Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week has now been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Wilmes' had been self-isolating for the past one week after she tested positive, but her condition kept worsening, and therefore she was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night.

Her office has, however, claimed that her condition is 'stable'.&nbsp;

"She is conscious and she can communicate," her spokeswoman said, confirming that the reports of her receiving intensive care are true.

The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, who succeeded Wilmes on October 1, wished her a "speedy recovery" on his Twitter account.

"No one is immune from this dangerous virus. Together as one, we will beat Covid-19!" he said.&nbsp;(translated text)

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Veel beterschap, <a href="https://twitter.com/Sophie_Wilmes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sophie_Wilmes</a>. Je te souhaite un prompt rétablissement! 
Niemand is immuun voor dit gevaarlijke virus. 
Tous ensemble, nous vaincrons le COVID-19.
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Belgium, a country that has managed to keep the citizens safe, is now experiencing a worse second wave of coronavirus with infections doubling up to nearly&nbsp;253,386 in the last one month, out of which&nbsp;&nbsp;3,274 patients are currently admitted in the hospital.

The government is now aiming for tighter restrictions to contain the widespread of this&nbsp;deadly virus.

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week has now been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Wilmes' had been self-isolating for the past one week after she tested positive, but her condition kept worsening, and therefore she was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night.

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week has now been shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Wilmes' had been self-isolating for the past one week after she tested positive, but her condition kept worsening, and therefore she was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night. Her office has, however, claimed that her condition is 'stable'. "She is conscious and she can communicate," her spokeswoman said, confirming that the reports of her receiving intensive care are true. The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, who succeeded Wilmes on October 1, wished her a "speedy recovery" on his Twitter account. "No one is immune from this dangerous virus. Together as one, we will beat Covid-19!" he said. (translated text) Veel beterschap, @Sophie_Wilmes. Je te souhaite un prompt rétablissement! Niemand is immuun voor dit gevaarlijke virus. Tous ensemble, nous vaincrons le COVID-19. — Alexander De Croo (@alexanderdecroo) October 22, 2020 × Belgium, a country that has managed to keep the citizens safe, is now experiencing a worse second wave of coronavirus with infections doubling up to nearly 253,386 in the last one month, out of which 3,274 patients are currently admitted in the hospital. The government is now aiming for tighter restrictions to contain the widespread of this deadly virus.

Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes' health worsens due to COVID-19

It has been nearly ten months since the pandemic took over the world. The novel coronavirus, numerous reports claim, was originated in China's Wuhan, and some even claim that the virus is Wuhan lab-made.&nbsp;

Some reports also accuse China and the&nbsp;World Health Organization (WHO) of covering up the pandemic. However, these accusations&nbsp;have not been proved yet.

Taiwan, however, believes that the virus did originate from China. In an exclusive interview with WION, the&nbsp;Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, Joseph Wu, said: "To us, there's no doubt".&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-puts-pressure-on-nations-to-not-recognise-taiwan-as-a-country-foreign-minister-joseph-wu-tells-wion-336966">Also read|&nbsp;China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION</a>

Dr Wu said that Taiwan reached out to&nbsp;the Chinese health authorities and the WHO&nbsp;in December 2019&nbsp;when Taiwan's health experts saw some internet reports and videos of patients being treated in isolation which reflected that there was&nbsp;human transmission.

"When we saw some internet discussions in China back in December last year, our health experts in our CDC had got nervous and therefore they sent an email to the World Health Organization and they also sent an email to the Chinese health authorities asking them what is going on."

Taiwan claims that they are sure the virus originated from Wuhan and therefore they started taking precautions against the people coming from China.&nbsp;"We don't have any hesitation. We started checking the&nbsp;passengers coming back from Wuhan onboard. So, to us, there is no doubt that Wuhan is the origin of this pandemic throughout the world."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-trying-to-export-its-authoritarianism-to-distract-from-domestic-issues-joseph-wu-taiwans-foreign-minister-tells-wion-336969">Also read|&nbsp;China trying to export its authoritarianism to distract from domestic issues: Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Foreign Minister tells WION</a>

He also added that an investigation&nbsp;of where the pandemic is originated from should be conducted, and there should be&nbsp;"international cooperation to see how we can stop the pandemic from spreading."

Is WHO guilty of a cover-up?

When asked if he believes WHO helped China cover up the pandemic, he said, "At the beginning, the WHO did not seem to be identifying the coronavirus as a very serious threat to the international community and the consensus is that when the WHO started to get serious when it was too late."

He also added that he hopes the WHO and all other international communities treat this as a learning lesson. "I think we need to pay attention to any transmittable diseases among human beings in a very serious way to prevent the next wave of pandemic from happening again," he said.

Taiwan has been one of the few countries that has been successful in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.&nbsp;"Taiwan is one of those countries that seems to be quite successful in dealing with the pandemic, and we want to share our experiences and our know-how in our way of dealing with the other countries," Dr. Wu said.

He also shed light on how Taiwan and India have joined hands and shared experiences with each other in this pandemic.&nbsp;"Our health sectors and our hospitals have some exchanges with some Indian institutions as well, and that proved to be very useful for those Indian institutions in learning our experience."

It has been nearly ten months since the pandemic took over the world. The novel coronavirus, numerous reports claim, was originated in China's Wuhan, and some even claim that the virus is Wuhan lab-made.

It has been nearly ten months since the pandemic took over the world. The novel coronavirus, numerous reports claim, was originated in China's Wuhan, and some even claim that the virus is Wuhan lab-made. Some reports also accuse China and the World Health Organization (WHO) of covering up the pandemic. However, these accusations have not been proved yet. Taiwan, however, believes that the virus did originate from China. In an exclusive interview with WION, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan, Joseph Wu, said: "To us, there's no doubt". Also read| China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION Dr Wu said that Taiwan reached out to the Chinese health authorities and the WHO in December 2019 when Taiwan's health experts saw some internet reports and videos of patients being treated in isolation which reflected that there was human transmission. "When we saw some internet discussions in China back in December last year, our health experts in our CDC had got nervous and therefore they sent an email to the World Health Organization and they also sent an email to the Chinese health authorities asking them what is going on." Taiwan claims that they are sure the virus originated from Wuhan and therefore they started taking precautions against the people coming from China. "We don't have any hesitation. We started checking the passengers coming back from Wuhan onboard. So, to us, there is no doubt that Wuhan is the origin of this pandemic throughout the world." Also read| China trying to export its authoritarianism to distract from domestic issues: Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Foreign Minister tells WION He also added that an investigation of where the pandemic is originated from should be conducted, and there should be "international cooperation to see how we can stop the pandemic from spreading." Is WHO guilty of a cover-up? When asked if he believes WHO helped China cover up the pandemic, he said, "At the beginning, the WHO did not seem to be identifying the coronavirus as a very serious threat to the international community and the consensus is that when the WHO started to get serious when it was too late." He also added that he hopes the WHO and all other international communities treat this as a learning lesson. "I think we need to pay attention to any transmittable diseases among human beings in a very serious way to prevent the next wave of pandemic from happening again," he said. Taiwan has been one of the few countries that has been successful in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. "Taiwan is one of those countries that seems to be quite successful in dealing with the pandemic, and we want to share our experiences and our know-how in our way of dealing with the other countries," Dr. Wu said. He also shed light on how Taiwan and India have joined hands and shared experiences with each other in this pandemic. "Our health sectors and our hospitals have some exchanges with some Indian institutions as well, and that proved to be very useful for those Indian institutions in learning our experience."

EXCLUSIVE| We have no doubt COVID-19 originated in China: Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu

Pakistan's top body, which oversees the response to the coronavirus pandemic, on Wednesday, warned that strict measures, including lockdown, could be initiated to contain the infection if people don't stop violating government guidelines, as the country's COVID-19 mortality rate increased by 140 per cent compared to past few weeks.

"The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) is closely monitoring the situation. If there is no improvement in SOPs compliance observed, NCOC will have no choice but to revert to strict measures leading to re-closures of services," the body said in a statement on Wednesday.

During a special session of the NCOC to monitor an increase in cases, the body led by Minister for Planning Asad Umar was informed that there is a clear resurgence of the virus while deaths are also increasing. All chief secretaries were directed to "strictly implement" standard operating procedures (SOPs), Geo TV reported, citing the statement.

"Strict punitive actions on SOP violations will be initiated," it said, adding that wearing of face masks and social distancing must be ensured.

At least 19 people have died of coronavirus in Pakistan in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 6,692.

The NCOC statement comes a day after Umar said that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Pakistan has increased by 140 per cent in the last week and warned the public against ignoring the safety protocols.

"Last week daily COVID mortality was 12. This is a 140 per cent increase vs few weeks back. We are collectively committing a blunder by recklessly ignoring all SoPs &amp; the results have started to show. If we do not change our current path we will lose both lives and livelihoods," he tweeted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has expressed serious concern over the increase in coronavirus cases in the country and asked people to take necessary precautions against the expected second wave of the pandemic.

Radio Pakistan reported that a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad was informed about the rise in the number of new cases in October as compared to the figures of July and August.

It was pointed out that the COVID-19 positivity rate has risen to two per cent, while the number of deaths has also gone up.

Positivity rate is the percentage of positive results out of the total number of tests sampled.

The Ministry of National Health Services said that the total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 324,744 after 660 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours.

So far, 308,674 people have fully recovered from the disease, while some 559 are in critical condition, according to the ministry.

Sindh has reported 142,348 cases, Punjab 101,936, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 38,779, Islamabad 18,309, Balochistan 15,717, Gilgit-Baltistan 4,091 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 3,564 cases.

The authorities have performed 26,670 tests in the last 24 hours, taking the number of total tests conducted in the country to 4,148,739.

Pakistan's top body, which oversees the response to the coronavirus pandemic, on Wednesday, warned that strict measures, including lockdown, could be initiated to contain the infection if people don't stop violating government guidelines, as the country's COVID-19 mortality rate increased by 140 per cent compared to past few weeks.

Pakistan's top body, which oversees the response to the coronavirus pandemic, on Wednesday, warned that strict measures, including lockdown, could be initiated to contain the infection if people don't stop violating government guidelines, as the country's COVID-19 mortality rate increased by 140 per cent compared to past few weeks. "The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) is closely monitoring the situation. If there is no improvement in SOPs compliance observed, NCOC will have no choice but to revert to strict measures leading to re-closures of services," the body said in a statement on Wednesday. During a special session of the NCOC to monitor an increase in cases, the body led by Minister for Planning Asad Umar was informed that there is a clear resurgence of the virus while deaths are also increasing. All chief secretaries were directed to "strictly implement" standard operating procedures (SOPs), Geo TV reported, citing the statement. "Strict punitive actions on SOP violations will be initiated," it said, adding that wearing of face masks and social distancing must be ensured. At least 19 people have died of coronavirus in Pakistan in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities to 6,692. The NCOC statement comes a day after Umar said that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Pakistan has increased by 140 per cent in the last week and warned the public against ignoring the safety protocols. "Last week daily COVID mortality was 12. This is a 140 per cent increase vs few weeks back. We are collectively committing a blunder by recklessly ignoring all SoPs & the results have started to show. If we do not change our current path we will lose both lives and livelihoods," he tweeted on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Cabinet has expressed serious concern over the increase in coronavirus cases in the country and asked people to take necessary precautions against the expected second wave of the pandemic. Radio Pakistan reported that a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad was informed about the rise in the number of new cases in October as compared to the figures of July and August. It was pointed out that the COVID-19 positivity rate has risen to two per cent, while the number of deaths has also gone up. Positivity rate is the percentage of positive results out of the total number of tests sampled. The Ministry of National Health Services said that the total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 324,744 after 660 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours. So far, 308,674 people have fully recovered from the disease, while some 559 are in critical condition, according to the ministry. Sindh has reported 142,348 cases, Punjab 101,936, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 38,779, Islamabad 18,309, Balochistan 15,717, Gilgit-Baltistan 4,091 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 3,564 cases. The authorities have performed 26,670 tests in the last 24 hours, taking the number of total tests conducted in the country to 4,148,739.

Pakistan warns of new lockdown as Covid mortality rate increases by 140% 

While the world is hoping for a COVID-19 vaccine to be released soon, Brazil's President&nbsp;Jair Bolsonaro has announced that his government will not be buying Chinese vaccine.

He took to social media to make this statement, saying that Brazil will not buy&nbsp;China's Sinovac vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

"For sure, we will not buy the Chinese vaccine," Bolsonaro said on social media, responding to a supporter who urged him not to buy the vaccine. The president said the issue would be clarified later in the day.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-more-than-200-people-to-test-for-hiv-after-covid-19-test-kit-blunder-336912">Also read|&nbsp;Australia: More than 200 people to test for HIV after COVID-19 test kit blunder</a>

The statement has come after the&nbsp;Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, on Tuesday, said that the Brazil government will be buying Sinovac's vaccination to include it in the&nbsp;immunization program. He also added that vaccines developed by&nbsp;AstraZeneca and Oxford University will also be used by the state.

Bolsonaro's government has decided to buy the UK vaccine and then produce it as its biomedical research centre FioCruz in Rio de Janeiro.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/abnormalities-spotted-in-lungs-of-60-coronavirus-patients-months-later-oxford-university-study-336676">Also read|&nbsp;Abnormalities spotted in lungs of 60% coronavirus patients months later: Oxford University study</a>

Sao Paulo state biomedical research centre, the Butantan Institute, is testing the Sinovac vaccine, and Governor João Doria said he hopes to have health regulator approval by the end of the year to start vaccinating people in January.

As of now, the Chinese vaccine has been labelled safe by trials conducted on 9,000 volunteers. These are&nbsp;the first set of results of Sinovac's global Phase 3 trials, which are also being conducted in Turkey and Indonesia.

(With inputs from Reuters)

While the world is hoping for a COVID-19 vaccine to be released soon, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has announced that his government will not be buying Chinese vaccine.

While the world is hoping for a COVID-19 vaccine to be released soon, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has announced that his government will not be buying Chinese vaccine. He took to social media to make this statement, saying that Brazil will not buy China's Sinovac vaccine against the novel coronavirus. "For sure, we will not buy the Chinese vaccine," Bolsonaro said on social media, responding to a supporter who urged him not to buy the vaccine. The president said the issue would be clarified later in the day. Also read| Australia: More than 200 people to test for HIV after COVID-19 test kit blunder The statement has come after the Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, on Tuesday, said that the Brazil government will be buying Sinovac's vaccination to include it in the immunization program. He also added that vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will also be used by the state. Bolsonaro's government has decided to buy the UK vaccine and then produce it as its biomedical research centre FioCruz in Rio de Janeiro. Also read| Abnormalities spotted in lungs of 60% coronavirus patients months later: Oxford University study Sao Paulo state biomedical research centre, the Butantan Institute, is testing the Sinovac vaccine, and Governor João Doria said he hopes to have health regulator approval by the end of the year to start vaccinating people in January. As of now, the Chinese vaccine has been labelled safe by trials conducted on 9,000 volunteers. These are the first set of results of Sinovac's global Phase 3 trials, which are also being conducted in Turkey and Indonesia. (With inputs from Reuters)

Brazil will not buy China's Sinovac vaccine, says President Jair Bolsonaro

Anything can happen in 2020, and not in a good way. While the world is fighting with a pandemic, Australia has a new problem: blood-transmitted diseases.

More than 200 people who had been residents of a&nbsp;coronavirus quarantine have now being asked to get tested&nbsp;for any&nbsp;blood-transmitted diseases, including HIV.

The incident came to light after the staff of the facility admitted to using the same blood-testing devices for various residents.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/abnormalities-spotted-in-lungs-of-60-coronavirus-patients-months-later-oxford-university-study-336676">Also read|&nbsp;Abnormalities spotted in lungs of 60% coronavirus patients months later: Oxford University study</a>

A Victoria health agency,&nbsp;Safer Care Victoria, said that their staff has reached out to 243 people who had their blood glucose level test before August 20 in their facility.

The agency, in their report, said that these people carry the risk of&nbsp;cross-contamination and blood-borne viruses, including HIV.

Blood glucose level testing devices intended for use by one person were used across multiple residents. This presents a low clinical risk of cross-contamination and blood-borne viruses – Hepatitis B and C, and HIV.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-worldwide-cases-surpass-40-million-more-than-50-cases-from-us-india-and-brazil-336386">Also read|&nbsp;Coronavirus: Worldwide cases surpass 40 million; more than 50% cases from US, India and Brazil</a>

The agency has also asked people t get in contact if they had their 'finger prick' test done in the facility but have not been contacted yet. They have also guaranteed anonymous testing for those who ask for it.&nbsp;"The clinical risk of infection is low. However, for reassurance, access to confidential testing will be arranged," Safer Care Victoria said in a statement.

As of now, there is no explanation provided about who is responsible for it. However,&nbsp;CEO Safer Care Victoria Adj Assoc Prof Ann Maree Keenan has assured that the matter will be investigated.

