An Australian woman won 1 million Australian dollars (US $744,900) cash just for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Around three million Australians participated in the country’s vaccine lottery prize and among them, 25-year-old Joanne Zhu was named in the lucky draw.

According to reports, a group of philanthropists and companies known as the Million Dollar Vax Alliance had allocated the money in order to push Australians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 virus.

Zhu, from Sydney, told Nine’s Today programme&nbsp;that the lottery’s organisers tried to get in touch with her&nbsp;while she was at work.

“Then I called them back and she said: "Oh, you won a million dollars! You're the only one in Australia."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-covid-patient-overdoses-on-ivermectin-admitted-to-sydney-hospital-410299">Australia: Covid patient overdoses on ivermectin, admitted to Sydney hospital</a>

Zhu said she plans to spend some of the money on reuniting with her family and invest the rest of the money.

“I want to fly my family out from China first class and put them up in a five star hotel for Chinese New Year if the borders are open. I will buy presents for my family and invest the rest of the money so I can make more money in the future and to help people if they need help,” she said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-ends-covid-19-vaccine-trials-after-participants-develop-antibodies-for-hiv-349006">Australia ends COVID-19 vaccine trials after participants develop antibodies for HIV</a>

The Million Dollar Vax Alliance campaign has been credited with helping Australia to fully-vaccinate 80% of those aged over 16.

The lottery also gave out 100 gift cards worth $1,000 each day in October which - along with the grand prize - made a total of $4.1m.

(With inputs from agencies)

An Australian woman won 1 million Australian dollars (US $744,900) cash just for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Around three million Australians participated in the country’s vaccine lottery prize and among them, 25-year-old Joanne Zhu was named in the lucky draw.

An Australian woman won 1 million Australian dollars (US $744,900) cash just for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Around three million Australians participated in the country’s vaccine lottery prize and among them, 25-year-old Joanne Zhu was named in the lucky draw. According to reports, a group of philanthropists and companies known as the Million Dollar Vax Alliance had allocated the money in order to push Australians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 virus. Zhu, from Sydney, told Nine’s Today programme that the lottery’s organisers tried to get in touch with her while she was at work. “Then I called them back and she said: "Oh, you won a million dollars! You're the only one in Australia." Also read | Australia: Covid patient overdoses on ivermectin, admitted to Sydney hospital Zhu said she plans to spend some of the money on reuniting with her family and invest the rest of the money. “I want to fly my family out from China first class and put them up in a five star hotel for Chinese New Year if the borders are open. I will buy presents for my family and invest the rest of the money so I can make more money in the future and to help people if they need help,” she said. Also read | Australia ends COVID-19 vaccine trials after participants develop antibodies for HIV The Million Dollar Vax Alliance campaign has been credited with helping Australia to fully-vaccinate 80% of those aged over 16. The lottery also gave out 100 gift cards worth $1,000 each day in October which - along with the grand prize - made a total of $4.1m. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid lottery: 25-year-old Australian woman wins $1mn for getting vaccinated

Long serpentine queues, people jostling and fighting at the supermarkets to stock essential food items: These are the scenes of panic buying that is being witnessed across China—which is bracing for a fresh surge of COVID-19 outbreak and a long winter season.

Army biscuits and luncheon meals are becoming the most searched items online. Rice, soya sauce, chilli sauce are trending in Alibaba’s e-commerce website, even as vendors are running out of stock. According to reports, the top search on the internet in China reads household stockpile list.

It all started with a notice from China’s Ministry of Commerce on November 1, directing local governments to encourage people to stockpile “daily necessities”, including vegetables, oils and poultry, in order to “meet the needs of daily life and emergencies.”

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【中国各地民众响应政府号召抢购物资】 
中国商务部周初一纸通知原本恐吓台湾要“武统”，结果引发该国民众疯抢商品。有家庭甚至储备发电机。 
 
网上视频<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E5%8F%B0%E6%B5%B7%E5%8D%B1%E6%9C%BA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#台海危机</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E6%90%AC%E7%9F%B3%E5%A4%B4%E7%A0%B8%E8%87%AA%E5%B7%B1%E8%84%9A?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#搬石头砸自己脚</a> <a href="https://t.co/TZu3AYpExy">pic.twitter.com/TZu3AYpExy</a>
— 自由亚洲电台 (@RFA_Chinese) <a href="https://twitter.com/RFA_Chinese/status/1456095437509644298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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China is encouraging people to stockpile food which has resulted in mass panic buying. Many items are sold out and people are fighting over bags of food. It's unclear the real reason the Chinese government is encouraging this behavior. <a href="https://t.co/gzdiBfzFYc">pic.twitter.com/gzdiBfzFYc</a>
— 974Rebelion✊ (@JohnWick97440) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnWick97440/status/1457379106933383177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Anyone else seeing similar images coming out of China? Apparently people are panic buying? <a href="https://t.co/zhG6RLgpbM">pic.twitter.com/zhG6RLgpbM</a>
— shaquille o'atmeal (@crypt0e) <a href="https://twitter.com/crypt0e/status/1456476067317776392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The order triggered a heated debate online, with some users speculating that the call to stockpile food was related to the possible outbreak of war with Taiwan, while others are attributing to impending lockdown owing to the fresh Covid outbreak.

“The government didn't even tell us to stock goods when the Covid outbreak erupted in early 2020,” wrote one user on Weibo social networking site earlier this week.

One video posted on Weibo by the state-owned news magazine China News Weekly shows long lines of shoppers at grocery stores in Changzhou, a city in Jiangsu province. Their carts are stacked full of produce and other supplies, while shelves throughout the stores are empty.

Supermarkets in various cities around the country saw flour, rice and other food items flying off the shelves.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-panic-buying-in-china-427068/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Ministry of Commerce responded by assuring people there was no imminent threat to the food supply, while the state-run&nbsp;Economic Daily&nbsp;newspaper tried to calm online speculation by saying that the intention of the notice was to make sure people were prepared for lockdowns or quarantine due to&nbsp;new coronavirus outbreaks.

China's instructions also pushed up domestic edible oil futures as well as Malaysian palm oil.

“It's going to be a cold winter, we want to make sure we have enough to eat,” Reuters quoted a woman outside a supermarket in central Beijing.

China's National Meteorological Centre is predicting a plunge in temperatures over the weekend in the northwest, southwest and most central and eastern regions.

Meanwhile, China continues to report rising number of Covid cases in several provinces. According to reports, hundreds of locally transmitted infections have been found in about two-thirds of its provinces.

(With inputs from agencies)

Long serpentine queues, people jostling and fighting at the supermarkets to stock essential food items: These are the scenes of panic buying that is being witnessed across China—which is bracing for a fresh surge of COVID-19 outbreak and a long winter season.

Long serpentine queues, people jostling and fighting at the supermarkets to stock essential food items: These are the scenes of panic buying that is being witnessed across China—which is bracing for a fresh surge of COVID-19 outbreak and a long winter season. Army biscuits and luncheon meals are becoming the most searched items online. Rice, soya sauce, chilli sauce are trending in Alibaba’s e-commerce website, even as vendors are running out of stock. According to reports, the top search on the internet in China reads household stockpile list. It all started with a notice from China’s Ministry of Commerce on November 1, directing local governments to encourage people to stockpile “daily necessities”, including vegetables, oils and poultry, in order to “meet the needs of daily life and emergencies.” 【中国各地民众响应政府号召抢购物资】 中国商务部周初一纸通知原本恐吓台湾要“武统”，结果引发该国民众疯抢商品。有家庭甚至储备发电机。 网上视频#台海危机#搬石头砸自己脚 pic.twitter.com/TZu3AYpExy — 自由亚洲电台 (@RFA_Chinese) November 4, 2021 × China is encouraging people to stockpile food which has resulted in mass panic buying. Many items are sold out and people are fighting over bags of food. It's unclear the real reason the Chinese government is encouraging this behavior. pic.twitter.com/gzdiBfzFYc — 974Rebelion✊ (@JohnWick97440) November 7, 2021 × Anyone else seeing similar images coming out of China? Apparently people are panic buying? pic.twitter.com/zhG6RLgpbM — shaquille o'atmeal (@crypt0e) November 5, 2021 × The order triggered a heated debate online, with some users speculating that the call to stockpile food was related to the possible outbreak of war with Taiwan, while others are attributing to impending lockdown owing to the fresh Covid outbreak. “The government didn't even tell us to stock goods when the Covid outbreak erupted in early 2020,” wrote one user on Weibo social networking site earlier this week. One video posted on Weibo by the state-owned news magazine China News Weekly shows long lines of shoppers at grocery stores in Changzhou, a city in Jiangsu province. Their carts are stacked full of produce and other supplies, while shelves throughout the stores are empty. Supermarkets in various cities around the country saw flour, rice and other food items flying off the shelves. Watch The Ministry of Commerce responded by assuring people there was no imminent threat to the food supply, while the state-run Economic Daily newspaper tried to calm online speculation by saying that the intention of the notice was to make sure people were prepared for lockdowns or quarantine due to new coronavirus outbreaks. China's instructions also pushed up domestic edible oil futures as well as Malaysian palm oil. “It's going to be a cold winter, we want to make sure we have enough to eat,” Reuters quoted a woman outside a supermarket in central Beijing. China's National Meteorological Centre is predicting a plunge in temperatures over the weekend in the northwest, southwest and most central and eastern regions. Meanwhile, China continues to report rising number of Covid cases in several provinces. According to reports, hundreds of locally transmitted infections have been found in about two-thirds of its provinces. (With inputs from agencies)

China's new directive on stockpiling food triggers hoarding, panic buying

India saw a single-day rise of 10,853 COVID-19 infections, which took the country's total tally of cases to 3,43,55,536, while active cases have declined to 1,44,845, the lowest in 260 days, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll has climbed to 4,60,791 with 526 more fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/we-welcome-all-students-schools-reopen-after-19-months-425900">'We welcome all students': Schools reopen after 19 months</a>

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 30 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 133 consecutive days now, the ministry said.

The active cases have declined to 1,44,845, comprising 0.42 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March last year, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.24 per cent, the highest since March last year, it said.

The data stated that a decrease of 2,105 cases has been recorded in active COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 1.18 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for the last 34 days.

The weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 1.28 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 44 days, according to the health ministry.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/28-million-more-years-of-life-lost-due-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-study-426635">28 million more years of life lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Study</a>

The number of people, who have recuperated from the disease, has increased to 3,37,49,900, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.34 per cent, the data stated.

The cumulative doses administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 108.21 crore.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.

India crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

The 526 new fatalities include 467 from Kerala, 14 from West Bengal and 10 each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the ministry said.

Kerala has been reconciling data on COVID-19 deaths since the past few days, hence the death tally of the state is high.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/panic-in-southern-indian-state-of-karnataka-as-32-students-test-positive-for-covid-19-at-residential-school-424685">Panic in southern Indian state of Karnataka as 32 students test positive for COVID-19 at residential school</a>

It said 4,60,791 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,40,372 from Maharashtra, 38,107 from Karnataka, 36,214 from Tamil Nadu, 33,515 from Kerala, 25,091 from Delhi, 22,903 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,215 from West Bengal.

The health ministry said that more than 70 per cent of deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.&nbsp;

India saw a single-day rise of 10,853 COVID-19 infections, which took the country's total tally of cases to 3,43,55,536, while active cases have declined to 1,44,845, the lowest in 260 days, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.

India saw a single-day rise of 10,853 COVID-19 infections, which took the country's total tally of cases to 3,43,55,536, while active cases have declined to 1,44,845, the lowest in 260 days, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has climbed to 4,60,791 with 526 more fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. Also Read | 'We welcome all students': Schools reopen after 19 months The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 30 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 133 consecutive days now, the ministry said. The active cases have declined to 1,44,845, comprising 0.42 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March last year, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.24 per cent, the highest since March last year, it said. The data stated that a decrease of 2,105 cases has been recorded in active COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 1.18 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for the last 34 days. The weekly positivity rate has been recorded at 1.28 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 44 days, according to the health ministry. Also Read | 28 million more years of life lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Study The number of people, who have recuperated from the disease, has increased to 3,37,49,900, while the case fatality rate has been recorded at 1.34 per cent, the data stated. The cumulative doses administered so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 108.21 crore. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year. India crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23. The 526 new fatalities include 467 from Kerala, 14 from West Bengal and 10 each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the ministry said. Kerala has been reconciling data on COVID-19 deaths since the past few days, hence the death tally of the state is high. Also Read | Panic in southern Indian state of Karnataka as 32 students test positive for COVID-19 at residential school It said 4,60,791 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,40,372 from Maharashtra, 38,107 from Karnataka, 36,214 from Tamil Nadu, 33,515 from Kerala, 25,091 from Delhi, 22,903 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,215 from West Bengal. The health ministry said that more than 70 per cent of deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

India reports single-day rise of 10,853 COVID-19 infection, active cases lowest in 260 days

Scientists at Oxford University have discovered a gene that can double the risk of lung failure and death in those who are contracted COVID-19.

The study, which was published in Nature Genetics, seeks to find out why some communities in the UK and South Asia are at higher risk from Covid.

They uncovered a “relatively unstudied gene called LZTFL1” which appears to stop cells in the airways and lungs from responding to the virus properly, potentially leading to respiratory failure and death.

They say that around 60% of people from South Asian backgrounds and 15% of people of European ancestry carry the high-risk version of the gene.

It is found in about 15% of those with European ancestry, while only 2% of people with Afro-Caribbean ancestry carry the gene.

Vaccines are key and help significantly reduce these risks, the researchers have asserted.

Professor James Davies, who led the study, said the discovery shows the “way in which the lung responds to the infection is critical”.

&nbsp;“The reason this has proved so difficult to work out is that the previously identified genetic signal affects the ‘dark matter’ of the genome,” he said.

“We found that the increased risk is not because of a difference in gene coding for a protein, but because of a difference in the DNA that makes a switch to turn a gene on,” he added.

The research was conducted by an artificial intelligence algorithm that had been trained by the team to analyse huge quantities of genetic data from hundreds of types of cells from all parts of the body.

The researchers hope that drugs and other therapies could target the mechanism that prevents the lung lining from responding as it should.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists at Oxford University have discovered a gene that can double the risk of lung failure and death in those who are contracted COVID-19. The study, which was published in Nature Genetics, seeks to find out why some communities in the UK and South Asia are at higher risk from Covid.

Scientists at Oxford University have discovered a gene that can double the risk of lung failure and death in those who are contracted COVID-19. The study, which was published in Nature Genetics, seeks to find out why some communities in the UK and South Asia are at higher risk from Covid. They uncovered a “relatively unstudied gene called LZTFL1” which appears to stop cells in the airways and lungs from responding to the virus properly, potentially leading to respiratory failure and death. They say that around 60% of people from South Asian backgrounds and 15% of people of European ancestry carry the high-risk version of the gene. It is found in about 15% of those with European ancestry, while only 2% of people with Afro-Caribbean ancestry carry the gene. Vaccines are key and help significantly reduce these risks, the researchers have asserted. Professor James Davies, who led the study, said the discovery shows the “way in which the lung responds to the infection is critical”. “The reason this has proved so difficult to work out is that the previously identified genetic signal affects the ‘dark matter’ of the genome,” he said. “We found that the increased risk is not because of a difference in gene coding for a protein, but because of a difference in the DNA that makes a switch to turn a gene on,” he added. The research was conducted by an artificial intelligence algorithm that had been trained by the team to analyse huge quantities of genetic data from hundreds of types of cells from all parts of the body. The researchers hope that drugs and other therapies could target the mechanism that prevents the lung lining from responding as it should. (With inputs from agencies)

UK: Fatal gene that doubles risk of lung failure from Covid mostly found in South Asians

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US&nbsp;west coast, the US&nbsp;Tsunami Warning System said.

&quot;If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,&quot; Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia.

Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire U.S. west coast and Hawaii were issued.

&quot;Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter,&quot; the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Japan&#39;s meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast, the US Tsunami Warning System said.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast, the US Tsunami Warning System said. "If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring," Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia. Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire U.S. west coast and Hawaii were issued. "Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Japan's meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.

US mandates compulsory Covid jabs or weekly tests for private sector workers from January

The latest James Bond installment ‘No Time To Die’ might not be doing as well as expected of it at the box office but is staying afloat. The film’s Chinese box office collections were $28.2 million in its debut over the weekend.&nbsp;

This comes after several provinces across China have prompted shutdown owing to a rise in COVID-19 cases currently.&nbsp;

James Bond installment 'No Time to Die' left China’s box office stirred but not especially shaken with a &nbsp;debut over the weekend. In all, over 13 per cent of Chinese screens were non-operational for the weekend. Since the government is keen on blocking the rise of the cases, it is expected that more screens across more number of provinces will be further shut down. Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8Bsalman-khan-moves-release-date-of-antim-the-final-truth-ahead-to-avoid-a-clash-with-sooryavanshi-425802" hreflang="en">Diwali clash averted: Salman Khan moves 'Antim: The Final Truth' ahead</a>

Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/diwali-special-not-just-india-these-countries-also-celebrate-the-festival-425785" hreflang="en">Diwali special: Not just India, these countries also celebrate the festival</a>

Also, the Bond franchise has never been a powerful player in the Chinese market. Earlier, ‘Spectre’ earned $83.5 million and ‘Skyfall’ earned $59 million back in 2012.

<h5><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/romance-in-the-air-kim-kardashian-pete-davidson-spotted-holding-hands-425874" hreflang="en">Romance in the air? Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson spotted holding hands</a></h5>

The latest James Bond installment ‘No Time To Die’ might not be doing as well as expected of it at the box office but is staying afloat. The film’s Chinese box office collections were $28.

The latest James Bond installment ‘No Time To Die’ might not be doing as well as expected of it at the box office but is staying afloat. The film’s Chinese box office collections were $28.2 million in its debut over the weekend. This comes after several provinces across China have prompted shutdown owing to a rise in COVID-19 cases currently. James Bond installment 'No Time to Die' left China’s box office stirred but not especially shaken with a debut over the weekend. In all, over 13 per cent of Chinese screens were non-operational for the weekend. Since the government is keen on blocking the rise of the cases, it is expected that more screens across more number of provinces will be further shut down. Also read: Diwali clash averted: Salman Khan moves 'Antim: The Final Truth' ahead Also: Diwali special: Not just India, these countries also celebrate the festival Also, the Bond franchise has never been a powerful player in the Chinese market. Earlier, ‘Spectre’ earned $83.5 million and ‘Skyfall’ earned $59 million back in 2012. Romance in the air? Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson spotted holding hands

China box office: 'No Time To Die' has a mediocre report card amid COVID-19 cinema shutdown

Effective&nbsp;vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create&nbsp;patches&nbsp;that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine.

The technique could help save children's tears at doctors' offices, and help people who have a phobia of syringes.

Beyond that, skin&nbsp;patches&nbsp;could assist with distribution efforts, because they don't have cold-chain requirements -- and might even heighten&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;efficacy.

A new mouse study in the area, published in the journal Science Advances, showed promising results.

The Australian-US team used&nbsp;patches&nbsp;measuring one square centimeter that were dotted with more than 5,000 microscopic spikes, "so tiny you can't actually see them," David Muller, a virologist at the University of Queensland and co-author of the paper, told AFP.

These tips have been coated with an experimental&nbsp;vaccine, and the patch is clicked on with an applicator that resembles a hockey puck. "It's like you get a good flick on the skin," said Muller.

The researchers used a so-called "subunit"&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;that reproduces the spikes that dot the surface of the coronavirus.

Mice were injected either via the patch over the course of two minutes, or with a syringe.

The immune systems of those who got the patch produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies after two doses, including in their lungs, vital to stopping Covid, and the&nbsp;patches&nbsp;outperformed syringes.&nbsp;

The researchers also found that a sub-group of mice, who were given only one dose of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;containing an additional substance called an adjuvant used to spur immune response, "didn't get sick at all," said Muller.

<h2>Easy to apply&nbsp;</h2>

What makes them more effective?

Vaccines&nbsp;are normally injected into our muscles, but muscle tissue doesn't contain very many immune cells needed to react to the drug, explained Muller.

In addition, the tiny spikes cause localized skin death, which alerts the body to a problem and triggers a greater immune response.&nbsp;

For the scientist, the logistical advantages couldn't be clearer.&nbsp;

First, when dry-coated on a patch, the&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;is stable for at least 30 days at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and one week at 40C (104F), compared to a few hours at room temperature for the Moderna and Pfizer&nbsp;vaccines.

This offers a major advantage particularly for developing countries.

Second, "it's very simple to use," said Muller. "You don't necessarily need highly trained medical professionals to deliver it."

Burak Ozdoganlar, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in the US city of Pittsburgh, has also been working on the technology since 2007.

He sees yet another advantage: "Less amount of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;delivered precisely to skin can activate an immune response similar to intramuscular injection," he told AFP. It's an important factor as the developing world struggles to procure enough Covid&nbsp;vaccine.

Ozdoganlar can produce around 300-400&nbsp;patches&nbsp;a day in his lab, but hasn't been able to test them out on mRNA&nbsp;vaccines, which have come to the fore during the pandemic, because he hasn't been authorized by Pfizer or Moderna.

<h2>&nbsp;'The future'&nbsp;</h2>

The patch used in the study published on Friday was made by Australian company Vaxxas, which is the furthest along. Human trials are planned from April.&nbsp;

Two other American companies are also part of the race: Micron Biomedical and Vaxess.

The latter, founded in 2013 and based in Massachusetts, is working on a slightly different type of patch, with microneedles that dissolve in the skin.

They say this approach has the benefit of requiring fewer spikes per patch -- just 121 -- made of a protein polymer that is biocompatible.

"We're working on a seasonal Covid and flu combination product that will be mailed directly to patients' homes, for self-administration," CEO Michael Schrader told AFP.

The Covid&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;they are using is produced by the company Medigen, already authorized in Taiwan.&nbsp;

Vaxess has just opened a factory near Boston, with funding from the US National Institutes for Health. They aim to produce enough&nbsp;patches&nbsp;to vaccinate 2,000 to 3,000 people in clinical trials, which are to be launched next summer.

The main challenge right now is production, with no manufacturers yet able to make enough&nbsp;patches&nbsp;en masse.

Effective vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create patches that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine.

Effective vaccines, without a needle: Since the start of the Covid pandemic, researchers have doubled down on efforts to create patches that deliver life-saving drugs painlessly to the skin, a development that could revolutionize medicine. The technique could help save children's tears at doctors' offices, and help people who have a phobia of syringes. Beyond that, skin patches could assist with distribution efforts, because they don't have cold-chain requirements -- and might even heighten vaccine efficacy. A new mouse study in the area, published in the journal Science Advances, showed promising results. The Australian-US team used patches measuring one square centimeter that were dotted with more than 5,000 microscopic spikes, "so tiny you can't actually see them," David Muller, a virologist at the University of Queensland and co-author of the paper, told AFP. These tips have been coated with an experimental vaccine, and the patch is clicked on with an applicator that resembles a hockey puck. "It's like you get a good flick on the skin," said Muller. The researchers used a so-called "subunit" vaccine that reproduces the spikes that dot the surface of the coronavirus. Mice were injected either via the patch over the course of two minutes, or with a syringe. The immune systems of those who got the patch produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies after two doses, including in their lungs, vital to stopping Covid, and the patches outperformed syringes. The researchers also found that a sub-group of mice, who were given only one dose of vaccine containing an additional substance called an adjuvant used to spur immune response, "didn't get sick at all," said Muller. Easy to apply What makes them more effective? Vaccines are normally injected into our muscles, but muscle tissue doesn't contain very many immune cells needed to react to the drug, explained Muller. In addition, the tiny spikes cause localized skin death, which alerts the body to a problem and triggers a greater immune response. For the scientist, the logistical advantages couldn't be clearer. First, when dry-coated on a patch, the vaccine is stable for at least 30 days at 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and one week at 40C (104F), compared to a few hours at room temperature for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. This offers a major advantage particularly for developing countries. Second, "it's very simple to use," said Muller. "You don't necessarily need highly trained medical professionals to deliver it." Burak Ozdoganlar, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in the US city of Pittsburgh, has also been working on the technology since 2007. He sees yet another advantage: "Less amount of vaccine delivered precisely to skin can activate an immune response similar to intramuscular injection," he told AFP. It's an important factor as the developing world struggles to procure enough Covid vaccine. Ozdoganlar can produce around 300-400 patches a day in his lab, but hasn't been able to test them out on mRNA vaccines, which have come to the fore during the pandemic, because he hasn't been authorized by Pfizer or Moderna. 'The future' The patch used in the study published on Friday was made by Australian company Vaxxas, which is the furthest along. Human trials are planned from April. Two other American companies are also part of the race: Micron Biomedical and Vaxess. The latter, founded in 2013 and based in Massachusetts, is working on a slightly different type of patch, with microneedles that dissolve in the skin. They say this approach has the benefit of requiring fewer spikes per patch -- just 121 -- made of a protein polymer that is biocompatible. "We're working on a seasonal Covid and flu combination product that will be mailed directly to patients' homes, for self-administration," CEO Michael Schrader told AFP. The Covid vaccine they are using is produced by the company Medigen, already authorized in Taiwan. Vaxess has just opened a factory near Boston, with funding from the US National Institutes for Health. They aim to produce enough patches to vaccinate 2,000 to 3,000 people in clinical trials, which are to be launched next summer. The main challenge right now is production, with no manufacturers yet able to make enough patches en masse.

Covid: Needle-free vaccine patches coming soon, say researchers and makers

US intelligence agencies said they may never be able to conclude whether the COVID-19 virus was developed in a Wuhan lab or transmitted from animal to human, a declassified report has stated.

In an updated assessment of how the virus originated, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in its report said that a natural origin and a lab leak are both plausible hypotheses for how SARS-COV-2 first infected humans.

But it said the analysts disagree on which is more likely or whether any definitive assessment can be made at all.

The report issued on Friday is an update of a 90-day review that President Joe Biden's administration released in August.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/origin-of-wuhan-virus-needs-to-be-found-386627">Origin of Wuhan virus needs to be found</a>

The report also dismissed suggestions that the coronavirus originated as a bioweapon, saying proponents of this theory "do not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology" and have been accused of spreading disinformation.

On Friday, China responded by criticizing the report.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/virus-origin-probe-poisoned-by-politics-says-who-388122">Virus origin probe 'poisoned by politics', says WHO</a>

“The US moves of relying on its intelligence apparatus instead of scientists to trace the origins of COVID-19 is a complete political farce,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in an emailed statement.

“It will only undermine science-based origins study and hinder the global effort of finding the source of the virus,” the statement said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fauci-calls-on-china-to-release-medical-records-of-wuhan-lab-workers-report-389348">Also read | Fauci calls on China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers: Report</a>

Chinese authorities had linked early COVID-19 cases to a seafood market in Wuhan, leading many scientists to theorise that the virus first passed to humans from animals.

But earlier this year, there were several US media reports suggesting growing evidence that the virus could instead have emerged from a virology lab in Wuhan.

In May, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence officials to investigate the virus's origins, including the lab leak theory, which is rejected by China.

(With inputs from agencies)

US intelligence agencies said they may never be able to conclude whether the COVID-19 virus was developed in a Wuhan lab or transmitted from animal to human, a declassified report has stated.

