Thursday, September 10, 2026
Home Blog Page 1070

Brazil to use China’s Sinovac vaccine in its immunization program

Vaccine Registration
Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): The government of Brazil said that they plan to use a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine ‘CoronaVac’ as part of a nationwide immunisation program against the virus.

This was confirmed by Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria who said that the federal government had agreed to buy 46 million doses of the vaccine CoronaVac- developed by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech, the BBC reported.

He also said the nationwide immunisation program could begin in January 2021, making it the first of its kind in the world to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil has been the third worst affected country from the novel coronavirus in terms of number of cases after the United States and India.

The country has recorded nearly 5.3 million confirmed cases and is second only to the US in terms of deaths, with nearly 155,000 registered so far, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.

Moreover, if approved by the country’s health regulator, CoronaVac will be one of two vaccines included in Brazil’s immunisation program, as per the reports.

The country also plans to administer a vaccine being created by England’s Oxford University and the drug giant AstraZeneca.

Doria has previously touted Sinovac’s experimental vaccine, announcing plans to use it to inoculate residents of Sao Paulo.

The Chinese vaccine is being tested by Sao Paulo state’s research centre Butantan Institute. The institute earlier announced that the two-dose Chinese vaccine appeared to be safe in a late-stage clinical trial.

However, it also warned the result was only preliminary, with testing ongoing. It said data on how effective the vaccine is will not be released until the trial is completed on all of the 13,000 volunteers.

The researchers will keep monitoring the participants in the ongoing trial. It’s the first set of results of Sinovac’s global Phase 3 trials, which are also being conducted in Turkey and Indonesia.

-RJV

Assam’s Kaziranga national park reopens

(File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is set to reopen for tourists from today, seven months after it was closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya will be present at the park’s opening ceremony.

The Kaziranga park will be opened to the public under strict COVID-19 precautionary measures.

According to the park authorities, wearing masks, using hand sanitisers and maintaining social distancing will be a must for all visitors. Only a limited number of jeep safaris will be allowed at a time. While all the vehicles will be sanitised after each trip.

During the initial days of the reopening, there won’t be any Elephant safaris for visitors. However, the government has said that there are chances of the safari resuming from November.

There are five national parks and 18 wildlife sanctuaries in Assam which have remained shut since the coronavirus outbreak in March.

Earlier in July, heavy floods had submerged almost the entire Kaziranga Park in which over 150 wildlife animals were killed including rhinos.

-RJV

Coronavirus cases surpass 40.7 mn worldwide; over 27.8 mn recovered

Coronavirus cases
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): More than 40.7 million people have been infected by coronavirus worldwide, with over 11,24,000 deaths reported, according to Johns Hopkins University tally. More than 27.8 million patients have been cured and recovered from the deadly contagion globally.

In the US, the total number of coronavirus cases have exceeded 8.27 million while the total number of fatalities have surpassed 2,21,000 in the country.

Brazil, remains number one COVID-19 affected country in Latin America with more than 5.27 million cases. The country’s death toll stands at 1,54,837.

Mexico’s health ministry on Tuesday reported 5,788 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 555 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 8,60,714 and the death toll to 86,893.

Bulgaria will make wearing face masks obligatory in all outdoor spaces from Thursday, as coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours hit a new record.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 5,186 to 3,80,762. The reported death toll rose by 26 to 9,875, the tally showed.

Australia’s most heavily hit coronavirus state of Victoria logged a sixth consecutive day of low single digit new cases on Wednesday, as the state government said it was on track to announce fresh easing measures at the weekend.

New infections in the Victoria’s state capital Melbourne rose by three in the past 24 hours, up from a revised number of two from the day before, bringing total state numbers to 20,323 cases since the outbreak began, of which just 109 remain active.

-CHK

India’s COVID tally crosses 76-lakh mark, death toll tops 1,15,900

corona
(File/Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): India’s coronavirus tally crossed the 76-lakh mark and stands at 76,51,108 with a single rise of 54,044 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, Union Health Ministry confirmed.

The country’s death toll has reached to 1,15,914 with 717 fatalities reported during this period.

So far, 67,95,103 patients have been cured and recovered all over the country while active cases stands at 7,40,090. With this, the recovery rate further improves to 88.81 per cent.

In worst-affected Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases climbed to 16,09,516, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 7,89,553 cases, and Karnataka with 7,76,901 positive cases.

Other states with a high virus hit included Tamil Nadu (6,94,030), Uttar Pradesh (4,59,154) and Delhi (3,36,750).

Meanwhile, of the total deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 42,453 fatalities, followed by Tamil Nadu with 10,741 deaths.

The death toll in the national capital surpassed to 6,081, while 3,06,747 patients have been cured and recovered so far, the healthy ministry data shows.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total 9,72,00,379 samples tested for COVID-19 up to October 20. Of these, 10,83,608 samples were tested yesterday.

Furthermore, The health ministry yesterday informed that, India will vaccinate about three crore people, including healthcare specialists at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19, in the first phase.

 

-RJV

PM pays tribute to police personnel

File photo

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to all the police personnel martyred in the line of duty on occasion of the Police Commemoration Day.

In his message on Police Commemoration Day, PM Modi said the country is proud of police personnel’s diligence and readiness to help citizens.

“Police Commemoration Day is about expressing gratitude to our police personnel and their families all across India. We pay tributes to all the police personnel martyred in the line of duty. Their sacrifice and service would always be remembered,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

In another tweet, PM Modi said, “From preserving law and order to solving horrendous crimes, from assistance in disaster management to fighting COVID-19, our police personnel always give their best without hesitation. We are proud of their diligence and readiness to assist citizens.”

Police Commemoration Day is observed on October 21 every year, to remember and honour men and women in Khaki who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

The day commemorates the sacrifices of ten policemen while defending the borders with China in 1959, besides 34,408 other police personnel, who have sacrificed their lives since independence to safeguard the unity and integrity of the nation.

-RJV

J&K gets first-ever ‘Family Court’ in Srinagar

Srinagar (NVI): In a first in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Justice of J&K High Court, Gita Mittal today inaugurated a Family Court at District Court Complex in Srinagar.

Addressing the inaugural function, the J&K HC Chief Justice observed that the objective of establishing the family court in the UT is to ensure speedy justice and inexpensive relief in family matters with least formalities.

She highlighted background about the history of establishing family courts across India and the enactment of Family Courts Act 1984 and its subsequent enactment in J&K after the promulgation of J&K Reorganization Act 2019. “It was a long journey for J&K to establish a family court, but I am confident that we were capable to make the family court a success in this region,” she reaffirmed.

Mittal added that it is not only to ensure speedy and inexpensive justice, but the parties involved in the matter would be having privacy in personal areas of dispute and difficulties relating to the family matters. She also thanked the Chairman Family Court Committee, High Court of J&K, Justice Tashi Rabstan for expeditious journey of setting up of the family court.

She also suggested that the with the court set up for such family matters, it is imperative for presiding officers to be committed to protect the institution of marriage and to promote settlement of dispute through reconciliation and counseling.

“With the establishment of family court, J&K made an effort to develop a sensitive system and processing of family matters expeditiously, at the first place. We recognize that the proceedings before family court are conciliatory and not adversary as ours is a land of diversified culture, local customs and various conventions,” she said.

She added that so far 1,100 cases have been recognised and transferred to Srinagar family court and such figures may increase as the process of identification of cases is underway.

She emphasised for urgency to establish family courts in every district, saying as soon as resources and man power is available, the process would be started so as to ensure expeditious justice in family court matters.

“We have already undertaken an exercise for which the committee is working on and is identifying space for the family court in Jammu and hopefully, we will shortly establish a family court in Jammu also as well as in other districts,” she added.

-ARK

J&K LG felicitates NEET topper from South Kashmir

J&K LG with NEET topper from the UT today. (Pic via arrangement)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today met J&K NEET topper Basit Bilal Khan from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district at Raj Bhavan here and felicitated him for cracking the highly competitive exam.

An official spokesman said that the Lt Governor congratulated the topper for his extraordinary feat and commended him for setting an incredible example for all the youngsters in the Union Territory. “I wish him many more laurels in the future. He represents our future and his hard work and perseverance are going to inspire many to achieve their goals”, the LG said.

Applauding the efforts of all young NEET qualifiers from across the UT, the LG said that he is well aware of the inherent strengths of the people of the region and the government is committed to providing the requisite environment for their progress, the official spokesman said.

“Our youngsters deserve every opportunity to achieve their dreams, and is our duty to provide the resources and support they need to succeed”, the LG said.

“These achievements go a long way to make positive changes in the society and all these young achievers will be the key drivers of socio-economic growth and community development in the region,” he added.

18-year-old Basit, who hails from Narwa area of Pulwama, was accompanied by his father Bilal Ahmad Khan and Chief Education Officer, Pulwama, Soni Sonam, on the occasion. the youngster has scored 695 marks out of 720, securing 99.98 percentile in the NEET-2020 exam, the result of which was declared on Friday.

-ARK

Lockdown might have gone but virus still there: PM appeals citizens amid festivities

Repeated attempts being made to rake bilateral issues at SCO summit: PM

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his special address to the nation today said that despite the lockdown having been lifted, it doesn’t mean the coronavirus is wiped out and appealed to citizens to follow proper Covid-19 protocols in the festive season.

He made a fervent appeal to all the citizens to not let their guard down and become complacent, in the country’s ongoing fight against the Covid pandemic.

“In this festive season, markets are back to life again but we need to remember that the lockdown might have ended but Covid-19 still persists,” PM said in his address.

He said that with the efforts of every Indian in the last 7-8 months, the country is in a stable situation and “we have to try not to let it deteriorate.”

In his televised address, PM also appreciated the improvement in the situation all over the country. He said that economic activity is returning to normal and people have started moving out of their houses to fulfill their responsibilities.

The Prime Minister noted that the recovery rate in the country has improved and the fatality rate is low. He stated that for every 10 lakh citizens, about 5,500 were infected with corona, while in countries like the US and Brazil the figure is nearly 25,000.

“Today, the Recovery Rate in the country is good and Fatality Rate is low. As compared to the resource-rich countries in the world, India is succeeding in saving the lives of more and more of its citizens,” PM said.

He said that the death rate in India is 83 for every 10 Lakh Citizens, whereas in developed countries like the US, Brazil, Spain, Britain and many other countries, it is about 600.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the improvement of the Covid Infrastructure in the country. He said more than 90 Lakh beds are available for corona patients along with 12,000 quarantine centres across the country.

He said over 2,000 corona testing labs are functional all over the country, while the number of tests will soon cross 10 crore.

He said the increasing number of tests has been a great strength in the country’s fight against the Covid pandemic.

The PM also warned people not to be callous, amidst all these efforts and not to assume that the coronavirus is gone, or that there is no danger from the corona now, the PMO said in a release.

Cautioning the people who have stopped taking precautions of late, he said “If you are negligent and going out without a mask, you are exposing yourself, your family, your children, the elderly to the same amount of risk.”

The Prime Minister referred to the ongoing situation in the US and Europe where the number of cases of Corona initially decreased but then suddenly started increasing.

He urged the people not to be negligent until a vaccine against the pandemic is found and let the fight against the Covid-19 weaken.

The Prime Minister said efforts are on a war footing to save humanity and many countries including the country’s scientists are working on the production of a vaccine.

He said the work is going on various vaccines against corona and that some of these are in an advanced stage.

The Prime Minister said the Government is also preparing a detailed road map to reach the vaccine to every single citizen as soon as it is readily available.

With the festive season ahead, he further said a little carelessness can lead to a great crisis and “tarnish our happiness”.

The PM repeated his appeal to the citizens to maintain the 6 feet distance (Do Gaj ki Doori), to wash their hands with soap periodically and to wear face masks.

-ARK

FATF to decide Pakistan’s fate on terror support

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan’s performance regarding its claim of fighting against terrorism will come up for review at a crucial three-day meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) beginning tomorrow in Paris.

The 39-nation FATF, which is a global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, has placed Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’ since June 2018. It had asked Pakistan to implement 27 actions to demonstrate its sincerity towards fight against terrorism, failing which it would be placed in the Black List.

Black listing would mean that Pakistan would not be able to receive aid or loan from international financial institutions like IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

The plenary of the FATF, which has already issued warnings to Pakistan, was earlier scheduled in June this year but it was postponed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. It also paused the review process, thus giving additional four months to Pakistan to meet the requirements.

The FATF will primarily judge whether Pakistani authorities were taking enough action against illegal money or value transfer services and have tightened entry points used for illegal funding to terror entities and activities.

According to the people in the know, Pakistan has fulfilled 21 of the mandated actions and not implemented six key obligations. It is particularly to be seen what view the FATF takes with regard to internationally-designated and sanctioned terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, who continue to roam freely and with impunity in Pakistan.

Among the 39 member countries of the FATF, Pakistan last time got support of China, Turkey and Malaysia, which was then ruled by radical leader Mahathir Mohammed. All other nations, particularly the US, UK, France and Germany have been unhappy over Pakistan’s inaction against terrorism directed against other countries.

India, on its part, is keeping a close watch on the developments related to the upcoming FATF meeting.

Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Saeed, leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba are the masterminds of umpteen terror attacks in India, including the 26/11 Mumbai multiple attacks and bombing of the CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14 last year.

Pakistan will need 12 votes to come out of the Grey list of the FATF, which was established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

India has one of lowest Covid deaths per million population globally: Health Ministry

COVID-19

New Delhi (NVI): India continues to have one of the lowest deaths per million population due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) compared to other countries across the world, according to Union Health Ministry.

Furthermore, the country has registered the highest coronavirus recoveries globally and is at the second position in terms of the number of coronavirus tests conducted in any country.

Addressing the media, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry said that COVID-19 recovery rate of the country continues to improve and as on today the national recovery rate stands at 88.63 per cent.

While many countries have reported a surge, India has recorded 310 cases per million in the last seven days, which is among the lowest globally, the health ministry official said.

India’s cases per million population reported in last 7 days stands at 310, while the global average is 315, the health ministry stated.

In addition to this, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal account for 64 per cent of the country’s total active cases, as per the health ministry official.

As per the health ministry, cumulative, weekly and daily positivity rates stands at 7.90 per cent, 6.0 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively. 9.8 per cent of total cases are active coronavirus cases.

As per the health ministry, there are 7,48,538, active cases of coronavirus infection in the country.

Meanwhile, in a positive development, the country’s daily infections today dropped below 50,000 nearly after three months. According to the Union Health Ministry latest data, India’s COVID-19 caseload stands at 75,97,063.

-CHK

1...1,0691,0701,071...1,732Page 1,070 of 1,732

MUST READ