"Right now, we won’t be able to answer the many questions people will have about how this happened. Be assured that Safer Care Victoria is conducting a full review into how and why this device came to be in use."&nbsp;

Anything can happen in 2020, and not in a good way. While the world is fighting with a pandemic, Australia has a new problem: blood-transmitted diseases. More than 200 people who had been residents of a coronavirus quarantine have now being asked to get tested for any blood-transmitted diseases, including HIV.

Anything can happen in 2020, and not in a good way. While the world is fighting with a pandemic, Australia has a new problem: blood-transmitted diseases. More than 200 people who had been residents of a coronavirus quarantine have now being asked to get tested for any blood-transmitted diseases, including HIV. The incident came to light after the staff of the facility admitted to using the same blood-testing devices for various residents. Also read| Abnormalities spotted in lungs of 60% coronavirus patients months later: Oxford University study A Victoria health agency, Safer Care Victoria, said that their staff has reached out to 243 people who had their blood glucose level test before August 20 in their facility. The agency, in their report, said that these people carry the risk of cross-contamination and blood-borne viruses, including HIV. Blood glucose level testing devices intended for use by one person were used across multiple residents. This presents a low clinical risk of cross-contamination and blood-borne viruses – Hepatitis B and C, and HIV. Also read| Coronavirus: Worldwide cases surpass 40 million; more than 50% cases from US, India and Brazil The agency has also asked people t get in contact if they had their 'finger prick' test done in the facility but have not been contacted yet. They have also guaranteed anonymous testing for those who ask for it. "The clinical risk of infection is low. However, for reassurance, access to confidential testing will be arranged," Safer Care Victoria said in a statement. As of now, there is no explanation provided about who is responsible for it. However, CEO Safer Care Victoria Adj Assoc Prof Ann Maree Keenan has assured that the matter will be investigated. "Right now, we won’t be able to answer the many questions people will have about how this happened. Be assured that Safer Care Victoria is conducting a full review into how and why this device came to be in use."

Australia: More than 200 people to test for HIV after COVID-19 test kit blunder

The coronavirus pandemic is not coming to an end, and that is being understood by the governments of majority of countries. One such country has decided to increase its preparedness against a possible second wave by making sure that all citizens are tested for the virus.

Slovakia, a European country, announced on Saturday that all residents&nbsp;aged 10 years and over will be given the&nbsp; opportunity to&nbsp;go through a coronavirus test.

The announcement was made by the&nbsp;Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovic on Saturday, the local news channels reported.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-party-paris-streets-deserted-on-saturday-night-as-curfew-kicks-in-336132">Also read|&nbsp;No party: Paris streets deserted on Saturday night as curfew kicks in</a>

This decision has been taken after the country observed a massive surge in the number of coronavirus cases throughout the country. The government said they believe mass testing will help identify and contain the spread of the virus.

“I’m afraid that the current protective measures have thus been rendered useless,” Matovic said. “At any rate, this mass testing cannot hurt, it can only help us.”&nbsp;

Matovic also said that if&nbsp;widespread testing does not happen, he will resign from his post.

The test will be free of charge and will begin next weekend and should continue for the next weekend too. The campaign will cater to almost&nbsp;5.4 million residents of the country. However, it is not yet clear if getting tested is compulsory or not.

The coronavirus pandemic is not coming to an end, and that is being understood by the governments of majority of countries. One such country has decided to increase its preparedness against a possible second wave by making sure that all citizens are tested for the virus.

The coronavirus pandemic is not coming to an end, and that is being understood by the governments of majority of countries. One such country has decided to increase its preparedness against a possible second wave by making sure that all citizens are tested for the virus. Slovakia, a European country, announced on Saturday that all residents aged 10 years and over will be given the opportunity to go through a coronavirus test. The announcement was made by the Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovic on Saturday, the local news channels reported. Also read| No party: Paris streets deserted on Saturday night as curfew kicks in This decision has been taken after the country observed a massive surge in the number of coronavirus cases throughout the country. The government said they believe mass testing will help identify and contain the spread of the virus. “I’m afraid that the current protective measures have thus been rendered useless,” Matovic said. “At any rate, this mass testing cannot hurt, it can only help us.” Matovic also said that if widespread testing does not happen, he will resign from his post. The test will be free of charge and will begin next weekend and should continue for the next weekend too. The campaign will cater to almost 5.4 million residents of the country. However, it is not yet clear if getting tested is compulsory or not.

This European country has decided to test all citizens for COVID-19

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths have declined in the last three weeks as the spread of the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states, Niti Aayog Member V K Paul said on Sunday but did not rule out the possibility of a second wave of infections in the winter season.

Paul, who is also the chief of an expert coordinating efforts to tackle the pandemic in the country, he said that once the COVID-19 vaccine is available, there will be enough resources to deliver as well as make it accessible to the citizens.

"In India, the new coronavirus cases and number of deaths have declined in the last three weeks and the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states "However, there are five states (Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal) and 3-4 Union Territories (UTs), where there is still a rising trend," Paul said. He is heading the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC).

According to him, India is in a somewhat better position now but the country still has a long way to go because 90 per cent of the people are still susceptible to coronavirus infections.

On whether India could see a second wave of coronavirus infections in the winter, Paul said that with the onset of winter, countries across Europe are seeing resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

"We cannot rule out (a second coronavirus wave this winter in India). Things can happen and we are still learning about the virus," Paul noted.

To a query about storage and distribution of vaccine once it is available, he said India has enough cold storage facilities to an extent and this can be readily augmented as required.

"Once the vaccine is available, there will be enough resources for delivering vaccines and making vaccines accessible to the citizens and there will be no concern about resources under those circumstances," Paul said.

The coronavirus death toll climbed to 1, 14,031, the health ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of active cases of coronavirus infection remained below eight lakh for the second consecutive day.

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths have declined in the last three weeks as the spread of the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states, Niti Aayog Member V K Paul said on Sunday but did not rule out the possibility of a second wave of infections in the winter season.

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths have declined in the last three weeks as the spread of the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states, Niti Aayog Member V K Paul said on Sunday but did not rule out the possibility of a second wave of infections in the winter season. Paul, who is also the chief of an expert coordinating efforts to tackle the pandemic in the country, he said that once the COVID-19 vaccine is available, there will be enough resources to deliver as well as make it accessible to the citizens. "In India, the new coronavirus cases and number of deaths have declined in the last three weeks and the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states "However, there are five states (Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal) and 3-4 Union Territories (UTs), where there is still a rising trend," Paul said. He is heading the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). According to him, India is in a somewhat better position now but the country still has a long way to go because 90 per cent of the people are still susceptible to coronavirus infections. On whether India could see a second wave of coronavirus infections in the winter, Paul said that with the onset of winter, countries across Europe are seeing resurgence of COVID-19 cases. "We cannot rule out (a second coronavirus wave this winter in India). Things can happen and we are still learning about the virus," Paul noted. To a query about storage and distribution of vaccine once it is available, he said India has enough cold storage facilities to an extent and this can be readily augmented as required. "Once the vaccine is available, there will be enough resources for delivering vaccines and making vaccines accessible to the citizens and there will be no concern about resources under those circumstances," Paul said. The coronavirus death toll climbed to 1, 14,031, the health ministry's data updated at 8 am showed. The number of active cases of coronavirus infection remained below eight lakh for the second consecutive day.

Can't rule out possibility of second wave of COVID-19 during winter: Expert panel chief VK Paul

Winter, the flue season, is due to start very soon, and that should be the world's main focus now, as this year it is coupled with&nbsp;a virus that's not stopping down.

By most estimates, winter will drive up the infections and all of us&nbsp;who have been waiting for 2020 to end may find that the pandemic won't end with the calender year.

Winter is always a busy time for doctors as the seasonal flu strikes, and cough and cold spread. It's an annual test of human immunity.

This year, the test will be much tougher. For perspective, last year&nbsp;in the United States, sases of the flu spiked by 40 times during winter.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-company-sinopharm-offering-free-covid-19-vaccine-to-students-335488">Also read:&nbsp;Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students</a>

A century ago, during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, the death rate shot up by five times during winters.

This year, we have a deadly virus on the prowl that has&nbsp;killed more than a million people in the last eight months. The outbreak began during winter in Wuhan last year. The data is is not trustworthy&nbsp;and is devoid of a pattern.&nbsp;

However, what we know is that the world has witnessed 10 respiratory pandemics in the past 250 years, and in only three cases&nbsp;did the winter contribute to a second wave of infections.

Experts are relying on basic logic to recommend caution. The first wave killed far too many people, and the second one could be deadlier. It will coincide with the flu; both have the same symptoms.&nbsp;

Simultaneous outbreaks would strain health care systems and there's no effective vaccine in sight yet. The most optimistic expectation is to have a vaccine by 2021. Currently, there are 45 vaccines performing clinical trials on humans. However, even with the unprecedented speed of testing, mass vaccination programs are many months away.

The chief scientist of the WHO says the young and healthy may have to wait for the vaccine until 2022 as the first supplies will be administered to the healthcare and frontline workers.

As always, China remains the exception to the rule as it is&nbsp;cutting corners and administrating vaccines under trial to thousands of citizens.

Chinese companies are selling vaccines too. Reportedly, Sinovac is selling one dose of its coronavac vaccine for 30 dollars.

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Coronavac is a vaccine candidate that&nbsp;is yet to receive a global stamp of approval, but according to different reports, China has inoculated tens of thousands, if not more, under an emergency use program while the world is still struggling to contain new clusters, re-infections, and a virus that is showing no signs of slowing down.

Winter, the flue season, is due to start very soon, and that should be the world's main focus now, as this year it is coupled with a virus that's not stopping down.

Winter, the flue season, is due to start very soon, and that should be the world's main focus now, as this year it is coupled with a virus that's not stopping down. By most estimates, winter will drive up the infections and all of us who have been waiting for 2020 to end may find that the pandemic won't end with the calender year. Winter is always a busy time for doctors as the seasonal flu strikes, and cough and cold spread. It's an annual test of human immunity. This year, the test will be much tougher. For perspective, last year in the United States, sases of the flu spiked by 40 times during winter. Also read: Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students A century ago, during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, the death rate shot up by five times during winters. This year, we have a deadly virus on the prowl that has killed more than a million people in the last eight months. The outbreak began during winter in Wuhan last year. The data is is not trustworthy and is devoid of a pattern. However, what we know is that the world has witnessed 10 respiratory pandemics in the past 250 years, and in only three cases did the winter contribute to a second wave of infections. Experts are relying on basic logic to recommend caution. The first wave killed far too many people, and the second one could be deadlier. It will coincide with the flu; both have the same symptoms. Simultaneous outbreaks would strain health care systems and there's no effective vaccine in sight yet. The most optimistic expectation is to have a vaccine by 2021. Currently, there are 45 vaccines performing clinical trials on humans. However, even with the unprecedented speed of testing, mass vaccination programs are many months away. The chief scientist of the WHO says the young and healthy may have to wait for the vaccine until 2022 as the first supplies will be administered to the healthcare and frontline workers. As always, China remains the exception to the rule as it is cutting corners and administrating vaccines under trial to thousands of citizens. Chinese companies are selling vaccines too. Reportedly, Sinovac is selling one dose of its coronavac vaccine for 30 dollars. × Coronavac is a vaccine candidate that is yet to receive a global stamp of approval, but according to different reports, China has inoculated tens of thousands, if not more, under an emergency use program while the world is still struggling to contain new clusters, re-infections, and a virus that is showing no signs of slowing down.

Winter is coming: Is the world ready to fight coronavirus in winters?

The US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> on Saturday attacked a longtime congressional critic who warned this week that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and authoritarian leaders could cause a "Republican bloodbath in the Senate" in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election?page=1">November 3 elections</a>.

US Senator Ben Sasse is the least effective of the 53 Republican senators, Trump wrote on Twitter, calling him "a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy."

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...Nomination to run for a second term. Then he went back to his rather stupid and obnoxious ways. Must feel he can’t lose to a Dem. Little Ben is a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1317460179223498753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Sasse criticized Trump in a town hall with constituents on Wednesday, and questioned whether the president would ultimately drive the country further to the left.

Trump "kisses dictators` butts" and has "flirted with white supremacists," according to a transcript of the virtual town hall. Trump`s leadership through the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 pandemic</a> has not been "reasonable, or responsible, or right," Sasse said.

He added that Trump refused to take the coronavirus seriously for months and had treated it like a news cycle rather that a multi-year public health challenge.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/republican-senator-repeatedly-mispronounces-kamala-harris-name-at-trump-rally-335970">Also read|&nbsp;Republican Senator repeatedly mispronounces Kamala Harris' name at Trump rally</a>

Sasse is a frequent critic of Trump, and said before the 2016 election he would not endorse him. However, he has voted in line with Trump`s positions in Congress nearly 87 per cent of the time, according to a tally of votes through Sept. 24 by the fivethirtyeight.com website.

Senate Republicans are battling to keep their 53-47 majority in the election. Recent polling of Reuters/Ipsos shows Democratic challenger Mark Kelly pulling far ahead of Republican incumbent Martha McSally in Arizona, one of 10 states where Republican incumbents are vulnerable to being unseated.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-heads-to-michigan-wisconsin-in-us-election-campaign-push-336036">Also read|&nbsp;Trump heads to Michigan, Wisconsin in US election campaign push</a>

Several, including Trump`s frequent golfing partner Senator Lindsey Graham, face funding shortfalls. Democrat Jaime Harrison who is running against Graham in South Carolina, has raised nearly $58 million during the three-month period ended Sept. 30, more than twice the $28 million reported by Graham`s campaign.

Democratic candidates in nine hotly contested Senate races amassed&nbsp;more than $240 million in contributions during that period, leaving their Republican opponents far behind in fundraising.

This week Graham expressed worries that Trump, who is behind Democratic candidate Joe Biden in many polls, could lose.

"Y`all have a good chance of winning the White House," Graham told Democratic colleagues during hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump`s nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The US President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked a longtime congressional critic who warned this week that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and authoritarian leaders could cause a "Republican bloodbath in the Senate" in the November 3 elections.

The US President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked a longtime congressional critic who warned this week that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and authoritarian leaders could cause a "Republican bloodbath in the Senate" in the November 3 elections. US Senator Ben Sasse is the least effective of the 53 Republican senators, Trump wrote on Twitter, calling him "a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy." ...Nomination to run for a second term. Then he went back to his rather stupid and obnoxious ways. Must feel he can’t lose to a Dem. Little Ben is a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he’s just a wonderful guy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2020 × Sasse criticized Trump in a town hall with constituents on Wednesday, and questioned whether the president would ultimately drive the country further to the left. Trump "kisses dictators` butts" and has "flirted with white supremacists," according to a transcript of the virtual town hall. Trump`s leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic has not been "reasonable, or responsible, or right," Sasse said. He added that Trump refused to take the coronavirus seriously for months and had treated it like a news cycle rather that a multi-year public health challenge. Also read| Republican Senator repeatedly mispronounces Kamala Harris' name at Trump rally Sasse is a frequent critic of Trump, and said before the 2016 election he would not endorse him. However, he has voted in line with Trump`s positions in Congress nearly 87 per cent of the time, according to a tally of votes through Sept. 24 by the fivethirtyeight.com website. Senate Republicans are battling to keep their 53-47 majority in the election. Recent polling of Reuters/Ipsos shows Democratic challenger Mark Kelly pulling far ahead of Republican incumbent Martha McSally in Arizona, one of 10 states where Republican incumbents are vulnerable to being unseated. Also read| Trump heads to Michigan, Wisconsin in US election campaign push Several, including Trump`s frequent golfing partner Senator Lindsey Graham, face funding shortfalls. Democrat Jaime Harrison who is running against Graham in South Carolina, has raised nearly $58 million during the three-month period ended Sept. 30, more than twice the $28 million reported by Graham`s campaign. Democratic candidates in nine hotly contested Senate races amassed more than $240 million in contributions during that period, leaving their Republican opponents far behind in fundraising. This week Graham expressed worries that Trump, who is behind Democratic candidate Joe Biden in many polls, could lose. "Y`all have a good chance of winning the White House," Graham told Democratic colleagues during hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump`s nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Trump slams Republican critic who warned of November 'bloodbath'

Sri Lanka has issued a new gazette on coronavirus quarantine regulation, making not wearing of masks and failure in maintaining of social distance a punishable offence with six months of imprisonment or Rs 10,000 fine.

Under the new norms gazetted on Thursday, wearing of masks is compulsory all time and maintaining social distance of not less than one metre between two persons

"Among the foremost of new regulations are that every person in public must wear a face mask at all times and maintain social distancing of not less than one metre between two persons," the Gazette said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-slams-nawaz-sharif-for-accusing-army-chief-of-rigging-elections-336072">Also read:&nbsp;Imran Khan slams Nawaz Sharif for accusing army chief of rigging elections</a>

Police said anybody violating the regulation would be subject to a 10, 000 rupees fine or a six month's imprisonment. 
The regulations extend to cover supermarkets, retail shops and public transport.

All institutions are compelled to make a register of persons entering the premises, according to the Gazette.

The new gazette follows the ongoing spike where since October 4 some 19 areas in the Western province's Gampaha district were placed under police curfew due to the latest cluster involving a garment export factory.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-foils-attempt-to-smuggle-endangered-falcons-336041">Also read:&nbsp;Pakistan foils attempt to smuggle endangered falcons</a>

The curfew was later extended to the locality around the international airport where export promotion zone employees tens of thousands of factory workers.

Till Thursday, Sri Lanka had recorded 5,244 cases out of which 3,380 had recovered with only 13 deaths since mid March.

The garment export factory as the biggest cluster had provided 1,720 cases by Thursday .&nbsp;

Sri Lanka has issued a new gazette on coronavirus quarantine regulation, making not wearing of masks and failure in maintaining of social distance a punishable offence with six months of imprisonment or Rs 10,000 fine.

Sri Lanka has issued a new gazette on coronavirus quarantine regulation, making not wearing of masks and failure in maintaining of social distance a punishable offence with six months of imprisonment or Rs 10,000 fine. Under the new norms gazetted on Thursday, wearing of masks is compulsory all time and maintaining social distance of not less than one metre between two persons "Among the foremost of new regulations are that every person in public must wear a face mask at all times and maintain social distancing of not less than one metre between two persons," the Gazette said. Also read: Imran Khan slams Nawaz Sharif for accusing army chief of rigging elections Police said anybody violating the regulation would be subject to a 10, 000 rupees fine or a six month's imprisonment. The regulations extend to cover supermarkets, retail shops and public transport. All institutions are compelled to make a register of persons entering the premises, according to the Gazette. The new gazette follows the ongoing spike where since October 4 some 19 areas in the Western province's Gampaha district were placed under police curfew due to the latest cluster involving a garment export factory. Also read: Pakistan foils attempt to smuggle endangered falcons The curfew was later extended to the locality around the international airport where export promotion zone employees tens of thousands of factory workers. Till Thursday, Sri Lanka had recorded 5,244 cases out of which 3,380 had recovered with only 13 deaths since mid March. The garment export factory as the biggest cluster had provided 1,720 cases by Thursday .

Sri Lanka makes masks mandatory under new quarantine laws; to impose fine if rule violated

A Vatican city resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and has been transferred&nbsp;into an isolation ward, the Vatican said on Saturday.

The man has not been identified by authorities. However, the Vatican has confirmed that the infected man resided in the same residence as&nbsp;Pope Francis.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-in-first-trip-outside-rome-since-virus-lockdown-332169">Also read|&nbsp;Pope in first trip outside Rome since virus lockdown</a>

He has now left the&nbsp;Santa Marta residence and is now in isolation with all the people he had recently come in direct contact with in the last few days.

The&nbsp;Santa Marta residence&nbsp;has nearly 130 rooms and suites, and while the spread of the virus has been contained,&nbsp;this is not the first time someone has tested positive from the residence. A man earlier, in March, had tested positive when Italy had seen a surge in the coronavirus cases. A total of three Vatican residents have tested positive and recovered till now,&nbsp;Saturday's statement added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/truce-too-fragile-pope-francis-calls-for-dialogue-as-karabakh-ceasefire-under-severe-strain-334515">Also read|&nbsp;'Truce too fragile': Pope Francis calls for dialogue as Karabakh ceasefire under severe strain</a>

However,&nbsp;Pope Francis, who had part of one lung removed during an illness when he was a young man in his native Argentina, is tested regularly for COVID-19. The Pope met three people in private audience and addressed a large group of Italian police on Saturday.

Four members of the Swiss Guard, the elite and colourfully dressed corps that protects the pope, tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

A Vatican city resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and has been transferred into an isolation ward, the Vatican said on Saturday. The man has not been identified by authorities.

A Vatican city resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and has been transferred into an isolation ward, the Vatican said on Saturday. The man has not been identified by authorities. However, the Vatican has confirmed that the infected man resided in the same residence as Pope Francis. Also read| Pope in first trip outside Rome since virus lockdown He has now left the Santa Marta residence and is now in isolation with all the people he had recently come in direct contact with in the last few days. The Santa Marta residence has nearly 130 rooms and suites, and while the spread of the virus has been contained, this is not the first time someone has tested positive from the residence. A man earlier, in March, had tested positive when Italy had seen a surge in the coronavirus cases. A total of three Vatican residents have tested positive and recovered till now, Saturday's statement added. Also read| 'Truce too fragile': Pope Francis calls for dialogue as Karabakh ceasefire under severe strain However, Pope Francis, who had part of one lung removed during an illness when he was a young man in his native Argentina, is tested regularly for COVID-19. The Pope met three people in private audience and addressed a large group of Italian police on Saturday. Four members of the Swiss Guard, the elite and colourfully dressed corps that protects the pope, tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

Vatican resident tests positive for COVID-19; Pope tested negative

The Prime Minister of India&nbsp;Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting for the coronavirus situation and the&nbsp;preparedness of the country for vaccine delivery, distribution, and administration.

India has emerged as one of the hotspots in the world as the coronavirus cases crossed&nbsp;7,400,000 as of Saturday morning.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/coronavirus-india-reports-60k-new-cases-active-cases-fall-below-800000-335948">Also read|&nbsp;Coronavirus: India reports 60k+ new cases, active cases fall below 800,000</a>

The Prime Minister applauded the efforts of the local authorities which have led to a decline in the number of daily infections.

This meeting was attended by Union Health Minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan, Principal Secretary to PM, Member (Health) NITI Aayog, Principal Scientific Advisor, Senior Scientists, officers of PMO, and other Departments of Government of India. &nbsp;

He also talked about the preparedness of the authorities in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine. He pointed out that India has three coronavirus vaccine, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III of clinical trials. He also informed that Indian scientists are already collaborating with&nbsp;Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and countries such as&nbsp;Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan for clinical trials in their countries.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-russias-sputnik-v-gets-go-ahead-for-clinical-trials-in-india-336019">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19: Russia's Sputnik V gets go ahead for clinical trials in India</a>

The PM urged the authorities to make sure they are prepared for the distribution of the vaccine as the Asian country is geographically widespread. He stressed that every step in the logistics, delivery, and administration should be put in place rigorously. He further guided the authorities to&nbsp;include advanced planning of cold storage chains, distribution network, monitoring mechanism, advance assessment, and preparation of ancillary equipment required, such as vails, syringes etc.

He has also urged locals to keep maintaining social distance and step outside only when necessary, especially with the upcoming festival season in India.

India reported&nbsp;62,212 new cases and 837 deaths on Saturday morning.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting for the coronavirus situation and the preparedness of the country for vaccine delivery, distribution, and administration.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi chaired a review meeting for the coronavirus situation and the preparedness of the country for vaccine delivery, distribution, and administration. India has emerged as one of the hotspots in the world as the coronavirus cases crossed 7,400,000 as of Saturday morning. Also read| Coronavirus: India reports 60k+ new cases, active cases fall below 800,000 The Prime Minister applauded the efforts of the local authorities which have led to a decline in the number of daily infections. This meeting was attended by Union Health Minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan, Principal Secretary to PM, Member (Health) NITI Aayog, Principal Scientific Advisor, Senior Scientists, officers of PMO, and other Departments of Government of India. He also talked about the preparedness of the authorities in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine. He pointed out that India has three coronavirus vaccine, out of which two are in Phase II and one is in Phase-III of clinical trials. He also informed that Indian scientists are already collaborating with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan for clinical trials in their countries. Also read| COVID-19: Russia's Sputnik V gets go ahead for clinical trials in India The PM urged the authorities to make sure they are prepared for the distribution of the vaccine as the Asian country is geographically widespread. He stressed that every step in the logistics, delivery, and administration should be put in place rigorously. He further guided the authorities to include advanced planning of cold storage chains, distribution network, monitoring mechanism, advance assessment, and preparation of ancillary equipment required, such as vails, syringes etc. He has also urged locals to keep maintaining social distance and step outside only when necessary, especially with the upcoming festival season in India. India reported 62,212 new cases and 837 deaths on Saturday morning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviews COVID-19 situation in India

A professor at the University of Oxford has advised the Boris Johnson-led UK government to adopt the method&nbsp;of 'circuit breaker' lockdown to contain the rising spread of infections in the country.

The UK has seen a sudden and massive increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, hinting towards a possible — and maybe worse — second wave of the pandemic.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson had in the last few days urged the locals to stay indoors as much as possible, and maintain social distancing if stepping out.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-businesswoman-says-she-did-have-an-affair-with-uk-pm-johnson-335989">Also read|&nbsp;US businesswoman says she did have an affair with UK PM Johnson</a>

He believes a localised approach will work better than a temporary nationwide lockdown. However,&nbsp;John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford said the current measures will not help the government much and has asked the government to implement a brief but strict national lockdown —&nbsp;known as a "circuit-breaker".

"I can see very little way of getting on top of this without some kind of a circuit-breaker, because the numbers are actually pretty eye-watering in some bits of the country and I think it`s going to be pretty hard to get on top of this just biting around the edges," he told BBC radio.

He has also stressed on the importance of closing down schools and colleges for a while — which had reopened in September when he cases decreased.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-spreads-fake-news-about-oxfords-covid-19-vaccine-claims-it-turns-humans-into-monkeys-335768">Also read|&nbsp;Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys</a>

"If in the end we have to take kids out for two weeks, calm it all down and then start, ideally embed it in a much more rigorous testing regime, then that`s maybe what we may have to do," he added.

As per Johnson;s restrictions, the areas which ae not highly affected by the virus can still remain open. Experts believe this system will not only confuse the lcoals but will also not prove to be successful as it will be difficult to keep a tab on the movement of people from one zone to another.

A professor at the University of Oxford has advised the Boris Johnson-led UK government to adopt the method of 'circuit breaker' lockdown to contain the rising spread of infections in the country.

A professor at the University of Oxford has advised the Boris Johnson-led UK government to adopt the method of 'circuit breaker' lockdown to contain the rising spread of infections in the country. The UK has seen a sudden and massive increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, hinting towards a possible — and maybe worse — second wave of the pandemic. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson had in the last few days urged the locals to stay indoors as much as possible, and maintain social distancing if stepping out. Also read| US businesswoman says she did have an affair with UK PM Johnson He believes a localised approach will work better than a temporary nationwide lockdown. However, John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford said the current measures will not help the government much and has asked the government to implement a brief but strict national lockdown — known as a "circuit-breaker". "I can see very little way of getting on top of this without some kind of a circuit-breaker, because the numbers are actually pretty eye-watering in some bits of the country and I think it`s going to be pretty hard to get on top of this just biting around the edges," he told BBC radio. He has also stressed on the importance of closing down schools and colleges for a while — which had reopened in September when he cases decreased. Also read| Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys "If in the end we have to take kids out for two weeks, calm it all down and then start, ideally embed it in a much more rigorous testing regime, then that`s maybe what we may have to do," he added. As per Johnson;s restrictions, the areas which ae not highly affected by the virus can still remain open. Experts believe this system will not only confuse the lcoals but will also not prove to be successful as it will be difficult to keep a tab on the movement of people from one zone to another.

UK COVID-19 adviser calls for 'circuit-breaker' lockdown

German's leader&nbsp;Angela Merkel has asked the locals to practice social distancing again and keep travel to a minimum as the government is trying to contain a seco nd wave of the novel coronavirus.

"We have to do everything to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. Every day counts," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast.

The leaders in the federal and state governments are trying to agree to some measures to contain the second wave of COVID-19.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/last-wine-and-dine-for-parisians-as-covid-19-curfew-kicks-in-335927">Also read:&nbsp;Last wine and dine for Parisians as COVID-19 curfew kicks in</a>

So now, Merkel has urged the locals to stay indoors as much as possible.&nbsp;"We have to go further. I appeal to you: Meet with fewer people, either at home or outside.

"Please forsake any journey that is not absolutely essential, every party that is not absolutely essential. Stay at home, where at all possible."

The statement came after the death toll in Germany rose&nbsp;33 to 9,767 and the daily infections hit a daily record of&nbsp;7,830 on Saturday, as reported by&nbsp;the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

German courts have, meanwhile, overturned the bans on hote stays for visitors from the infectious hotspots. The local authorities have asked the people to take voluntary actions to stay safe.

German's leader Angela Merkel has asked the locals to practice social distancing again and keep travel to a minimum as the government is trying to contain a seco nd wave of the novel coronavirus.

German's leader Angela Merkel has asked the locals to practice social distancing again and keep travel to a minimum as the government is trying to contain a seco nd wave of the novel coronavirus. "We have to do everything to prevent the virus from spreading out of control. Every day counts," Merkel said in her weekly video podcast. The leaders in the federal and state governments are trying to agree to some measures to contain the second wave of COVID-19. Also read: Last wine and dine for Parisians as COVID-19 curfew kicks in So now, Merkel has urged the locals to stay indoors as much as possible. "We have to go further. I appeal to you: Meet with fewer people, either at home or outside. "Please forsake any journey that is not absolutely essential, every party that is not absolutely essential. Stay at home, where at all possible." The statement came after the death toll in Germany rose 33 to 9,767 and the daily infections hit a daily record of 7,830 on Saturday, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). German courts have, meanwhile, overturned the bans on hote stays for visitors from the infectious hotspots. The local authorities have asked the people to take voluntary actions to stay safe.

Germany's Angela Merkel urges people to curb travel amid rising COVID-19 cases

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine.

Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government. Provided enough people can get one, the vaccine may slow a pandemic that has already killed 1 million people worldwide.

It’s tempting to look at the first vaccine as President Donald Trump does: an on-off switch that will bring back life as we know it. “As soon as it’s given the go-ahead, we will get it out, defeat the virus,” he said at a September news conference. But vaccine experts say we should prepare instead for a perplexing, frustrating year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-this-one-blood-group-is-less-vulnerable-to-coronavirus-335456">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus</a>

The first vaccines may provide only moderate protection, low enough to make it prudent to keep wearing a mask. By next spring or summer, there may be several of these so-so vaccines, without a clear sense of how to choose from among them. Because of this array of options, makers of a superior vaccine in early stages of development may struggle to finish clinical testing. And some vaccines may be abruptly withdrawn from the market because they turn out not to be safe.

“It has not yet dawned on hardly anybody the amount of complexity and chaos and confusion that will happen in a few short months,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic.

Some of this confusion is inevitable, but some is the result of how coronavirus vaccine trials were designed: Each company is running its own trial, comparing its jab with a placebo. But it didn’t have to be this way.

In the spring, when government scientists began discussing how to invest in vaccine research, some wanted to test a number of vaccines all at once, against each other — what’s known as a master protocol.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-increases-risks-for-cancer-patients-common-cold-antibodies-no-help-vs-coronavirus-335363">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus</a>

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was in favor of the idea. But these mega-trials pose a business risk for any given vaccine maker because they reveal how a vaccine stacks up against its competitors.

Instead, the government offered to bankroll large vaccine trials if companies agreed to some common ground rules and shared some data. The companies were still allowed to run the trials on their own.

“You have to have the total cooperation of the pharmaceutical companies to get involved in a master protocol,” Fauci said. “That — I don’t know what the right word is — didn’t turn out to be feasible.”

The vaccine vetting system wasn’t set up for this logjam. Typically, scientists take several years to prepare a vaccine before testing it on people. Early safety trials, known as phase 1 and 2, may take several years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/long-covid-may-hit-several-body-parts-doctors-335354">Also read|&nbsp;'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors</a>

If all goes well — and it typically doesn’t — then phase 3, the final stage, can begin, comparing thousands of people who receive a vaccine with thousands who are given a placebo. It may take three more years to get these results. Only then — a decade or more after the research has begun — will a vaccine manufacturer build a factory to make the products.

When the coronavirus began to spread early this year, vaccine researchers around the world knew we could not afford to wait that long. The World Health Organization organized a group of experts to start what came to be known as the Solidarity Vaccines Trial. Several vaccines would be given at random to one large group of volunteers, while a smaller group would receive a placebo.

All of the vaccines would be tested against the same placebo group, and all of the volunteers would be living in the same circumstances. “You have a fully valid comparison, not only of each of those vaccines against placebo, but against each other,” said Thomas Fleming, a biostatistician at the University of Washington and a member of the Solidarity Vaccines Trial group.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/winter-is-coming-is-the-world-ready-to-fight-coronavirus-in-winters-335853">Also read|&nbsp;Winter is coming: Is the world ready to fight coronavirus in winters?</a>

It took nine months to get off the ground, but that trial will start later in October with a small study in Latin America.

Around the same time that the WHO was hatching plans for its mega-trial, U.S. government officials were discussing how they could best invest in — and speed up — vaccine trials. Some researchers, including Fauci, advocated a design much like the WHO’s.

But Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the multiagency effort to hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, said in a statement that such a trial would have been impractical. “If OWS had tested all vaccines under one master protocol, the operation would have had to wait months before starting and recruit 200,000 volunteers at the same time.”

In the end, the government opted for what it described as a “harmonized approach.” It would allow vaccine makers to run their own trials, but only if they used protocols that followed certain guidelines and let the National Institutes of Health test all of their volunteers in the same way. In exchange for following these rules, the companies would get to tap into to the NIH’s large network of clinical testing sites and receive major financial support for their trials. Through this program, the government has promised $10 billion to vaccine makers to date.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-lockdowns-led-to-unprecedented-decline-in-global-emissions-study-335217">Also read|&nbsp;Coronavirus lockdowns led to unprecedented decline in global emissions: Study</a>

So far, AstraZeneca, Johnson &amp; Johnson and Moderna have begun trials in the network. Novavax and Sanofi are expected to start their own phase 3 studies in the next couple of months. But Pfizer, one of the front-runners, never joined the network, opting to run trials completely on its own.

If Pfizer’s results turn out well, many experts expect the company to ask the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization of its vaccine, potentially for just one group of high-risk people. The company might then swiftly move to apply for a license, making it widely available.

The authorization of a vaccine will depend on how much protection the vaccine provides in the phase 3 trial — what scientists refer to as its efficacy. In June, the FDA set 50% efficacy as the target for a coronavirus vaccine.

But the efficacy in a trial may not necessarily match its effectiveness out in the real world. That’s because, like any statistical study, phase 3 trials have margins of error. A vaccine that met the FDA’s guidelines might actually be more than 50% effective or might be less so. It might well turn out to be only 35% effective.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-company-sinopharm-offering-free-covid-19-vaccine-to-students-335488">Also read|&nbsp;Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students</a>

Whether it goes to Pfizer or another company, that first vaccine authorization could hamper ongoing trials of its competitors. Some volunteers, unsure of whether they had been given an experimental vaccine or a placebo, could drop out of an ongoing trial to get the authorized vaccine, slowing down the research. John Shiver, Sanofi’s global head of vaccine research and development, agreed that this scenario might play out for the company’s vaccine trial.

Things could be even worse for vaccines in earlier stages of testing. Those products might have to prove that they are better than the newly approved vaccine. The difference between two vaccines will be smaller than between a vaccine and a placebo. As a result, these trials may have to be bigger and run longer. The steep cost may be more than many of the small startups working on innovative vaccines can afford.

“That basically prevents the development of better vaccines,” said Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Given the massive taxpayer investment, the public should demand better.”

The FDA’s guidelines raise the possibility of testing future vaccines against an authorized one, but they don’t give a clear sense of whether the agency would change the requirements for testing. “We cannot speculate on what may or may not happen in the future,” an FDA spokeswoman said.

Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed said in a statement that once a vaccine is authorized, trials that had not yet started or had just begun recruiting volunteers would be restricted to groups that were not approved to receive the authorized vaccine. Because the first wave of vaccines is likely to go to health care workers or other high-risk groups, this policy could mean these groups would not be allowed to be part of new clinical trials.

By spring or summer, there may well be several coronavirus vaccines for American consumers to choose from. But that choice will be tough. A vaccine that showed 50% efficacy in one trial, for example, might actually be more protective than one showing 60% efficacy in a different trial.

“I can see people reading a lot into even minor differences that could just be statistical chance,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida.

In a phone call with reporters Friday, Paul Mango, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Operation Warp Speed was on track to have up to 700 million doses of various vaccines by March or April — enough, he said, for “all Americans who wish to get it.” As for who would get which vaccine, he said that would be left up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee. “They will guide us as to which vaccine is most appropriate for which class of Americans,” he said.

But the advisory committee doesn’t have a plan for that yet, and Dr. Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and a member of that committee, warned it would have a hard time coming up with one. “It’s tough to do, given all the uncertainty with COVID vaccines,” she said.

Even moderately effective vaccines will be a huge help in reducing the cases of COVID-19 — but only if enough people take them, and only if they realize they could still get sick. “We’ll have to continue to use a mask for some of these vaccines,” said Poland of the Mayo Clinic.

The NIH’s harmonized approach for all phase 3 trials getting Operation Warp Speed funding is likely to bring some scientific insights. It’s possible, for example, that across all trials, some molecular signature in a vaccinated person’s blood would show that they were protected. Future trials could simply look for those signatures rather than wait for people to get sick.

There’s no guarantee that such a clear signature will emerge, however. And more uncertainty will come about as regulators continue to look for rare but dangerous side effects in authorized vaccines.

“You’re going to have random events,” Bar-Zeev said. For example, a group of older people could all have strokes shortly after being vaccinated, raising the question of whether the vaccine was the culprit. “It’s very possible that some vaccines will be withdrawn.”

The only way to manage this chaotic year, Poland said, is for scientists to talk honestly about how vaccines are tested and for people to learn what lies ahead. “As long as you frame something in advance, people do better with it,” he said.

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government.

The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day workweeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government. Provided enough people can get one, the vaccine may slow a pandemic that has already killed 1 million people worldwide. It’s tempting to look at the first vaccine as President Donald Trump does: an on-off switch that will bring back life as we know it. “As soon as it’s given the go-ahead, we will get it out, defeat the virus,” he said at a September news conference. But vaccine experts say we should prepare instead for a perplexing, frustrating year. Also read| COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus The first vaccines may provide only moderate protection, low enough to make it prudent to keep wearing a mask. By next spring or summer, there may be several of these so-so vaccines, without a clear sense of how to choose from among them. Because of this array of options, makers of a superior vaccine in early stages of development may struggle to finish clinical testing. And some vaccines may be abruptly withdrawn from the market because they turn out not to be safe. “It has not yet dawned on hardly anybody the amount of complexity and chaos and confusion that will happen in a few short months,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic. Some of this confusion is inevitable, but some is the result of how coronavirus vaccine trials were designed: Each company is running its own trial, comparing its jab with a placebo. But it didn’t have to be this way. In the spring, when government scientists began discussing how to invest in vaccine research, some wanted to test a number of vaccines all at once, against each other — what’s known as a master protocol. Also read| COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was in favor of the idea. But these mega-trials pose a business risk for any given vaccine maker because they reveal how a vaccine stacks up against its competitors. Instead, the government offered to bankroll large vaccine trials if companies agreed to some common ground rules and shared some data. The companies were still allowed to run the trials on their own. “You have to have the total cooperation of the pharmaceutical companies to get involved in a master protocol,” Fauci said. “That — I don’t know what the right word is — didn’t turn out to be feasible.” The vaccine vetting system wasn’t set up for this logjam. Typically, scientists take several years to prepare a vaccine before testing it on people. Early safety trials, known as phase 1 and 2, may take several years. Also read| 'Long Covid' may hit several body parts: Doctors If all goes well — and it typically doesn’t — then phase 3, the final stage, can begin, comparing thousands of people who receive a vaccine with thousands who are given a placebo. It may take three more years to get these results. Only then — a decade or more after the research has begun — will a vaccine manufacturer build a factory to make the products. When the coronavirus began to spread early this year, vaccine researchers around the world knew we could not afford to wait that long. The World Health Organization organized a group of experts to start what came to be known as the Solidarity Vaccines Trial. Several vaccines would be given at random to one large group of volunteers, while a smaller group would receive a placebo. All of the vaccines would be tested against the same placebo group, and all of the volunteers would be living in the same circumstances. “You have a fully valid comparison, not only of each of those vaccines against placebo, but against each other,” said Thomas Fleming, a biostatistician at the University of Washington and a member of the Solidarity Vaccines Trial group. Also read| Winter is coming: Is the world ready to fight coronavirus in winters? It took nine months to get off the ground, but that trial will start later in October with a small study in Latin America. Around the same time that the WHO was hatching plans for its mega-trial, U.S. government officials were discussing how they could best invest in — and speed up — vaccine trials. Some researchers, including Fauci, advocated a design much like the WHO’s. But Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the multiagency effort to hasten the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, said in a statement that such a trial would have been impractical. “If OWS had tested all vaccines under one master protocol, the operation would have had to wait months before starting and recruit 200,000 volunteers at the same time.” In the end, the government opted for what it described as a “harmonized approach.” It would allow vaccine makers to run their own trials, but only if they used protocols that followed certain guidelines and let the National Institutes of Health test all of their volunteers in the same way. In exchange for following these rules, the companies would get to tap into to the NIH’s large network of clinical testing sites and receive major financial support for their trials. Through this program, the government has promised $10 billion to vaccine makers to date. Also read| Coronavirus lockdowns led to unprecedented decline in global emissions: Study So far, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have begun trials in the network. Novavax and Sanofi are expected to start their own phase 3 studies in the next couple of months. But Pfizer, one of the front-runners, never joined the network, opting to run trials completely on its own. If Pfizer’s results turn out well, many experts expect the company to ask the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization of its vaccine, potentially for just one group of high-risk people. The company might then swiftly move to apply for a license, making it widely available. The authorization of a vaccine will depend on how much protection the vaccine provides in the phase 3 trial — what scientists refer to as its efficacy. In June, the FDA set 50% efficacy as the target for a coronavirus vaccine. But the efficacy in a trial may not necessarily match its effectiveness out in the real world. That’s because, like any statistical study, phase 3 trials have margins of error. A vaccine that met the FDA’s guidelines might actually be more than 50% effective or might be less so. It might well turn out to be only 35% effective. Also read| Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students Whether it goes to Pfizer or another company, that first vaccine authorization could hamper ongoing trials of its competitors. Some volunteers, unsure of whether they had been given an experimental vaccine or a placebo, could drop out of an ongoing trial to get the authorized vaccine, slowing down the research. John Shiver, Sanofi’s global head of vaccine research and development, agreed that this scenario might play out for the company’s vaccine trial. Things could be even worse for vaccines in earlier stages of testing. Those products might have to prove that they are better than the newly approved vaccine. The difference between two vaccines will be smaller than between a vaccine and a placebo. As a result, these trials may have to be bigger and run longer. The steep cost may be more than many of the small startups working on innovative vaccines can afford. “That basically prevents the development of better vaccines,” said Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Given the massive taxpayer investment, the public should demand better.” The FDA’s guidelines raise the possibility of testing future vaccines against an authorized one, but they don’t give a clear sense of whether the agency would change the requirements for testing. “We cannot speculate on what may or may not happen in the future,” an FDA spokeswoman said. Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed said in a statement that once a vaccine is authorized, trials that had not yet started or had just begun recruiting volunteers would be restricted to groups that were not approved to receive the authorized vaccine. Because the first wave of vaccines is likely to go to health care workers or other high-risk groups, this policy could mean these groups would not be allowed to be part of new clinical trials. By spring or summer, there may well be several coronavirus vaccines for American consumers to choose from. But that choice will be tough. A vaccine that showed 50% efficacy in one trial, for example, might actually be more protective than one showing 60% efficacy in a different trial. “I can see people reading a lot into even minor differences that could just be statistical chance,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida. In a phone call with reporters Friday, Paul Mango, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Operation Warp Speed was on track to have up to 700 million doses of various vaccines by March or April — enough, he said, for “all Americans who wish to get it.” As for who would get which vaccine, he said that would be left up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee. “They will guide us as to which vaccine is most appropriate for which class of Americans,” he said. But the advisory committee doesn’t have a plan for that yet, and Dr. Grace Lee, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and a member of that committee, warned it would have a hard time coming up with one. “It’s tough to do, given all the uncertainty with COVID vaccines,” she said. Even moderately effective vaccines will be a huge help in reducing the cases of COVID-19 — but only if enough people take them, and only if they realize they could still get sick. “We’ll have to continue to use a mask for some of these vaccines,” said Poland of the Mayo Clinic. The NIH’s harmonized approach for all phase 3 trials getting Operation Warp Speed funding is likely to bring some scientific insights. It’s possible, for example, that across all trials, some molecular signature in a vaccinated person’s blood would show that they were protected. Future trials could simply look for those signatures rather than wait for people to get sick. There’s no guarantee that such a clear signature will emerge, however. And more uncertainty will come about as regulators continue to look for rare but dangerous side effects in authorized vaccines. “You’re going to have random events,” Bar-Zeev said. For example, a group of older people could all have strokes shortly after being vaccinated, raising the question of whether the vaccine was the culprit. “It’s very possible that some vaccines will be withdrawn.” The only way to manage this chaotic year, Poland said, is for scientists to talk honestly about how vaccines are tested and for people to learn what lies ahead. “As long as you frame something in advance, people do better with it,” he said.

First, a vaccine approval. Then ‘chaos and confusion.’

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm.

The campaign started in Russia is trying to discredit the coronavirus vacine being developed by the scientists at the Oxford University. The aim of this campaign is to spread fear about the vaccine by claiming that the people who use this vaccine will turn into apes because the scientists have reportedly used 'chimpanzee virus'.

Russian social media saw wide spread of images and videos that suggested that the UK vaccine would be dangerous. Some of these images were also shown on the Russian TV&nbsp;programme Vesti News — which is lauded as the equivalent of the UK's popular channel BBC's show Newsnight.

One of the most popular images that took over the internet is of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walking near the Downing Street, but instead of Johnson's face, a face of an ape has been placed and the picture was captioned,&nbsp; "I like my bigfoot vaccine".
<img alt="Boris Johnson" data-align="left" data-caption="The image of Boris Johnson was played with and the caption read, &quot;I like my bigfoot vaccine&quot;." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d7dfce3-9706-4ba8-ac5c-977446ada746" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Boris%20Johnson.jpg" />
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The images also made fun of the&nbsp;pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, the company which is manufacturing the vaccine, by showing a&nbsp;chimpanzee in a lab coat working in&nbsp;AstraZeneca's laboratory.

Another image showed humans lining up outside an AstraZeneca tent, and apes and&nbsp;chimpanzees leaving the tent from the other side. The popular 'Uncle Sam' too was featured in one of these images with a message saying, "I want you – to take the monkey vaccine."

These images are being studied as a crude retaliation and a desperate try to harm all other vaccines who are competing against Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, that is being marketed as world's first COVID-19 vaccine.

The authorities at the Oxford University and AstraZeneca have voiced their disappointment and concern towards such malicious attempts to defame the vaccine.

Professor Pollard, who is professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio Four's programme, "In this context we are in at the moment, any misinformation, where we are trying to think of an intervention that we can have in the future to help the pandemic, whether they are treatments or vaccine, anything that undermines that could be extremely dangerous.

"The type vaccine we have is very very similar to a number of other vaccines, including the Russian vaccine, all of which use the Common Cold virus from humans or from chimpanzees.

"To our bodies, the viruses look the same.

"We don't actually have any chimpanzees involved at all in the process of making the vaccine, because it is all about the virus, rather than animals it might more commonly infect," he concluded.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot also condemned these fake campaigns and said, "Scientists at AstraZeneca and at many other companies and institutions around the world are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine and therapeutic treatments to defeat this virus. But it is independent experts and regulatory agencies across the world that ultimately decide if a vaccine is safe and effective before it is approved for use. Misinformation is a clear risk to public health."

He urged people to "use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity."

The campaign started a month ago when a volunteer in the Oxford vaccine;s trial fell ill, and the trial was halted for a bit. However, an insider has told the western media that the aim of this campaign was simply to spread these images on the western media and social media platforms.

However, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy told The Times, "The suggestion that the Russian state may conduct any kind of propaganda against the Astrazeneca vaccine is itself an example of disinformation.

"It is obviously aimed at discrediting Russia's efforts in combating the pandemic, including the good cooperation we have established with the UK in this field."

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm.

As the world is trying to fight the novel coronavirus, authorities are also warning people against fake news and misinformation. However, a campaign in Russia is taking a jibe at the Oxford Univeristy's possible vaccine, and the campaign is taking the nation by storm. The campaign started in Russia is trying to discredit the coronavirus vacine being developed by the scientists at the Oxford University. The aim of this campaign is to spread fear about the vaccine by claiming that the people who use this vaccine will turn into apes because the scientists have reportedly used 'chimpanzee virus'. Russian social media saw wide spread of images and videos that suggested that the UK vaccine would be dangerous. Some of these images were also shown on the Russian TV programme Vesti News — which is lauded as the equivalent of the UK's popular channel BBC's show Newsnight. One of the most popular images that took over the internet is of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson walking near the Downing Street, but instead of Johnson's face, a face of an ape has been placed and the picture was captioned, "I like my bigfoot vaccine". The images also made fun of the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, the company which is manufacturing the vaccine, by showing a chimpanzee in a lab coat working in AstraZeneca's laboratory. Another image showed humans lining up outside an AstraZeneca tent, and apes and chimpanzees leaving the tent from the other side. The popular 'Uncle Sam' too was featured in one of these images with a message saying, "I want you – to take the monkey vaccine." These images are being studied as a crude retaliation and a desperate try to harm all other vaccines who are competing against Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, that is being marketed as world's first COVID-19 vaccine. The authorities at the Oxford University and AstraZeneca have voiced their disappointment and concern towards such malicious attempts to defame the vaccine. Professor Pollard, who is professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio Four's programme, "In this context we are in at the moment, any misinformation, where we are trying to think of an intervention that we can have in the future to help the pandemic, whether they are treatments or vaccine, anything that undermines that could be extremely dangerous. "The type vaccine we have is very very similar to a number of other vaccines, including the Russian vaccine, all of which use the Common Cold virus from humans or from chimpanzees. "To our bodies, the viruses look the same. "We don't actually have any chimpanzees involved at all in the process of making the vaccine, because it is all about the virus, rather than animals it might more commonly infect," he concluded. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot also condemned these fake campaigns and said, "Scientists at AstraZeneca and at many other companies and institutions around the world are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine and therapeutic treatments to defeat this virus. But it is independent experts and regulatory agencies across the world that ultimately decide if a vaccine is safe and effective before it is approved for use. Misinformation is a clear risk to public health." He urged people to "use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity." The campaign started a month ago when a volunteer in the Oxford vaccine;s trial fell ill, and the trial was halted for a bit. However, an insider has told the western media that the aim of this campaign was simply to spread these images on the western media and social media platforms. However, a spokesperson for the Russian embassy told The Times, "The suggestion that the Russian state may conduct any kind of propaganda against the Astrazeneca vaccine is itself an example of disinformation. "It is obviously aimed at discrediting Russia's efforts in combating the pandemic, including the good cooperation we have established with the UK in this field."

Russia spreads fake news about Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine; claims it turns humans into monkeys

Some public health researchers are seeing hints that the coronavirus pandemic might help solve a longstanding puzzle: What causes premature birth?

Studies in Ireland and Denmark this summer showed that preterm births decreased in the spring during lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus in those countries. Anecdotally, doctors around the world reported similar drops. They speculated that reduced stress on mothers, cleaner air or better hygiene might have contributed. A large study from the Netherlands, published Tuesday in The Lancet Public Health, has yielded even stronger evidence of an association between the lockdowns and a smaller number of early births.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-vaccine-makers-are-not-mass-slaughtering-sharks-335561">Also read|&nbsp;Coronavirus vaccine makers are not mass-slaughtering sharks</a>

The authors used data from a national newborn screening program. As in the United States, nearly all babies in the Netherlands have a spot of blood collected a few days after birth and tested for certain diseases. Information including the babies’ gestational ages — at how many weeks of the mother’s term they were born — is collected at the same time.

The Dutch researchers examined newborn blood screening data from 2010 to 2020, which included more than 1.5 million infants. Over 56,000 of those babies were born after the Netherlands started locking down in response to the pandemic.

With their large data set, the researchers compared early births in windows one to four months before and after the lockdown. Looking at the same windows in earlier years let them account for any other trends, such as seasonal changes in premature birth. No matter which windows they used, the researchers saw that premature births had dropped after March 9, when the government in the Netherlands began warning the public to take more hygiene measures and to stay home if they had symptoms or possible exposures to the virus. Within the next week, schools and workplaces began to close down.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-company-sinopharm-offering-free-covid-19-vaccine-to-students-335488">Also read|&nbsp;Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students</a>

“We could see that this impact was real,” said Dr. Jasper Been, a neonatologist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and the study’s lead author.

The reduction was from 15% to 23%, he said.

Dr. Roy Philip, a neonatologist at University Maternity Hospital Limerick in Ireland and author of the earlier study finding fewer preterm births this spring in the country, said he was “truly delighted” to read the new paper. He said it suggested that the lockdown did, in fact, cause the drop in early births. Unlike the Irish and Danish studies, the new Dutch study showed a decrease across all ages of premature babies — not only the earliest ones.

But as is often the case after such an investigation, Been said, “You have more questions than you started out with.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-this-one-blood-group-is-less-vulnerable-to-coronavirus-335456">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus</a>

One of those unanswered questions is about stillbirths. In the best-case scenario, the preemies that were missing from hospitals this spring were born as healthy full-term infants. But it’s possible that some of those missing preemies died, instead.

Stillbirths “might actually be the dark side of this,” Been said. Researchers couldn’t measure stillbirths in the Dutch data set, because only live infants undergo newborn screening. If most of the missing preemies were actually stillborn, Been said, there would have to have been a huge increase in stillbirths — maybe three times the usual number, conservatively. No one has reported such a change so far.

At one hospital in London, a study showed an increase in stillbirths after the start of the pandemic (not the lockdown). This increase might have come from hidden coronavirus infections, the authors wrote, or from women’s reluctance to seek medical care during the pandemic. Studies in Nepal and India showed that mothers were less likely to give birth in hospitals in the spring, and that stillbirths increased in those countries. Further complicating the picture, COVID-19 itself may raise the odds of premature birth.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oxford-develops-five-minute-covid-19-rapid-antigen-test-335467">Also read|&nbsp;Oxford develops five-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test</a>

To find out how pandemic lockdowns affected preterm birth across different countries, the Dutch researchers have joined an international consortium of nearly 40 nations sharing data. Lockdowns might have been good for the health of mothers and babies in some places and not others, Been said, adding, “In general, we see that this whole pandemic seems to increase inequalities a lot.” The Dutch study even hinted that the drop in preterm births was limited to wealthier neighborhoods, although the result wasn’t statistically significant.

“Boy, did this affect people really differently,” said Jennifer Culhane, a senior research scientist in obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine.

Culhane said the new study confirmed what she had been hearing from U.S. colleagues about lower preterm birthrates this spring.

“Anecdotally, this is what we’re all hearing and feeling,” she said.

In the absence of strong evidence in the United States, she and her colleagues have partnered with an insurance company to begin a large-scale study of how lockdowns affected premature births in this country.

She speculates that the lockdown’s effects might have depended on economic circumstances. For mothers who had the resources to work from home, “This could have a been a stress-reducing moment,” she said. For essential workers or those experiencing economic hardships, it might have been a different story.

“We see gross inequities in this country,” Culhane said. “My guess is that women that had no reprieve from rat-racy-type things had, actually, an enhanced burden of stress.”

Scientists have long struggled to find the causes of premature birth, and good ways to prevent it.

“We haven’t been able to reduce the preterm birthrate come hell or high water,” Culhane said.

Future studies could finally reveal ways to prevent early births for all mothers — no pandemic needed.

Some public health researchers are seeing hints that the coronavirus pandemic might help solve a longstanding puzzle: What causes premature birth? Studies in Ireland and Denmark this summer showed that preterm births decreased in the spring during lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus in those countries.

Some public health researchers are seeing hints that the coronavirus pandemic might help solve a longstanding puzzle: What causes premature birth? Studies in Ireland and Denmark this summer showed that preterm births decreased in the spring during lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus in those countries. Anecdotally, doctors around the world reported similar drops. They speculated that reduced stress on mothers, cleaner air or better hygiene might have contributed. A large study from the Netherlands, published Tuesday in The Lancet Public Health, has yielded even stronger evidence of an association between the lockdowns and a smaller number of early births. Also read| Coronavirus vaccine makers are not mass-slaughtering sharks The authors used data from a national newborn screening program. As in the United States, nearly all babies in the Netherlands have a spot of blood collected a few days after birth and tested for certain diseases. Information including the babies’ gestational ages — at how many weeks of the mother’s term they were born — is collected at the same time. The Dutch researchers examined newborn blood screening data from 2010 to 2020, which included more than 1.5 million infants. Over 56,000 of those babies were born after the Netherlands started locking down in response to the pandemic. With their large data set, the researchers compared early births in windows one to four months before and after the lockdown. Looking at the same windows in earlier years let them account for any other trends, such as seasonal changes in premature birth. No matter which windows they used, the researchers saw that premature births had dropped after March 9, when the government in the Netherlands began warning the public to take more hygiene measures and to stay home if they had symptoms or possible exposures to the virus. Within the next week, schools and workplaces began to close down. Also read| Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students “We could see that this impact was real,” said Dr. Jasper Been, a neonatologist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and the study’s lead author. The reduction was from 15% to 23%, he said. Dr. Roy Philip, a neonatologist at University Maternity Hospital Limerick in Ireland and author of the earlier study finding fewer preterm births this spring in the country, said he was “truly delighted” to read the new paper. He said it suggested that the lockdown did, in fact, cause the drop in early births. Unlike the Irish and Danish studies, the new Dutch study showed a decrease across all ages of premature babies — not only the earliest ones. But as is often the case after such an investigation, Been said, “You have more questions than you started out with.” Also read| COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus One of those unanswered questions is about stillbirths. In the best-case scenario, the preemies that were missing from hospitals this spring were born as healthy full-term infants. But it’s possible that some of those missing preemies died, instead. Stillbirths “might actually be the dark side of this,” Been said. Researchers couldn’t measure stillbirths in the Dutch data set, because only live infants undergo newborn screening. If most of the missing preemies were actually stillborn, Been said, there would have to have been a huge increase in stillbirths — maybe three times the usual number, conservatively. No one has reported such a change so far. At one hospital in London, a study showed an increase in stillbirths after the start of the pandemic (not the lockdown). This increase might have come from hidden coronavirus infections, the authors wrote, or from women’s reluctance to seek medical care during the pandemic. Studies in Nepal and India showed that mothers were less likely to give birth in hospitals in the spring, and that stillbirths increased in those countries. Further complicating the picture, COVID-19 itself may raise the odds of premature birth. Also read| Oxford develops five-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test To find out how pandemic lockdowns affected preterm birth across different countries, the Dutch researchers have joined an international consortium of nearly 40 nations sharing data. Lockdowns might have been good for the health of mothers and babies in some places and not others, Been said, adding, “In general, we see that this whole pandemic seems to increase inequalities a lot.” The Dutch study even hinted that the drop in preterm births was limited to wealthier neighborhoods, although the result wasn’t statistically significant. “Boy, did this affect people really differently,” said Jennifer Culhane, a senior research scientist in obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. Culhane said the new study confirmed what she had been hearing from U.S. colleagues about lower preterm birthrates this spring. “Anecdotally, this is what we’re all hearing and feeling,” she said. In the absence of strong evidence in the United States, she and her colleagues have partnered with an insurance company to begin a large-scale study of how lockdowns affected premature births in this country. She speculates that the lockdown’s effects might have depended on economic circumstances. For mothers who had the resources to work from home, “This could have a been a stress-reducing moment,” she said. For essential workers or those experiencing economic hardships, it might have been a different story. “We see gross inequities in this country,” Culhane said. “My guess is that women that had no reprieve from rat-racy-type things had, actually, an enhanced burden of stress.” Scientists have long struggled to find the causes of premature birth, and good ways to prevent it. “We haven’t been able to reduce the preterm birthrate come hell or high water,” Culhane said. Future studies could finally reveal ways to prevent early births for all mothers — no pandemic needed.

Did lockdowns lower premature births? A new study adds evidence

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products.

The oily compound, called squalene, is churned out by shark livers and has immunity-boosting powers, which has led several companies to use it as an ingredient in vaccines. A group called Shark Allies has mounted a campaign calling on the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies to halt the sourcing of the compound from sharks, warning that mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine could require harvesting tissue from more than 500,000 sharks.

The call to action made headlines around the globe. But the story on shark squalene isn’t as clear-cut as it might at first seem.

Why are some people so upset about sharks and vaccines?

Companies commonly use squalene as a moisturizing additive in cosmetics and sunscreens. But the substance has also been occasionally used in vaccines as an adjuvant — a chemical that kick-starts the immune system into action, driving stronger, longer-lasting protection against disease.

Although adjuvants aren’t necessary for all vaccines, they can make or break certain recipes. By boosting products’ immunity-priming powers, they can also increase the immunization’s efficiency, giving the vaccine’s ingredients more bang for their buck and freeing up supplies for more doses.

Shark livers are considered among the best sources of the compound. Between 63 million and 273 million sharks die at the hands of humans each year, and liver oil is harvested from at least a couple million of them, according to Catherine Macdonald, a shark biologist in Florida.

Two of the companies under the scrutiny of Shark Allies are GlaxoSmithKline and Seqirus, which each manufacture adjuvants that contain about 10 milligrams of squalene per dose. Those ingredients are found in a number of coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans, including products from Sanofi, Medicago and Clover Biopharmaceuticals, which have all partnered with GSK.

According to one estimate, between 2,500 and 3,000 sharks are needed per metric ton of squalene. Shark Allies extrapolated from these statistics to arrive at their widely quoted numbers tabulating the potential ecological toll on sharks.

Are Shark Allies’ numbers realistic?

Such estimates are difficult to make.

Macdonald pointed out that sharks — of which there are more than 500 species worldwide — vary in size, weight and liver squalene content. The number of sharks required to yield enough squalene-adjuvanted vaccine doses to treat everyone on Earth is thus likely to be a “huge range,” she said. Her own calculations for this statistic stretch between tens of thousands and more than 1 million, depending on how many doses are needed per person.

It’s also the case that of the dozens of vaccine candidates in clinical trials in people, most don’t include squalene. To only rely on vaccines that use shark-based squalene, “a ton of other promising candidates would have to fail — they would have to be the last vaccines standing,” said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University. A more plausible scenario would probably involve the distribution of several products made by multiple companies.

Are there alternatives to shark oil?

Squalene has plenty of plant and animal sources (including humans, who produce it to lubricate and protect their skin).

But squeezing squalene out of plants is a pain, while “shark oil is cheap and easy to come by,” said Stefanie Brendl, the executive director of Shark Allies.

“We feel that’s not an excuse,” she said.

She pointed to Amyris, a California-based company, which has been pursuing a synthetic alternative.

Evan Berland, director of U.S. corporate communications for GSK, said the company “is committed to environmental stewardship and is actively exploring the potential for alternative sources of its raw materials when possible.”

No squalene alternatives, however, would be available “within the time frame of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Joanne Cleary, a Seqirus spokeswoman, said her company was in a similar situation. “More will need to be done to research plant-based or synthetic alternatives before they can be used in vaccines,” she said.

Swapping adjuvants, or even adjuvant sources, isn’t trivial, Omer said. Each product has to be refined and tested to ensure it’s safe and effective, and work its way — often ploddingly — through the necessary regulatory steps.

Are vaccine makers to blame for harvesting shark squalene?

Neither GSK nor Seqirus named their suppliers. But GSK said the sharks their squalene came from were “typically caught for other purposes.”

Macdonald said it’s impossible to answer questions about the exact number of sharks that would be killed explicitly for their squalene. Fishers capture sharks for their meat or fins, or simply as bycatch; in many cases, the oil pulled from their bodies might otherwise have been discarded.

So should you really worry that coronavirus vaccines will result in a mass culling of sharks?

No.

Even the Shark Allies team does not think the vaccine industry is “going out and hunting down sharks — we are not saying that at all,” Brendl said. Nor do they wish for companies to terminate or delay coronavirus vaccine production.

“But there are alternatives to shark adjuvants,” she said. “Start testing them.”

Macdonald and others noted that vaccine manufacturers by no means bear the brunt of the responsibility for hoarding shark liver oil. Most fish-sourced squalene is still routed to cosmetics — “much less important things” than vaccines, said Jasmin Graham, a shark biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida.

Crafting more sustainable fishing practices, she said, could help tackle multiple issues at once.

“I don’t think we should demonize the people trying to save our lives,” Graham said. “There are much larger, more important hills to die on.”

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products.

Several companies in the race for a coronavirus vaccine have stumbled upon a new and unexpected hurdle: activists protesting the use of a substance that comes from sharks in their products. The oily compound, called squalene, is churned out by shark livers and has immunity-boosting powers, which has led several companies to use it as an ingredient in vaccines. A group called Shark Allies has mounted a campaign calling on the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies to halt the sourcing of the compound from sharks, warning that mass distribution of a coronavirus vaccine could require harvesting tissue from more than 500,000 sharks. The call to action made headlines around the globe. But the story on shark squalene isn’t as clear-cut as it might at first seem. Why are some people so upset about sharks and vaccines? Companies commonly use squalene as a moisturizing additive in cosmetics and sunscreens. But the substance has also been occasionally used in vaccines as an adjuvant — a chemical that kick-starts the immune system into action, driving stronger, longer-lasting protection against disease. Although adjuvants aren’t necessary for all vaccines, they can make or break certain recipes. By boosting products’ immunity-priming powers, they can also increase the immunization’s efficiency, giving the vaccine’s ingredients more bang for their buck and freeing up supplies for more doses. Shark livers are considered among the best sources of the compound. Between 63 million and 273 million sharks die at the hands of humans each year, and liver oil is harvested from at least a couple million of them, according to Catherine Macdonald, a shark biologist in Florida. Two of the companies under the scrutiny of Shark Allies are GlaxoSmithKline and Seqirus, which each manufacture adjuvants that contain about 10 milligrams of squalene per dose. Those ingredients are found in a number of coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans, including products from Sanofi, Medicago and Clover Biopharmaceuticals, which have all partnered with GSK. According to one estimate, between 2,500 and 3,000 sharks are needed per metric ton of squalene. Shark Allies extrapolated from these statistics to arrive at their widely quoted numbers tabulating the potential ecological toll on sharks. Are Shark Allies’ numbers realistic? Such estimates are difficult to make. Macdonald pointed out that sharks — of which there are more than 500 species worldwide — vary in size, weight and liver squalene content. The number of sharks required to yield enough squalene-adjuvanted vaccine doses to treat everyone on Earth is thus likely to be a “huge range,” she said. Her own calculations for this statistic stretch between tens of thousands and more than 1 million, depending on how many doses are needed per person. It’s also the case that of the dozens of vaccine candidates in clinical trials in people, most don’t include squalene. To only rely on vaccines that use shark-based squalene, “a ton of other promising candidates would have to fail — they would have to be the last vaccines standing,” said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University. A more plausible scenario would probably involve the distribution of several products made by multiple companies. Are there alternatives to shark oil? Squalene has plenty of plant and animal sources (including humans, who produce it to lubricate and protect their skin). But squeezing squalene out of plants is a pain, while “shark oil is cheap and easy to come by,” said Stefanie Brendl, the executive director of Shark Allies. “We feel that’s not an excuse,” she said. She pointed to Amyris, a California-based company, which has been pursuing a synthetic alternative. Evan Berland, director of U.S. corporate communications for GSK, said the company “is committed to environmental stewardship and is actively exploring the potential for alternative sources of its raw materials when possible.” No squalene alternatives, however, would be available “within the time frame of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Joanne Cleary, a Seqirus spokeswoman, said her company was in a similar situation. “More will need to be done to research plant-based or synthetic alternatives before they can be used in vaccines,” she said. Swapping adjuvants, or even adjuvant sources, isn’t trivial, Omer said. Each product has to be refined and tested to ensure it’s safe and effective, and work its way — often ploddingly — through the necessary regulatory steps. Are vaccine makers to blame for harvesting shark squalene? Neither GSK nor Seqirus named their suppliers. But GSK said the sharks their squalene came from were “typically caught for other purposes.” Macdonald said it’s impossible to answer questions about the exact number of sharks that would be killed explicitly for their squalene. Fishers capture sharks for their meat or fins, or simply as bycatch; in many cases, the oil pulled from their bodies might otherwise have been discarded. So should you really worry that coronavirus vaccines will result in a mass culling of sharks? No. Even the Shark Allies team does not think the vaccine industry is “going out and hunting down sharks — we are not saying that at all,” Brendl said. Nor do they wish for companies to terminate or delay coronavirus vaccine production. “But there are alternatives to shark adjuvants,” she said. “Start testing them.” Macdonald and others noted that vaccine manufacturers by no means bear the brunt of the responsibility for hoarding shark liver oil. Most fish-sourced squalene is still routed to cosmetics — “much less important things” than vaccines, said Jasmin Graham, a shark biologist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. Crafting more sustainable fishing practices, she said, could help tackle multiple issues at once. “I don’t think we should demonize the people trying to save our lives,” Graham said. “There are much larger, more important hills to die on.”

Coronavirus vaccine makers are not mass-slaughtering sharks

The Finnish company Nokia has created an automatic detection system that uses a thermal camera and real-time&nbsp;video analytics to detect whether or not a person has the novel coronavirus.

This system, unlike others, can also detect whether or not someone is wearing a mask, which will help the companies implement rules when employees return to work.

The system has been in use in a particular facility for the past two months in Chennai, the southern city of India. Through the device,&nbsp;more than 200,000 people in that facility have been&nbsp;screened. The factory had been closed for a few months during the lockdown, and nearly 1,000 employes returned to work after the facility reopened.

<a href="wionews.com/world/oxford-develops-five-minute-covid-19-rapid-antigen-test-335467">Also read|&nbsp;Oxford develops five-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test</a>

It can also help detect the temperature of the participants, and also alerts the&nbsp;operation centre, the head of Analytics and IoT for Nokia, Amit Shah.

However, to make sure that the privacy is not violated, the device comes with&nbsp;privacy settings where faces can be blurred to comply with local regulations and deployed across different locations and monitored from a central facility without the need to keep a person at every checkpoint.

"Nokia factories and R&amp;D centres are deploying this," Shah said, adding that talks were also at "pretty advanced stages" on deploying the system in North America, Latin America and Asia and across sectors including schools and government buildings.

The tech giant is also planning to expand the features list such as&nbsp;predictive surveillance, machine maintenance and security threats.

The Finnish company Nokia has created an automatic detection system that uses a thermal camera and real-time video analytics to detect whether or not a person has the novel coronavirus.

The Finnish company Nokia has created an automatic detection system that uses a thermal camera and real-time video analytics to detect whether or not a person has the novel coronavirus. This system, unlike others, can also detect whether or not someone is wearing a mask, which will help the companies implement rules when employees return to work. The system has been in use in a particular facility for the past two months in Chennai, the southern city of India. Through the device, more than 200,000 people in that facility have been screened. The factory had been closed for a few months during the lockdown, and nearly 1,000 employes returned to work after the facility reopened. Also read| Oxford develops five-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test It can also help detect the temperature of the participants, and also alerts the operation centre, the head of Analytics and IoT for Nokia, Amit Shah. However, to make sure that the privacy is not violated, the device comes with privacy settings where faces can be blurred to comply with local regulations and deployed across different locations and monitored from a central facility without the need to keep a person at every checkpoint. "Nokia factories and R&D centres are deploying this," Shah said, adding that talks were also at "pretty advanced stages" on deploying the system in North America, Latin America and Asia and across sectors including schools and government buildings. The tech giant is also planning to expand the features list such as predictive surveillance, machine maintenance and security threats.

Nokia develops automatic COVID-19 detection system

Scientists from Oxford University have now developed a rapid antigen test for the novel coronavirus which can complete the whole process within five minutes.

The researchers released the details on Thursday and also said that the test can also be used in mass testing at airports and businesses.

This device will be able to detect and distinguish the novel coronavirus from other viruses&nbsp;with high accuracy, the researchers said in a pre-print study.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-this-one-blood-group-is-less-vulnerable-to-coronavirus-335456">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus</a>

"Our method quickly detects intact virus particles," said Professor Achilles Kapanidis, at Oxford's Department of Physics, adding that this meant the test would be "simple, extremely rapid, and cost-effective".

Researchers are hoping that the production and testing of the device will hopefully start in early 2021 and it might be available for mass use within six months.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-increases-risks-for-cancer-patients-common-cold-antibodies-no-help-vs-coronavirus-335363">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus</a>

Rapid antigen tests have been quite popular and useful in the last few months to test the novel coronavirus. The ones in use are being developed to become cheaper, but researchers are hoping this will be cheaper than the rest of the available devices.

The test will prove out to be successsful especially during the winter season when the coronavirus came attain another peak.

Scientists from Oxford University have now developed a rapid antigen test for the novel coronavirus which can complete the whole process within five minutes. The researchers released the details on Thursday and also said that the test can also be used in mass testing at airports and businesses.

Scientists from Oxford University have now developed a rapid antigen test for the novel coronavirus which can complete the whole process within five minutes. The researchers released the details on Thursday and also said that the test can also be used in mass testing at airports and businesses. This device will be able to detect and distinguish the novel coronavirus from other viruses with high accuracy, the researchers said in a pre-print study. Also read| COVID-19: This one blood group is less vulnerable to coronavirus "Our method quickly detects intact virus particles," said Professor Achilles Kapanidis, at Oxford's Department of Physics, adding that this meant the test would be "simple, extremely rapid, and cost-effective". Researchers are hoping that the production and testing of the device will hopefully start in early 2021 and it might be available for mass use within six months. Also read| COVID-19 increases risks for cancer patients; common cold antibodies no help vs coronavirus Rapid antigen tests have been quite popular and useful in the last few months to test the novel coronavirus. The ones in use are being developed to become cheaper, but researchers are hoping this will be cheaper than the rest of the available devices. The test will prove out to be successsful especially during the winter season when the coronavirus came attain another peak.

Oxford develops five-minute COVID-19 rapid antigen test

India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 7,239,389 with 63,509 infections being reported in a day, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 63 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 87.05 per cent, according to the Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The coronavirus death toll climbed to 110,586 with the virus claiming 730 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. For six days in a row the active cases of COVID-19 remained below 900,000.

There are 826,876 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 11.42 per cent of the total caseload, while the recoveries have surged to 6,301,927, the data stated.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/india-tops-list-of-countries-with-most-trust-in-scientists-335020">Also read:&nbsp;India tops list of countries with most trust in scientists</a>

The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.53 per cent.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 5 million on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28 and crossed 7 million on October 11.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,00,90,122 samples have been tested up to October 13 with 11,45,015 samples being tested on Tuesday.

India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 7,239,389 with 63,509 infections being reported in a day, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 63 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 87.

India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 7,239,389 with 63,509 infections being reported in a day, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 63 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 87.05 per cent, according to the Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The coronavirus death toll climbed to 110,586 with the virus claiming 730 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. For six days in a row the active cases of COVID-19 remained below 900,000. There are 826,876 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 11.42 per cent of the total caseload, while the recoveries have surged to 6,301,927, the data stated. Also read: India tops list of countries with most trust in scientists The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.53 per cent. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 5 million on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28 and crossed 7 million on October 11. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,00,90,122 samples have been tested up to October 13 with 11,45,015 samples being tested on Tuesday.

COVID-19 caseload in India rises to 7.24 million

The World Bank said Tuesday that it approved $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatment.

The financing "aims to support vaccination of up to a billion people," the bank said in a statement.

The money is part of an overall World Bank Group (WBG) package of up to $160 billion through June 2021 designed to help developing countries battle the novel coronavirus pandemic.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/not-enough-oxfam-accuses-governments-of-not-helping-poor-countries-amid-pandemic-335113">Also read|&nbsp;'Not enough': Oxfam accuses governments of not helping poor countries amid pandemic</a>

"This financing package helps signal to the research and pharmaceutical industry that citizens in developing countries also need access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines," the statement read.&nbsp;

"It will also provide financing and technical support so that developing countries can prepare for deploying vaccines at scale, in coordination with international partners."

Access to safe and effective vaccines "and strengthened delivery systems is key to alter the course of the pandemic and help countries experiencing catastrophic economic and fiscal impacts move toward a resilient recovery," World Bank Group President David Malpass said in the statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-richest-1-cause-double-co2-emissions-of-poorest-50-says-oxfam-329722">Also read|&nbsp;World's richest 1% cause double CO2 emissions of poorest 50%, says Oxfam</a>

The financing "will also support countries to access to Covid-19 tests and treatments, and expand immunization capacity to help health systems deploy the vaccines effectively," the statement added.

The financing approval was expected as Malpass had announced the project in late September.

While vaccines have yet to appear on the market, Malpass noted in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro that it was necessary to prepare because of the complicated vaccine distribution process.

The Bank's approach, according to the statement, draws on its "significant expertise in supporting large scale immunization programs for vaccine preventable diseases, as well as public health programs to tackle infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases."

The World Bank said Tuesday that it approved $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatment.

The World Bank said Tuesday that it approved $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatment. The financing "aims to support vaccination of up to a billion people," the bank said in a statement. The money is part of an overall World Bank Group (WBG) package of up to $160 billion through June 2021 designed to help developing countries battle the novel coronavirus pandemic. Also read| 'Not enough': Oxfam accuses governments of not helping poor countries amid pandemic "This financing package helps signal to the research and pharmaceutical industry that citizens in developing countries also need access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines," the statement read. "It will also provide financing and technical support so that developing countries can prepare for deploying vaccines at scale, in coordination with international partners." Access to safe and effective vaccines "and strengthened delivery systems is key to alter the course of the pandemic and help countries experiencing catastrophic economic and fiscal impacts move toward a resilient recovery," World Bank Group President David Malpass said in the statement. Also read| World's richest 1% cause double CO2 emissions of poorest 50%, says Oxfam The financing "will also support countries to access to Covid-19 tests and treatments, and expand immunization capacity to help health systems deploy the vaccines effectively," the statement added. The financing approval was expected as Malpass had announced the project in late September. While vaccines have yet to appear on the market, Malpass noted in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro that it was necessary to prepare because of the complicated vaccine distribution process. The Bank's approach, according to the statement, draws on its "significant expertise in supporting large scale immunization programs for vaccine preventable diseases, as well as public health programs to tackle infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases."

World Bank approves $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines

India generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19 biomedical waste in the last four months, with Maharashtra contributing the maximum (3,587 tonnes) to it, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

Around 5,500 tonnes of COVID-19 waste was generated across the country in September - the maximum for a month so far.

According to the data received from state pollution control boards, since June, all states and Union Territories have generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19-related biomedical waste which is being collected, treated and disposed of by 198 common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs).

COVID-19 biomedical waste could include PPE kits, masks, shoe covers, gloves, human tissues, items contaminated with blood, body fluids like dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs, beddings contaminated with blood or body fluid, blood bags, needles, syringes etc.

According to the data, Maharashtra generated 3,587 tonnes of COVID-19 waste in four months since June, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,737 tonnes), Gujarat (1,638 tonnes), Kerala (1,516 tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (1,432 tonnes), Delhi (1,400 tonnes), Karnataka (1,380 tonnes) and West Bengal (1,000 tonnes).

Around 5,490 tonnes of such waste was generated in September, with Gujarat contributing the maximum 622 tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu (543 tonnes), Maharashtra (524 tnnes), Uttar Pradesh (507 tonnes) and Kerala (494 tonnes).

Delhi generated 382 tonnes of COVID-19 bio-medical waste in September, according to the CPCB data.

Around 5,240 tonnes of COVID-19 waste was generated in August, of which 1,359 tonnes was in Maharashtra, and 588 tonnes each in Kerala and Karnataka.

In July, the country generated 4,253 tonnes of COVID-19 waste, with Maharashtra (1,180), Karnataka (540) and Tamil Nadu (401) being the top three contributors.

India generated 3,025 tonnes of COVID-19 waste in June, with Maharashtra alone accounting for 524 tonnes, followed by Gujarat (350 tonnes), Delhi (333 tonnes) and Tamil Nadu (312 tonnes) The CPCB had in March issued specific guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of such waste at healthcare facilities, quarantine centres, homes, sample collection centers, laboratories, pollution control boards, urban local bodies and common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBMWTFs).

The apex pollution body had in May developed the "COVID19BWM" mobile application to monitor coronavirus-related biomedical waste and to compile the data through electronic manifest system.

This application tracks COVID-19 waste at the time of generation, collection and disposal.

The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for all urban local bodies and state pollution control boards to use the mobile application for tracking biomedical waste daily in a bid to ensure that the waste is collected, transported and sent to the registered CBMWTFs.

The directions came on July 30 on recommendations made in a report by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority.

As on Monday, India's COVID-19 caseload stands at 71.2 lakhs while the death toll is 1.09 lakh.

India generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19 biomedical waste in the last four months, with Maharashtra contributing the maximum (3,587 tonnes) to it, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

India generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19 biomedical waste in the last four months, with Maharashtra contributing the maximum (3,587 tonnes) to it, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Around 5,500 tonnes of COVID-19 waste was generated across the country in September - the maximum for a month so far. According to the data received from state pollution control boards, since June, all states and Union Territories have generated 18,006 tonnes of COVID-19-related biomedical waste which is being collected, treated and disposed of by 198 common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs). COVID-19 biomedical waste could include PPE kits, masks, shoe covers, gloves, human tissues, items contaminated with blood, body fluids like dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs, beddings contaminated with blood or body fluid, blood bags, needles, syringes etc. According to the data, Maharashtra generated 3,587 tonnes of COVID-19 waste in four months since June, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,737 tonnes), Gujarat (1,638 tonnes), Kerala (1,516 tonnes), Uttar Pradesh (1,432 tonnes), Delhi (1,400 tonnes), Karnataka (1,380 tonnes) and West Bengal (1,000 tonnes). Around 5,490 tonnes of such waste was generated in September, with Gujarat contributing the maximum 622 tonnes, followed by Tamil Nadu (543 tonnes), Maharashtra (524 tnnes), Uttar Pradesh (507 tonnes) and Kerala (494 tonnes). Delhi generated 382 tonnes of COVID-19 bio-medical waste in September, according to the CPCB data. Around 5,240 tonnes of COVID-19 waste was generated in August, of which 1,359 tonnes was in Maharashtra, and 588 tonnes each in Kerala and Karnataka. In July, the country generated 4,253 tonnes of COVID-19 waste, with Maharashtra (1,180), Karnataka (540) and Tamil Nadu (401) being the top three contributors. India generated 3,025 tonnes of COVID-19 waste in June, with Maharashtra alone accounting for 524 tonnes, followed by Gujarat (350 tonnes), Delhi (333 tonnes) and Tamil Nadu (312 tonnes) The CPCB had in March issued specific guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of such waste at healthcare facilities, quarantine centres, homes, sample collection centers, laboratories, pollution control boards, urban local bodies and common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBMWTFs). The apex pollution body had in May developed the "COVID19BWM" mobile application to monitor coronavirus-related biomedical waste and to compile the data through electronic manifest system. This application tracks COVID-19 waste at the time of generation, collection and disposal. The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for all urban local bodies and state pollution control boards to use the mobile application for tracking biomedical waste daily in a bid to ensure that the waste is collected, transported and sent to the registered CBMWTFs. The directions came on July 30 on recommendations made in a report by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority. As on Monday, India's COVID-19 caseload stands at 71.2 lakhs while the death toll is 1.09 lakh.

India generated over 18,000 tonnes COVID-19 waste since June; Maharashtra biggest contributor

Pakistan has imposed mini smart lockdowns in several cities after a surge in the COVID-19 positivity rate, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

On Sunday, Pakistan reported 666 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 318,932, according to the Ministry of National Health Services.

Minister for Planning Asad Umar in a post on Twitter said that mini lockdowns have been imposed in some cities after "positivity rate crossed 2 per cent after remaining below 2 per cent for six weeks".

Positivity rate is the percentage of positive results out of the total number of tests sampled.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-religious-scholar-shot-dead-in-karachi-334471">Also read:&nbsp;Pakistan religious scholar shot dead in Karachi</a>

Mini smart lockdowns have been imposed in Karachi, Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"Instructions have been issued to administrations across the country to ensure that precautionary measures are followed. But like in the past, success is impossible without the cooperation of the people," he said in the tweet.

Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood also asked people to follow guidelines and avoid big gatherings. 
"Large public gatherings must not take place. These alone can unleash a second wave," he said.

According to the health ministry, Punjab province on Sunday confirmed 203 new COVID-19 cases. It was for the first time since August 15 that Punjab recorded more than 200 cases.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nawaz-sharif-alone-faces-sedition-charges-now-party-leaders-declared-innocent-334405">Also read:&nbsp;Nawaz Sharif alone faces sedition charges now, party leaders declared innocent</a>

Sindh reported 140,131 cases, Punjab 100,687, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 38,329, Islamabad 17,296, Balochistan 15,520, Gilgit-Baltistan 3,924 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 3,045 cases.

The National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), the nerve centre to synergise and articulate unified national effort against COVID-19, on Thursday imposed restrictions on large-scale public gatherings in marriage halls after rise in the COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.

The restrictions have come ahead of a big rally announced by the opposition parties, under the banner Pakistan Democratic Movement, on October 16 at Gujranwala in Punjab province against the Imran Khan-led government.

However, the Opposition leaders have rejected the call to avoid big rallies.

"Some weeks ago this government was taking credit for controlling the coronavirus but suddenly it started saying that it was getting out of control," Rana Sanaullah of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz earlier had said.

Pakistan has imposed mini smart lockdowns in several cities after a surge in the COVID-19 positivity rate, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Pakistan has imposed mini smart lockdowns in several cities after a surge in the COVID-19 positivity rate, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid fears of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. On Sunday, Pakistan reported 666 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 318,932, according to the Ministry of National Health Services. Minister for Planning Asad Umar in a post on Twitter said that mini lockdowns have been imposed in some cities after "positivity rate crossed 2 per cent after remaining below 2 per cent for six weeks". Positivity rate is the percentage of positive results out of the total number of tests sampled. Also read: Pakistan religious scholar shot dead in Karachi Mini smart lockdowns have been imposed in Karachi, Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Instructions have been issued to administrations across the country to ensure that precautionary measures are followed. But like in the past, success is impossible without the cooperation of the people," he said in the tweet. Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood also asked people to follow guidelines and avoid big gatherings. "Large public gatherings must not take place. These alone can unleash a second wave," he said. According to the health ministry, Punjab province on Sunday confirmed 203 new COVID-19 cases. It was for the first time since August 15 that Punjab recorded more than 200 cases. Also read: Nawaz Sharif alone faces sedition charges now, party leaders declared innocent Sindh reported 140,131 cases, Punjab 100,687, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 38,329, Islamabad 17,296, Balochistan 15,520, Gilgit-Baltistan 3,924 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 3,045 cases. The National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), the nerve centre to synergise and articulate unified national effort against COVID-19, on Thursday imposed restrictions on large-scale public gatherings in marriage halls after rise in the COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. The restrictions have come ahead of a big rally announced by the opposition parties, under the banner Pakistan Democratic Movement, on October 16 at Gujranwala in Punjab province against the Imran Khan-led government. However, the Opposition leaders have rejected the call to avoid big rallies. "Some weeks ago this government was taking credit for controlling the coronavirus but suddenly it started saying that it was getting out of control," Rana Sanaullah of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz earlier had said.

Pak imposes mini smart lockdowns in several cities; COVID-19 positivity rate surges

Under pressure from the federal government, Nevada health officials Friday rescinded a statewide order directing nursing homes to halt the use of two government-issued rapid coronavirus tests that the state had deemed to be inaccurate.

The reversal came shortly after the United States Department of Health and Human Services issued a threatening letter, dated Oct. 8, to Nevada officials. The federal document noted that swift punitive actions could be taken if the state did not promptly revoke its ban, which Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, called “unwise, uninformed and unlawful” and a violation of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.

Outside health experts who reviewed the letter, which condemned the state’s actions as “based on a lack of knowledge or bias,” described its tone as “acid.”

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In a statement released on Friday, Dr. Ihsan Azzam, Nevada’s chief medical officer, said that he and his colleagues were “very disappointed by the letter received today.” Nevada’s priorities, Azzam said, remained aligned with the federal government’s: to protect “those most vulnerable in our communities from COVID-19.”

The two brands of rapid tests, manufactured by Quidel and Becton, Dickinson and Company, had been shipped en masse to nursing homes around the country in August to address the delays and equipment shortages that for months had stymied laboratory testing. Both tests detect bits of coronavirus protein, or antigens.

In submitting applications to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance, BD and Quidel reported no false positives from their products, and advertised these accuracy rates on their packaging.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/researchers-urge-scientists-to-find-more-about-bat-viruses-334042">Also read|&nbsp;Researchers urge scientists to find more about bat viruses</a>

But among a sample of 39 positive antigen test results collected from nursing homes across Nevada, 23 were found to be false positives when confirmed by a more accurate laboratory test. The discovery prompted state officials to issue their directive on Oct. 2, urging nursing homes to promptly pivot from antigen tests to other types of tests that look for viral RNA while the discrepancies were being investigated.

Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh, a pathologist at Rutgers University, said the number of false positives the state had reported was “significant” and worthy of scrutiny. “In the meantime, switching to an alternative, accurate method of testing would be the responsible thing to do,” Fitzhugh said. “Nevada was on the right track for trying to fix this issue.”

Under pressure from the federal government, Nevada health officials Friday rescinded a statewide order directing nursing homes to halt the use of two government-issued rapid coronavirus tests that the state had deemed to be inaccurate.

Under pressure from the federal government, Nevada health officials Friday rescinded a statewide order directing nursing homes to halt the use of two government-issued rapid coronavirus tests that the state had deemed to be inaccurate. The reversal came shortly after the United States Department of Health and Human Services issued a threatening letter, dated Oct. 8, to Nevada officials. The federal document noted that swift punitive actions could be taken if the state did not promptly revoke its ban, which Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, called “unwise, uninformed and unlawful” and a violation of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act. Outside health experts who reviewed the letter, which condemned the state’s actions as “based on a lack of knowledge or bias,” described its tone as “acid.” Also read| BCG vaccine to be tested in UK for effectiveness against COVID-19 In a statement released on Friday, Dr. Ihsan Azzam, Nevada’s chief medical officer, said that he and his colleagues were “very disappointed by the letter received today.” Nevada’s priorities, Azzam said, remained aligned with the federal government’s: to protect “those most vulnerable in our communities from COVID-19.” The two brands of rapid tests, manufactured by Quidel and Becton, Dickinson and Company, had been shipped en masse to nursing homes around the country in August to address the delays and equipment shortages that for months had stymied laboratory testing. Both tests detect bits of coronavirus protein, or antigens. In submitting applications to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance, BD and Quidel reported no false positives from their products, and advertised these accuracy rates on their packaging. Also read| Researchers urge scientists to find more about bat viruses But among a sample of 39 positive antigen test results collected from nursing homes across Nevada, 23 were found to be false positives when confirmed by a more accurate laboratory test. The discovery prompted state officials to issue their directive on Oct. 2, urging nursing homes to promptly pivot from antigen tests to other types of tests that look for viral RNA while the discrepancies were being investigated. Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh, a pathologist at Rutgers University, said the number of false positives the state had reported was “significant” and worthy of scrutiny. “In the meantime, switching to an alternative, accurate method of testing would be the responsible thing to do,” Fitzhugh said. “Nevada was on the right track for trying to fix this issue.”

Nevada revokes halt on rapid antigen testing in nursing homes

Obese Americans are more likely to become dangerously ill if they are infected with the new coronavirus. Now public health officials are warning that a much broader segment of the population also may be at risk: Even moderately excess weight may increase the odds of severe disease.

The warning, reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this past week, may have serious implications for Americans. While about 40% of U.S. adults are obese, another 32% are simply overweight, among the highest rates of obesity and overweight in the world.

By the new calculus, nearly three-quarters of Americans may be at increased risk of severe COVID-19 if infected with the coronavirus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/long-lived-antibodies-detected-in-saliva-blood-of-coronavirus-patients-333967">Also read|&nbsp;Long-lived antibodies detected in saliva, blood of coronavirus patients</a>

“It’s important to make sure the public and individuals are aware of this potential risk,” said Dr. Brook Belay, a medical officer at the CDC.

“The message is to strive to make healthy changes on a daily basis, through healthy food choices, choices about physical activity, and getting sufficient sleep.”

Other medical conditions for which there is limited or mixed evidence of increased COVID-19 severity include asthma, cerebrovascular disease and cystic fibrosis, the CDC said. Medical conditions clearly shown to increase the risk of COVID-19 include cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart disease and sickle cell disease, among others.

Overweight and obesity are defined by a person’s body mass index, a ratio of an individual’s weight and height. People with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 are considered to be of healthy weight; the overweight zone ranges from a BMI of 25 through 29, and obesity starts at a BMI of 30.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/researchers-urge-scientists-to-find-more-about-bat-viruses-334042">Also read|&nbsp;Researchers urge scientists to find more about bat viruses</a>

Someone who is 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 125 to 168 pounds is in the healthy range, for example; above that, the individual is overweight, and at 203 pounds or higher, is obese.

“This greatly expands the risk to a pretty big chunk of the U.S. population,” Barry M. Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said of the CDC’s new advice.

In a recent review of 75 studies published in August, Popkin found that obese people were twice as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with those who were overweight or of healthy weight, and nearly twice as likely to wind up in intensive care.

Popkin and his colleagues were unable to pinpoint the risk of being merely overweight, because so few studies have examined that variable.

Doctors observed early on in the pandemic that excess weight appeared to pose an extra risk to patients. But since obesity is often accompanied by other medical problems, it took some time for researchers to learn whether excess fat, in and of itself, was the culprit. Many studies now indicate that it may be, at least in some patients.

Adipose tissue — the fat accumulated by the body — is itself biologically active, causing metabolic changes and abnormalities. Adipose promotes a state of chronic low-grade inflammation in the body, even without an infection.

In addition, abdominal obesity — which is more common in men — may cause compression of the diaphragm, lungs and chest cavity, restricting breathing and making it more difficult to clear pneumonia and other respiratory infections.

The CDC based its warning on a small number of studies that successfully differentiated between overweight and obesity, including a paper on risk factors for severe COVID-19 among patients in the United Kingdom and a report analyzing the outcomes of more than 500 patients hospitalized in March and April at Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn.

Among those patients, 43% were obese, 30% overweight and 27% of healthy weight. After adjusting for age, diabetes and other such factors, the researchers found that patients who were overweight or obese were at increased risk for requiring mechanical assistance with breathing and were more likely to die. The paper was published in July in the International Journal of Obesity.

Surprisingly, the risk of being overweight was even greater than that linked to obesity. Overweight patients were 40% more likely to die than healthy-weight patients, while obese patients were at 30% greater risk, compared with the healthy-weight patients.

The findings clearly demonstrated an increased risk of severe COVID-19 in anyone with a BMI of 25 or above, according to the authors of the study, Dr. Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at SUNY Downstate Health Science University, and Rohan Maini, a medical student.

But while obesity increased the risk of death for men, it did not do so for women, they noted. (Other studies have also reported this disparity.)

The British study examined lifestyle risk factors among 387,109 men and women, 760 of whom had COVID-19. People with the virus who were overweight were roughly 30% more likely to be hospitalized than those of healthy weight; those who were obese were about twice as likely, compared with healthy-weight individuals.

The study, published in July in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, also looked at factors like smoking, alcohol consumption and levels of physical activity, and concluded that moderate exercise reduced the odds that an infected person would be hospitalized.

“Socially distanced physical activity may be a good intervention,” Mark Hamer, a professor of sports and exercise medicine at University College London and an author of the paper, said in an email. “It gives immune protection, and also helps with weight loss.”

Physical activity, which has been extensively studied, can reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions linked to excess weight, like diabetes and high blood pressure. But it won’t entirely eliminate the risk of impaired immune function and heightened inflammation, Popkin cautioned.

“Overweight is quite different than other diseases in terms of inflammation,” he said. “The fat tissue are inflamed for a long period of time, and it affects immune function more over time. It is a continuous insult.”

Obese Americans are more likely to become dangerously ill if they are infected with the new coronavirus. Now public health officials are warning that a much broader segment of the population also may be at risk: Even moderately excess weight may increase the odds of severe disease.

Obese Americans are more likely to become dangerously ill if they are infected with the new coronavirus. Now public health officials are warning that a much broader segment of the population also may be at risk: Even moderately excess weight may increase the odds of severe disease. The warning, reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this past week, may have serious implications for Americans. While about 40% of U.S. adults are obese, another 32% are simply overweight, among the highest rates of obesity and overweight in the world. By the new calculus, nearly three-quarters of Americans may be at increased risk of severe COVID-19 if infected with the coronavirus. Also read| Long-lived antibodies detected in saliva, blood of coronavirus patients “It’s important to make sure the public and individuals are aware of this potential risk,” said Dr. Brook Belay, a medical officer at the CDC. “The message is to strive to make healthy changes on a daily basis, through healthy food choices, choices about physical activity, and getting sufficient sleep.” Other medical conditions for which there is limited or mixed evidence of increased COVID-19 severity include asthma, cerebrovascular disease and cystic fibrosis, the CDC said. Medical conditions clearly shown to increase the risk of COVID-19 include cancer, chronic kidney disease, heart disease and sickle cell disease, among others. Overweight and obesity are defined by a person’s body mass index, a ratio of an individual’s weight and height. People with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 are considered to be of healthy weight; the overweight zone ranges from a BMI of 25 through 29, and obesity starts at a BMI of 30. Also read| Researchers urge scientists to find more about bat viruses Someone who is 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs 125 to 168 pounds is in the healthy range, for example; above that, the individual is overweight, and at 203 pounds or higher, is obese. “This greatly expands the risk to a pretty big chunk of the U.S. population,” Barry M. Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said of the CDC’s new advice. In a recent review of 75 studies published in August, Popkin found that obese people were twice as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with those who were overweight or of healthy weight, and nearly twice as likely to wind up in intensive care. Popkin and his colleagues were unable to pinpoint the risk of being merely overweight, because so few studies have examined that variable. Doctors observed early on in the pandemic that excess weight appeared to pose an extra risk to patients. But since obesity is often accompanied by other medical problems, it took some time for researchers to learn whether excess fat, in and of itself, was the culprit. Many studies now indicate that it may be, at least in some patients. Adipose tissue — the fat accumulated by the body — is itself biologically active, causing metabolic changes and abnormalities. Adipose promotes a state of chronic low-grade inflammation in the body, even without an infection. In addition, abdominal obesity — which is more common in men — may cause compression of the diaphragm, lungs and chest cavity, restricting breathing and making it more difficult to clear pneumonia and other respiratory infections. The CDC based its warning on a small number of studies that successfully differentiated between overweight and obesity, including a paper on risk factors for severe COVID-19 among patients in the United Kingdom and a report analyzing the outcomes of more than 500 patients hospitalized in March and April at Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn. Among those patients, 43% were obese, 30% overweight and 27% of healthy weight. After adjusting for age, diabetes and other such factors, the researchers found that patients who were overweight or obese were at increased risk for requiring mechanical assistance with breathing and were more likely to die. The paper was published in July in the International Journal of Obesity. Surprisingly, the risk of being overweight was even greater than that linked to obesity. Overweight patients were 40% more likely to die than healthy-weight patients, while obese patients were at 30% greater risk, compared with the healthy-weight patients. The findings clearly demonstrated an increased risk of severe COVID-19 in anyone with a BMI of 25 or above, according to the authors of the study, Dr. Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at SUNY Downstate Health Science University, and Rohan Maini, a medical student. But while obesity increased the risk of death for men, it did not do so for women, they noted. (Other studies have also reported this disparity.) The British study examined lifestyle risk factors among 387,109 men and women, 760 of whom had COVID-19. People with the virus who were overweight were roughly 30% more likely to be hospitalized than those of healthy weight; those who were obese were about twice as likely, compared with healthy-weight individuals. The study, published in July in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, also looked at factors like smoking, alcohol consumption and levels of physical activity, and concluded that moderate exercise reduced the odds that an infected person would be hospitalized. “Socially distanced physical activity may be a good intervention,” Mark Hamer, a professor of sports and exercise medicine at University College London and an author of the paper, said in an email. “It gives immune protection, and also helps with weight loss.” Physical activity, which has been extensively studied, can reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions linked to excess weight, like diabetes and high blood pressure. But it won’t entirely eliminate the risk of impaired immune function and heightened inflammation, Popkin cautioned. “Overweight is quite different than other diseases in terms of inflammation,” he said. “The fat tissue are inflamed for a long period of time, and it affects immune function more over time. It is a continuous insult.”

Extra pounds may raise risk of severe COVID-19

Superstitiously protected: Cambodia installs scare-crows to ward off coronavirus

South Korea has decided to relax the coronavirus-related restrictions in the country from the next week as the new cases have decreased massively over the past few weeks.

As per the new guidelines, a few rules around social distancing will be relaxed which will result in nightclubs in re-opening.&nbsp;Karaoke bars and buffets&nbsp;will also be allowed to stay open till late.

Following the new guidelines, the sports enthusiasts will also be able to attend sports events in the stadiums and open places now. Stadiums are allowed to have 30 per cent attendance now. This decision has come at a time when people had been itching to go back to attending the famous&nbsp;Korea Baseball Organization League.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-diplomat-missing-since-2018-is-in-seoul-lawmaker-says-333106">Also read:&nbsp;North Korean diplomat, missing since 2018, is in Seoul, lawmaker says</a>

"We will lower the level of social distancing nationwide but maintain controls on risk factors such as the door-to-door sales industry," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a meeting on Sunday.

"Many citizens are feeling fatigue over prolonged distancing, and we also took its negative impact on the economy into consideration."

The decision has been taken after the daily infections decreased from 400 to double-digits.

While the relaxation has been welcomed by the locals, the&nbsp;Health Minister Park Neung-hoo has also warned citizens to exercise caution.&nbsp;"We all know from past experiences that any slight carelessness could lead to another large-scale spread of the virus," he said.

South Korea has decided to relax the coronavirus-related restrictions in the country from the next week as the new cases have decreased massively over the past few weeks.

South Korea has decided to relax the coronavirus-related restrictions in the country from the next week as the new cases have decreased massively over the past few weeks. As per the new guidelines, a few rules around social distancing will be relaxed which will result in nightclubs in re-opening. Karaoke bars and buffets will also be allowed to stay open till late. Following the new guidelines, the sports enthusiasts will also be able to attend sports events in the stadiums and open places now. Stadiums are allowed to have 30 per cent attendance now. This decision has come at a time when people had been itching to go back to attending the famous Korea Baseball Organization League. Also read: North Korean diplomat, missing since 2018, is in Seoul, lawmaker says "We will lower the level of social distancing nationwide but maintain controls on risk factors such as the door-to-door sales industry," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a meeting on Sunday. "Many citizens are feeling fatigue over prolonged distancing, and we also took its negative impact on the economy into consideration." The decision has been taken after the daily infections decreased from 400 to double-digits. While the relaxation has been welcomed by the locals, the Health Minister Park Neung-hoo has also warned citizens to exercise caution. "We all know from past experiences that any slight carelessness could lead to another large-scale spread of the virus," he said.

South Korea relaxes coronavirus restrictions as cases decrease

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, she announced through a Twitter post on Saturday.

Gabriel has become the first top official of Brussels to test positive for COVID-19. She is the&nbsp;EU commissioner for research and innovation, and represents Bulgaria at the 27-member EU executive.

"After a first negative #COVID19 test on Monday, my second one is positive," said Gabriel.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
After a first negative <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> test on Monday, my second one is positive. I have been in self-isolation since Monday and continue staying at home, following the established regulations. Keep yourself healthy and stay safe!
— Mariya Gabriel (@GabrielMariya) <a href="https://twitter.com/GabrielMariya/status/1314890374788378632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
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She also assured people that she had been in self-quarantine from Monday and will continue to stay at home in isolation till she recovers fully from the virus.

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Medical experts are assuming she got infected as she was currently stationed in the EU commission's headquarters in Brussels, which is currently one of the worst hit cities in Europe by the virus.

Gabriel's announcement came after the commission's president Ursula von der Leyen also quarantined herself on Monday after someone in her surrounding tested positive for the virus. Later, she tested negative twice.

Last month the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, was forced to postpone a European leaders' summit for a week after a security guard in his team tested positive.

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, she announced through a Twitter post on Saturday. Gabriel has become the first top official of Brussels to test positive for COVID-19.

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, she announced through a Twitter post on Saturday. Gabriel has become the first top official of Brussels to test positive for COVID-19. She is the EU commissioner for research and innovation, and represents Bulgaria at the 27-member EU executive. "After a first negative #COVID19 test on Monday, my second one is positive," said Gabriel. After a first negative #COVID19 test on Monday, my second one is positive. I have been in self-isolation since Monday and continue staying at home, following the established regulations. Keep yourself healthy and stay safe! — Mariya Gabriel (@GabrielMariya) October 10, 2020 × She also assured people that she had been in self-quarantine from Monday and will continue to stay at home in isolation till she recovers fully from the virus. Also read| US election 2020: Texas Judge blocks Governor's order to limit drop-off points Medical experts are assuming she got infected as she was currently stationed in the EU commission's headquarters in Brussels, which is currently one of the worst hit cities in Europe by the virus. Gabriel's announcement came after the commission's president Ursula von der Leyen also quarantined herself on Monday after someone in her surrounding tested positive for the virus. Later, she tested negative twice. Last month the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, was forced to postpone a European leaders' summit for a week after a security guard in his team tested positive.

EU commissioner Mariya Gabriel tests positive for COVID-19

COVAX is a project&nbsp;aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020.

Now, China has joined this project. However, it seems unfair that the country which is being investigated for spreading the novel coronavirus onto the world is being allowed to be a part of this project.

WION's question is that should the UN not be holding China accountable for the pandemic — a virus that caused nine months of lockdowns, infected&nbsp;nearly 36.6 million people, caused over one million deaths in 188 countries, took away 400 million job losses and pushed&nbsp;16 countries into recession.

<a href="Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus">Also read:&nbsp;Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus</a>

However, instead of punishing China, the United Nations is providing it a platform for philantrophy.

After reports of the virus being lab-made in&nbsp;Wuhan, defective masks and faulty PPE kits, can the world afford&nbsp;faulty vaccines too?

The UN seems to have skipped how China went back on its promise to Bangladesh. It is asking a country to cough up money for vaccine trials after promising free doses.&nbsp;

The UN expects China to help poor countries. However,&nbsp;Beijing does not function that way; it doesn't believe in welfare, unless there is scope for expansion or a debt trap.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-cure-comment-trump-exaggerates-known-benefits-of-another-covid-19-therapy-334003">Also read:&nbsp;With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy</a>

China does not believe in help; it believes in hindrance and silencing voices. A very recent example of this is the case of the lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Chiushi who reported on the coronavirus outbreak and then he went missing.

Then, Wuhan businessman Fang Bin has not been seen since February. He was broadcasting photos of Wuhan during the pandemic. He was later arrested in February and has not been seen since.

Next, we have example of a law professor Xu Zhangrun. He had criticised China's handling of the virus. Xu had published an essay on February 10, hinting that China's censorship of information on the virus has hampered the fight against it. The essay was soon taken down. He was placed under house arrest and cut off from the internet.

Then Dr. Li wenliang tried warning the world about this virus. He was summoned to a police station and made to sign a letter that read, "We solemnly warn you: if you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brough to justice--- is that understood?"

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-happens-if-a-us-presidential-candidate-dies-before-the-election-333986">Also read:&nbsp;What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election</a>

Li had to agree to it and write, "Yes, I do."

This is how the Chinese communist party treats all those who do not align with its policies.

The head of human rights watch Keneneth Roth recently called China "an orwellian high-tech surveillance state."

Chinese President Xi Jinping is more interested in covering up the source of the coronavirus. He isn't interested in helping the world overcome the pandemic; why else would China slap punitive taxes on Australia.

Canberra is being penalised for demanding a probe on this virus. Then there are organisations like WION which are being targeted for doing their job. You already know how china has repeatedly hit out at WION, through press releases, through its mouth piece — The Global Times.

<a href="wionews.com/india-news/china-blocks-access-to-wion-website-after-india-bans-59-chinese-apps-310271">Also read:&nbsp;China blocks access to WION website after India bans 59 Chinese apps</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinablockswion-readers-stand-in-solidarity-with-us-310490">China also blocked WION </a>and now China is lecturing us on how to report. The Chinese mission issued a letter in which China said it "would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world."

"Indian media can stick to Indian govt's position on Taiwan question and not violate the one-China principle," the letter continued.

This letter was issued on October 05. What had inspired this letter was WION running a programme on the Taiwanese national day and some of India's leading newspapers carried full-page ads on this programme.

To summarise, China gets to hide an outbreak, export a virus, threaten international media and get away with all of this.

The UN should be leading the effort of holding China accountable for its efforts.

It's part of UN website reads, "The United Nations can take actions on the issue confronting humanity in the 21st century."

This pandemic is this century's biggest crisis. And, UN's health body WHO has already lost its credibitly by downplaying the crisis and becoming an apologist for China.

Now the UN is allowing China to join COVAX, instead of pulling it up. It is setting the wrong example, instead of making China pay.

If the United Nations does not do this, rogue countries such as China will repeatedly attack world peace and world bodies like the UN will further lose their credibility.

COVAX is a project aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020.

COVAX is a project aimed at ensuring that poorer countries have access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus that took over the world in the beginning of the the year 2020. Now, China has joined this project. However, it seems unfair that the country which is being investigated for spreading the novel coronavirus onto the world is being allowed to be a part of this project. WION's question is that should the UN not be holding China accountable for the pandemic — a virus that caused nine months of lockdowns, infected nearly 36.6 million people, caused over one million deaths in 188 countries, took away 400 million job losses and pushed 16 countries into recession. Also read: Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus However, instead of punishing China, the United Nations is providing it a platform for philantrophy. After reports of the virus being lab-made in Wuhan, defective masks and faulty PPE kits, can the world afford faulty vaccines too? The UN seems to have skipped how China went back on its promise to Bangladesh. It is asking a country to cough up money for vaccine trials after promising free doses. The UN expects China to help poor countries. However, Beijing does not function that way; it doesn't believe in welfare, unless there is scope for expansion or a debt trap. Also read: With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy China does not believe in help; it believes in hindrance and silencing voices. A very recent example of this is the case of the lawyer and citizen journalist Chen Chiushi who reported on the coronavirus outbreak and then he went missing. Then, Wuhan businessman Fang Bin has not been seen since February. He was broadcasting photos of Wuhan during the pandemic. He was later arrested in February and has not been seen since. Next, we have example of a law professor Xu Zhangrun. He had criticised China's handling of the virus. Xu had published an essay on February 10, hinting that China's censorship of information on the virus has hampered the fight against it. The essay was soon taken down. He was placed under house arrest and cut off from the internet. Then Dr. Li wenliang tried warning the world about this virus. He was summoned to a police station and made to sign a letter that read, "We solemnly warn you: if you keep being stubborn, with such impertinence, and continue this illegal activity, you will be brough to justice--- is that understood?" Also read: What happens if a US presidential candidate dies before the election Li had to agree to it and write, "Yes, I do." This is how the Chinese communist party treats all those who do not align with its policies. The head of human rights watch Keneneth Roth recently called China "an orwellian high-tech surveillance state." Chinese President Xi Jinping is more interested in covering up the source of the coronavirus. He isn't interested in helping the world overcome the pandemic; why else would China slap punitive taxes on Australia. Canberra is being penalised for demanding a probe on this virus. Then there are organisations like WION which are being targeted for doing their job. You already know how china has repeatedly hit out at WION, through press releases, through its mouth piece — The Global Times. Also read: China blocks access to WION website after India bans 59 Chinese apps China also blocked WION and now China is lecturing us on how to report. The Chinese mission issued a letter in which China said it "would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world." "Indian media can stick to Indian govt's position on Taiwan question and not violate the one-China principle," the letter continued. This letter was issued on October 05. What had inspired this letter was WION running a programme on the Taiwanese national day and some of India's leading newspapers carried full-page ads on this programme. To summarise, China gets to hide an outbreak, export a virus, threaten international media and get away with all of this. The UN should be leading the effort of holding China accountable for its efforts. It's part of UN website reads, "The United Nations can take actions on the issue confronting humanity in the 21st century." This pandemic is this century's biggest crisis. And, UN's health body WHO has already lost its credibitly by downplaying the crisis and becoming an apologist for China. Now the UN is allowing China to join COVAX, instead of pulling it up. It is setting the wrong example, instead of making China pay. If the United Nations does not do this, rogue countries such as China will repeatedly attack world peace and world bodies like the UN will further lose their credibility.

China to join COVAX: When will UN hold China responsible for its actions?

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins.

Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program. However the question remains that can the Chinese vaccines be trusted?

A Chinese vaccine is the world's biggest mystery right now as the world knows practically nothing about it.

Global agencies have not approved it, but that hasn't stopped China from administering it. Thousands of people in China are being inoculated with unproven vaccines. The list includes members of the medical fraternity, government workers and the military.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spain-invokes-state-of-emergency-over-madrid-lockdown-as-europe-grapples-with-virus-334020">Also read:&nbsp;Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus</a>

Now, China wants to take its unproven vaccines beyond the mainland, and so it has now joined Covax — a world health organization project that aims to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations.

Why is china doing this?&nbsp;

Beijing has been hesitant to commit to the global effort. Officials in China said they have already promised vaccines to a number of allies. They have not shared details about their vaccine programme.

There is no clarity on whether vaccine recipients are being tracked or monitored for any side effects.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-cure-comment-trump-exaggerates-known-benefits-of-another-covid-19-therapy-334003">Also read:&nbsp;With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy</a>

Beijing has poured billions into multiple vaccine projects. It owns rights to most of the potential vaccines in late stage trials. However, what it lacks is credibility and this effort is to earn some points.

China wants a vaccine&nbsp;to fight criticism over the pandemic cover up.&nbsp;

In recent weeks, Chinese companies have tired to take their trials abroad. Allegedly because they were unable to find enough volunteers at home.

In China's Shaoyang city, the local officials issued orders to hunt for more volunteers. A notice was put up that says people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes could qualify for emergency use of vaccines.

China's vaccine project has hit roadblocks in Pakistan too. Doctors are urging people to volunteer for a shot of Chinese vaccines. However,&nbsp;few want to be guinea pigs for an unproven vaccine

Despite the concerns, China has turned to propaganda to showcase itself as a frontrunner in the vaccine race. One top official used the vaccine to showcase her loyalty to the party. Way back in March, Major General Chen Wei, who is China's top epidemiologist took a shot of a vaccine even before it was tested on animals. The shot was administered to Chen and six others.

The Chinese state media and the PLA took pride in this and shared images. However, they had to delete them later from Weibo.

China has four vaccines in the last phase of clinical trials. Taking an unproven vaccine is a shot in the dark. In the case of China, few may want to take it.

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins. Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program.

The delay in the investigation of the origin of COVID-19 only benefits Beijing as it gives China an opportunity to wash its sins. Today, China announced it will participate in the WHO-backed global vaccine program. However the question remains that can the Chinese vaccines be trusted? A Chinese vaccine is the world's biggest mystery right now as the world knows practically nothing about it. Global agencies have not approved it, but that hasn't stopped China from administering it. Thousands of people in China are being inoculated with unproven vaccines. The list includes members of the medical fraternity, government workers and the military. Also read: Spain invokes state of emergency over Madrid lockdown as Europe grapples with virus Now, China wants to take its unproven vaccines beyond the mainland, and so it has now joined Covax — a world health organization project that aims to distribute coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations. Why is china doing this? Beijing has been hesitant to commit to the global effort. Officials in China said they have already promised vaccines to a number of allies. They have not shared details about their vaccine programme. There is no clarity on whether vaccine recipients are being tracked or monitored for any side effects. Also read: With ‘cure’ comment, Trump exaggerates known benefits of another COVID-19 therapy Beijing has poured billions into multiple vaccine projects. It owns rights to most of the potential vaccines in late stage trials. However, what it lacks is credibility and this effort is to earn some points. China wants a vaccine to fight criticism over the pandemic cover up. In recent weeks, Chinese companies have tired to take their trials abroad. Allegedly because they were unable to find enough volunteers at home. In China's Shaoyang city, the local officials issued orders to hunt for more volunteers. A notice was put up that says people in schools, kindergartens and nursing homes could qualify for emergency use of vaccines. China's vaccine project has hit roadblocks in Pakistan too. Doctors are urging people to volunteer for a shot of Chinese vaccines. However, few want to be guinea pigs for an unproven vaccine Despite the concerns, China has turned to propaganda to showcase itself as a frontrunner in the vaccine race. One top official used the vaccine to showcase her loyalty to the party. Way back in March, Major General Chen Wei, who is China's top epidemiologist took a shot of a vaccine even before it was tested on animals. The shot was administered to Chen and six others. The Chinese state media and the PLA took pride in this and shared images. However, they had to delete them later from Weibo. China has four vaccines in the last phase of clinical trials. Taking an unproven vaccine is a shot in the dark. In the case of China, few may want to take it.

Mysterious COVID-19 vaccine: China's cry of help for friendship

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