US intelligence agencies said they may never be able to conclude whether the COVID-19 virus was developed in a Wuhan lab or transmitted from animal to human, a declassified report has stated. In an updated assessment of how the virus originated, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in its report said that a natural origin and a lab leak are both plausible hypotheses for how SARS-COV-2 first infected humans. But it said the analysts disagree on which is more likely or whether any definitive assessment can be made at all. The report issued on Friday is an update of a 90-day review that President Joe Biden's administration released in August. Also Read | Origin of Wuhan virus needs to be found The report also dismissed suggestions that the coronavirus originated as a bioweapon, saying proponents of this theory "do not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology" and have been accused of spreading disinformation. On Friday, China responded by criticizing the report. Also Read | Virus origin probe 'poisoned by politics', says WHO “The US moves of relying on its intelligence apparatus instead of scientists to trace the origins of COVID-19 is a complete political farce,” Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in an emailed statement. “It will only undermine science-based origins study and hinder the global effort of finding the source of the virus,” the statement said. Also read | Fauci calls on China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers: Report Chinese authorities had linked early COVID-19 cases to a seafood market in Wuhan, leading many scientists to theorise that the virus first passed to humans from animals. But earlier this year, there were several US media reports suggesting growing evidence that the virus could instead have emerged from a virology lab in Wuhan. In May, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence officials to investigate the virus's origins, including the lab leak theory, which is rejected by China. (With inputs from agencies)

We may never know how COVID-19 originated, say US intelligence officials

Taking advantage of zero human presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, several exotic animals at a zoo in Cuba decided to engage in romantic encounters that led to a sudden surge in population of animals, including from some species that otherwise faced the threat of extinction.

The newborns include leopards, bengal tigers, zebras, giraffes and antelopes as well as oxen, according to veterinarian Rachel Ortiz of the zoo.

“While the epidemic has been negative for humans, it has proved beneficial in the case of zoos,” Ortiz told Reuters&nbsp; news agency.

“In particular, our park has had more than ten births of high-value species in danger of extinction, which may at some point rehabilitate biodiversity,” he said.

Ortiz said since the zoo was closed for the public during the pandemic, animals felt more relaxed which helped them to engage in reproductive activities.

The National Zoo, home to 1,473 animals of more than 120 species, including large mammals like elephants and rhinos, is a popular attraction for Cubans.

Cuba, a Caribbean island of white sand beaches and turquoise waters popular with tourists, closed its borders for nearly two years amid the epidemic and imposed strict quarantines to restrict the spread of the coronavirus.

Deborah Maso, a doctor who oversees the African savannah exhibits, said the zoo faced shortages of food and medicines during the epidemic, but the workers dedicated the time needed to ensure that “the animals were successful in their endeavours”.

The birth of a baby giraffe, named Rachel, was particularly moving, Maso said.

“The birth of a giraffe stood out… It was a great achievement,” Maso said.

The officials believe that the National Zoo, which was recently opened to the public, will gain more attraction as the visitors may now baby leopard and giraffe.

(With inputs from agencies)

Taking advantage of zero human presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, several exotic animals at a zoo in Cuba decided to engage in romantic encounters that led to a sudden surge in population of animals, including from some species that otherwise faced the threat of extinction.

Taking advantage of zero human presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, several exotic animals at a zoo in Cuba decided to engage in romantic encounters that led to a sudden surge in population of animals, including from some species that otherwise faced the threat of extinction. The newborns include leopards, bengal tigers, zebras, giraffes and antelopes as well as oxen, according to veterinarian Rachel Ortiz of the zoo. “While the epidemic has been negative for humans, it has proved beneficial in the case of zoos,” Ortiz told Reuters news agency. “In particular, our park has had more than ten births of high-value species in danger of extinction, which may at some point rehabilitate biodiversity,” he said. Ortiz said since the zoo was closed for the public during the pandemic, animals felt more relaxed which helped them to engage in reproductive activities. The National Zoo, home to 1,473 animals of more than 120 species, including large mammals like elephants and rhinos, is a popular attraction for Cubans. Cuba, a Caribbean island of white sand beaches and turquoise waters popular with tourists, closed its borders for nearly two years amid the epidemic and imposed strict quarantines to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. Deborah Maso, a doctor who oversees the African savannah exhibits, said the zoo faced shortages of food and medicines during the epidemic, but the workers dedicated the time needed to ensure that “the animals were successful in their endeavours”. The birth of a baby giraffe, named Rachel, was particularly moving, Maso said. “The birth of a giraffe stood out… It was a great achievement,” Maso said. The officials believe that the National Zoo, which was recently opened to the public, will gain more attraction as the visitors may now baby leopard and giraffe. (With inputs from agencies)

Lockdown baby boom: Cuban zoo welcomes newborns of several exotic, endangered animals

About 100 million&nbsp;people in India did not turn up for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose, health officials have said, indicating signs of complacency&nbsp;as the country continues to register a lower number of coronavirus cases.

“It was pointed out that many states have adequate doses to vaccinate those people who are awaiting their second dose. Government of India is in a position to provide additional vaccine doses ... so that they can complete the aforesaid task,” the health ministry said in a statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-might-be-entering-endemic-stage-of-covid-19-who-chief-scientist-swaminathan-408296">India might be entering endemic stage of COVID-19: WHO chief scientist Swaminathan</a>

Daily shots have averaged 5 million this month, a fifth of September’s peak, though states are sitting on record stocks of more than 100 million even as domestic production of vaccine soars.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delayed-again-who-seeks-more-clarifications-on-made-in-india-covid-shot-covaxin-424319">Delayed again: WHO seeks more 'clarifications' on made-in-India Covid shot Covaxin</a>

Despite the low number of infections, the central government has been urging the states and union territories to focus on beneficiaries who are waiting for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine after their interval period gets over.

On Wednesday, India’s health minister Mansukh Mandviya asked the state governments to improve the momentum of vaccination and accelerate its coverage.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-sends-covid-vaccines-to-47-countries-canada-gets-500000-368023">India sends Covid vaccines to 47 countries; Canada gets 500,000</a>

India has administered first doses to 725 million people, or to 77% of its’ 944 million adults, and second doses to 316 million, or 34%.

More than 242 million Indian adults have yet to get a shot, while vaccination has not started for those under 18.

India on Friday recorded 14,348 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 2,000 cases lower than Thursday, according to the health ministry.

The death toll also climbed to 457,191 with 805 daily fatalities.

The daily rise in new COVID-19 cases has been below 30,000 for 36 straight days and less than 50,000 new infections have been reported for the 125 consecutive days now.

(With inputs from agencies)

About 100 million people in India did not turn up for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose, health officials have said, indicating signs of complacency as the country continues to register a lower number of coronavirus cases.

About 100 million people in India did not turn up for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose, health officials have said, indicating signs of complacency as the country continues to register a lower number of coronavirus cases. “It was pointed out that many states have adequate doses to vaccinate those people who are awaiting their second dose. Government of India is in a position to provide additional vaccine doses ... so that they can complete the aforesaid task,” the health ministry said in a statement. Also read | India might be entering endemic stage of COVID-19: WHO chief scientist Swaminathan Daily shots have averaged 5 million this month, a fifth of September’s peak, though states are sitting on record stocks of more than 100 million even as domestic production of vaccine soars. Also read | Delayed again: WHO seeks more 'clarifications' on made-in-India Covid shot Covaxin Despite the low number of infections, the central government has been urging the states and union territories to focus on beneficiaries who are waiting for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine after their interval period gets over. On Wednesday, India’s health minister Mansukh Mandviya asked the state governments to improve the momentum of vaccination and accelerate its coverage. Also read | India sends Covid vaccines to 47 countries; Canada gets 500,000 India has administered first doses to 725 million people, or to 77% of its’ 944 million adults, and second doses to 316 million, or 34%. More than 242 million Indian adults have yet to get a shot, while vaccination has not started for those under 18. India on Friday recorded 14,348 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 2,000 cases lower than Thursday, according to the health ministry. The death toll also climbed to 457,191 with 805 daily fatalities. The daily rise in new COVID-19 cases has been below 30,000 for 36 straight days and less than 50,000 new infections have been reported for the 125 consecutive days now. (With inputs from agencies)

Over 100 million Indians skipped second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

The trip began in Shanghai, where the couple, both former professors, joined a tour group of other retirees. They traveled through Gansu province and Inner Mongolia, staying at a bed-and-breakfast and eating three times at the same lamb chop restaurant. Flying south to Xi’an, they dropped into a 1,300-year-old temple. Their fellow tour group members checked out an art museum, strolled through parks and visited friends.

Then, on Oct. 16, the day they had planned to visit the Terracotta Warriors, the couple tested positive for the coronavirus.

Since then, China has locked down a city of 4 million, as well as several smaller cities and parts of Beijing, to contain a fresh outbreak that has infected more than 240 people in at least 11 provinces and regions. The authorities have shuttered schools and tourist sites. Government websites have detailed every movement of the unlucky couple and their sprawling web of contacts, including what time they checked into hotels and on which floors of restaurants they sat.

The no-holds-barred response is emblematic of China’s “zero COVID” policy, which has served the country remarkably well: China has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The scale of the new outbreak, while tiny compared to many other countries, is large for China.

But the policy has also, increasingly, made China an outlier. The rest of the world is reopening, including New Zealand and Australia, which also once embraced zero tolerance. China is now the only country still chasing full eradication of the virus.

“Every locality should firmly adhere to the policy of ‘Defend externally against importation, defend internally against rebound,’ ” Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission, said at a news conference Sunday. “The current control measures cannot be relaxed.”

The government’s strict strategy is the product of a uniquely Chinese set of calculations. Its thriving exports have helped to keep the economy afloat. The ruling Communist Party’s tight grip on power enables lockdowns and testing to be carried out with astonishing efficiency. Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics in February.

For many Chinese, the low case numbers have become a source of national pride. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has repeatedly pointed to the country’s success in containment as proof of the superiority of its governance model.

But experts — both in China and abroad — have warned that the approach is unsustainable. China may find itself increasingly isolated, diplomatically and economically, at a time when global public opinion is hardening against it.

“The regime thinks it needs to maintain a ‘zero COVID’ policy to maintain its legitimacy,” said Lynette Ong, a political scientist at the University of Toronto. “At a huge cost, though.”

In the early phase of the pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party’s very hold on power seemed to hinge on its ability to control the virus. Its initial attempts to cover up the outbreak in Wuhan gave rise to a stunning outpouring of public anger. Images of overwhelmed hospitals and patients begging for help flooded the Chinese internet.

As the virus barreled across the rest of the world, that narrative changed. China’s strict lockdowns and mass testing campaigns, once criticized as heavy handed, became models for other countries. As deaths mounted in western democracies, Xi repeatedly emphasized how quickly China had flattened its caseload. Outrage about the initial response to Wuhan gave way to at-times strident nationalism.

Other countries that adopted “zero COVID” policies were hailed as models of competent governance that prioritized saving lives over convenience and economic growth.

As the virus has dragged into its second year, and with the onset of the far more contagious delta variant, countries are again reconsidering their strategies. Australia, which was home to the world’s longest lockdown, is scrapping quarantine requirements for vaccinated residents returning from overseas. New Zealand formally abandoned its quest for zero this month. Singapore is offering quarantine-free travel to vaccinated tourists from Germany, the United States, France and several other countries.

China has refused to change tack. When Zhang Wenhong, a prominent infectious disease expert from Shanghai, suggested this summer that China learn to live with the virus, he was attacked viciously online as a lackey of foreigners. A former Chinese health minister called such a mindset reckless.

Ong said the government was afraid of any challenge to its narrative of pandemic triumph.

“Outbreaks have become so commonplace that it’s really a nonevent,” she said. “But the Chinese authorities want to control any small potential source of instability.”

There are also more practical reasons for China’s hesitation. Medical resources are highly concentrated in big cities, and more remote areas could quickly be overwhelmed by an uptick in cases, said Zhang Jun, an urban studies scholar at the City University of Hong Kong.

In addition, though China has achieved a relatively high full inoculation rate, at 75% of its population, questions have emerged about the efficacy of its homegrown vaccines.

And, at least for now, the elimination strategy appears to enjoy public support. While residents in locked-down areas have complained about seemingly arbitrary or overly harsh restrictions on social media, travel is relatively unconstrained in areas without cases. Wealthy consumers have poured money into luxury goods and fancy cars since they’re not spending on trips abroad.

“As long as they can still feel a certain level of freedom of mobility, I think that kind of COVID-zero policy doesn’t strike the domestic audience as too severe,” Zhang said.

Other governments that have chosen to live with the virus may yet lose their nerve. After lifting many restrictions this summer, Singapore reinstated them in September amid a spike in infections. (Still, the government is moving forward with travel lanes.)

But experts agree that the costs of expecting zero cases will hit eventually. China’s economic growth is slowing, and domestic travel during a weeklong holiday earlier this month fell below last year’s levels, as a cluster of new cases spooked tourists. Retail sales have proven fitful, recovering and ebbing with waves of the virus.

The country may also suffer diplomatically. Xi has not left China or received foreign visitors since early 2020, even as other world leaders prepare to gather in Rome for a Group of 20 summit and Glasgow for climate talks.

China’s hard-nosed approach is also trickling down to Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous territory and global financial hub. In trying to align their own COVID prevention policies with the mainland’s, Hong Kong’s leaders have introduced the world’s longest quarantine, ignoring escalating warnings from business leaders about an exodus of foreign firms.

And even those supportive of the restrictions wonder whether there is an exit strategy.

“I think the current policies are still in the right direction,” said Jason Qiu, 27, who grew up in Gansu province, not far from Lanzhou, the city of 4 million now under lockdown. “But if things go on like this for a long time — for example if the pandemic is going to continue for another five or 10 years, or become endemic — maybe it would be time to consider changing some measures.”

In a potential nod to those concerns, some officials have broached the idea of loosening restrictions, though cautiously. Gao Fu, the head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent interview with Chinese media that once the country reached an 85% vaccination rate, “why shouldn’t we open up?”

But he prefaced his question with a warning: “This is a very good question. But it’s also a very sensitive question.”

Until then, those stranded by the lockdowns have tried to make the best of their situations. State news outlets have reported that roughly 10,000 tourists are trapped in Ejin Banner, a region of Inner Mongolia, after the emergence of cases led to a lockdown. As consolation, the local tourism association has promised them free entry to three popular tourist attractions, redeemable within the next three years.

The trip began in Shanghai, where the couple, both former professors, joined a tour group of other retirees. They traveled through Gansu province and Inner Mongolia, staying at a bed-and-breakfast and eating three times at the same lamb chop restaurant.

The trip began in Shanghai, where the couple, both former professors, joined a tour group of other retirees. They traveled through Gansu province and Inner Mongolia, staying at a bed-and-breakfast and eating three times at the same lamb chop restaurant. Flying south to Xi’an, they dropped into a 1,300-year-old temple. Their fellow tour group members checked out an art museum, strolled through parks and visited friends. Then, on Oct. 16, the day they had planned to visit the Terracotta Warriors, the couple tested positive for the coronavirus. Since then, China has locked down a city of 4 million, as well as several smaller cities and parts of Beijing, to contain a fresh outbreak that has infected more than 240 people in at least 11 provinces and regions. The authorities have shuttered schools and tourist sites. Government websites have detailed every movement of the unlucky couple and their sprawling web of contacts, including what time they checked into hotels and on which floors of restaurants they sat. The no-holds-barred response is emblematic of China’s “zero COVID” policy, which has served the country remarkably well: China has reported fewer than 5,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The scale of the new outbreak, while tiny compared to many other countries, is large for China. But the policy has also, increasingly, made China an outlier. The rest of the world is reopening, including New Zealand and Australia, which also once embraced zero tolerance. China is now the only country still chasing full eradication of the virus. “Every locality should firmly adhere to the policy of ‘Defend externally against importation, defend internally against rebound,’ ” Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission, said at a news conference Sunday. “The current control measures cannot be relaxed.” The government’s strict strategy is the product of a uniquely Chinese set of calculations. Its thriving exports have helped to keep the economy afloat. The ruling Communist Party’s tight grip on power enables lockdowns and testing to be carried out with astonishing efficiency. Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics in February. For many Chinese, the low case numbers have become a source of national pride. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has repeatedly pointed to the country’s success in containment as proof of the superiority of its governance model. But experts — both in China and abroad — have warned that the approach is unsustainable. China may find itself increasingly isolated, diplomatically and economically, at a time when global public opinion is hardening against it. “The regime thinks it needs to maintain a ‘zero COVID’ policy to maintain its legitimacy,” said Lynette Ong, a political scientist at the University of Toronto. “At a huge cost, though.” In the early phase of the pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party’s very hold on power seemed to hinge on its ability to control the virus. Its initial attempts to cover up the outbreak in Wuhan gave rise to a stunning outpouring of public anger. Images of overwhelmed hospitals and patients begging for help flooded the Chinese internet. As the virus barreled across the rest of the world, that narrative changed. China’s strict lockdowns and mass testing campaigns, once criticized as heavy handed, became models for other countries. As deaths mounted in western democracies, Xi repeatedly emphasized how quickly China had flattened its caseload. Outrage about the initial response to Wuhan gave way to at-times strident nationalism. Other countries that adopted “zero COVID” policies were hailed as models of competent governance that prioritized saving lives over convenience and economic growth. As the virus has dragged into its second year, and with the onset of the far more contagious delta variant, countries are again reconsidering their strategies. Australia, which was home to the world’s longest lockdown, is scrapping quarantine requirements for vaccinated residents returning from overseas. New Zealand formally abandoned its quest for zero this month. Singapore is offering quarantine-free travel to vaccinated tourists from Germany, the United States, France and several other countries. China has refused to change tack. When Zhang Wenhong, a prominent infectious disease expert from Shanghai, suggested this summer that China learn to live with the virus, he was attacked viciously online as a lackey of foreigners. A former Chinese health minister called such a mindset reckless. Ong said the government was afraid of any challenge to its narrative of pandemic triumph. “Outbreaks have become so commonplace that it’s really a nonevent,” she said. “But the Chinese authorities want to control any small potential source of instability.” There are also more practical reasons for China’s hesitation. Medical resources are highly concentrated in big cities, and more remote areas could quickly be overwhelmed by an uptick in cases, said Zhang Jun, an urban studies scholar at the City University of Hong Kong. In addition, though China has achieved a relatively high full inoculation rate, at 75% of its population, questions have emerged about the efficacy of its homegrown vaccines. And, at least for now, the elimination strategy appears to enjoy public support. While residents in locked-down areas have complained about seemingly arbitrary or overly harsh restrictions on social media, travel is relatively unconstrained in areas without cases. Wealthy consumers have poured money into luxury goods and fancy cars since they’re not spending on trips abroad. “As long as they can still feel a certain level of freedom of mobility, I think that kind of COVID-zero policy doesn’t strike the domestic audience as too severe,” Zhang said. Other governments that have chosen to live with the virus may yet lose their nerve. After lifting many restrictions this summer, Singapore reinstated them in September amid a spike in infections. (Still, the government is moving forward with travel lanes.) But experts agree that the costs of expecting zero cases will hit eventually. China’s economic growth is slowing, and domestic travel during a weeklong holiday earlier this month fell below last year’s levels, as a cluster of new cases spooked tourists. Retail sales have proven fitful, recovering and ebbing with waves of the virus. The country may also suffer diplomatically. Xi has not left China or received foreign visitors since early 2020, even as other world leaders prepare to gather in Rome for a Group of 20 summit and Glasgow for climate talks. China’s hard-nosed approach is also trickling down to Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous territory and global financial hub. In trying to align their own COVID prevention policies with the mainland’s, Hong Kong’s leaders have introduced the world’s longest quarantine, ignoring escalating warnings from business leaders about an exodus of foreign firms. And even those supportive of the restrictions wonder whether there is an exit strategy. “I think the current policies are still in the right direction,” said Jason Qiu, 27, who grew up in Gansu province, not far from Lanzhou, the city of 4 million now under lockdown. “But if things go on like this for a long time — for example if the pandemic is going to continue for another five or 10 years, or become endemic — maybe it would be time to consider changing some measures.” In a potential nod to those concerns, some officials have broached the idea of loosening restrictions, though cautiously. Gao Fu, the head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a recent interview with Chinese media that once the country reached an 85% vaccination rate, “why shouldn’t we open up?” But he prefaced his question with a warning: “This is a very good question. But it’s also a very sensitive question.” Until then, those stranded by the lockdowns have tried to make the best of their situations. State news outlets have reported that roughly 10,000 tourists are trapped in Ejin Banner, a region of Inner Mongolia, after the emergence of cases led to a lockdown. As consolation, the local tourism association has promised them free entry to three popular tourist attractions, redeemable within the next three years.

Why China is the world’s last ‘zero Covid’ holdout

European Union’s (EU) digital Covid certificates bearing Adolf Hitler’s name and date of birth has been doing the rounds online, raising questions over the safety and efficacy of the vaccine passport system.

Several users found a QR code online on Tuesday, and when they tried to scan with verifications apps, they found that it was a digital Covid certificate with the name ‘Adolf Hitler’ written on it, along with the date of birth stating January 1,1900, according to a report by Russia Today.

It was reported that several versions of the code were shared on tech forums, some with the name capitalised, while others with a different birthday.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, which has quoted sources, some of the keys used to generate the European Green Pass were stolen and distributed on programming networks to create false COVID-19 health certificates.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vaccine-passport-the-european-covid-certificate-a-users-guide-386729">Vaccine Passport: The European Covid certificate, a user's guide</a>

However, it couldn’t be verified whether the stolen keys used to generate fake Covid passes were forged to validate Hitler’s European Green Pass.

Following the revelations, a series of meetings were held at the EU level on Wednesday to examine the situation, ANSA reported.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-takes-up-covishields-absence-from-the-european-unions-green-pass-list-394418">India takes up Covishield's absence from the European Union's 'Green Pass' list</a>

The officials decided to cancel all the passes created with those keys, and said the theft of the generation keys did not take place in Italy.

According to reports, the private key used to verify Hitler’s pass was revoked as of Wednesday, but a Polish user on one tech forum still claimed to be selling working certificates, as did some posters on the so-called ‘dark web.’

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/african-union-warns-eu-over-vaccine-certificate-inequality-394861">African Union warns EU over vaccine certificate 'inequality'</a>

This is not the first time that fake Covid vaccine certificates have proliferated the markets in Europe. There have been reports of people in France splurging hundreds of euros for fake health passes in an online black market.

A black market for fraudulent health passes had sprung up on Snapchat —despite the risk of jail sentences.

Accounts on the social networking app that rarely last for more than a were found to openly advertise their counterfeit documents.

(With inputs from agencies)

European Union’s (EU) digital Covid certificates bearing Adolf Hitler’s name and date of birth has been doing the rounds online, raising questions over the safety and efficacy of the vaccine passport system.

European Union’s (EU) digital Covid certificates bearing Adolf Hitler’s name and date of birth has been doing the rounds online, raising questions over the safety and efficacy of the vaccine passport system. Several users found a QR code online on Tuesday, and when they tried to scan with verifications apps, they found that it was a digital Covid certificate with the name ‘Adolf Hitler’ written on it, along with the date of birth stating January 1,1900, according to a report by Russia Today. It was reported that several versions of the code were shared on tech forums, some with the name capitalised, while others with a different birthday. According to Italian news agency ANSA, which has quoted sources, some of the keys used to generate the European Green Pass were stolen and distributed on programming networks to create false COVID-19 health certificates. Also read | Vaccine Passport: The European Covid certificate, a user's guide However, it couldn’t be verified whether the stolen keys used to generate fake Covid passes were forged to validate Hitler’s European Green Pass. Following the revelations, a series of meetings were held at the EU level on Wednesday to examine the situation, ANSA reported. Also read | India takes up Covishield's absence from the European Union's 'Green Pass' list The officials decided to cancel all the passes created with those keys, and said the theft of the generation keys did not take place in Italy. According to reports, the private key used to verify Hitler’s pass was revoked as of Wednesday, but a Polish user on one tech forum still claimed to be selling working certificates, as did some posters on the so-called ‘dark web.’ Also read | African Union warns EU over vaccine certificate 'inequality' This is not the first time that fake Covid vaccine certificates have proliferated the markets in Europe. There have been reports of people in France splurging hundreds of euros for fake health passes in an online black market. A black market for fraudulent health passes had sprung up on Snapchat —despite the risk of jail sentences. Accounts on the social networking app that rarely last for more than a were found to openly advertise their counterfeit documents. (With inputs from agencies)

EU’s 'Green Pass' hacked? Adolf Hitler’s Covid certificate doing rounds online: Report

A man based in Georgia, US, who received coronavirus relief aid from the government, used the majority of the money to buy a Pokemon card.

Vinath Oudomsine from Dublin was charged on October 19 for fraudulently applying for money from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the CARES Act, which aims to help small businesses experiencing hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October, 2020.

The federal prosecutors say that he made false statements about the number of employees working in his company and the firm’s gross revenue when he applied for the relief.

They said the Small Business Administration deposited $85,000 in his bank account the following month.

Federal prosecutors say Oudomsine used $57,789 to buy a Pokemon card.

They argued that the loans, meant for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, can be used for expenses such as payroll, sick leave, production costs, debt and rent or mortgage payments, but Oudomsine “unjustly enriched himself."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-retail-giant-target-stops-selling-pokemon-cards-for-safety-of-staff-and-shoppers-384697">US retail giant Target stops selling Pokémon cards for safety of staff and shoppers</a>

Authorities, however, didn’t specify which Pokemon card Oudomsine allegedly bought with the federal funds.

Oudomsine faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-pokemon-live-action-series-in-works-at-netflix-400907">&nbsp;Pokemon live-action series in works at Netflix</a>

Rare Pokémon cards have a huge market among enthusiasts and usually sells for thousands of dollars.

&nbsp;Collectors have known to be bidding up prices&nbsp;for trading cards, video games and other mementos.

In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which made more small businesses eligible for the SBA’s economic-injury disaster loans.

The expansion was meant to help the owners of small businesses cover the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic by providing them with an emergency loan they could use on expenses such as payroll, production costs, and rent.

(With inputs from agencies)

A man based in Georgia, US, who received coronavirus relief aid from the government, used the majority of the money to buy a Pokemon card. Vinath Oudomsine from Dublin was charged on October 19 for fraudulently applying for money from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the CARES Act, which aims to help small businesses experiencing hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October, 2020.

A man based in Georgia, US, who received coronavirus relief aid from the government, used the majority of the money to buy a Pokemon card. Vinath Oudomsine from Dublin was charged on October 19 for fraudulently applying for money from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans under the CARES Act, which aims to help small businesses experiencing hardship because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in October, 2020. The federal prosecutors say that he made false statements about the number of employees working in his company and the firm’s gross revenue when he applied for the relief. They said the Small Business Administration deposited $85,000 in his bank account the following month. Federal prosecutors say Oudomsine used $57,789 to buy a Pokemon card. They argued that the loans, meant for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, can be used for expenses such as payroll, sick leave, production costs, debt and rent or mortgage payments, but Oudomsine “unjustly enriched himself." Also read | US retail giant Target stops selling Pokémon cards for safety of staff and shoppers Authorities, however, didn’t specify which Pokemon card Oudomsine allegedly bought with the federal funds. Oudomsine faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted. Also read | Pokemon live-action series in works at Netflix Rare Pokémon cards have a huge market among enthusiasts and usually sells for thousands of dollars. Collectors have known to be bidding up prices for trading cards, video games and other mementos. In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which made more small businesses eligible for the SBA’s economic-injury disaster loans. The expansion was meant to help the owners of small businesses cover the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic by providing them with an emergency loan they could use on expenses such as payroll, production costs, and rent. (With inputs from agencies)

US man spends money received from Covid relief loan on a $58,000 Pokemon card

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said there must be no return to "significant economic restrictions" despite a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, The Times newspaper quoted him as saying.

"I think we're just in a very different place to where we were a year ago because of the vaccine," he said in an interview. "There's this enormous wave of protection, and that changes things. That`s our first line of defence." Adding that&nbsp;the economy was the priority.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-in-uk-starting-next-week-vaccination-centres-in-england-will-accept-bookings-for-children-422487">Coronavirus in UK: Starting next week, vaccination centres in England will accept bookings for children</a>

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new COVID-19 lockdown was not on the cards after advisers warned that early action through lighter measures would reduce the need for tougher restrictions later.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/covid-cases-witness-stubborn-high-in-uk-daily-cases-above-40000-for-a-week-now-422362/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

COVID-19 cases in Britain are the highest in Europe and hit their most elevated levels in three months earlier this week. However, the rollout of vaccines has meant that deaths from the disease remain far below their levels at the start of this year.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said there must be no return to "significant economic restrictions" despite a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, The Times newspaper quoted him as saying.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said there must be no return to "significant economic restrictions" despite a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the country, The Times newspaper quoted him as saying. "I think we're just in a very different place to where we were a year ago because of the vaccine," he said in an interview. "There's this enormous wave of protection, and that changes things. That`s our first line of defence." Adding that the economy was the priority. Also Read | Coronavirus in UK: Starting next week, vaccination centres in England will accept bookings for children Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new COVID-19 lockdown was not on the cards after advisers warned that early action through lighter measures would reduce the need for tougher restrictions later. Watch COVID-19 cases in Britain are the highest in Europe and hit their most elevated levels in three months earlier this week. However, the rollout of vaccines has meant that deaths from the disease remain far below their levels at the start of this year.

British finance minister rules out return to major Covid restrictions

It is a well-known fact that memes, once an obscure term during the pre-internet era, have emerged as one of the primary methods of communication in the 21st century.

Memes are primarily composed of weird pictures that seek to bring a smile to peoples' faces, or are used as a satire to comment upon political and social affairs. They are part of everyday social media interaction, used and shared and consumed every minute.

Almost anything can become a meme—even people.

The rise of meme culture coincides with the increased presence of the internet and social media. As more and more time is spent online, memes have become the perfect vehicle for facilitating information, humour, and opinion.

But are they helpful in coping up with a stressful event? A latest study by US researchers seems to suggest so.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/disappointed-fan-viral-meme-of-pakistani-cricket-fan-gets-a-place-in-hong-kong-museum-of-memes-watch-402203">'Disappointed Fan': Viral meme of Pakistani cricket fan gets a place in Hong Kong museum of memes</a>

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Santa Barbara have found that memes helped people cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research, published this week in the Psychology of Popular Media journal, found that those who viewed memes reported “higher levels of humour” and more positive feelings.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-priyanka-chopra-celebs-share-their-version-of-bernie-sanders-memes-358601">Jennifer Aniston, Priyanka Chopra: Celebs share their version of Bernie Sanders' memes</a>

They surveyed 748 people online last December: 72% of those who responded were white, 54% identified as women, 63% didn't hold a college degree, and their ages ranged from 18 to 88, the release states.

They were shown a variety of meme types, with different kinds of photos and captions, and asked to rate the cuteness, humour and emotional responses prompted by the materials, as well as how much the memes in question made them think about COVID-19.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/disaster-girl-sells-original-meme-worthy-photo-for-half-a-million-382064">'Disaster Girl' sells original meme-worthy photo for half a million</a>

Those who viewed memes that specifically referenced the pandemic felt less stress than those who viewed non-pandemic-related memes.

They also felt more capable of coping with the COVID-19 crisis and were better at processing information, according to the study.

The type of meme matters, too: People who viewed memes featuring cute babies or baby animals were overall less likely to think about the pandemic or the effects it has had on them, regardless of the type of caption, according to this week's release.

The researchers also found that those who were surveyed found memes with animals in them cuter than those featuring humans.

“While the World Health Organization recommended that people avoid too much Covid-related media for the benefit of their mental health, our research reveals that memes about COVID-19 could help people feel more confident in their ability to deal with the pandemic,” Jessica Gall Myrick, a lead author of the study and a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said in a statement.

“This suggests that not all media are uniformly bad for mental health and people should stop and take stock of what type of media they are consuming. If we are all more conscious of how our behaviours, including time spent scrolling, affect our emotional states, then we will better be able to use social media to help us when we need it and to take a break from it when we need that instead,” she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

It is a well-known fact that memes, once an obscure term during the pre-internet era, have emerged as one of the primary methods of communication in the 21st century.

It is a well-known fact that memes, once an obscure term during the pre-internet era, have emerged as one of the primary methods of communication in the 21st century. Memes are primarily composed of weird pictures that seek to bring a smile to peoples' faces, or are used as a satire to comment upon political and social affairs. They are part of everyday social media interaction, used and shared and consumed every minute. Almost anything can become a meme—even people. The rise of meme culture coincides with the increased presence of the internet and social media. As more and more time is spent online, memes have become the perfect vehicle for facilitating information, humour, and opinion. But are they helpful in coping up with a stressful event? A latest study by US researchers seems to suggest so. Also read | 'Disappointed Fan': Viral meme of Pakistani cricket fan gets a place in Hong Kong museum of memes Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and the University of California Santa Barbara have found that memes helped people cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, published this week in the Psychology of Popular Media journal, found that those who viewed memes reported “higher levels of humour” and more positive feelings. Also read | Jennifer Aniston, Priyanka Chopra: Celebs share their version of Bernie Sanders' memes They surveyed 748 people online last December: 72% of those who responded were white, 54% identified as women, 63% didn't hold a college degree, and their ages ranged from 18 to 88, the release states. They were shown a variety of meme types, with different kinds of photos and captions, and asked to rate the cuteness, humour and emotional responses prompted by the materials, as well as how much the memes in question made them think about COVID-19. Also read | 'Disaster Girl' sells original meme-worthy photo for half a million Those who viewed memes that specifically referenced the pandemic felt less stress than those who viewed non-pandemic-related memes. They also felt more capable of coping with the COVID-19 crisis and were better at processing information, according to the study. The type of meme matters, too: People who viewed memes featuring cute babies or baby animals were overall less likely to think about the pandemic or the effects it has had on them, regardless of the type of caption, according to this week's release. The researchers also found that those who were surveyed found memes with animals in them cuter than those featuring humans. “While the World Health Organization recommended that people avoid too much Covid-related media for the benefit of their mental health, our research reveals that memes about COVID-19 could help people feel more confident in their ability to deal with the pandemic,” Jessica Gall Myrick, a lead author of the study and a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said in a statement. “This suggests that not all media are uniformly bad for mental health and people should stop and take stock of what type of media they are consuming. If we are all more conscious of how our behaviours, including time spent scrolling, affect our emotional states, then we will better be able to use social media to help us when we need it and to take a break from it when we need that instead,” she said. (With inputs from agencies)

Memes helped people cope up with Covid pandemic-related stress, says US study

A day after India scripted history by administering one billion COVID-19 doses in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that it was a “beginning of a new chapter of a new India.”

In a televised address, Prime Minister Modi said that economic growth was getting a boost from rising vaccinations across the country and urged citizens to purchase locally manufactured products over the upcoming festive season.

“There was a time when we would hear ‘Made in this nation’, ‘Made in that country’, but now all Indians understand the significance of ‘Made in India’,” Modi said.

“Urge all Indians to support Indian producers by purchasing ‘Made in India’ items and to advocate for ‘Vocal for Local’.”

Modi also called for vigilance against COVID-19 and recommended wearing masks during festivals.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/one-billion-doses-india-showed-faith-in-science-innovations-pm-modi-422824">One billion doses:&nbsp;India showed faith in science, innovations, says&nbsp;PM Modi</a>

The Prime Minister said that India’s vaccination programme was “science-born, science-driven and science-based”.

“Yesterday, Oct 21, India achieved the difficult but extraordinary target of one billion, COVID-19 vaccine doses. This success is the success of India, success of every citizen,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-crosses-historic-one-billion-covid-19-vaccine-milestone-422530">India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone</a>

“It is a matter of pride for us that India’s vaccination programme has been science-born, science-driven and science-based," Modi said.

The country, he said, had only one mantra —that if the disease does not discriminate, then there cannot be any discrimination in the vaccination.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-vaccination-in-india-crosses-1-billion-what-about-its-neighbours-422545">COVID-19 vaccination in India crosses 1 billion. What about its neighbours?</a>

"That's why it was ensured that VIP culture was not allowed," he said.

He pointed towards apprehensions from several quarters that it would be very difficult to fight this epidemic in a democracy like India.

“It was also being said for India, for the people of India that how will so much restraint, how so much discipline work here? But for us, democracy means everyone`s cooperation,” he said

Modi said leaders from across the world congratulated India on crossing the milestone of 100 crore vaccinations, terming it a huge and extraordinary accomplishment.

“Today many people are comparing India’s vaccination programme with other countries of the world,” he said.

He further said that the speed with which India crossed the 100-crore mark is also being appreciated but we often forget that from where we have started this.

Meanwhile, more than 1.59 billion vaccine doses have been administered so far to the eligible beneficiaries, according to India’s health ministry.

(With inputs from agencies)

A day after India scripted history by administering one billion COVID-19 doses in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that it was a “beginning of a new chapter of a new India.

A day after India scripted history by administering one billion COVID-19 doses in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that it was a “beginning of a new chapter of a new India.” In a televised address, Prime Minister Modi said that economic growth was getting a boost from rising vaccinations across the country and urged citizens to purchase locally manufactured products over the upcoming festive season. “There was a time when we would hear ‘Made in this nation’, ‘Made in that country’, but now all Indians understand the significance of ‘Made in India’,” Modi said. “Urge all Indians to support Indian producers by purchasing ‘Made in India’ items and to advocate for ‘Vocal for Local’.” Modi also called for vigilance against COVID-19 and recommended wearing masks during festivals. Also read | One billion doses: India showed faith in science, innovations, says PM Modi The Prime Minister said that India’s vaccination programme was “science-born, science-driven and science-based”. “Yesterday, Oct 21, India achieved the difficult but extraordinary target of one billion, COVID-19 vaccine doses. This success is the success of India, success of every citizen,” he said. Also read | India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone “It is a matter of pride for us that India’s vaccination programme has been science-born, science-driven and science-based," Modi said. The country, he said, had only one mantra —that if the disease does not discriminate, then there cannot be any discrimination in the vaccination. Also read | COVID-19 vaccination in India crosses 1 billion. What about its neighbours? "That's why it was ensured that VIP culture was not allowed," he said. He pointed towards apprehensions from several quarters that it would be very difficult to fight this epidemic in a democracy like India. “It was also being said for India, for the people of India that how will so much restraint, how so much discipline work here? But for us, democracy means everyone`s cooperation,” he said Modi said leaders from across the world congratulated India on crossing the milestone of 100 crore vaccinations, terming it a huge and extraordinary accomplishment. “Today many people are comparing India’s vaccination programme with other countries of the world,” he said. He further said that the speed with which India crossed the 100-crore mark is also being appreciated but we often forget that from where we have started this. Meanwhile, more than 1.59 billion vaccine doses have been administered so far to the eligible beneficiaries, according to India’s health ministry. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Vocal for local’: PM Modi urges people to buy ‘Made in India’ products on Diwali

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Covid pandemic will “easily drag on deep into 2022” because poorer countries are not getting the required vaccines.

Less than 5 per cent of Africa’s population have been vaccinated, compared to 40% on most other continents.

Aylward asked the developed countries to give up their places in the queue for vaccines so that pharmaceutical companies can prioritise the lowest-income countries instead.

He said wealthy countries needed to “stocktake” where they were with their donation commitments made at summits such as the G7 meeting in St Ives this summer.

"I can tell you we're not on track. We really need to speed it up or you know what? This pandemic is going to go on for a year longer than it needs to,” BBC quoted Aylward as saying.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-crosses-historic-one-billion-covid-19-vaccine-milestone-422530">&nbsp;India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone</a>

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 4.6 million people and infected over 228 million people globally, has exposed glaring inequalities among nations over vaccine access and affordability.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/covid-update-uk-43000-people-were-issued-false-negative-covid-19-results-421364/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to WHO research, enough vaccines will be produced in 2021 to cover 70 per cent of the global population of 7.8 billion. However, most vaccines are being reserved for wealthy countries, while other vaccine-producing countries are restricting the export of doses so they can ensure that their own citizens get vaccinated first, an approach which has been dubbed “vaccine nationalism”.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fda-approves-mix-and-match-strategy-for-all-covid-19-vaccines-approved-in-us-422505">FDA approves 'mix and match' strategy for all COVID-19 vaccines approved in US</a>

The decision by some nations to give already inoculated citizens a booster vaccine, rather than prioritizing doses for unvaccinated people in poorer countries has been highlighted as one example of this trend.

According to the Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity (established by UNDP, WHO and Oxford University) as of October 20, only 4.51 per cent of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated with at least one dose, compared to 62.79 per cent in high-income countries.

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Covid pandemic will “easily drag on deep into 2022” because poorer countries are not getting the required vaccines.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Covid pandemic will “easily drag on deep into 2022” because poorer countries are not getting the required vaccines. Less than 5 per cent of Africa’s population have been vaccinated, compared to 40% on most other continents. Aylward asked the developed countries to give up their places in the queue for vaccines so that pharmaceutical companies can prioritise the lowest-income countries instead. He said wealthy countries needed to “stocktake” where they were with their donation commitments made at summits such as the G7 meeting in St Ives this summer. "I can tell you we're not on track. We really need to speed it up or you know what? This pandemic is going to go on for a year longer than it needs to,” BBC quoted Aylward as saying. Also read | India crosses historic one billion COVID-19 vaccine milestone The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 4.6 million people and infected over 228 million people globally, has exposed glaring inequalities among nations over vaccine access and affordability. Watch According to WHO research, enough vaccines will be produced in 2021 to cover 70 per cent of the global population of 7.8 billion. However, most vaccines are being reserved for wealthy countries, while other vaccine-producing countries are restricting the export of doses so they can ensure that their own citizens get vaccinated first, an approach which has been dubbed “vaccine nationalism”. Also read | FDA approves 'mix and match' strategy for all COVID-19 vaccines approved in US The decision by some nations to give already inoculated citizens a booster vaccine, rather than prioritizing doses for unvaccinated people in poorer countries has been highlighted as one example of this trend. According to the Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity (established by UNDP, WHO and Oxford University) as of October 20, only 4.51 per cent of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated with at least one dose, compared to 62.79 per cent in high-income countries. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid pandemic will easily drag on deep into 2022, warns WHO

As India scripted history on Thursday for administering a billion COVID-19 doses, prominent leaders and key personalities in India and the world congratulated the country for reaching the significant milestone.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to congratulate the “collective spirit of 1.3 billion people" and express gratitude to the medical practitioners for their effort.

"India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury," he tweeted.

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India scripts history. 
 
We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. 
 
Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccineCentury</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1451051712387731458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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WHO’s regional director of South Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh also congratulated the Indian people for the historic feat.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/WHOSEARO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHOSEARO</a>’s Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh congratulates <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> for crossing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100CroreVaccination?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100CroreVaccination</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccineCentury</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> <a href="https://t.co/AcPhv5u3o8">pic.twitter.com/AcPhv5u3o8</a>
— WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHOSEARO/status/1451052218660966401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Among the first foreign dignitaries to laud India was Bhutan’s foreign minister Tandi Dorji,&nbsp;along with country's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.&nbsp;

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In what is a huge accomplishment not just for your country but the world, India hit the one billion mark of COVID-19 vaccination doses. On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I congratulate India! <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PMOIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/1Af27xKOOF">https://t.co/1Af27xKOOF</a> <a href="https://t.co/zVcRRECc6S">pic.twitter.com/zVcRRECc6S</a>
— PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMBhutan/status/1451055499701489669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Congratulations India 🇮🇳 for administering 1 billion COVID-19 vaccinations - a historic milestone!
— ForeignMinisterBhutan (@FMBhutan) <a href="https://twitter.com/FMBhutan/status/1451046204704313354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett&nbsp;also extended his wishes to the Indian people.

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Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> on leading India's successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign that has now administered more than 1 billion vaccines to the Indian people. 
 
These life-saving vaccines are helping us all defeat the global pandemic. 
🇮🇱💉🇮🇳
— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) <a href="https://twitter.com/naftalibennett/status/1451119609843752963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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India’s health minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the COVID-19 War Room in national capital Delhi and interacted with staff to mark the historic achievement.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visits COVID19 War Room in Delhi, interacts with staff and distributes sweets to mark India achieving one billion COVID19 vaccinations. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also present <a href="https://t.co/WlaTi76dJJ">pic.twitter.com/WlaTi76dJJ</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1451051452458160128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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India’s home minister Amit Shah also joined his peers and tweeted in Hindi saying, "I thank all the scientists, researchers and health workers who have contributed in this Mahayagya (feat) by overcoming many challenges and congratulate Modi ji who is determined for the safety and health of every person. Jai Hind!"

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इस ऐतिहासिक उपलब्धि पर पूरे देश को बधाई देता हूँ। 
 
अनेकों चुनौतियों को पार कर इस महायज्ञ में अपना योगदान देने वाले सभी वैज्ञानिकों, शोधकर्ताओं व स्वास्थ्यकर्मियों का आभार व हर व्यक्ति की सुरक्षा व स्वास्थ्य हेतु संकल्पित मोदी जी का अभिनन्दन करता हूँ। 
 
जय हिन्द! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VaccineCentury?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VaccineCentury</a> <a href="https://t.co/YDB0fxlTJN">pic.twitter.com/YDB0fxlTJN</a>
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmitShah/status/1451053676009639941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

As India scripted history on Thursday for administering a billion COVID-19 doses, prominent leaders and key personalities in India and the world congratulated the country for reaching the significant milestone.

As India scripted history on Thursday for administering a billion COVID-19 doses, prominent leaders and key personalities in India and the world congratulated the country for reaching the significant milestone. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to congratulate the “collective spirit of 1.3 billion people" and express gratitude to the medical practitioners for their effort. "India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury," he tweeted. India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 21, 2021 × WHO’s regional director of South Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh also congratulated the Indian people for the historic feat. .@WHOSEARO’s Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh congratulates #India for crossing #100CroreVaccination.#VaccineCentury #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/AcPhv5u3o8 — WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) October 21, 2021 × Among the first foreign dignitaries to laud India was Bhutan’s foreign minister Tandi Dorji, along with country's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering. In what is a huge accomplishment not just for your country but the world, India hit the one billion mark of COVID-19 vaccination doses. On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I congratulate India! @narendramodi @PMOIndia https://t.co/1Af27xKOOF pic.twitter.com/zVcRRECc6S — PM Bhutan (@PMBhutan) October 21, 2021 × Congratulations India 🇮🇳 for administering 1 billion COVID-19 vaccinations - a historic milestone! — ForeignMinisterBhutan (@FMBhutan) October 21, 2021 × Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett also extended his wishes to the Indian people. Congratulations to @narendramodi on leading India's successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign that has now administered more than 1 billion vaccines to the Indian people. These life-saving vaccines are helping us all defeat the global pandemic. 🇮🇱💉🇮🇳 — Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) October 21, 2021 × India’s health minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the COVID-19 War Room in national capital Delhi and interacted with staff to mark the historic achievement. #WATCH Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visits COVID19 War Room in Delhi, interacts with staff and distributes sweets to mark India achieving one billion COVID19 vaccinations. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also present pic.twitter.com/WlaTi76dJJ — ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2021 × India’s home minister Amit Shah also joined his peers and tweeted in Hindi saying, "I thank all the scientists, researchers and health workers who have contributed in this Mahayagya (feat) by overcoming many challenges and congratulate Modi ji who is determined for the safety and health of every person. Jai Hind!" इस ऐतिहासिक उपलब्धि पर पूरे देश को बधाई देता हूँ। अनेकों चुनौतियों को पार कर इस महायज्ञ में अपना योगदान देने वाले सभी वैज्ञानिकों, शोधकर्ताओं व स्वास्थ्यकर्मियों का आभार व हर व्यक्ति की सुरक्षा व स्वास्थ्य हेतु संकल्पित मोदी जी का अभिनन्दन करता हूँ। जय हिन्द! #VaccineCentury pic.twitter.com/YDB0fxlTJN — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 21, 2021 ×

‘Historic milestone’: PM Modi, world leaders congratulate India for administering one billion COVID-19 doses

Daily COVID-19 cases in New Zealand fell on Wednesday after a record jump the day before, with most infections still in Auckland as the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to affect the country's biggest city.

Authorities reported 60 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 56 were in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,158. There have been 28 deaths in total since the pandemic began and 43 people are currently hospitalised because of the virus.

New Zealand had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until the Delta outbreak in mid-August that has spread across Auckland and neighbouring regions, prompting tight restrictions on some 1.7 million Aucklanders that were extended further this week.

Authorities have warned that infections are likely to trend higher until vaccination rates gather more pace. Some 67 per cent&nbsp;of the population is now fully vaccinated, while 85 per cent&nbsp;have received at least one dose.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/smoking-marijuana-may-increase-risk-of-breakthrough-covid-19-infection-study-420190">Smoking, marijuana may increase risk of breakthrough COVID-19 infection: Study</a>

Auckland has now been locked down for more than two months, though New Zealand's total cumulative load of 4,854 confirmed cases is far lower than many comparable countries.

The government has shifted to a strategy of living with COVID-19, and education minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said senior secondary school students in some areas would return to classrooms from next Tuesday.

"This is a complex issue requiring difficult trade-offs between improving education and increasing potential health risks for children and young people," Hipkins said at a news conference.

Daily COVID-19 cases in New Zealand fell on Wednesday after a record jump the day before, with most infections still in Auckland as the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to affect the country's biggest city.

Daily COVID-19 cases in New Zealand fell on Wednesday after a record jump the day before, with most infections still in Auckland as the Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to affect the country's biggest city. Authorities reported 60 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 56 were in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,158. There have been 28 deaths in total since the pandemic began and 43 people are currently hospitalised because of the virus. New Zealand had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until the Delta outbreak in mid-August that has spread across Auckland and neighbouring regions, prompting tight restrictions on some 1.7 million Aucklanders that were extended further this week. Authorities have warned that infections are likely to trend higher until vaccination rates gather more pace. Some 67 per cent of the population is now fully vaccinated, while 85 per cent have received at least one dose. Also Read | Smoking, marijuana may increase risk of breakthrough COVID-19 infection: Study Auckland has now been locked down for more than two months, though New Zealand's total cumulative load of 4,854 confirmed cases is far lower than many comparable countries. The government has shifted to a strategy of living with COVID-19, and education minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said senior secondary school students in some areas would return to classrooms from next Tuesday. "This is a complex issue requiring difficult trade-offs between improving education and increasing potential health risks for children and young people," Hipkins said at a news conference.

New Zealand's daily COVID-19 cases fall, some classrooms to reopen

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation's "Covid Zero" hopes&nbsp;showed no signs of easing.

Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in April last year during the first wave of Covid-19 infections.

While case numbers remain low by most international standards, they have been steadily growing since the highly transmissible Delta variant was first found in New Zealand in mid-August.

The outbreak, centred on Auckland, has forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to drop her core policy goal of eliminating the virus in favour of ramping up vaccination efforts.

The centre-left leader is set to unveil a new strategy on Friday that will allow for greater freedoms once vaccination targets have been reached.

Around two-thirds of the eligible population have now been fully inoculated.

"We know that vaccinations are already making a significant difference to the outbreak in Auckland, but so too are people following the rules," Ardern told reporters.

Before the arrival of Delta, New Zealand won widespread praise for its hardline approach, which involved strict lockdowns, rigorous contact tracing and tight border restrictions.

The measures paid off, with just 28 deaths in a population of five million and domestic life near normal for long periods.

But Ardern has conceded Delta was a "game-changer", spreading at a rate too fast for contract-tracers to keep up.

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation's "Covid Zero" hopes showed no signs of easing.

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation's "Covid Zero" hopes showed no signs of easing. Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in April last year during the first wave of Covid-19 infections. While case numbers remain low by most international standards, they have been steadily growing since the highly transmissible Delta variant was first found in New Zealand in mid-August. The outbreak, centred on Auckland, has forced Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to drop her core policy goal of eliminating the virus in favour of ramping up vaccination efforts. The centre-left leader is set to unveil a new strategy on Friday that will allow for greater freedoms once vaccination targets have been reached. Around two-thirds of the eligible population have now been fully inoculated. "We know that vaccinations are already making a significant difference to the outbreak in Auckland, but so too are people following the rules," Ardern told reporters. Before the arrival of Delta, New Zealand won widespread praise for its hardline approach, which involved strict lockdowns, rigorous contact tracing and tight border restrictions. The measures paid off, with just 28 deaths in a population of five million and domestic life near normal for long periods. But Ardern has conceded Delta was a "game-changer", spreading at a rate too fast for contract-tracers to keep up.

New Zealand Covid cases hit record despite vaccination push

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan.

The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus. It closed its borders, tested and traced aggressively and was one of the first countries in Asia to order vaccines.

A top politician told the public that an 80 per cent vaccination rate was the criterion for a phased reopening. Singapore has now fully inoculated 83 per cent of its population, but instead of opening up, it is doing quite the opposite.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-trials-patrol-robots-to-deter-bad-social-behaviour-411229">Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour</a>

In September, with cases doubling every eight to 10 days, the government reinstated restrictions on gatherings. The United States said its citizens should reconsider travel to the country. Long lines started forming at the emergency departments in several hospitals. People were told once again, they should work from home.

The country’s experience has become a sobering case study for other nations pursuing reopening strategies without having had to deal with large outbreaks in the pandemic. For the Singapore residents who believed the city-state would reopen once the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccination</a> rate reached a certain level, there was a feeling of whiplash and nagging questions about what it would take to reopen if vaccines were not enough.

“In a way, we are a victim of our own success, because we’ve achieved as close to zero COVID as we can get and a very, very low death rate,” said Dr. Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist at National University Hospital. “So we want to keep the position at the top of the class, and it’s very hard to do.”

Singapore’s careful, some say overly cautious, approach to reopening contrasts with that of the United States and Europe, where vaccinated people are already gathering at concerts, festivals and other large events. But unlike Singapore, both of those places had to manage substantial outbreaks early in the pandemic.

Also read |&nbsp;​​​​​​​<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-to-ease-virus-curbs-for-migrant-workers-411907">Singapore to ease virus curbs for migrant workers</a>

Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and a chair of the country’s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> task force, said the lesson for “COVID-naive societies” like Singapore, New Zealand and Australia is to be ready for large waves of infections, “regardless of the vaccine coverage.”

“Once you open up, more social interactions will happen,” he said. “And given the inherently highly transmissible nature of the delta variant, you will get big clusters emerging.”

The vaccines have worked to keep most of the population out of the hospital, with 98.3 per cent of cases presenting mild or no symptoms. The deaths have occurred mostly in seniors, usually with comorbidities, and account for 0.2 per cent of the cases over the past 28 days. But the shots cannot protect against infection, especially when up against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-delta-variant-increases-the-risk-of-death-by-133-per-cent-418711">delta variant</a>, Wong said.

“In Singapore, we think that you cannot just rely on vaccines alone during this intermediate phase,” he said. “And that’s why we do not plan an approach where we reopen in a big bang manner, and just declare freedom.”

In Wong’s vision of how the pandemic will play out in Singapore, people will continue to wear face masks. Travel is unlikely to be entirely free. Social distancing will remain, perhaps until 2024.

He stressed that Singapore was still on a path toward living with COVID and said he recognized that any form of tightening, no matter how small, would be met with anger and frustration because people are anxious to move on. “But we have to adjust based on the realities, based on the situation we are facing,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;​​​​​​​<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-patrol-robots-seeking-undesirable-social-behaviour-spark-privacy-concerns-418598">Singapore: Patrol robots seeking 'undesirable social behaviour' spark privacy concerns</a>

Last month, officials scrambled to set up community treatment facilities equipped with oxygen tanks and asked those with mild or no symptoms to recover at home. Many Singaporeans said there was confusion about what to do and that the government appeared ill-prepared.

“If the health care system gets overwhelmed, that’s when we know from experience everywhere that doctors are unable to cope and you have death rates start to go up,” Wong said. “So we are trying very hard to avoid that.”

Several doctors have disputed the government’s claim that the health care system is under immense strain. Tambyah, who is also chair of an opposition party that recently drew up an alternative strategy for dealing with the pandemic, said there was enough of a buffer in hospitals because Singapore had canceled all elective surgeries.

The problem for Singapore’s leaders, he said, is that they are “essentially doing a transition from zero COVID toward living with the virus.”

For many, the repeated tweaks to the restrictions have taken a toll. The number of suicides in 2020 was the highest since 2012, a trend that some mental health experts have attributed to the pandemic. People have called on the government to consider the mental health concerns caused by the restrictions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-pandemic-took-hold-suicide-rose-among-japanese-women-365653">As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women</a>

“It’s just economically, sociologically, emotionally and mentally unsustainable,” said Devadas Krishnadas, CEO at Future-Moves Group, a consultancy in Singapore. Krishnadas said the decision to reintroduce restrictions after reaching such a high vaccination rate made the country a global outlier.

“And, importantly, it moves Singapore in a complete 180 degrees, opposite direction from where the rest of the world is headed,” he said. “That brings us to the strategic question of where will this leave Singapore — if we don’t get off what I call the hamster wheel of opening and closing.”

Sarah Chan, a deputy director at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said she had a fleeting taste of what normal life was like when she arrived in Italy last month to visit her husband’s family.

No masks were required outdoors, vaccinated people could gather in groups without any restrictions, and Chan and her son could bop their heads to music in restaurants. In Singapore, music inside restaurants has been banned based on the notion that it could encourage the spread of the virus.

Chan said she was so moved by her time in Italy that she cried.

“It’s almost normal. You forget what that’s like,” she said. “I really miss that.”

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan. The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus.

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan. The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus. It closed its borders, tested and traced aggressively and was one of the first countries in Asia to order vaccines. A top politician told the public that an 80 per cent vaccination rate was the criterion for a phased reopening. Singapore has now fully inoculated 83 per cent of its population, but instead of opening up, it is doing quite the opposite. Also read | Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour In September, with cases doubling every eight to 10 days, the government reinstated restrictions on gatherings. The United States said its citizens should reconsider travel to the country. Long lines started forming at the emergency departments in several hospitals. People were told once again, they should work from home. The country’s experience has become a sobering case study for other nations pursuing reopening strategies without having had to deal with large outbreaks in the pandemic. For the Singapore residents who believed the city-state would reopen once the vaccination rate reached a certain level, there was a feeling of whiplash and nagging questions about what it would take to reopen if vaccines were not enough. “In a way, we are a victim of our own success, because we’ve achieved as close to zero COVID as we can get and a very, very low death rate,” said Dr. Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist at National University Hospital. “So we want to keep the position at the top of the class, and it’s very hard to do.” Singapore’s careful, some say overly cautious, approach to reopening contrasts with that of the United States and Europe, where vaccinated people are already gathering at concerts, festivals and other large events. But unlike Singapore, both of those places had to manage substantial outbreaks early in the pandemic. Also read | Singapore to ease virus curbs for migrant workers Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and a chair of the country’s COVID-19 task force, said the lesson for “COVID-naive societies” like Singapore, New Zealand and Australia is to be ready for large waves of infections, “regardless of the vaccine coverage.” “Once you open up, more social interactions will happen,” he said. “And given the inherently highly transmissible nature of the delta variant, you will get big clusters emerging.” The vaccines have worked to keep most of the population out of the hospital, with 98.3 per cent of cases presenting mild or no symptoms. The deaths have occurred mostly in seniors, usually with comorbidities, and account for 0.2 per cent of the cases over the past 28 days. But the shots cannot protect against infection, especially when up against the delta variant, Wong said. “In Singapore, we think that you cannot just rely on vaccines alone during this intermediate phase,” he said. “And that’s why we do not plan an approach where we reopen in a big bang manner, and just declare freedom.” In Wong’s vision of how the pandemic will play out in Singapore, people will continue to wear face masks. Travel is unlikely to be entirely free. Social distancing will remain, perhaps until 2024. He stressed that Singapore was still on a path toward living with COVID and said he recognized that any form of tightening, no matter how small, would be met with anger and frustration because people are anxious to move on. “But we have to adjust based on the realities, based on the situation we are facing,” he said. Also read | Singapore: Patrol robots seeking 'undesirable social behaviour' spark privacy concerns Last month, officials scrambled to set up community treatment facilities equipped with oxygen tanks and asked those with mild or no symptoms to recover at home. Many Singaporeans said there was confusion about what to do and that the government appeared ill-prepared. “If the health care system gets overwhelmed, that’s when we know from experience everywhere that doctors are unable to cope and you have death rates start to go up,” Wong said. “So we are trying very hard to avoid that.” Several doctors have disputed the government’s claim that the health care system is under immense strain. Tambyah, who is also chair of an opposition party that recently drew up an alternative strategy for dealing with the pandemic, said there was enough of a buffer in hospitals because Singapore had canceled all elective surgeries. The problem for Singapore’s leaders, he said, is that they are “essentially doing a transition from zero COVID toward living with the virus.” For many, the repeated tweaks to the restrictions have taken a toll. The number of suicides in 2020 was the highest since 2012, a trend that some mental health experts have attributed to the pandemic. People have called on the government to consider the mental health concerns caused by the restrictions. Also read | As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women “It’s just economically, sociologically, emotionally and mentally unsustainable,” said Devadas Krishnadas, CEO at Future-Moves Group, a consultancy in Singapore. Krishnadas said the decision to reintroduce restrictions after reaching such a high vaccination rate made the country a global outlier. “And, importantly, it moves Singapore in a complete 180 degrees, opposite direction from where the rest of the world is headed,” he said. “That brings us to the strategic question of where will this leave Singapore — if we don’t get off what I call the hamster wheel of opening and closing.” Sarah Chan, a deputy director at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said she had a fleeting taste of what normal life was like when she arrived in Italy last month to visit her husband’s family. No masks were required outdoors, vaccinated people could gather in groups without any restrictions, and Chan and her son could bop their heads to music in restaurants. In Singapore, music inside restaurants has been banned based on the notion that it could encourage the spread of the virus. Chan said she was so moved by her time in Italy that she cried. “It’s almost normal. You forget what that’s like,” she said. “I really miss that.”

They had the vaccines and a plan to reopen. Instead they got cold feet.

Pfizer has asked the US government to approve the use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years old, and if regulators agree, injections may start within weeks.

In a trial of children, Pfizer had previously declared that a lower dose of their vaccine worked and looked to be safe. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-stole-millions-of-covid-vaccines-from-uk-in-an-act-of-war-report-418646">Also read | France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report</a>

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech officially submitted their application to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.

The data will be debated by FDA advisers later this month. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/three-vatican-swiss-guards-resign-over-covid-vaccination-mandate-says-report-418499">Three Vatican Swiss Guards resign over Covid vaccination mandate, says report</a>

Until now, the vaccination was only accessible to children as young as 12, and many parents and physicians are demanding that it be made available to children as young as six.&nbsp;

Last month, Pfizer submitted research to the US Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children. Pfizer says it will also submit the data to the European Medicines Agency and other regulators.

(With inputs from agencies)

Pfizer has asked the US government to approve the use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years old, and if regulators agree, injections may start within weeks.

Pfizer has asked the US government to approve the use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years old, and if regulators agree, injections may start within weeks. In a trial of children, Pfizer had previously declared that a lower dose of their vaccine worked and looked to be safe. Also read | France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech officially submitted their application to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. The data will be debated by FDA advisers later this month. Also read | Three Vatican Swiss Guards resign over Covid vaccination mandate, says report Until now, the vaccination was only accessible to children as young as 12, and many parents and physicians are demanding that it be made available to children as young as six. Last month, Pfizer submitted research to the US Food and Drug Administration on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children. Pfizer says it will also submit the data to the European Medicines Agency and other regulators. (With inputs from agencies)

Pfizer asks US government to allow COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11

It was a hot morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the day that Peter Naughton woke up on the floor.

Sore, disoriented, he’d already grasped what his mother was now telling him: He’d had another seizure. But he also grasped a larger truth: He needed to pull it together and somehow go to work.

A cashier and self-checkout host at the nearby Walmart, Naughton dreaded depleting his limited paid time off in the midst of a pandemic. His mother, for her part, insisted that her epileptic son, then 44, stay home and rest. The hours after a seizure were difficult enough. Toss in the stress of COVID-19 and a customer base that largely — and often angrily — rejected mask use, and a day at work seemed anything but recuperative.

In the end, Naughton’s growing headache and general fogginess were intense enough that he conceded to his mother’s wishes. He dialled once, twice, three times. No answer. Given the penalty for missing work without giving notice — and the fear of risking his job during uncertain times — he saw what he had to do. Reeling, he made the trip to the store and clocked in.

That was the summer of 2020, and in the bewildering year since, the stakes and strain around low-wage frontline jobs like Naughton’s seem only to have multiplied.

As shuttered offices cautiously debate the merits and logistics of reopening, a parallel sphere of workers — retail employees, day labourers, emergency personnel, medical staff, and so on — seemingly inhabit another country entirely. In their case nothing ever shuttered. Often their jobs just got really, really hard.

“Every day is frightening,” Naughton said recently, now nearly two years into his employment at Walmart.

Naughton said this in the dark, his power still out days after Hurricane Ida had barreled through Louisiana. It was 93 degrees. Later he would take another cold shower, also in the dark, in hopes of cooling off before bed.

Naughton lives on a quiet, grassy street of low brick homes with his ageing parents, not far from where he attended high school some two decades prior. He had an apartment of his own for a while last year, but his $11.55 hourly wage wasn’t enough to pay the rent, even working full time. So he moved back in with his mother and father, and now lives in fear of bringing the highly contagious delta variant home to them. (Naughton is fully vaccinated. But at 78, his father has health issues that prevent him from getting the shots, Naughton said — health issues that make severe illness likelier should he contract the disease.)

Elsewhere in the country, the conversation has begun to move on, away from early Covid alarm and into something more guardedly speculative. What will post-pandemic life look like? How have our priorities shifted? But for vast swaths of the nation, largely untouched by doses from Pfizer and Moderna, it remains late 2020 in many ways.

“A lot of people here still don’t believe the virus is real — even when the hospitals are full, even when they have family dying,” Naughton said. “With the vaccines, one co-worker told me getting it would go against her faith. Another told me it contains baby fetuses and mercury. Someone else said it was created by Bill Gates to insert microchips to track you. I said, ‘Why would he want to track&nbsp;you?’”

The conversations Naughton describes may be epidemiologically out of step, but he and thousands of others seem trapped in an America-right-now vortex, a swirl of politics, belief, resentment and fear. At fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, warehouses, nursing homes and anywhere else frontline workers show up each day, a deep schism has taken hold. Workers nervous about the virus find themselves at the mercy of those who aren’t.

“If I ask people to wear a mask or socially distance at work, they get mad and tell the manager. Then I have to get coached. If you get coached too many times, you lose your job,” Naughton said, referring to the company’s system for managing worker infractions. (Charles Crowson, a Walmart spokesman, did not dispute that an accumulation of coachings could lead to termination.)

Draped over this dynamic are often the stark realities of poverty, and the stresses of navigating a low-paying job in a high-pressure situation. And so an already strained situation strains further. Bitterness over masking requests, job insecurity, a run on bottled water, vaccine politics — tensions routinely boil over in his store and beyond, Naughton said.

“It wasn’t always like this. It used to be more friendly here. It’s become hostile. People are really on edge. They fight with you in the store, or with each other,” he said. “The other day a woman wanted to fight over the price of potatoes. You can even see it in how people drive, like they have a death wish.”

These days Naughton passes a fair amount of time alone. He burns off stress at the gym, goes on hikes, reads books on politics. (By flashlight, in the days after Hurricane Ida.) The delta resurgence also dealt a blow to his social life — at one point, concerned about the alarming spread in Louisiana, he cancelled plans to see live comedy with a co-worker. She went on without him; “she wasn’t worried about it,” he said.

Over the last few months, Naughton has pinned his hopes on a transfer — there’s another nearby Walmart he believes to be less stressful. After extensive lobbying, he said the move was finally approved. Coincidentally, it’s to the same store where his father routinely shops, Covid&nbsp;risks and all.

“He’s stubborn. He goes there for pastries, for Coke. He spends hours there. We tell him not to, it’s not safe,” Naughton said.

With nearly 1.6 million workers, Walmart is the largest private employer in the country. It employs 35,954 people in Louisiana alone, working for one of the 137 Supercenters, discount stores, neighbourhood markets or Sam’s Clubs across the state. Covid appears to have been good for the bottom line: During fiscal 2020, the company generated $559 billion in revenue, up $35 billion from the previous year. But labour activists say too little of that money has gone toward workforce protections, which in turn has prolonged the pandemic.

According to United for Respect, a nonprofit labour advocacy group for Walmart and Amazon workers — Naughton is an outspoken member — safety measures remain deeply insufficient.

“Thousands of Walmart associates across the country like Peter have been forced to endure poverty wages and abysmal benefits while working through a deadly pandemic, managing panic-buying sprees and culture wars over mask mandates,” said Bianca Agustin, the accountability director for United for Respect.

In a survey the group conducted of Walmart associates — the term the company uses for all non-temporary employees — in May 2020, nearly half said they had come into work sick or would do so, fearing retaliation otherwise. This past April the group released a report with the public health nonprofit Human Impact Partners, finding that Walmart could have prevented at least 7,618 Covid&nbsp;cases and saved 133 lives with a more robust paid sick time policy. (Researchers have estimated that some 125,000 Walmart workers nationwide likely contracted Covid between February 2020 and February 2021.)

United for Respect is pushing for five measures in response: hazard pay of $5 per hour; access to adequate paid and unpaid leave; immediate notification of positive cases within a given store; the inclusion of workers in the creation of safety protocols; and protection from retaliation. In the meantime, it has created a Covid reporting tool for workers at Amazon and Walmart. So far almost 1,900 cases have been claimed at 360 stores and facilities.

“Walmart lets in people without masks all the time, and social distancing isn’t enforced,” Naughton said. “Our lives are constantly in danger. They have ‘health ambassadors,’ but all they do is sit at the door offering customers masks. I’ve had to fill in for them. A lot of people just ignore you, or else get angry.”

In response, Crowson, the Walmart spokesman, replied that the company “has worked hard to protect the health and safety of associates and customers. This includes administering no-cost vaccinations, enhanced cleaning practices, daily health screenings and temperature checks for our associates, special bonuses and an emergency leave policy.”

For his part, Naughton continues fearing work while also fearing the idea of missing any. That’s partly the work ethic he inherited from his father, who never once called in sick to the chemical plant where he spent his career. But it’s also basic survival in perilous economic times. Putting aside any medical implications for him or his loved ones, he worries that contracting Covid could cost him his job. At 45, reliant on Medicaid for health coverage and having no retirement plan to speak of, he continues to don his yellow “Proud Walmart Associate” vest each morning.

Over the years Naughton has worked at fast-food restaurants, grocery stores and an amusement park. The idea of finding a more COVID-safe work-from-home gig appeals to him, but his hours at Walmart leave little time for job hunting. Regardless, he says the positions he comes across are “the kind you can’t get without experience, but you can’t get experience without a job.”

Asked about the distant universe of office careers and mask-wars-free remote work, Naughton, he replied that it all feels “unfair.”

“They say we’re essential,” he said, “but they treat us like we’re disposable.”

It was a hot morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the day that Peter Naughton woke up on the floor. Sore, disoriented, he’d already grasped what his mother was now telling him: He’d had another seizure.

It was a hot morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the day that Peter Naughton woke up on the floor. Sore, disoriented, he’d already grasped what his mother was now telling him: He’d had another seizure. But he also grasped a larger truth: He needed to pull it together and somehow go to work. A cashier and self-checkout host at the nearby Walmart, Naughton dreaded depleting his limited paid time off in the midst of a pandemic. His mother, for her part, insisted that her epileptic son, then 44, stay home and rest. The hours after a seizure were difficult enough. Toss in the stress of COVID-19 and a customer base that largely — and often angrily — rejected mask use, and a day at work seemed anything but recuperative. In the end, Naughton’s growing headache and general fogginess were intense enough that he conceded to his mother’s wishes. He dialled once, twice, three times. No answer. Given the penalty for missing work without giving notice — and the fear of risking his job during uncertain times — he saw what he had to do. Reeling, he made the trip to the store and clocked in. That was the summer of 2020, and in the bewildering year since, the stakes and strain around low-wage frontline jobs like Naughton’s seem only to have multiplied. As shuttered offices cautiously debate the merits and logistics of reopening, a parallel sphere of workers — retail employees, day labourers, emergency personnel, medical staff, and so on — seemingly inhabit another country entirely. In their case nothing ever shuttered. Often their jobs just got really, really hard. “Every day is frightening,” Naughton said recently, now nearly two years into his employment at Walmart. Naughton said this in the dark, his power still out days after Hurricane Ida had barreled through Louisiana. It was 93 degrees. Later he would take another cold shower, also in the dark, in hopes of cooling off before bed. Naughton lives on a quiet, grassy street of low brick homes with his ageing parents, not far from where he attended high school some two decades prior. He had an apartment of his own for a while last year, but his $11.55 hourly wage wasn’t enough to pay the rent, even working full time. So he moved back in with his mother and father, and now lives in fear of bringing the highly contagious delta variant home to them. (Naughton is fully vaccinated. But at 78, his father has health issues that prevent him from getting the shots, Naughton said — health issues that make severe illness likelier should he contract the disease.) Elsewhere in the country, the conversation has begun to move on, away from early Covid alarm and into something more guardedly speculative. What will post-pandemic life look like? How have our priorities shifted? But for vast swaths of the nation, largely untouched by doses from Pfizer and Moderna, it remains late 2020 in many ways. “A lot of people here still don’t believe the virus is real — even when the hospitals are full, even when they have family dying,” Naughton said. “With the vaccines, one co-worker told me getting it would go against her faith. Another told me it contains baby fetuses and mercury. Someone else said it was created by Bill Gates to insert microchips to track you. I said, ‘Why would he want to track you?’” The conversations Naughton describes may be epidemiologically out of step, but he and thousands of others seem trapped in an America-right-now vortex, a swirl of politics, belief, resentment and fear. At fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, warehouses, nursing homes and anywhere else frontline workers show up each day, a deep schism has taken hold. Workers nervous about the virus find themselves at the mercy of those who aren’t. “If I ask people to wear a mask or socially distance at work, they get mad and tell the manager. Then I have to get coached. If you get coached too many times, you lose your job,” Naughton said, referring to the company’s system for managing worker infractions. (Charles Crowson, a Walmart spokesman, did not dispute that an accumulation of coachings could lead to termination.) Draped over this dynamic are often the stark realities of poverty, and the stresses of navigating a low-paying job in a high-pressure situation. And so an already strained situation strains further. Bitterness over masking requests, job insecurity, a run on bottled water, vaccine politics — tensions routinely boil over in his store and beyond, Naughton said. “It wasn’t always like this. It used to be more friendly here. It’s become hostile. People are really on edge. They fight with you in the store, or with each other,” he said. “The other day a woman wanted to fight over the price of potatoes. You can even see it in how people drive, like they have a death wish.” These days Naughton passes a fair amount of time alone. He burns off stress at the gym, goes on hikes, reads books on politics. (By flashlight, in the days after Hurricane Ida.) The delta resurgence also dealt a blow to his social life — at one point, concerned about the alarming spread in Louisiana, he cancelled plans to see live comedy with a co-worker. She went on without him; “she wasn’t worried about it,” he said. Over the last few months, Naughton has pinned his hopes on a transfer — there’s another nearby Walmart he believes to be less stressful. After extensive lobbying, he said the move was finally approved. Coincidentally, it’s to the same store where his father routinely shops, Covid risks and all. “He’s stubborn. He goes there for pastries, for Coke. He spends hours there. We tell him not to, it’s not safe,” Naughton said. With nearly 1.6 million workers, Walmart is the largest private employer in the country. It employs 35,954 people in Louisiana alone, working for one of the 137 Supercenters, discount stores, neighbourhood markets or Sam’s Clubs across the state. Covid appears to have been good for the bottom line: During fiscal 2020, the company generated $559 billion in revenue, up $35 billion from the previous year. But labour activists say too little of that money has gone toward workforce protections, which in turn has prolonged the pandemic. According to United for Respect, a nonprofit labour advocacy group for Walmart and Amazon workers — Naughton is an outspoken member — safety measures remain deeply insufficient. “Thousands of Walmart associates across the country like Peter have been forced to endure poverty wages and abysmal benefits while working through a deadly pandemic, managing panic-buying sprees and culture wars over mask mandates,” said Bianca Agustin, the accountability director for United for Respect. In a survey the group conducted of Walmart associates — the term the company uses for all non-temporary employees — in May 2020, nearly half said they had come into work sick or would do so, fearing retaliation otherwise. This past April the group released a report with the public health nonprofit Human Impact Partners, finding that Walmart could have prevented at least 7,618 Covid cases and saved 133 lives with a more robust paid sick time policy. (Researchers have estimated that some 125,000 Walmart workers nationwide likely contracted Covid between February 2020 and February 2021.) United for Respect is pushing for five measures in response: hazard pay of $5 per hour; access to adequate paid and unpaid leave; immediate notification of positive cases within a given store; the inclusion of workers in the creation of safety protocols; and protection from retaliation. In the meantime, it has created a Covid reporting tool for workers at Amazon and Walmart. So far almost 1,900 cases have been claimed at 360 stores and facilities. “Walmart lets in people without masks all the time, and social distancing isn’t enforced,” Naughton said. “Our lives are constantly in danger. They have ‘health ambassadors,’ but all they do is sit at the door offering customers masks. I’ve had to fill in for them. A lot of people just ignore you, or else get angry.” In response, Crowson, the Walmart spokesman, replied that the company “has worked hard to protect the health and safety of associates and customers. This includes administering no-cost vaccinations, enhanced cleaning practices, daily health screenings and temperature checks for our associates, special bonuses and an emergency leave policy.” For his part, Naughton continues fearing work while also fearing the idea of missing any. That’s partly the work ethic he inherited from his father, who never once called in sick to the chemical plant where he spent his career. But it’s also basic survival in perilous economic times. Putting aside any medical implications for him or his loved ones, he worries that contracting Covid could cost him his job. At 45, reliant on Medicaid for health coverage and having no retirement plan to speak of, he continues to don his yellow “Proud Walmart Associate” vest each morning. Over the years Naughton has worked at fast-food restaurants, grocery stores and an amusement park. The idea of finding a more COVID-safe work-from-home gig appeals to him, but his hours at Walmart leave little time for job hunting. Regardless, he says the positions he comes across are “the kind you can’t get without experience, but you can’t get experience without a job.” Asked about the distant universe of office careers and mask-wars-free remote work, Naughton, he replied that it all feels “unfair.” “They say we’re essential,” he said, “but they treat us like we’re disposable.”

‘Every day is frightening’: Working for the top US employer amid Covid

The number of fresh coronavirus cases was recorded at below 20,000 (18,795) in India after 201 days on Tuesday, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to 3,36,97,581, while the number of active cases declined to 2,92,206, the lowest in 192 days, according to the Union health ministry.

A total 18,795 fresh Covid cases were registered in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 4,47,373 with 179 more fatalities, the lowest in 193 days, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily fatalities was recorded at 154 on March 19.

The number of active cases has declined to 2,92,206, accounting for 0.87 per cent of the total number of cases -- the lowest since March 2020 -- while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.81 per cent, the highest since March last year, the ministry said.

A decrease of 7,414 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

Less than 50,000 daily cases are being reported in the country for 93 consecutive days now, the ministry said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-might-be-entering-endemic-stage-of-covid-19-who-chief-scientist-swaminathan-408296">India might be entering endemic stage of COVID-19: WHO chief scientist Swaminathan</a>

Also, 13,21,780 tests were conducted to detect the infection on Monday, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 56,57,30,031.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.42 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for the last 29 days.

The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.88 per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 95 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 3,29,58,002, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent.

The cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 87 crore with more than one crore doses administered in a span of 24 hours.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-mocks-indias-covid-19-crisis-deletes-post-after-backlash-382517">China mocks India’s COVID-19 crisis, deletes post after backlash</a>

India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, the 30-lakh mark on August 23, the 40-lakh mark on September 5 and the 50-lakh mark on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23.

The 179 new fatalities include 58 from Kerala and 32 from Maharashtra.

A total of 4,47,373 deaths due to the viral disease have so far been reported in the country, including 1,38,902 from Maharashtra, 37,746 from Karnataka, 35,509 from Tamil Nadu, 25,085 from Delhi, 24,661 from Kerala, 22,890 from Uttar Pradesh and 18,751 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.&nbsp;

The number of fresh coronavirus cases was recorded at below 20,000 (18,795) in India after 201 days on Tuesday, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to 3,36,97,581, while the number of active cases declined to 2,92,206, the lowest in 192 days, according to the Union health ministry.

The number of fresh coronavirus cases was recorded at below 20,000 (18,795) in India after 201 days on Tuesday, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to 3,36,97,581, while the number of active cases declined to 2,92,206, the lowest in 192 days, according to the Union health ministry. A total 18,795 fresh Covid cases were registered in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 4,47,373 with 179 more fatalities, the lowest in 193 days, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am. The number of daily fatalities was recorded at 154 on March 19. The number of active cases has declined to 2,92,206, accounting for 0.87 per cent of the total number of cases -- the lowest since March 2020 -- while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.81 per cent, the highest since March last year, the ministry said. A decrease of 7,414 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Less than 50,000 daily cases are being reported in the country for 93 consecutive days now, the ministry said. Also read | India might be entering endemic stage of COVID-19: WHO chief scientist Swaminathan Also, 13,21,780 tests were conducted to detect the infection on Monday, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 56,57,30,031. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.42 per cent. It has been less than three per cent for the last 29 days. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.88 per cent. It has been below three per cent for the last 95 days, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 3,29,58,002, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent. The cumulative number of vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 87 crore with more than one crore doses administered in a span of 24 hours. Also read | China mocks India’s COVID-19 crisis, deletes post after backlash India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, the 30-lakh mark on August 23, the 40-lakh mark on September 5 and the 50-lakh mark on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19 last year. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23. The 179 new fatalities include 58 from Kerala and 32 from Maharashtra. A total of 4,47,373 deaths due to the viral disease have so far been reported in the country, including 1,38,902 from Maharashtra, 37,746 from Karnataka, 35,509 from Tamil Nadu, 25,085 from Delhi, 24,661 from Kerala, 22,890 from Uttar Pradesh and 18,751 from West Bengal. The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

India records 18,795 fresh COVID-19 cases, lowest in six months

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