Tag: COVID

India logs 656 new COVID-19 cases, active case tally now 3,742

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India saw a single-day rise of 656 COVID infections while the active cases have increased to 3,742, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll was recorded at 5,33,333 with one new death reported from Kerala in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The country’s COVID case tally is 45 million (4,50,08,620).

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 44.47 million and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81%, according to the health ministry’s website.

The case fatality rate stands at 1.19%.

According to the ministry’s website, 2.2 billion doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the country so far.

Also read: New COVID-19 strain JN.1 mild, high vaccination rate eases concerns: Max Healthcare

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India reports 752 new Covid cases, 4 deaths in 24 hours

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India saw a single-day rise of 752 coronavirus infections, the highest since May 21, 2023, while the active cases have increased to 3,420, according to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

The death toll was recorded at 5,33,332 with four new deaths — two from Kerala, one each in Rajasthan and Karnataka — reported in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The country’s Covid case tally stood at 4.50 crore (4,50,07,964).

The number of people recuperated from the disease has increased to 4,44,71,212, and the national recovery rate stands at 98.81%, according to the health ministry’s website. The fatality rate stands at 1.19%

The ministry’s website stated that 220.67 crore doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

BCG anticipates FMCG volume uptick aided by stable pricing, more products

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Abheek Singhi, MD & Senior Partner of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) believes there could be an uptick in volumes for the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector over the next 12 months.

“There is a set of supply-side or industry actions that will drive some of this growth in the next 6-12 months,” he said highlighting the softening of commodity prices, leading to less product price increases, and the industry’s focus in expanding product categories.

In its latest report on the FMCG industry, presented at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) FMCG Summit, BCG pointed out that the FMCG sector’s volume growth has not kept pace with the country’s GDP growth over the past 15 years.

From 2007 to 2023, while India’s GDP grew at an average rate of 5.9%, FMCG volume growth was only 3.4%. A more significant slowdown was observed between 2017 and 2023, where FMCG volume growth declined from 3.5% to 2.9%, impacted by various disruptive events like the implementation of GST, demonetisation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report also highlighted consumer spending patterns, revealing that the affluent 16% of the population accounts for 32% of total consumption, with the middle-income households contributing the rest. Another factor affecting FMCG volume growth is the sharp rise in consumer staple prices since 2012, which has led to a reduction in FMCG product consumption relative to other items.

Also Read | 3 of 4 households in India have ITC products, analysts expect FMCG focus to drive growth

Abheek Singhi, MD & Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, remains optimistic about the sector’s future. He predicts an upturn in FMCG volume growth in the next 12 months, driven by supply-side actions and industry efforts. This expected improvement comes as a welcome sign for the industry, which is looking to rebound from a period of slower growth.

Also Read | The fifth ‘P’ in FMCG: How politics shapes what we consume

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Active Covid-19 cases in India cross 3,000 mark for the first time in eight months

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India has reported 3,000 active COVID-19 cases after nearly eight months, signalling what may be the beginning of yet another rise in the infection level.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in India reached 3,000 on Friday, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.

A single death was reported in Kerala as a result of a sharp increase in cases that followed the discovery of the first case of the sub-variant JN.1.

The government reported that the number of active cases increased from 2,669 to 2,997 on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,33,328 with one person from Kerala succumbing to the virus. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18%.

As many as 4,44,70,887 recuperated from COVID-19 while the national recovery rate was pegged at 98.81%, the Health Ministry said. So far, 220.67 crore (220,67,79,081) doses of Covid vaccine have been administered.

With 265 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours, the number of active cases in Kerala, the state where the JN.1 was initially discovered, increased to 2,606 instances. Up until Wednesday, 21 cases of the JN.1 strain had been found all around India.

According to the Health Ministry, India saw 594 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, and there were 2,669 active cases, up from 2,311 the day before. The viral illness claimed the lives of six people: two from Karnataka, one from Punjab, and three from Kerala.

The government has said that the current surge in COVID-19 cases should not be a cause for alarm, emphasising the importance of avoiding panic. Nevertheless, the Center has recommended individuals with underlying health conditions to wear face masks as a precautionary measure.

In a recent assessment, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya examined the state of preparedness of health facilities nationwide, emphasising the need to remain vigilant against emerging strains of the COVID-19 virus.

Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant highlighted that despite the rise in cases, a significant 92.8% of individuals are in home isolation, suggesting mild illness.

Officials confirmed that there is no evidence of clustered cases linked to the JN.1 variant in India. Furthermore, all reported cases exhibited mild symptoms, and patients successfully recovered without complications.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

China’s home prices dip for 4th month, may weaken further

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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China’s new home prices fell for the fourth straight month with dozens of cities hit by declines, the most since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, suggesting a broader weakening in the sector that could drag on the country’s overall recovery.

