out much sooner. He said he called Redfield after his testimony to question him about it, and that Redfield appeared to have been "confused" by the question. US Presidential Elections are due in November this year. "It is important that we have consistent messaging from all levels, and it's not for one country or one entity; consistent messaging between science and between government," the WHO's Mike Ryan said in response to a question about the exchange. This is not the first time USA and the WHO have exchanged words. In May this year, Trump even threatened to halt funding to the WHO. (With inputs from Reuters)

Trump, CDC make contradictory claim over vaccine rollout timeline in US

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that the Covid-19 vaccine may be ready by the beginning of the next year.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha Dr HArsh Vardhan said that “India is making efforts just like other countries. Under PM's guidance, an expert group is looking at it &amp; we have advanced planning in place. We are hopeful that by start of next year, vaccine will be available in the country.”

Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 51 lakh with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in last 24 hours.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, according to Union Ministry of Health data.

(With inputs from agencies)

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that the Covid-19 vaccine may be ready by the beginning of the next year. Speaking in Rajya Sabha Dr HArsh Vardhan said that “India is making efforts just like other countries.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that the Covid-19 vaccine may be ready by the beginning of the next year. Speaking in Rajya Sabha Dr HArsh Vardhan said that “India is making efforts just like other countries. Under PM's guidance, an expert group is looking at it & we have advanced planning in place. We are hopeful that by start of next year, vaccine will be available in the country.” Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 51 lakh with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in last 24 hours. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, according to Union Ministry of Health data. (With inputs from agencies)

Hopeful of virus vaccine in India by beginning of 2021: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

A new report says by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some 37 million people into extreme poverty, a majority of them in developing countries. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-surpass-292-million-mark-johns-hopkins-university-327675">Also read | Worldwide coronavirus cases surpass 29.2 million-mark: Johns Hopkins University</a> 
 
“The pandemic has pushed almost 37 million people below the 2,000 shillings (1.9 U.S. dollars) a day extreme poverty line. The poverty line for lower-middle-income countries is 3.20 dollars a day, and 68 million people have fallen below that one since last year,” says the report.

Meanwhile, the percentage of children receiving regular vaccinations for diseases such as measles and diphtheria have fallen from a record high of more than 80% last year to 70% in 2020, levels the report says have not been seen since the 1990s.

Elaborating on how the pandemic has impacted routine immunisation, it said the vaccination, a good proxy measure for how health systems are functioning, is dropping to levels last seen in the 1990s.

"In other words, we've been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks," it said.

The report also talked about the "danger" of how COVID-19 can force the countries to take away their focus from dealing with "residual pandemics". "This would be a heartbreaking injustice. It would also go against the self-interest of the countries at the front of the line," it added.

The report said the pandemic is having severe impact on education as well.

"Before the pandemic, the world already faced a learning crisis, with 53 percent of students in low- and middle-income countries - and 87 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa - unable to read a simple text by the time they are 10 years old," it said.

The report said constrained finances and school closures are likely to exacerbate these inequalities, with girls at particular risk of not returning to school.

In the interview, Mr Gates said though, normally the Goalkeepers report projects a very optimistic approach reminding people about progress on things like economic growth, literacy, child survival, average lifespan, this year's report was different.

"This year's report, unfortunately, we're unable to say that there's been progress. In fact, we talk about the setback, and one way we dimensionalise that for like vaccine coverage globally, which went from 84 per cent to 70 per cent, is we say that's a 25-year setback," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

A new report says by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some 37 million people into extreme poverty, a majority of them in developing countries.

A new report says by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed some 37 million people into extreme poverty, a majority of them in developing countries. Also read | Worldwide coronavirus cases surpass 29.2 million-mark: Johns Hopkins University “The pandemic has pushed almost 37 million people below the 2,000 shillings (1.9 U.S. dollars) a day extreme poverty line. The poverty line for lower-middle-income countries is 3.20 dollars a day, and 68 million people have fallen below that one since last year,” says the report. Meanwhile, the percentage of children receiving regular vaccinations for diseases such as measles and diphtheria have fallen from a record high of more than 80% last year to 70% in 2020, levels the report says have not been seen since the 1990s. Elaborating on how the pandemic has impacted routine immunisation, it said the vaccination, a good proxy measure for how health systems are functioning, is dropping to levels last seen in the 1990s. "In other words, we've been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks," it said. The report also talked about the "danger" of how COVID-19 can force the countries to take away their focus from dealing with "residual pandemics". "This would be a heartbreaking injustice. It would also go against the self-interest of the countries at the front of the line," it added. The report said the pandemic is having severe impact on education as well. "Before the pandemic, the world already faced a learning crisis, with 53 percent of students in low- and middle-income countries - and 87 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa - unable to read a simple text by the time they are 10 years old," it said. The report said constrained finances and school closures are likely to exacerbate these inequalities, with girls at particular risk of not returning to school. In the interview, Mr Gates said though, normally the Goalkeepers report projects a very optimistic approach reminding people about progress on things like economic growth, literacy, child survival, average lifespan, this year's report was different. "This year's report, unfortunately, we're unable to say that there's been progress. In fact, we talk about the setback, and one way we dimensionalise that for like vaccine coverage globally, which went from 84 per cent to 70 per cent, is we say that's a 25-year setback," he said. (With inputs from PTI)

Coronavirus pushes 37 million people into extreme poverty: Gates Foundation

Dr Li-Meng Yan, who investigated the origin of the COVID-19 virus during the initial outbreak in Wuhan China as a medical researcher in Hong Kong, has now provided unequivocal evidence that the virus was not of natural origin.

In the article, “Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route,” Dr Yan and her colleagues have offered a detailed description of how the virus was synthesized in laboratories controlled by China’s military.

The Chinese Communist Party and some Western scientists have long insisted that the COVID-19 pandemic was a naturally-occurring outbreak, acquired by humans after exposure to infected animals, an unsubstantiated conclusion eagerly promoted by a politicized media.

According to Dr Yan, that politically-motivated “consensus” has undermined the integrity of science itself because scientific journals have clearly censored any dissenting opinions that suggest a non-natural origin of the COVID-19 virus.

Now, based on the work of Dr Yan and others, the entire foundation of the naturally-occurring theory is in doubt.

China has claimed that a bat coronavirus named RaTG13 is the closest relative to the COVID-19 virus, but RaTG13 is not actually a virus because no biological samples exist. It is only a genomic sequence of a virus for which there are now serious questions about its accuracy.

Dr Yan suggests that RaTG13 may have been used to divert the world’s attention away from the true source of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She claims that the COVID-19 virus originated in laboratories overseen by China’s People’s Liberation Army, using bat coronaviruses ZC45 and/or ZXC21 collected from Zhoushan, China and used as the viral “backbone” for genetic engineering.

Those bat coronaviruses were originally isolated and characterized between July 2015 and February 2017 under the supervision of the Third Military Medical University (Chongqing, China) and the Research Institute for Medicine of Nanjing Command (Nanjing, China).

The article goes on to explain how the receptor binding motif (RBM), which defines the coronavirus’ ability to bind to the specific human angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE2) underwent genetic manipulation.

That critical segment of the COVID-19 virus is bounded by two “restriction sites” not found in any related bat coronaviruses, which allow researchers to easily splice, that is, cut and paste components of other viruses into the viral backbone.

The presence of those restriction sites is a known marker for genetic manipulation.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 virus contains a furin polybasic cleavage site with an amino acid sequence of proline-arginine-arginine-alanine or PRRA that facilitates membrane fusion between the virus and the human cell and widely known for its ability to enhance pathogenicity and transmissibility.

Such a sequence is not found in any other related bat coronavirus and, so far, there is no natural evolutionary pathway identified that could explain the appearance of that PRRA segment.

In contrast, techniques for the artificial insertion of such a furin polybasic cleavage site by genetic engineering have been used for over ten years.

Dr Yan and her colleagues note that the two arginine amino acids in that PRRA segment are coded by the nucleotide sequence CGG-CGG, which rarely appears in tandem and strongly suggests that this furin cleavage site is the result of genetic engineering.

In addition, the presence of a “FauI” restriction site at the furin polybasic cleavage site is also an indication of genetic manipulation.

The article concludes with a diagram describing the laboratory procedures for synthesizing the COVID-19 virus, which could have produced the virus within six months.

Given the scientific censorship that has been underway since the onset of the pandemic, we are only beginning to scratch the surface regarding the laboratory origin of the COVID-19 virus.

Further investigations are warranted and must be forthcoming. With nearly a million dead and trillions of dollars in economic losses, the stakes are too high to ignore, especially if this deadly virus was a product of China’s military.

(Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, who previously worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.)

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Dr Li-Meng Yan, who investigated the origin of the COVID-19 virus during the initial outbreak in Wuhan China as a medical researcher in Hong Kong, has now provided unequivocal evidence that the virus was not of natural origin.

Dr Li-Meng Yan, who investigated the origin of the COVID-19 virus during the initial outbreak in Wuhan China as a medical researcher in Hong Kong, has now provided unequivocal evidence that the virus was not of natural origin. In the article, “Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route,” Dr Yan and her colleagues have offered a detailed description of how the virus was synthesized in laboratories controlled by China’s military. The Chinese Communist Party and some Western scientists have long insisted that the COVID-19 pandemic was a naturally-occurring outbreak, acquired by humans after exposure to infected animals, an unsubstantiated conclusion eagerly promoted by a politicized media. According to Dr Yan, that politically-motivated “consensus” has undermined the integrity of science itself because scientific journals have clearly censored any dissenting opinions that suggest a non-natural origin of the COVID-19 virus. Now, based on the work of Dr Yan and others, the entire foundation of the naturally-occurring theory is in doubt. China has claimed that a bat coronavirus named RaTG13 is the closest relative to the COVID-19 virus, but RaTG13 is not actually a virus because no biological samples exist. It is only a genomic sequence of a virus for which there are now serious questions about its accuracy. Dr Yan suggests that RaTG13 may have been used to divert the world’s attention away from the true source of the COVID-19 pandemic. She claims that the COVID-19 virus originated in laboratories overseen by China’s People’s Liberation Army, using bat coronaviruses ZC45 and/or ZXC21 collected from Zhoushan, China and used as the viral “backbone” for genetic engineering. Those bat coronaviruses were originally isolated and characterized between July 2015 and February 2017 under the supervision of the Third Military Medical University (Chongqing, China) and the Research Institute for Medicine of Nanjing Command (Nanjing, China). The article goes on to explain how the receptor binding motif (RBM), which defines the coronavirus’ ability to bind to the specific human angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor (ACE2) underwent genetic manipulation. That critical segment of the COVID-19 virus is bounded by two “restriction sites” not found in any related bat coronaviruses, which allow researchers to easily splice, that is, cut and paste components of other viruses into the viral backbone. The presence of those restriction sites is a known marker for genetic manipulation. Furthermore, the COVID-19 virus contains a furin polybasic cleavage site with an amino acid sequence of proline-arginine-arginine-alanine or PRRA that facilitates membrane fusion between the virus and the human cell and widely known for its ability to enhance pathogenicity and transmissibility. Such a sequence is not found in any other related bat coronavirus and, so far, there is no natural evolutionary pathway identified that could explain the appearance of that PRRA segment. In contrast, techniques for the artificial insertion of such a furin polybasic cleavage site by genetic engineering have been used for over ten years. Dr Yan and her colleagues note that the two arginine amino acids in that PRRA segment are coded by the nucleotide sequence CGG-CGG, which rarely appears in tandem and strongly suggests that this furin cleavage site is the result of genetic engineering. In addition, the presence of a “FauI” restriction site at the furin polybasic cleavage site is also an indication of genetic manipulation. The article concludes with a diagram describing the laboratory procedures for synthesizing the COVID-19 virus, which could have produced the virus within six months. Given the scientific censorship that has been underway since the onset of the pandemic, we are only beginning to scratch the surface regarding the laboratory origin of the COVID-19 virus. Further investigations are warranted and must be forthcoming. With nearly a million dead and trillions of dollars in economic losses, the stakes are too high to ignore, especially if this deadly virus was a product of China’s military. (Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, who previously worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Chinese scientist says covid-19 was created by China’s military

The global coronavirus toll has surpassed the milestone of 29 million cases, while the deaths have increased to over 928,000, US-based Johns Hopkins University said on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday morning, the total number of coronavirus cases stood at 29,281,638 and the fatalities rose to 928,423, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on the global community to support the UN system, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in particular, in its effort against the coronavirus pandemic

Meanwhile, a new review published in Frontiers in Public Health suggests that COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will likely become seasonal in countries with temperate climates, but only when herd immunity is attained.

Until that time, COVID-19 will continue to circulate across the seasons. These conclusions highlight the absolute importance of public health measures needed just now to control the virus.

"COVID-19 is here to stay and it will continue to cause outbreaks year-round until herd immunity is achieved. Therefore, the public will need to learn to live with it and continue practicing the best prevention measures, including wearing of masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and avoidance of gatherings," said senior author of the study Dr. Hassan Zaraket, of the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

(With inputs from agencies)

The global coronavirus toll has surpassed the milestone of 29 million cases, while the deaths have increased to over 928,000, US-based Johns Hopkins University said on Wednesday.

The global coronavirus toll has surpassed the milestone of 29 million cases, while the deaths have increased to over 928,000, US-based Johns Hopkins University said on Wednesday. As of Tuesday morning, the total number of coronavirus cases stood at 29,281,638 and the fatalities rose to 928,423, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on the global community to support the UN system, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in particular, in its effort against the coronavirus pandemic Meanwhile, a new review published in Frontiers in Public Health suggests that COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will likely become seasonal in countries with temperate climates, but only when herd immunity is attained. Until that time, COVID-19 will continue to circulate across the seasons. These conclusions highlight the absolute importance of public health measures needed just now to control the virus. "COVID-19 is here to stay and it will continue to cause outbreaks year-round until herd immunity is achieved. Therefore, the public will need to learn to live with it and continue practicing the best prevention measures, including wearing of masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and avoidance of gatherings," said senior author of the study Dr. Hassan Zaraket, of the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. (With inputs from agencies)

Worldwide coronavirus cases surpass 29.2 million-mark: Johns Hopkins University

India on Thursday recorded 95,735 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the overall tally to 44,65,863, according to Union health ministry data.

The number of active cases stand at 9,19,018, while the number of patients discharged from the hospital has reached 34,71,783.

The disease also claimed 1,172 lives in the last 24 hours, which pushed the overall death toll to 75,062, the health ministry data showed.

Meanwhile, a grim global milestone was also reported today as the worldwide toll due to the virus crossed the 9 lakh mark, according to Johns Hopkins tally.

The death toll now stands at 901,050 with 27.7 million total cases and 18.6 million recoveries.

(With inputs from agencies)

India on Thursday recorded 95,735 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the overall tally to 44,65,863, according to Union health ministry data. The number of active cases stand at 9,19,018, while the number of patients discharged from the hospital has reached 34,71,783.

India on Thursday recorded 95,735 new cases of the coronavirus disease which pushed the overall tally to 44,65,863, according to Union health ministry data. The number of active cases stand at 9,19,018, while the number of patients discharged from the hospital has reached 34,71,783. The disease also claimed 1,172 lives in the last 24 hours, which pushed the overall death toll to 75,062, the health ministry data showed. Meanwhile, a grim global milestone was also reported today as the worldwide toll due to the virus crossed the 9 lakh mark, according to Johns Hopkins tally. The death toll now stands at 901,050 with 27.7 million total cases and 18.6 million recoveries. (With inputs from agencies)

With 95,735 fresh cases, India records highest ever daily spike; tally breaches 44.6 lakh

Twenty-six scientists, most of them working at universities in Italy, have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the data presented in the early-stage trial results of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, named "Sputnik-V".

Addressing the editor of The Lancet, the international peer-reviewed medical journal in which Moscow's Gamaleya Institute published its early-stage trial results, the scientists said they saw patterns in the data that looked "highly unlikely".

The letter, published on the personal blog page of one of the signatories, said the Phase I/II trial results data showed multiple participants reporting identical antibody levels.

"On the ground of simple probabilistic evaluations the fact of observing so many data points preserved among different experiments is highly unlikely," the open letter said.

However, the scientists said they were basing their conclusions on summaries of the Russian trial result data, published in the journal, rather than the original data itself.

"In lack of the original numerical data, no conclusions can be definitively drawn on the reliability of the data presented, especially regarding the apparent duplications detected," the letter said.

The Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, rejected the critique.

"The published results are authentic and accurate and were examined by five reviewers at The Lancet," Denis Logunov, a deputy director at the institute, said in a statement.

He said his institute submitted the entire body of raw data on the trial results to The Lancet.

"We presented specifically the data that was produced (by the trial), not the data that is supposed to please Italian experts," Logunov said.

Naor Bar-Zeev, deputy director at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who peer reviewed the Russian data, defended his analysis of the research.

"Science must maintain a balance between incredulity, skepticism and trust. That trust is borne out through plausibility, repeatability and falsifiability."

"The results are plausible, and not very different to those seen with other AdV vectored products," he said.

The researchers had provided more detail than was needed for the review and responded to his questions "intelligently and in a matter-of-fact and confident but understated manner".

"Bottom line, I saw no reason to doubt the legitimacy of these results over others I have read and reviewed. But of course one can never know," he said in an email.

A spokeswoman for the Lancet said the journal had invited the study's authors to respond to the questions raised in the open letter. It was following the situation closely, she said.

Russia published results on Friday of its Phase I/II trial, which included 76 participants and was conducted in June-July this year. Participants developed a positive immune response and no serious side effects, the study's authors said.

A Phase III trial, involving 40,000 participants, was launched on Aug. 26. Around 31,000 people have already subscribed to take part, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.

Twenty-six scientists, most of them working at universities in Italy, have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the data presented in the early-stage trial results of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, named "Sputnik-V".

Twenty-six scientists, most of them working at universities in Italy, have signed an open letter questioning the reliability of the data presented in the early-stage trial results of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, named "Sputnik-V". Addressing the editor of The Lancet, the international peer-reviewed medical journal in which Moscow's Gamaleya Institute published its early-stage trial results, the scientists said they saw patterns in the data that looked "highly unlikely". The letter, published on the personal blog page of one of the signatories, said the Phase I/II trial results data showed multiple participants reporting identical antibody levels. "On the ground of simple probabilistic evaluations the fact of observing so many data points preserved among different experiments is highly unlikely," the open letter said. However, the scientists said they were basing their conclusions on summaries of the Russian trial result data, published in the journal, rather than the original data itself. "In lack of the original numerical data, no conclusions can be definitively drawn on the reliability of the data presented, especially regarding the apparent duplications detected," the letter said. The Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, rejected the critique. "The published results are authentic and accurate and were examined by five reviewers at The Lancet," Denis Logunov, a deputy director at the institute, said in a statement. He said his institute submitted the entire body of raw data on the trial results to The Lancet. "We presented specifically the data that was produced (by the trial), not the data that is supposed to please Italian experts," Logunov said. Naor Bar-Zeev, deputy director at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who peer reviewed the Russian data, defended his analysis of the research. "Science must maintain a balance between incredulity, skepticism and trust. That trust is borne out through plausibility, repeatability and falsifiability." "The results are plausible, and not very different to those seen with other AdV vectored products," he said. The researchers had provided more detail than was needed for the review and responded to his questions "intelligently and in a matter-of-fact and confident but understated manner". "Bottom line, I saw no reason to doubt the legitimacy of these results over others I have read and reviewed. But of course one can never know," he said in an email. A spokeswoman for the Lancet said the journal had invited the study's authors to respond to the questions raised in the open letter. It was following the situation closely, she said. Russia published results on Friday of its Phase I/II trial, which included 76 participants and was conducted in June-July this year. Participants developed a positive immune response and no serious side effects, the study's authors said. A Phase III trial, involving 40,000 participants, was launched on Aug. 26. Around 31,000 people have already subscribed to take part, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said.

‘Unlikely patterns in Russia vaccine data’: 26 scientists warn in open letter

The global death toll from the coronavirus passed 900,000 on Wednesday, as worldwide cases topped 27.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.&nbsp;

The exact case count is 27,886,825, according to the situation report. This includes 904,103 coronavirus-related fatalities and more than 18,791,196 recoveries.

The United States remains the world’s worst-affected country, exceeding 190,000 and cases exceeding 6.3 million. Brazil is in second place with more than 127,000 deaths followed by India with nearly 74,000 dead.

(With inputs from agencies)

The global death toll from the coronavirus passed 900,000 on Wednesday, as worldwide cases topped 27.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The exact case count is 27,886,825, according to the situation report.

The global death toll from the coronavirus passed 900,000 on Wednesday, as worldwide cases topped 27.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The exact case count is 27,886,825, according to the situation report. This includes 904,103 coronavirus-related fatalities and more than 18,791,196 recoveries. The United States remains the world’s worst-affected country, exceeding 190,000 and cases exceeding 6.3 million. Brazil is in second place with more than 127,000 deaths followed by India with nearly 74,000 dead. (With inputs from agencies)

Worldwide coronavirus deaths hit 9 lakh as cases surge in India

The government of Britain is banning gatherings of more than six people in England from September 14, as officials try to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the UK. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-voluntarily-pauses-clinical-trials-after-unexplained-illness-326112">Also read | COVID-19 vaccine: AstraZeneca 'voluntarily pauses' clinical trials after unexplained illness</a> 
 
The sharp increase in the number of cases has been largely blamed on party-going young adults disregarding social distancing rules. 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-handled-covid-19-openly-and-transparently-xi-jinping-325898" hreflang="en">China handled COVID-19 openly and transparently: Xi Jinping</a>

First offenders will be fined £100, which will double on each further repeat offence up to £3,200.

The new rule does not apply to households or bubbles of more than six, or gatherings for work or education. Weddings, funerals, and organised team sports carried out in a COVID secure way are also exempted.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-releases-first-batch-of-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-into-public-325883" hreflang="en">Russia releases first batch of Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V into public</a>

The full list of exemptions will be revealed by the government before the law changes on Monday.

The number of cases in the United Kingdom has begun to rise sharply again in recent days.

There were 2,460 new infections reported on Tuesday, 2,948 on Monday and 2,988 on Sunday - a sharp rise from levels of around 1,000 per day in August and attributed to high levels of transmission among young people.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which together make up the United Kingdom, set their own lockdown policies.

(With inputs from agencies)

The government of Britain is banning gatherings of more than six people in England from September 14, as officials try to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the UK.

The government of Britain is banning gatherings of more than six people in England from September 14, as officials try to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the UK. Also read | COVID-19 vaccine: AstraZeneca 'voluntarily pauses' clinical trials after unexplained illness The sharp increase in the number of cases has been largely blamed on party-going young adults disregarding social distancing rules. Also read: China handled COVID-19 openly and transparently: Xi Jinping First offenders will be fined £100, which will double on each further repeat offence up to £3,200. The new rule does not apply to households or bubbles of more than six, or gatherings for work or education. Weddings, funerals, and organised team sports carried out in a COVID secure way are also exempted. Also read: Russia releases first batch of Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V into public The full list of exemptions will be revealed by the government before the law changes on Monday. The number of cases in the United Kingdom has begun to rise sharply again in recent days. There were 2,460 new infections reported on Tuesday, 2,948 on Monday and 2,988 on Sunday - a sharp rise from levels of around 1,000 per day in August and attributed to high levels of transmission among young people. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which together make up the United Kingdom, set their own lockdown policies. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid-19: Social gatherings of more than 6 people banned in England from September 14

Delhi State Government on Wednesday passed an order that made doctor's prescription for coronavirus test unnecessary. As per the order, anyone can get himself or herseld tested for an infection of coronavirus.

"...it has been decided that hecneforth there will be no requirement of a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner for Covid-19 testing in NCT of Delhi..." said the official order.

However, the order added that the tests will be carried out in accordance with the strategy/advisory issued by Indian Council of Medical Research.

Though the official order was passed on Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted on Tuesday itself announcing the decision of the government.

 
"Delhi govt has increased testing multi-fold.I have directed Health Minister this morning that Doctor’s prescription shud not be asked for testing. Anyone can get himself tested," tweeted Kejriwal.

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Delhi govt has increased testing multi-fold. 
 
I have directed Health Minister this morning that Doctor’s prescription shud not be asked for testing. Anyone can get himself tested.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/1303310636865126401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As per latest numbers released by Ministry of Health, Delhi has 22,377 active coronavirus cases. In past 24 hours 1834 new cases have been detected. 170140 patients have been cured so far. They have been 4618 deaths. 
&nbsp;

Delhi State Government on Wednesday passed an order that made doctor's prescription for coronavirus test unnecessary. As per the order, anyone can get himself or herseld tested for an infection of coronavirus.

Delhi State Government on Wednesday passed an order that made doctor's prescription for coronavirus test unnecessary. As per the order, anyone can get himself or herseld tested for an infection of coronavirus. "...it has been decided that hecneforth there will be no requirement of a prescription from a qualified medical practitioner for Covid-19 testing in NCT of Delhi..." said the official order. However, the order added that the tests will be carried out in accordance with the strategy/advisory issued by Indian Council of Medical Research. Though the official order was passed on Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted on Tuesday itself announcing the decision of the government. "Delhi govt has increased testing multi-fold.I have directed Health Minister this morning that Doctor’s prescription shud not be asked for testing. Anyone can get himself tested," tweeted Kejriwal. Delhi govt has increased testing multi-fold. I have directed Health Minister this morning that Doctor’s prescription shud not be asked for testing. Anyone can get himself tested. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 8, 2020 × As per latest numbers released by Ministry of Health, Delhi has 22,377 active coronavirus cases. In past 24 hours 1834 new cases have been detected. 170140 patients have been cured so far. They have been 4618 deaths.

Doctor's prescription not needed for Covid-19 test in Delhi from now

Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, reiterated on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccinations will not be obligatory when they become available.

“Many people want the vaccine to be applied in a coercive way, but there is no law that provides for that,” Bolsonaro said in a Facebook live chat with his supporters.

Vice President Hamilton Mourão said earlier that mass vaccination was inevitable to fight the pandemic in Brazil, but was firmly in line with Bolsonaro’s stance.

“There is no way for the government - unless we live in a dictatorship - to force everyone to get vaccinated,” Mourão said in a radio interview.

Also Read: <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/its-an-age-thing-brazillian-president-jair-bolsonaro-to-undergo-surgery-for-kidney-stones-324406">'It's an age thing': Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro to undergo surgery for kidney stones</a>

In the second worst outbreak outside of the United States, Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and the official death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 124,614, the health ministry said.

In the 24 hours preceding Thursday afternoon, 43,773 new cases were reported in the country and there were 834 deaths from the virus.

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Brazil last month signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to buy 30 million doses of the vaccine it is developing with Oxford University, with an option for 70 million more doses if the vaccine works.

Latin America’s most populous country has become a key testing ground for a COVID-19 vaccines and has approved phase 3 clinical trials for four that are under development, by Oxford University/AstraZeneca, China’s Sinovac Biotech, and Pfizer Inc in partnership with BioNTech and Johnson &amp; Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen. 
&nbsp;

Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, reiterated on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccinations will not be obligatory when they become available.

Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, reiterated on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccinations will not be obligatory when they become available. “Many people want the vaccine to be applied in a coercive way, but there is no law that provides for that,” Bolsonaro said in a Facebook live chat with his supporters. Vice President Hamilton Mourão said earlier that mass vaccination was inevitable to fight the pandemic in Brazil, but was firmly in line with Bolsonaro’s stance. “There is no way for the government - unless we live in a dictatorship - to force everyone to get vaccinated,” Mourão said in a radio interview. Also Read: 'It's an age thing': Brazillian President Jair Bolsonaro to undergo surgery for kidney stones In the second worst outbreak outside of the United States, Brazil has recorded more than 4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and the official death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 124,614, the health ministry said. In the 24 hours preceding Thursday afternoon, 43,773 new cases were reported in the country and there were 834 deaths from the virus. × Brazil last month signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to buy 30 million doses of the vaccine it is developing with Oxford University, with an option for 70 million more doses if the vaccine works. Latin America’s most populous country has become a key testing ground for a COVID-19 vaccines and has approved phase 3 clinical trials for four that are under development, by Oxford University/AstraZeneca, China’s Sinovac Biotech, and Pfizer Inc in partnership with BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen.

Brazil President Bolsonaro says COVID-19 vaccinations will not be mandatory

India is among the countries that China has taken advantage of since the outbreak of the COVID-19 from Wuhan, US diplomat David Stilwell said on Wednesday.

"What we have seen since the corona outbreak from Wuhan is it seems the PRC (People`s Republic of China) is trying to take advantage of the situation, and India, I think, is one of those examples of that. So to our friends in Beijing, I would ask them to follow their commitment to resolve these things through peaceful means and dialogue," Stilwell said at a press briefing here.&nbsp;

The Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs also reiterated Secretary Pompeo`s remarks that the United States hopes for a peaceful resolution to the border standoff between India and China.The US diplomat`s remark comes after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Army`s attempt on the night of August 29 and 30 to transgress into areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso.Indian Army said that on the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

Also Read: <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/in-tit-for-tat-move-us-imposes-fresh-restrictions-on-chinese-diplomats-324854">In tit-for-tat move, US imposes fresh restrictions on Chinese diplomats</a> 
 
On a question over the border stand-off between India and China, Stilwell added: "For the conflict in the Himalayas, like all things, especially related to the PRC`s differences of opinion with its neighbours, is we advise them to return to dialogue, resolve these things peacefully without coercion, use of force."Further talking about China`s engagement in other areas, he said: "...many conflicts that are going on in China`s periphery right now. You mentioned Tibet. Xinjiang - very concerned still about what they`re doing there. Hong Kong activities, South China Sea - I could go on and on.

"Earlier in the press briefing, Pompeo had slammed the Chinese Communist Party for engaging in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours."From the Taiwan Strait to the Himalayas and beyond, the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours. It is also evident in the South China Sea," he said.

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"We are hoping for a peaceful resolution of the situation on the India-China border," he added.

India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.Negotiations between the two sides have been going on for the last three months, including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far. 
&nbsp;

India is among the countries that China has taken advantage of since the outbreak of the COVID-19 from Wuhan, US diplomat David Stilwell said on Wednesday. "What we have seen since the corona outbreak from Wuhan is it seems the PRC (People`s Republic of China) is trying to take advantage of the situation, and India, I think, is one of those examples of that.

India is among the countries that China has taken advantage of since the outbreak of the COVID-19 from Wuhan, US diplomat David Stilwell said on Wednesday. "What we have seen since the corona outbreak from Wuhan is it seems the PRC (People`s Republic of China) is trying to take advantage of the situation, and India, I think, is one of those examples of that. So to our friends in Beijing, I would ask them to follow their commitment to resolve these things through peaceful means and dialogue," Stilwell said at a press briefing here. The Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs also reiterated Secretary Pompeo`s remarks that the United States hopes for a peaceful resolution to the border standoff between India and China.The US diplomat`s remark comes after the Indian Army thwarted Chinese Army`s attempt on the night of August 29 and 30 to transgress into areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso.Indian Army said that on the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo. Also Read: In tit-for-tat move, US imposes fresh restrictions on Chinese diplomats On a question over the border stand-off between India and China, Stilwell added: "For the conflict in the Himalayas, like all things, especially related to the PRC`s differences of opinion with its neighbours, is we advise them to return to dialogue, resolve these things peacefully without coercion, use of force."Further talking about China`s engagement in other areas, he said: "...many conflicts that are going on in China`s periphery right now. You mentioned Tibet. Xinjiang - very concerned still about what they`re doing there. Hong Kong activities, South China Sea - I could go on and on. "Earlier in the press briefing, Pompeo had slammed the Chinese Communist Party for engaging in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours."From the Taiwan Strait to the Himalayas and beyond, the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in a clear and intensifying pattern of bullying its neighbours. It is also evident in the South China Sea," he said. × "We are hoping for a peaceful resolution of the situation on the India-China border," he added. India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.Negotiations between the two sides have been going on for the last three months, including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.

China taking advantage of COVID-19 outbreak, India one such example: US Diplomat

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 47 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021 in South Asia.

The report, "From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the wake of COVID-19", said that the gender poverty gap will worsen further still in South Asia.

According to new data released by the UN, the female poverty rate in South Asia will increase in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more women than men in the 25-34 age group will be poorer in the next decade.

"The expected rise of poverty in South Asia as a result of the economic fallout of the pandemic showcases the vulnerability of women and girls living in households that have only recently been able to escape poverty, the report released on Wednesday said.

The pre-pandemic female poverty rate in South Asia was projected to be 10 per cent in 2021 but is now expected to reach 13 per cent.

"Moreover, before the pandemic, projections for the region suggested that by 2030 only 15.8 per cent of the world's poor women and girls would be living in South Asia.

In the 25-34 age group, there will be 118 poor women for every 100 poor men in South Asia, and that ratio will increase to 129 women for every 100 men by 2030.

Meanwhile, the Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on.

The situation makes it "imperative" that creditors reduce the amount of debt held by poor countries at risk, going beyond the commitment to suspend debt payments, Malpass said in an interview with AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 47 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021 in South Asia. The report, "From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the wake of COVID-19", said that the gender poverty gap will worsen further still in South Asia.

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 47 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021 in South Asia. The report, "From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the wake of COVID-19", said that the gender poverty gap will worsen further still in South Asia. According to new data released by the UN, the female poverty rate in South Asia will increase in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more women than men in the 25-34 age group will be poorer in the next decade. "The expected rise of poverty in South Asia as a result of the economic fallout of the pandemic showcases the vulnerability of women and girls living in households that have only recently been able to escape poverty, the report released on Wednesday said. The pre-pandemic female poverty rate in South Asia was projected to be 10 per cent in 2021 but is now expected to reach 13 per cent. "Moreover, before the pandemic, projections for the region suggested that by 2030 only 15.8 per cent of the world's poor women and girls would be living in South Asia. In the 25-34 age group, there will be 118 poor women for every 100 poor men in South Asia, and that ratio will increase to 129 women for every 100 men by 2030. Meanwhile, the Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on. The situation makes it "imperative" that creditors reduce the amount of debt held by poor countries at risk, going beyond the commitment to suspend debt payments, Malpass said in an interview with AFP. (With inputs from agencies)

Female poverty rate in South Asia projected to rise due to covid-19: UN 

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 25 million people, with 8.58 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 25,809,515 confirmed coronavirus cases.

The death count has also surged to 858,295.

The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,082,260 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,950,931.

(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 25 million people, with 8.58 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 25 million people, with 8.58 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 25,809,515 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death count has also surged to 858,295. The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,082,260 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,950,931. (With inputs from agencies)

Global coronavirus cases exceed 25 million; death toll at 858,295

The government of India on Wednesday allowed Indian airlines to increase the number of domestic passenger flights to 60 per cent of their pre-COVID services.

The average occupancy rate in domestic flights since their resumption in India on May 25 has been around 50-60 per cent only.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country since March 23 due to the pandemic.

However, special international flights have been operating under Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble pacts signed with various countries since July.

Meanwhile, India's coronavirus tally inched closer to 38 lakh mark with single-day spike of 78,357 new positive cases and 1,045 deaths in the past 24 hours.

With the latest spike, the total COVID-19 cases in India has surged to 37,69,524. Of the total cases, 8,01,282 are active cases while 29,01,909 have been cured and discharged from hospitals.

(With inputs from agencies)

The government of India on Wednesday allowed Indian airlines to increase the number of domestic passenger flights to 60 per cent of their pre-COVID services. The average occupancy rate in domestic flights since their resumption in India on May 25 has been around 50-60 per cent only.

The government of India on Wednesday allowed Indian airlines to increase the number of domestic passenger flights to 60 per cent of their pre-COVID services. The average occupancy rate in domestic flights since their resumption in India on May 25 has been around 50-60 per cent only. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country since March 23 due to the pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating under Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble pacts signed with various countries since July. Meanwhile, India's coronavirus tally inched closer to 38 lakh mark with single-day spike of 78,357 new positive cases and 1,045 deaths in the past 24 hours. With the latest spike, the total COVID-19 cases in India has surged to 37,69,524. Of the total cases, 8,01,282 are active cases while 29,01,909 have been cured and discharged from hospitals. (With inputs from agencies)

Centre allows airlines to fly 60 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic passenger flights

One in four adults globally do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19, largely due to their apprehensions about side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine, but the proportion of such people is much less at about 13 per cent in India, a new survey showed on Tuesday.

The World Economic Forum-Ipsos survey of nearly 20,000 adults from 27 countries also put Indians as the third most optimistic population -- after China and Saudi Arabia -- about a COVID-19 vaccine being available in 2020 itself.

Globally, 74 per cent respondents said they would get a vaccine for COVID-19 if it is available, but more than half (59 per cent) do not expect that one will be available before the end of this year.

Arnaud Bernaert, Head of Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare at the WEF, said, "the 26 per cent shortfall in vaccine confidence is significant enough to compromise the effectiveness of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine.

It is therefore critical that governments and the private sector come together to build confidence and ensure that manufacturing capacity meets the global supply of a COVID-19 vaccination programme.

This will require cooperation between researchers and manufacturers and public funding arrangements that remove restrictions to vaccine access".

The countries where the COVID-19 vaccination intent was found to be the highest are China (97 per cent), Brazil (88 per cent), Australia (88 per cent), and India (87 per cent).

Those where it is lowest are Russia (54 per cent), Poland (56 per cent), Hungary (56 per cent), and France (59 per cent).

However, in most countries, those who agree outnumber those who disagree by a significant margin, the WEF said while announcing the survey results.

Across all 27 countries, 59 per cent respondents disagreed that "a vaccine for COVID-19 will be available to me before the end of 2020".

China stood out for its optimism with 87 per cent of those surveyed expecting a vaccine to be ready this year, followed by Saudi Arabia (75 per cent) and India (74 per cent).

By contrast, skepticism prevails in Germany, Belgium, Japan and Poland where fewer than one in four adults anticipate that a vaccine will be available at some point in the next four months, the WEF said.

The most frequently mentioned reason for not taking a vaccine among those who would not get one is worry about side effects, followed by the perception of effectiveness.

There are also several countries that feel they are not sufficiently at risk and a proportion who are against vaccines in general, the survey results showed.

Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation, said the survey was conducted between July 24 and August 7 by Ipsos, the world's third-largest market research firm, on its global advisor online survey platform.

The surveyed countries also included the US, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy.

One in four adults globally do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19, largely due to their apprehensions about side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine, but the proportion of such people is much less at about 13 per cent in India, a new survey showed on Tuesday.

One in four adults globally do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19, largely due to their apprehensions about side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine, but the proportion of such people is much less at about 13 per cent in India, a new survey showed on Tuesday. The World Economic Forum-Ipsos survey of nearly 20,000 adults from 27 countries also put Indians as the third most optimistic population -- after China and Saudi Arabia -- about a COVID-19 vaccine being available in 2020 itself. Globally, 74 per cent respondents said they would get a vaccine for COVID-19 if it is available, but more than half (59 per cent) do not expect that one will be available before the end of this year. Arnaud Bernaert, Head of Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare at the WEF, said, "the 26 per cent shortfall in vaccine confidence is significant enough to compromise the effectiveness of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine. It is therefore critical that governments and the private sector come together to build confidence and ensure that manufacturing capacity meets the global supply of a COVID-19 vaccination programme. This will require cooperation between researchers and manufacturers and public funding arrangements that remove restrictions to vaccine access". The countries where the COVID-19 vaccination intent was found to be the highest are China (97 per cent), Brazil (88 per cent), Australia (88 per cent), and India (87 per cent). Those where it is lowest are Russia (54 per cent), Poland (56 per cent), Hungary (56 per cent), and France (59 per cent). However, in most countries, those who agree outnumber those who disagree by a significant margin, the WEF said while announcing the survey results. Across all 27 countries, 59 per cent respondents disagreed that "a vaccine for COVID-19 will be available to me before the end of 2020". China stood out for its optimism with 87 per cent of those surveyed expecting a vaccine to be ready this year, followed by Saudi Arabia (75 per cent) and India (74 per cent). By contrast, skepticism prevails in Germany, Belgium, Japan and Poland where fewer than one in four adults anticipate that a vaccine will be available at some point in the next four months, the WEF said. The most frequently mentioned reason for not taking a vaccine among those who would not get one is worry about side effects, followed by the perception of effectiveness. There are also several countries that feel they are not sufficiently at risk and a proportion who are against vaccines in general, the survey results showed. Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation, said the survey was conducted between July 24 and August 7 by Ipsos, the world's third-largest market research firm, on its global advisor online survey platform. The surveyed countries also included the US, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy.

One in four adults globally do not want COVID-19 vaccination: Survey

As many as 151 Maharashtra Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 and five others have lost their lives in the last 24 hours, according to the state police department on Saturday.According to the Maharashtra Police, so far a total number of 14,792 cops have tested positive for COVID-19 and while 11,867 have recovered after treatment, 153 others lost their lives due to the virus.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, 2,772 cops are active COVID-19 patients in the state.Police have registered as many as 2,43,934 offences under Section 188 (disobedience or order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Also, 340 incidents of assualt on police have been reported in the state.

Also Read: <a href="http://13.235.153.162/india-news/no-bjp-leader-took-aaditya-thackerays-name-in-sushant-case-says-ex-maharashtra-cm-devendra-fadnavis-323725">No BJP leader took Aaditya Thackeray's name in Sushant case, says Ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis</a> 
 
Moreover, the Maharashtra Police has arrested 34,017 people for flouting COVID-19 guidelines and fined a total amount of Rs 23,36,44,394.&nbsp;

As per the police, 72 incidents of attack on health professionals have been reported and 829 people have been found violating quarantine measures in the state.According to official data, there are a total number of 1,81,050 active COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, while 5,43,170 people have recovered after treatment and 23,775 others have lost their lives due to the virus.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

As many as 151 Maharashtra Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 and five others have lost their lives in the last 24 hours, according to the state police department on Saturday.

As many as 151 Maharashtra Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 and five others have lost their lives in the last 24 hours, according to the state police department on Saturday.According to the Maharashtra Police, so far a total number of 14,792 cops have tested positive for COVID-19 and while 11,867 have recovered after treatment, 153 others lost their lives due to the virus. Meanwhile, 2,772 cops are active COVID-19 patients in the state.Police have registered as many as 2,43,934 offences under Section 188 (disobedience or order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Also, 340 incidents of assualt on police have been reported in the state. Also Read: No BJP leader took Aaditya Thackeray's name in Sushant case, says Ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Moreover, the Maharashtra Police has arrested 34,017 people for flouting COVID-19 guidelines and fined a total amount of Rs 23,36,44,394. As per the police, 72 incidents of attack on health professionals have been reported and 829 people have been found violating quarantine measures in the state.According to official data, there are a total number of 1,81,050 active COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, while 5,43,170 people have recovered after treatment and 23,775 others have lost their lives due to the virus.

Maharashtra Police reports 151 new COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths in 24 hours

The University of Arizona discovered early indications of coronavirus in a student hostel by testing the wastewater and regularly screening the sewage from each dorm. 
 
The authorities were successfully able to head off an outbreak there.

According to the media reports, the researchers prevented a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by asymptomatic individuals inside one of its dormitory by conducting a test program on wastewater coming from campus hostel.

“We did test — I think there are 311 individuals in that dorm — and we did the antigen test yesterday and found two positive cases there,” said campus President Robert Robbins to tucson.com.&nbsp;

“We’re running down contact tracing their contacts, and those two individuals have gone to isolation yesterday morning.”

The wastewater testing provides a way to monitor for potential cases, particularly asymptomatic ones, beyond individual tests for the virus, researchers said.

Meanwhile, US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 180,000 on Thursday after a surge of new cases in June and July, many of them in hotspots like California, Florida, and Texas.

There were some signs of an improving outlook. Last week, deaths fell 17% from the prior week and below an average of 1,000 a day for the first time in weeks, according to a Reuters analysis.

(With inputs from agencies)

The University of Arizona discovered early indications of coronavirus in a student hostel by testing the wastewater and regularly screening the sewage from each dorm.

The University of Arizona discovered early indications of coronavirus in a student hostel by testing the wastewater and regularly screening the sewage from each dorm. The authorities were successfully able to head off an outbreak there. According to the media reports, the researchers prevented a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by asymptomatic individuals inside one of its dormitory by conducting a test program on wastewater coming from campus hostel. “We did test — I think there are 311 individuals in that dorm — and we did the antigen test yesterday and found two positive cases there,” said campus President Robert Robbins to tucson.com. “We’re running down contact tracing their contacts, and those two individuals have gone to isolation yesterday morning.” The wastewater testing provides a way to monitor for potential cases, particularly asymptomatic ones, beyond individual tests for the virus, researchers said. Meanwhile, US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 180,000 on Thursday after a surge of new cases in June and July, many of them in hotspots like California, Florida, and Texas. There were some signs of an improving outlook. Last week, deaths fell 17% from the prior week and below an average of 1,000 a day for the first time in weeks, according to a Reuters analysis. (With inputs from agencies)

US university claims to stop Covid-19 outbreak with help of 'poop'

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 22 million people, with 7.93 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of&nbsp;22,683,769 confirmed coronavirus cases.

The death count has also surged to 793,773.

The US, the worst-hit country, has 5,745,520 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,505,097. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 22 million people, with 7.93 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 22 million people, with 7.93 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 22,683,769 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death count has also surged to 793,773. The US, the worst-hit country, has 5,745,520 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,505,097. (With inputs from agencies)

Global coronavirus cases exceed 22 million; death toll at 793,773

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 24 million people, with 8.27 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 24,234,340 confirmed coronavirus cases.

The death count has also surged to 827,110.

The US, the worst-hit country, has 5,832,581 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,717,156 cases.

The US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said that the underlying US economy remains solid, but high unemployment could persist for years in the sectors most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

"There's is still a healthy economy under here, except for this area that's been directly affected by COVID," Powell said in a discussion as part of the Jackson Hole central banking conference.

But millions of workers in travel, hotels and restaurants have been directly impacted, which means "a couple of years of... relatively high unemployment."

People in those industries are "really going to struggle to find work... We need to support them."

Meanwhile, the European Commission has made a 336 million euros ($396 million) down payment to British drug maker AstraZeneca to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The deal covers development, liability and other costs faced by the vaccine maker. The EU has also secured an option to buy 100 million additional doses of the vaccine under development.

(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 24 million people, with 8.27 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 24 million people, with 8.27 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 24,234,340 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death count has also surged to 827,110. The US, the worst-hit country, has 5,832,581 cases. It is followed by Brazil, which has 3,717,156 cases. The US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said that the underlying US economy remains solid, but high unemployment could persist for years in the sectors most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. "There's is still a healthy economy under here, except for this area that's been directly affected by COVID," Powell said in a discussion as part of the Jackson Hole central banking conference. But millions of workers in travel, hotels and restaurants have been directly impacted, which means "a couple of years of... relatively high unemployment." People in those industries are "really going to struggle to find work... We need to support them." Meanwhile, the European Commission has made a 336 million euros ($396 million) down payment to British drug maker AstraZeneca to secure at least 300 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine. The deal covers development, liability and other costs faced by the vaccine maker. The EU has also secured an option to buy 100 million additional doses of the vaccine under development. (With inputs from agencies)

Global coronavirus cases exceed 24 million; death toll at 827,110

Probably not. That is, the latest attempt to demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic arose from a naturally-occurring transmission from animals to humans has failed, leaving a laboratory origin as the only logical conclusion.

In April 2012, six miners in the Mojiang mine in southwestern China’s Yunnan province <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/covid-19-first-appeared-in-chinese-miners-in-2012-scientists/">became sick </a>with a pneumonia-like illness after spending between 4-14 days removing bat feces. Three eventually died.

Virologist Jonathan Latham and molecular biologist Allison Wilson <a href="https://www.independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/a-proposed-origin-for-sars-cov-2-and-the-covid-19-pandemic/">believe</a> that the miners’ illness resulted from being infected with bat coronavirus during a cave clean-up project, which genetically adapted to human infection within one of the miners and evolved into SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biological samples from that miner eventually found their way to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where unfrozen samples of the fully human-adapted SARS-CoV-2 infected a laboratory worker and began the pandemic.

The Latham-Wilson theory is at least partially based on a translation of a 66-page master’s thesis from the Chinese medical doctor, Li Xu, who treated the miners and sent their tissue samples to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for testing.

The patients had a high fever, a dry cough, sore limbs and, in some cases, headaches — all symptoms now <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/covid-19-first-appeared-in-chinese-miners-in-2012-scientists/">associated</a> with COVID-19.

Unfortunately, without detailed differential diagnosis, COVID-19 is difficult to distinguish from histoplasmosis, a respiratory infection<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/histoplasmosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20373495"> caused by</a> the inhalation of fungal spores of Histoplasma capsulatum found in bat and bird droppings, especially when the droppings are disturbed by demolition or clean-up projects.

Similar to COVID-19, histoplasmosis causes symptoms of fever, chills, head and muscle aches, dry cough, chest discomfort and fatigue, appearing between 3 and 17 days after exposure.

The mildest forms of histoplasmosis cause no signs or symptoms, but severe infections can be life-threatening, which are usually associated with people with compromised immune systems or preconditions.

The severity of histoplasmosis is related to the number of spores one inhales, but, unlike COVID-19, it is not contagious

Four of the six miners, including the three that died, had spent the longest times in the mine, fourteen or more days. The two miners with the mildest symptoms had spent only four days in the mine. The three deaths were associated with secondary bacterial infections and compromised immune systems.

All the infections began within the 3-17 day incubation period for histoplasmosis, although no specific test for that infection appears to have been done and anti-fungal medication had mixed results.

&nbsp;None of the miners tested during the hospitalization period were positive for viral infection and the CT scans were slightly more indicative for histoplasmosis than COVID-19.

In addition, there are several weak links in the Latham-Wilson theory that SARS-CoV-2 evolved within one of the miners, which was later released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in a laboratory accident and caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

First of all, such an extensive genetic evolution needed to go from its closest bat coronavirus relative, RaTG13, to SARS-CoV-2, about 1,200 nucleotides, has never been described to occur in a single patient.

Furthermore, the structure of RaTG13’s receptor binding domain, which binds to the human cell is sufficiently different from that of SARS-CoV-2, making an initial human infection by RaTG13 to begin a human adaptation process highly unlikely.

Even if bat to human transmission had occurred in the miners and high adaptation for human infection was achieved, there is no record of any human to human transmission, despite no extraordinary precautions being implemented during the hospitalisation.

The simplest explanation for the Mojiang miners’ illness in April 2012 is the fungal infection, histoplasmosis.

That conclusion still leaves open the question as to the true origin of SARS-CoV-2.

Such human adaptation described by Latham and Wilson could occur by “passaging,” which is the deliberate placing of live viruses into cells or organisms to which they are not adapted for the purpose of making them adapted - that is, accelerated evolution.

The specific adaptation for human infection seen in SARS-CoV-2 could be achieved by “passaging” a bat coronavirus through genetically-engineered mouse models containing humanized receptors, a laboratory technique used in China since 2007. 
 
Lawrence Sellin, PhD is a retired US Army Reserve colonel. He has previously worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Probably not. That is, the latest attempt to demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic arose from a naturally-occurring transmission from animals to humans has failed, leaving a laboratory origin as the only logical conclusion.

Probably not. That is, the latest attempt to demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic arose from a naturally-occurring transmission from animals to humans has failed, leaving a laboratory origin as the only logical conclusion. In April 2012, six miners in the Mojiang mine in southwestern China’s Yunnan province became sick with a pneumonia-like illness after spending between 4-14 days removing bat feces. Three eventually died. Virologist Jonathan Latham and molecular biologist Allison Wilson believe that the miners’ illness resulted from being infected with bat coronavirus during a cave clean-up project, which genetically adapted to human infection within one of the miners and evolved into SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Biological samples from that miner eventually found their way to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where unfrozen samples of the fully human-adapted SARS-CoV-2 infected a laboratory worker and began the pandemic. The Latham-Wilson theory is at least partially based on a translation of a 66-page master’s thesis from the Chinese medical doctor, Li Xu, who treated the miners and sent their tissue samples to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for testing. The patients had a high fever, a dry cough, sore limbs and, in some cases, headaches — all symptoms now associated with COVID-19. Unfortunately, without detailed differential diagnosis, COVID-19 is difficult to distinguish from histoplasmosis, a respiratory infection caused by the inhalation of fungal spores of Histoplasma capsulatum found in bat and bird droppings, especially when the droppings are disturbed by demolition or clean-up projects. Similar to COVID-19, histoplasmosis causes symptoms of fever, chills, head and muscle aches, dry cough, chest discomfort and fatigue, appearing between 3 and 17 days after exposure. The mildest forms of histoplasmosis cause no signs or symptoms, but severe infections can be life-threatening, which are usually associated with people with compromised immune systems or preconditions. The severity of histoplasmosis is related to the number of spores one inhales, but, unlike COVID-19, it is not contagious Four of the six miners, including the three that died, had spent the longest times in the mine, fourteen or more days. The two miners with the mildest symptoms had spent only four days in the mine. The three deaths were associated with secondary bacterial infections and compromised immune systems. All the infections began within the 3-17 day incubation period for histoplasmosis, although no specific test for that infection appears to have been done and anti-fungal medication had mixed results. None of the miners tested during the hospitalization period were positive for viral infection and the CT scans were slightly more indicative for histoplasmosis than COVID-19. In addition, there are several weak links in the Latham-Wilson theory that SARS-CoV-2 evolved within one of the miners, which was later released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in a laboratory accident and caused the COVID-19 pandemic. First of all, such an extensive genetic evolution needed to go from its closest bat coronavirus relative, RaTG13, to SARS-CoV-2, about 1,200 nucleotides, has never been described to occur in a single patient. Furthermore, the structure of RaTG13’s receptor binding domain, which binds to the human cell is sufficiently different from that of SARS-CoV-2, making an initial human infection by RaTG13 to begin a human adaptation process highly unlikely. Even if bat to human transmission had occurred in the miners and high adaptation for human infection was achieved, there is no record of any human to human transmission, despite no extraordinary precautions being implemented during the hospitalisation. The simplest explanation for the Mojiang miners’ illness in April 2012 is the fungal infection, histoplasmosis. That conclusion still leaves open the question as to the true origin of SARS-CoV-2. Such human adaptation described by Latham and Wilson could occur by “passaging,” which is the deliberate placing of live viruses into cells or organisms to which they are not adapted for the purpose of making them adapted - that is, accelerated evolution. The specific adaptation for human infection seen in SARS-CoV-2 could be achieved by “passaging” a bat coronavirus through genetically-engineered mouse models containing humanized receptors, a laboratory technique used in China since 2007. Lawrence Sellin, PhD is a retired US Army Reserve colonel. He has previously worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is lawrence.sellin@gmail.com. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Did the COVID-19 virus cause the Chinese miners’ deaths in 2012?

The Venice Film Festival issued virus safety guidelines on Friday, as organisers hope the oldest such event in the world can maintain its international panache while remaining infection-free. The 10-day festival that begins next month on the legendary Lido in Venice is likely to be one of the festival's most atypical, given the masks and social distancing necessitated by the lingering threat of coronavirus.&nbsp; 
 
The Biennale di Venezia, as it is called in Italian, has taken on greater importance this year as film festivals across have the globe have cancelled, including Venice's main competitor, the glamorous Cannes Film Festival on the Cote d'Azur in France. 
 
But recent spikes in coronavirus cases around Europe -- including Italy -- have raised the stakes for the festival, the first major international film event to be held in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.&nbsp; 
 
Festival organisers have already warned that the September 2-12 event will be a more scaled-down affair as thousands of filmmakers, actors, journalists and industry executives are unable to travel due to border restrictions. 
 
Still, the prestigious festival -- now in its 77th year -- will attract hundreds of journalists and a mostly European crowd of guests, including personalities such as Australian actress Cate Blanchett, president of the jury. 
 
- No autographs, please - 
 
Those who arrive from outside Europe's Schengen area will have to submit results of a COVID-19 test just before their departure, organisers said, with a second test carried out in Venice. &nbsp; 
 
Thermoscanners will be set up at every entrance to the festival, with disinfecting liquid available in all screening rooms, halls and meeting points.&nbsp; 
 
Masks are mandatory not only inside theatres but in all outdoor areas. In a move sure to disappoint star-struck fans, the public will not be allowed on the sidelines of the red carpet, that much watched parade of fashion and finery, which will be reserved for photographers alone. &nbsp; 
 
Inside theatres, seats will be alternated to maintain one empty seat between filmgoers. 
 
This year, 18 films are in competition, for a total of 60 features in five different categories and 15 shorts.Fifty countries are represented in the festival. This year, festivals around the globe such as Cannes, Telluride and South by Southwest have been forced to cancel due to the coronavirus.&nbsp;

The Venice Film Festival issued virus safety guidelines on Friday, as organisers hope the oldest such event in the world can maintain its international panache while remaining infection-free.

The Venice Film Festival issued virus safety guidelines on Friday, as organisers hope the oldest such event in the world can maintain its international panache while remaining infection-free. The 10-day festival that begins next month on the legendary Lido in Venice is likely to be one of the festival's most atypical, given the masks and social distancing necessitated by the lingering threat of coronavirus. The Biennale di Venezia, as it is called in Italian, has taken on greater importance this year as film festivals across have the globe have cancelled, including Venice's main competitor, the glamorous Cannes Film Festival on the Cote d'Azur in France. But recent spikes in coronavirus cases around Europe -- including Italy -- have raised the stakes for the festival, the first major international film event to be held in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. Festival organisers have already warned that the September 2-12 event will be a more scaled-down affair as thousands of filmmakers, actors, journalists and industry executives are unable to travel due to border restrictions. Still, the prestigious festival -- now in its 77th year -- will attract hundreds of journalists and a mostly European crowd of guests, including personalities such as Australian actress Cate Blanchett, president of the jury. - No autographs, please - Those who arrive from outside Europe's Schengen area will have to submit results of a COVID-19 test just before their departure, organisers said, with a second test carried out in Venice. Thermoscanners will be set up at every entrance to the festival, with disinfecting liquid available in all screening rooms, halls and meeting points. Masks are mandatory not only inside theatres but in all outdoor areas. In a move sure to disappoint star-struck fans, the public will not be allowed on the sidelines of the red carpet, that much watched parade of fashion and finery, which will be reserved for photographers alone. Inside theatres, seats will be alternated to maintain one empty seat between filmgoers. This year, 18 films are in competition, for a total of 60 features in five different categories and 15 shorts.Fifty countries are represented in the festival. This year, festivals around the globe such as Cannes, Telluride and South by Southwest have been forced to cancel due to the coronavirus.

Masks, gel, and empty seats for Venice Film Festival

India's COVID-19 caseload went past 29 lakh with a single-day spike of 69,652 infections, while the recoveries increased to 21, 58,947 on Friday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total cases of coronavirus infections mounted to 29, 05,824, while the death toll climbed to 54,849 with 983 new fatalities being reported in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Testing in India has steeply increased to more than 9 lakh tests per day. This is bolstered with all States/UTs testing more than 140 tests/day/million population as advised by WHO (World Health Organization).

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has lauded various steps taken by authorities in Gujarat to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state, said a top government official on Thursday.&nbsp;

And to spread awareness about the coronavirus pandemic, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched a first-of-its-kind, interactive video game and two new promotional videos urging people to adhere to key COVID-19-appropriate behaviours.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's COVID-19 caseload went past 29 lakh with a single-day spike of 69,652 infections, while the recoveries increased to 21, 58,947 on Friday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

India's COVID-19 caseload went past 29 lakh with a single-day spike of 69,652 infections, while the recoveries increased to 21, 58,947 on Friday, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The total cases of coronavirus infections mounted to 29, 05,824, while the death toll climbed to 54,849 with 983 new fatalities being reported in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed. According to the Union Health Ministry, Testing in India has steeply increased to more than 9 lakh tests per day. This is bolstered with all States/UTs testing more than 140 tests/day/million population as advised by WHO (World Health Organization). Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has lauded various steps taken by authorities in Gujarat to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state, said a top government official on Thursday. And to spread awareness about the coronavirus pandemic, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched a first-of-its-kind, interactive video game and two new promotional videos urging people to adhere to key COVID-19-appropriate behaviours. (With inputs from agencies)

Coronavirus: Spike of 68,898 cases, 983 deaths reported in India, in the last 24 hours

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/italy-records-highest-coronavirus-cases-since-may-322010">Also read: Italy records highest coronavirus cases since May</a> 
 
The Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/supply-nationalism-exacerbated-the-pandemic-many-countries-still-do-not-have-enough-who-chief-tedros-321964">Also Read:&nbsp;Supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic,&nbsp;says WHO chief Tedros</a>

The situation makes it "imperative" that creditors reduce the amount of debt held by poor countries at risk, going beyond the commitment to suspend debt payments, Malpass said in an interview with AFP.

Even so, more countries will be obliged to restructure their debt.

"The debt vulnerabilities are high, and the imperative of getting light at the end of the tunnel so that new investors can come in is substantial," Malpass said.

Advanced economies in the Group of 20 already have committed to suspending debt payments from the poorest nations through the end of the year, and there is growing support for extending that moratorium into next year.

But Malpass said that will not be enough, since the economic downturn means those countries, which already are struggling to provide a safety net for their citizens, will not be in a better position to deal with the payments.

The amount of debt reduction needed will depend on the situation in each country, he said, but the policy "makes a lot of sense."

"So I think the awareness of this will be gradually, more and more apparent" especially "for the countries with the highest vulnerability to the debt situation."

The World Bank has committed to deploying $160 billion in funding to 100 countries through June 2021 in an effort to addresses the immediate emergency, but even so, extreme poverty, defined as earning less than $1.90 a day, continues to rise.

Malpass said the deterioration is due to a combination of the destruction of jobs during the pandemic as well as supply issues that make access to food more difficult.

"All of this contributes to pushing people back into extreme poverty the longer the economic crisis persists."

Newly-installed World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart called the economic crisis a "pandemic depression," but Malpass was less concerned with terminology.

"We can start calling it a depression. Our focus is on how we help countries be resilient in working out on the other side."

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday. Also read: Italy records highest coronavirus cases since May The Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on.

The coronavirus pandemic may have driven as many as 100 million people back into extreme poverty, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday. Also read: Italy records highest coronavirus cases since May The Washington-based development lender previously estimated that 60 million people would fall into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, but the new estimate puts the deterioration at 70 to 100 million, and he said "that number could go higher" if the pandemic worsens or drags on. Also Read: Supply nationalism exacerbated the pandemic, says WHO chief Tedros The situation makes it "imperative" that creditors reduce the amount of debt held by poor countries at risk, going beyond the commitment to suspend debt payments, Malpass said in an interview with AFP. Even so, more countries will be obliged to restructure their debt. "The debt vulnerabilities are high, and the imperative of getting light at the end of the tunnel so that new investors can come in is substantial," Malpass said. Advanced economies in the Group of 20 already have committed to suspending debt payments from the poorest nations through the end of the year, and there is growing support for extending that moratorium into next year. But Malpass said that will not be enough, since the economic downturn means those countries, which already are struggling to provide a safety net for their citizens, will not be in a better position to deal with the payments. The amount of debt reduction needed will depend on the situation in each country, he said, but the policy "makes a lot of sense." "So I think the awareness of this will be gradually, more and more apparent" especially "for the countries with the highest vulnerability to the debt situation." The World Bank has committed to deploying $160 billion in funding to 100 countries through June 2021 in an effort to addresses the immediate emergency, but even so, extreme poverty, defined as earning less than $1.90 a day, continues to rise. Malpass said the deterioration is due to a combination of the destruction of jobs during the pandemic as well as supply issues that make access to food more difficult. "All of this contributes to pushing people back into extreme poverty the longer the economic crisis persists." Newly-installed World Bank Chief Economist Carmen Reinhart called the economic crisis a "pandemic depression," but Malpass was less concerned with terminology. "We can start calling it a depression. Our focus is on how we help countries be resilient in working out on the other side."

Pandemic could cause extreme poverty to surge by 100 million: World Bank  

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 21.14 million people, with 7.78 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 22,148,472 confirmed coronavirus cases.

The death count has also surged to 781,139.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "It's critical that countries don't repeat the same mistakes. We need to prevent vaccine nationalism. And for this reason, WHO is working with governments and the private sector to both accelerate the signs through the ACT accelerator and ensure that new innovations are available to everyone, everywhere, starting with those at highest risk," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 21.14 million people, with 7.78 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019.

The deadly Covid-19 across the world has now infected more than 21.14 million people, with 7.78 lakh people succumbing to the virus that was first reported in late December 2019. According to Johns Hopkins University, the world has witnessed a total of 22,148,472 confirmed coronavirus cases. The death count has also surged to 781,139. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "It's critical that countries don't repeat the same mistakes. We need to prevent vaccine nationalism. And for this reason, WHO is working with governments and the private sector to both accelerate the signs through the ACT accelerator and ensure that new innovations are available to everyone, everywhere, starting with those at highest risk," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO. (With inputs from agencies)

Global cases of COVID-19 reach 21.14 million, death toll tops 780,000

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