Saturday, April 25, 2026
Home Blog Page 1195

Covid impact on health services: 51,000 more children may die in Middle East, North Africa

New Delhi (NVI): The unprecedented disruption in primary health care due to Covid-19 may lead to the death of an additional 51,000 children under the age of five in the Middle East and North Africa by end of 2020, according to a joint report by WHO and UNICEF.

Primary health care services have either decreased or been interrupted in several countries as the COVID-19 pandemic is putting health systems under unprecedented stress in the region, says the report by Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director in the Middle East and North Africa and Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

“While we do not have many cases of COVID-19 among children in the region, it is evident that the pandemic is affecting children’s health firsthand. An additional 51,000 children under the age of five might die in the region by the end of 2020 if the current disruption of essential health and nutrition services is protracted and malnutrition among children increases,” they said.

“If this happens, it would be an increase of nearly 40 per cent in comparison to pre-COVID figures, reversing progress made in child survival in the region by nearly two decades,” they added.

The report further states that a combination of factors will contribute to this bleak prediction. Overstretched, many front-line health workers have diverted their efforts to respond to the outbreak amid a shortage of personal protective equipment and other essential supplies. Lockdowns, movement restrictions and economic barriers could further prevent communities’ access to health care. Many fear of contracting the virus while at health facilities, as per the findings.

Children and mothers are therefore likely to miss out on preventive interventions including immunization, treatment of neonatal infections and childhood diseases, care during pregnancy and childbirth and services to prevent an increase in wasting, they added.

However, UNICEF and WHO recommend the following actions to avoid this scenario:

* The full and safe resumption of vaccination campaigns and nutrition services, following strict precautionary measures for infection prevention, using personal protective equipment, avoiding overcrowding and adhering to physical spacing in health care facilities.

* Prioritize and facilitate access to primary health care services for every child especially the most vulnerable through the availability of health personnel and supplies.

* Equip the community outreach teams across the region with the minimum requirements for infection prevention and control (IPC) including the implementation of standard precautions and personal protective equipment.

* Invest in effective public communication and community engagement initiatives to increase trust in public health systems and promote appropriate care-seeking behaviours among families.

Nepal’s COVID-19 tally rises to 6,591 with 380 new cases

New Delhi (NVI): 380 new positive coronavirus cases have been reported from Nepal, taking the toll in the Himalayan nation to 6,591, according to local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said, “Of the infected, 6,092 are males and 499 are females.”

At present, 73 districts and all the Provinces have witnessed the transmission of COVID-19 virus. Thus, four of 77 districts in the country are still untouched by the pandemic, as per media reports.

Meanwhile, 117 people have been discharged following recovery, of which 109 are males while eight are females, have been reported to have recovered from the infection today.

The ministry also said that, 367,257 samples have been tested for coronavirus in Nepal so far. Of these, 143,738 samples were tested through the PCR and 223,519 through the RDT.

A total of 1,198 people have been discharged after recovery in Nepal and 19 have died so far.

COVID cases in Afghanistan climb to 26,310; death toll at 491

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus cases in Afghanistan saw a rise of 793 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 26,310, according to Afghan media reports.

According to country’s Ministry of Public Health, 13 people lost their lives over the past 24 hours and 381 more recovered.

Among the new COVID-19 reported in last 24 hour cases, the highest count was reported in Kabul with 460, followed by Badakhshan with 61 cases.

In addition, 59 cases were reported in Takhar. 58 in Bamiyan, 34 in Logar, 34 in Baghlan, 28 in Paktia, 13 in Laghman, 13 in Kandahar, 10 in Zabul, 6 in Parwan, 6 in Helmand, 4 in Kunduz and 2 in Nimroz.

However, no new cases were reported in Herat as COVID-19 testing has been inactive for the last three days.

In terms of fatalities, the ministry reported three COVID-19 deaths in Kabul, three in Wardak, two in Paktia, two in Helmand, one in Kunduz, one in Kunar, and one in Zabul

At least, 59,172 people have been tested for coronavirus in the country, as per the reports.

So far, 5,508 patients have been cured or discharged, while 491 died from the pandemic.

Several green shoots in economy now visible due to recent efforts: PM

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that with the efforts of past few weeks, green shoots in the economy are visible, including the rise in power consumption, fertilizer sale in May this year, a healthy increase in Kharif sowing in comparison to last year, and increase in production of two-wheelers.

In a virtual interaction with the chief ministers and Lieutenant Governors of 21 states and UTs, the Prime Minister said that these signals of growth in the economy are encouraging the country to forge ahead amid the Covid-19 pandemic.


He added that digital payment in retail reaching pre lockdown level, increase in toll collection in May, and bouncing back of exports are also among other positive changes noted.

Apart from that, PM Modi said that timely decisions taken to combat the pandemic have been effective in containing its spread in the country. “When we look back, people will remember that we have presented an example for cooperative federalism to the world,” he said.

“Today, India’s recovery rate is above 50%. India is among the top countries in the world which have been able to successfully save lives of corona patients,” he added.

The PM also underlined that all modes of transport are now open, lakhs of migrant labourers have travelled back to their villages, thousands of Indians have returned from abroad, and even though India has a huge population, coronavirus has not assumed as life threatening a form as in the rest of the world.

At the same time, he also forewarned that any laxity in the discipline will weaken the country’s fight against the virus.

The PM further stated that there is significant importance of agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and MSMEs in the participating States, provisions for which have been made under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.

Talking about the provisions to provide timely credit to MSMEs, he said that if quick disbursal of credit to industries is ensured through Bankers Committees, these industries will be able to start working quickly while also ensuring provision of employment opportunities.

“Smaller factories require guidance and hand-holding,” he said.

To give fillip to trade and industry, the PM mentioned the importance of working together on value chains. “Specific Economic Activity Points in the states should work 24 hours a day and loading and unloading should be quickened to give further boost to economic activity,” he said.

Apart from that, the Prime Minister mentioned the benefits set to accrue to farmers through reforms in the agriculture sector, including new avenues to sell produce, increase in income which in turn would increase demand in the economy.

“New opportunities for North-East and tribal regions in the areas of farming and horticulture are set to be created, with opening up of new markets for organic products, bamboo products and other tribal produce,” he said.

“The States will also benefit from a cluster based approach for local products,” he said, adding that such products should be identified at each block and district level for better processing and more effective marketing.

He emphasized on the need of working together to ensure that the announcements made under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan fructify at the earliest.

In his interaction, the PM discussed the situation after two weeks in Unlock 1.0. This was the sixth such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on 20th March, 2nd April, 11th April, 27th April, and 11th May.

The Prime Minister’s video interaction with the CMs also comes amid the further escalation in India China tensions over border row after an Indian Army Officer and two jawans were killed in a violent face-off with the Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in Ladakh last night.

PM Modi will also hold a separate interaction tomorrow with CMs from states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and others, which are showing a surge in corona cases and deaths.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 infections in India have now reached to 3.43 lakh, including 9,900 deaths and 1.8 lakh recoveries. 10,667 fresh cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.

Bangladesh resumes international flights amid spurt in coronavirus cases

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Flight operations on international routes from Bangladesh resumed today after over two months of suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A Qatar Airways flight left Dhaka at 2am and another flight from Doha landed in Dhaka at 3am, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh saw the highest-ever jump in coronavirus cases and deaths in a single day as the health authorities confirmed the detection of 3,862 new patients and record 53 deaths in the span of 24 hours.

With this the death toll rose to 1,262 and the number of confirmed cases reached 94,481, according to United News of Bangladesh.

So far, a total of 36,264 people have recovered from the deadly contagion, after 2,237 more patients made recovery.

In addition to this, the government has extended the closure of all the educational institutions of the country until August 6 considering the worsening coronavirus situation.

Coronavirus cases exceed 1.51 lakh in Pakistan; 2,872 dead

COVID-19: Pakistan imposes mini-lockdown in Islamabad

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan has been witnessing a daily surge in the number of coronavirus cases as the tally crossed 1,51,508 today with 2,872 deaths.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 57,868 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 55,878 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 18,013 cases, Balochistan is at 8,177, Gilgit-Baltistan at 1,143, Islamabad at 8,857 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 663 cases so far, according to Geo News.

So far, nearly 52,000 people have recovered from the deadly contagion in the country.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister Syed Aminul Haq has tested positive for the coronavirus, joining a long list of politicians who have tested positive for the virus in the country.

In addition to this, at least four lawmakers, including a provincial minister, have died due to coronavirus in Pakistan.

Invasive species threaten some of the world’s well-protected areas: Report

The American mink has invaded much of Europe and South America. This one was pictured in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. (Photo credit: Tim Blackburn)

New Delhi (NVI): With the human population growing rapidly and increasing its demands on the planet for food, water and natural resources, there is a high chance that it may introduce “alien” or “invasive” species in an environment or natural habitat which may lead to the extinction of the native species.

According to a study published by Tim Blackburn, Professor of Invasion Biology in The Conversation, dozens of species around the world have gone extinct as environments worldwide are being converted to agricultural and urban lands, wild animal and plant populations are being over-hunted and over-harvested, and pollution is destroying the ability of many areas to support what nature remains.

Professor Blackburn says that the best way in which humans can protect this remaining nature is to designate some pieces of land (and water) as national parks, nature reserves or some other form of “protected area”.

Human activities within these areas are restricted, so that habitats can be maintained or restored, and the plant and animal populations living there can thrive unmolested, he says.

However, one of the main ways that people are destroying the natural world is through the introduction of “aliens” – species that do not naturally occur in an area, but have been taken there deliberately or accidentally by humans. “Aliens may consume, infect, breed with and compete with native species, and convert or destroy habitats, among other impacts,” says the Professor.

As a result, dozens of species have gone extinct. While people should know and respect the sanctity of protected areas (or at least are meant to), alien species definitely do not, he adds, while raising an important question that whether protected areas nevertheless are able to protect against the impacts of aliens.

The professor, with his colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently explored this question. “We used a diverse sample of almost 900 animal species that have established alien populations somewhere in the world, including mammals, birds, reptiles and various invertebrates. We then assessed whether these aliens occurred within the boundaries of almost 200,000 protected areas worldwide,” he says.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Professor Blackburn found that fewer than 10% of these areas were home to these alien animals.

“This means, of course, that more than 90% are currently free of all them. Encouragingly, this suggests that protected areas may be effective in protecting nature even against creatures for which human designation and signage are irrelevant,” he was quoted as saying by World Economic Forum.

India to witness first solar eclipse of the year on June 21

New Delhi (NVI): India will be witnessing the first solar eclipse of the year 2020 on June 21, which will be annular (ring-shaped) in some parts of the country while for most parts of the country, the eclipse will be partial.

It will be annular in the places where the moon will cover the Sun from the centre leaving the outer rim visible, thus creating a “ring of fire” in the sky.

The path of the annular solar eclipse will start near Gharsana in Rajasthan around 10.12 am and the phase of annularity will begin around 11.49 am and end at 11:50 am, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

This event will be visible for around a minute from places such as Suratgarh and Anupgarh in Rajasthan, Sirsa, Ratia and Kurukshetra in Haryana, and Dehradun, Chamba, Chamoli and Joshimath in Uttarakhand, it added.

This year has witnessed lunar eclipses already and now the first solar eclipse will happen on June 21.

The annular path will pass through Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, northern parts of India and China. The Moon’s penumbral shadow produces a partial eclipse, which will be visible in the region covering Africa, South East Europe, Asia, except North and East Russia, and northern parts of Australia.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the rays of Sun from directly reaching the planet. An annular solar eclipse will occur when the angular diameter of the Moon falls short of that of the Sun so that it cannot cover up the latter completely. As a result, a ring of the Sun’s disk remains visible around the Moon.

The Ministry of Earth Science has advised that the eclipsed Sun should not be viewed with the naked eye, even for a very short time. “It will cause permanent damage of the eyes leading to blindness even when the moon covers most portion of the Sun,” it said.

Safe technique to observe the solar eclipse is either by using proper filter like aluminized Mylar, black polymer, welding glass of shade number 14 or by making projection of Sun’s image on a white board by telescope, the ministry recommended.

Narco-trade main source of funding for terror activities in Kashmir: J&K Police

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The main source of funding for militancy in Kashmir is the illegal drug trade through which narcotics worth crores of rupees is being transferred from across the LoC (Line of Control) to be sold in Punjab, New Delhi, Mumbai, and the proceeds are distributed among terrorist organizations in the Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said today.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that recently narco material worth Rs 5 crore was sold in these three states and so far Rs 3.5 crore has been distributed among militants in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley.

Addressing a press conference at police control room (PCR) Srinagar, the IGP Kashmir said that a narco-terror module was busted recently in Handwara area of Kupwara where heroine worth Rs 100 crore and cash Rs 1.35 Crore was seized from the kingpin of the module- Abdul Moomin Pir of Handwara.

“So far, four persons have been arrested and further probe is on,” said Kumar, who was accompanied by General officer Commanding (GoC) of south Kashmir based Army’s Victor Force, A Sengupta and Inspector General of CRPF (Operations) Rajesh Yadav.

He said that narco-terror module is run by Lashkar terrorists based in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) of which many are Kashmiris, who have been there for some time now.

“With the help of local cadre of Lashkar, Pakistan army cultivates opium in large quantities and the end product is then kept ready at the LoC and pushed into this side with the help of militant handlers. The militant supporters in Kashmir get the material and through a chain it is transported to New Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai,” the IGP said. He said the money generated from the drug trade is later distributed among militant organizations in Kashmir for sustaining militancy.

He said that it was clear that the main source of funding for the militancy in Kashmir is narco- trade. “Since people in other states are also involved in it, we may hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA),” the IGP said.

He said that today three militants were killed in Turkwanga area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district. “Militancy has almost been wiped out from South Kashmir though there may be a few militants still present. Our focus will now shift to north Kashmir from next month,” he said, adding that all the operations so far in the recent past including the one conducted today were “clean in nature and there was no collateral damage which has been widely appreciated by the people.”

On the recent killing of a Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch Ajay Pandita in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the IGP said that those behind the killing have been identified and one terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen- Umar and another one, whose name was coming up during investigation, were killed recently in Shopian encounter. “To complete the investigations, we are waiting for the ballistic report from the forensic laboratory,” he said.

Kumar also said that police took the cognizance of the woman sarpanch who was kidnapped by militants from Bomia area of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, and found that one newly recruited terrorist of Lashkar-e-Toiba Waleed and his another associate were involved in the act.

“We have shifted the woman sarpanch and her husband who is also a sarpanch to Srinagar and provided them accommodation and security. My appeal to Sarpanchs and Panchs is that if some of them are facing threats from militants, they should contact us and we will provide them with security,” the IGP added.

New Zealand reports 2 new cases week after declaring itself corona free

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern

New Delhi (NVI): New Zealand has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, both having a travel history to the UK after almost 24 days of zero infections reported in the country.

The two new cases were women aged in their 30s and 40s who visited a dying parent in Wellington, according to reports in foreign media.

Both women had arrived in New Zealand on June 7 from the UK, via Doha and Brisbane and were in an isolation facility in Auckland. They were given special permission to leave the facility to visit the dying parent in Wellington. Both are self-isolating now, local media reports said.

The country had lifted all social and economic restrictions except border controls last week, after declaring itself free from COVID-19.

It became one of the first countries in the world to return to pre-pandemic normality.

According to media reports, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned that new cases may emerge in the future as New Zealanders return home and some others were allowed under special conditions.

The country’s health ministry said the new cases were related to the border as a result of recent travel from the UK.

So far, 22 people have died from the deadly virus in the country. New Zealand has 1,156 confirmed cases and while 1,132 have recovered.

1...1,1941,1951,196...1,586Page 1,195 of 1,586

MUST READ