New home prices in October dropped 0.3% month-on-month after a 0.2% dip in September, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data.

Once a key engine of economic growth accounting for around a quarter of China’s economic activity, a regulatory crackdown since 2020 to curb debt has tightened liquidity and raised default risks for developers, delaying many projects.

Authorities have rolled out a flurry of measures to prop up the pivotal sector, including relaxing curbs on home purchases and cutting borrowing costs but homebuyers remain cautious.

“The most important reason for the bearish home prices is that demand is weak, buyers don’t know if pre-sold homes they buy will be delivered on the dates promised by the developers,” said Ma Hong, senior analyst at Zhixin Investment Research Institute.

Nomura estimated there are around 20 million pre-sold units that are either not yet constructed or delayed. That is equivalent to 20 times the number of unfinished projects by indebted developer Country Garden as of end-2022.

Bearish home prices follow data on Wednesday showing some improvement in industrial output and retail sales, which both beat expectations in October, but overall investment growth was tepid and property sales and investment slumped sharply.

“Residents remain uncertain about income growth, and there are poor returns on financial investments in the country. They are hesitant to buy a big-ticket item like a house,” Ma added.

Out of 70 cities, 56 reported declines in monthly prices last month, marking the most cities number since October 2020, up from 54 in September.

TWIST AND TURNS

House prices in three major cities Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou all fell month-on-month in October.

Compared with a year earlier, nationwide prices were down 0.1%, matching a decline in September, August and July.

For existing home, NBS data showed 67 cities posted month-on-month price declines in October, up from 65 in September.

The property market is still in adjustment and transformation, and there will be “twists and turns” in the economic recovery, Liu Aihua, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said on Wednesday.

Despite the lifting of strict COVID measures late last year and a slew of support measures, the world’s second-biggest economy has struggled to get back on solid footing, largely due to weak consumer confidence and the deepening property crisis.

“House prices are expected to continue to fall in the traditionally low season of November and December,” said Zhang Dawei, analyst at property agency Centaline.

Zhang said property policies, especially in the first-tier cities, need to be stepped up.

China’s central bank plans to provide at least $137 billion of low cost financing to the country’s urban village renovation and affordable housing programmes.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Global wine production likely to touch a 62-year low, climate change is to blame

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Winemakers of the world are not in the best of spirits. First, they were hit by a fall in demand – a fall from 241 million hectolitres (mhl) in 2018 to 232 mhl in 2022.

And now, vineyards have turned in lower-than-expected yields, which means wine production is down.

The France-based International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) estimates that global wine production is likely to drop by 7% in 2023, from 2022 levels that were already below average. It will be somewhere between 241.7 and 246.6 million hectolitres across the 29 countries that account for 94% of total world wine production, this would be a 62-year low.

This, they blame on erratic weather patterns – from unseasonal rains to floods to drought to heatwaves – that have damaged crops.

Giorgio Delgrosso, Head of Statistics and Digital Transformation, OIV, said, “We expect very low production at the world level. This is the combination of an extremely low harvest in all the major Southern Hemisphere countries due to climatic variation. This has led to the lowest production levels at the world level in history. It is the lowest since 1961.”

Going by provisional numbers for 2023, top producers like Spain, Italy, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Brazil have seen wine production fall between 10% and 30%.

Meanwhile, Greece suffered the most from bad climatic conditions, with output falling by over 45%.

Only the US and a few EU countries experienced favourable climatic conditions resulting in average or above-average volumes.

But experts point to a strange silver lining. Delgrosso said, “We have seen a decline in wine consumption starting in 2018, more or less. So, it is true that a very low production this year is not good news, but at least it could bring some equilibrium to the world market.” The industry has not been able to reach pre-COVID in consumption even now.

Delgrosso hopes in a few years (2-3 years if not less) the demand should pick pace. Any short-term demand revival will need a very unexpected event. He added it is difficult to forecast largely due to many economic and geopolitical uncertainties. “We expect some structural changes. Some of these changes in consumer preferences will probably stay.”

Also Read | Exploring the finest Pinot Noir of 2023: A journey of exotic flavours

The industry is confident the role of Asia in the revival of the industry will be crucial. “Many growers look at South and East Asia, with great interest in countries and markets like India, Japan, South Korea and China. They have a huge potential.”

India represents 0.1% of the world’s consumption and 18% of the world’s population. Delgrosso stated, “So, you see that there is a huge potential for the one market development there.”

Even for Indian wine-makers the climate-induced fall in production is a concern.

Ashwin Rodrigues, secretary of WineGAI and founder of Good Drop Wine Cellars, said, “The variation in climate hasn’t been so much as yet. However, there have been variations, especially with rains which have not followed the patterns.”

For the Indian wine industry, however, there is still some time to make up when it comes to sales – because peak demand season is between November and December when the wedding and festive season hits fever pitch. But Indian wine-makers share the global industry’s concerns when it comes to climate change – because erratic weather patterns are tough to predict, and the effects of such hits on harvest seasons could be felt for many years.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Infant’s eyes dramatically change colour after COVID treatment in Thailand: Study

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A six-month-old boy’s dark brown eyes dramatically turned deep blue after receiving a common COVID-19 treatment in Thailand, according to a case study. The report, published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, describes a case of the infant diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection who was prescribed antiviral favipiravir therapy.

The researchers from Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok, Thailand said the boy was given the treatment after he developed a cough and fever — both symptoms of COVID-19 — and tested positive for the virus. The infant’s mother noticed a discoloration of the child’s eyes within 18 hours of the therapy. However, the colour changed back to normal within five days of medication cessation.

“This case report highlights the need for monitoring of favipiravir therapy in children due to the potential side effect of corneal discoloration, which has not yet had its long-term effects identified, the authors of the study said. In 2020, favipiravir was first used against SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, and it has also received emergency use authorisation in several countries against COVID-19.

A recent study has shown that treatment with favipiravir leads to a higher rate of viral clearance and shorter clinical improvement time in hospitalised patients, the researchers said. However, the drug did not benefit individuals who were not hospitalised, they said.

Despite the positive results seen in hospitalised patients, there are several side effects associated with the use of favipiravir. The researchers noted that mild hyperuricemia or elevated uric acid level in the blood, diarrhea, and neutropenia — decrease in a type of white blood cells — were the most frequently reported side effects, and accounted for 20 per cent of all adverse events.

Several rare adverse effects have been documented, including the bluish discoloration of the cornea, temporary visual blurring, and fluorescence of the ocular surface, they said. However, these adverse reactions were observed to have resolved after discontinuation of the medication.

In the case of the six year old boy in Thailand, the resolution of bluish corneal discoloration was comparatively slower, according to the researchers. Various factors, such as age, dosage, and treatment duration, may contribute to this difference, they said. The exact reason, however, for this delay remains unclear.

“This case highlights an unusual adverse effect of favipiravir therapy in the youngest known patient receiving the drug for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the authors of the study said. “While favipiravir is currently the mainstay of oral antiviral treatment for children with COVID-19, its safety profile in children who are still in the developmental stage is uncertain,” they added.

The researchers noted that monitoring the long-term safety of favipiravir used in pediatric patients is of utmost importance. The reported adverse event, although rare, should be taken seriously and closely monitored in future cases, they added.

Further studies are needed to determine the incidence of these adverse effect and its potential long-term consequences on corneal health, according to the researchers.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

ICMR launches two studies to investigate rising deaths due to heart attacks among youth post COVID-19

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently started two major studies in an effort to understand the unusual spike in “sudden deaths” among young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. ICMR Director-General Dr Rajiv Bahl discussed these ambitious initiatives with News18 on the sidelines of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit, which was held in Gujarat on August 17 and 18.

Dr Bahl confirmed that the research, which focuses on people between the ages of 18 and 45, seeks to understand the unexplained deaths of otherwise healthy individuals. He expressed optimism that the findings could unveil the latent implications of the COVID-19 outbreak and “may help prevent other deaths.”

“Sudden deaths,” as elucidated by ICMR, denote the unexpected demise of previously healthy individuals devoid of known comorbid ailments. The News18 report suggests that ICMR has examined 50 autopsies at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, with the intention of expanding this sample size to include an additional 100 cases within the coming months.

“We are trying to understand the reasons or differences when we compare the results of these autopsies to those in previous years or pre-COVID years,” Dr Bahl said.

The core objective of the studies is to ascertain whether underlying physiological changes within the human body could be attributed to the sudden deaths occurring among young adults in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By identifying discernible patterns, such as an elevated incidence of sudden heart failure or lung collapse, researchers aspire to delineate the associations that might exist.

In tandem with the autopsy-centric study, ICMR has also initiated a case-control study that centres on individuals aged 18 to 45 who have experienced sudden deaths in the past year. This research leverages data pooled from 40 centres spanning India, where COVID-19 patients were monitored for a full year subsequent to their discharge. The comprehensive dataset encompasses information pertaining to COVID-19 admissions, hospital discharges and fatalities.

The ICMR chief also revealed that the investigation extends to interviews with the families of the deceased. These interviews are intended to shed light on the potential catalysts behind the unexpected deaths. Furthermore, the study’s architecture encompasses the identification of living individuals in the vicinity of the deceased. The apex medical research agency in the country is also engaging with individuals sharing identical profiles—age, gender and locality—within the same neighbourhood. The methodology could help to discover risk factor associations.

Consequently, researchers have embarked on an extensive field effort, engaging in home-to-home interviews with the control group. “We are interviewing these control group individuals to understand their diet, tobacco use, lifestyle, COVID history, vaccination and family’s medical history,” he said. The overarching aim is to decipher the intricate web of risk factors contributing to post-COVID deaths.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Chinese province saw 73% rise in cremations as Covid hit: Report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Cremations in one of China’s most populous provinces surged by 72.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, local media reported, providing a rare insight into the scale of mortality due to the government’s sudden relaxation of coronavirus restrictions in December.

There were 1,71,000 cremations registered in the eastern province of Zhejiang in the first quarter, well above the 99,000 in the same period in year before, Chinese financial media outlet Caixin reported, citing official data released by the province. The official statement was later removed from the internet, according to Caixin.

Most people who die in China are cremated, with burials banned in some areas.

China had achieved a high vaccination rate in the general population before coronavirus restrictions were suddenly dropped in December, resulting in a wave of hundreds of millions of cases. However, the vaccination rate among the elderly was relatively low, likely resulting in a wave of mortality.

It is unknown how many people actually died from Covid during the exit wave that began late last year as the country abandoned its attempt to stop all infection. The government reported that there were nearly 60,000 Covid-related deaths in the first five weeks of that outbreak.

However, that number was widely seen as an underestimate because the government narrowed the criteria for classifying deaths caused by Covid-19 late last year. An estimate in January by Zuo-Feng Zhang, chair of the department of epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public Health at University of California, Los Angeles, put the number of deaths at about 9,00,000 in those five weeks.

That wave of infections peaked in January. Nationwide cremation figures for the fourth quarter of 2022 were unexpectedly omitted from an annual report by China’s civil affairs ministry which usually discloses the data, the South China Morning Post reported. Caixin said that Zhejiang also did not disclose the cremation data for the fourth quarter of 2022.

Although Zhejiang province deleted the first quarter data from its website, Caixin cited an unnamed local government official as saying that “some” of the deleted data was accurate and that cremations increased mainly because of the coronavirus.

Caixin reported that the cremation numbers for the first quarters of 2020 and 2021 were 88,300 and 93,000 respectively. That implies that cremations in the first quarter of this year were 83 percent above the three-year average for period.

There were 1.7 million cremations nationwide in the first three months of 2022, but differences between provinces in demographics, healthcare and vaccination rates mean it would be difficult to estimate a nationwide death rate from one province’s data. Zhejiang borders Shanghai and is one of China’s wealthiest provinces, and it also has one of the country’s most elderly populations.

Death data was also questioned during China’s first outbreak, which was bought under control by strict lockdowns in early 2020. The government reported that about 5,000 people died in the initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan and the surrounding province of Hubei in late 2019 and early 2020.

Because of a lack of availability of testing for the virus at the time, that is likely to be an underestimate. A study by researchers from the University of Oxford and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention which was published in the British Medical Journal found about 6,000 excess deaths in Wuhan in January-March 2020.

ALSO READ: China economic data likely to show recovery is fading quickly

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Mumbai civic body was procuring body bags for dead COVID-19 patients at inflated price: ED

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Enforcement Directorate said on Friday that the searches conducted in connection with the “BMC COVID scam case” revealed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was procuring body bags from a “particular entity” at inflated price.

A “particular entity was supplying body bags for dead COVID-19 patients (to others) for Rs 2,000, while the (same) said company supplied body bags for Rs 6,800 to the Central Procurement Department of the BMC”, the probe agency was quoted by ANI as saying.

It added that the contract was given on instruction of the then mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The ED had conducted searches across Maharashtra on June 21 and seized Rs 68.65 lakh in cash, documents revealing more than 50 immovable properties (estimated market value of more than Rs 150 crore) across Maharashtra. the ED said.

The agency also seized “fixed deposits/investments of Rs 15 crores, jewellery items worth Rs 2.46 core along with several electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and various incriminating records/documents”.

What’s the BMC COVID scam case

The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at 15 locations in Mumbai on Wednesday in alleged Rs 12,000-crore scam during COVID-19 by BMC. An official said raids were conducted in connection with a money laundering case against businessman Sujit Patkar.

“Patkar and his three partners allegedly bagged Mumbai civic body contracts fraudulently for managing COVID-19 field hospitals during the pandemic,” an official had said.

The Azad Maidan police station had earlier registered a forgery case against Lifeline Hospital Management Services firm, Patkar and his three partners in August 2022. BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal was also questioned in connection with the alleged scam.

The Maharashtra government had announced a Special Investigation Team to investigate the alleged scam.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow