Over 86,000 fresh cases reported
India reported 86,498 fresh coronavirus infections on Tuesday, taking the cumulative caseload to 28.9 million, according to central health ministry data. The country saw 2,123 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 351,309. The active caseload is at 1.3 million, while the total recoveries have surged to 27.3 million. As many as 236.2 million vaccine shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 3.3 million were given on Monday. Read more
Doctors want to know if the Delta variant is more severe
Doctors want to know if the more infectious Covid variant that drove the devastating second wave in India, called Delta, is also more severe than other variants, a report in Bloomberg said. Indian doctors have linked the Delta variant to hearing impairment, severe gastric upsets and blood clots, symptoms typically not seen in Covid patients. In England and Scotland, early evidence suggests the now-dominant strain carries a higher risk of hospitalization. Delta, also known as B.1.617.2, has spread to more than 60 countries over the past six months and triggered travel curbs from Australia to the US. Read moreInequality legacy haunts South Africa’s vaccine rollout plan. Read more
Covid strain first found in Brazil, more severe than original variant: ICMR study
The B.1.1.28.2 variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in Brazil, could cause a more severe form of Covid than the original variant that spread from Wuhan, a report in ThePrint said that cited a study by researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi and the National Institute of Virology in Pune. The B.1.1.28.2, however, has so far had very little prevalence worldwide, with less than 0.5 per cent of the viral samples detected worldwide showing this strain, the report said. Read more
Bengaluru: Delta variant found in majority of Covid samples
The Delta variant of the coronavirus is dominant among Covid patients in Bengaluru, a report in The Indian Express said that cited a recent genomic study held in the city. As many as 93 per cent of the samples collected from symptomatic patients confirmed the presence of the Delta variant. Bengaluru Urban has accounted for over 44 per cent and 53 per cent of the total cases and deaths recorded across Karnataka since April 1, the report said. Read more
Passports of students, professionals going abroad to be linked to vaccine certificate
The Central government has announced that students and professionals going abroad for education and work, including those part of the Tokyo Olympics contingent, will have to get their vaccination certificates linked to their passports, a report in the Scroll said. These beneficiaries will be eligible to take their second dose of the Covishield vaccine after a gap of just 28 days and do not need to wait for the mandated 84-day interval. The facility will be available to those belonging to these categories and going abroad till August 31, the report said. Read more
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU