Today marks World AIDS Day. As of the end of 2019, HIV/AIDS has claimed 32.7 million lives. In India, 2017 alone saw 69,000 deaths due to HIV/AIDS. The organisation dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS is UNAIDS or, to give it its full title, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS. UNAIDS’s mission assumes heightened […]
COVID-19
COVID-19 clusters identified by Health Ministry
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today identified COVID-19 clusters in India. They reported that almost seventy percent of the country’s active cases of COVID-19 can be sourced from eight states and union territories. Per the Health Ministry, the states and union territories of Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and […]
Ahmed Patel passes away due to COVID-19, aged 71
Long-time Indian National Congress (INC) politician and eight-term parliamentarian Ahmed Patel died yesterday due to complications from COVID-19. He was 71 years old. Patel, described as a “veteran” of the INC by NDTV.com, passed away at a hospital in Gurgaon. His son Faisal Patel announced the news on Twitter in a statement that read “with […]
Ayushman Bharat centres: 50,000+ and counting
The Government has expanded healthcare services through Ayushman Bharat centres, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has announced. Under Ayushman Bharat – officially the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), the Government has reportedly erected more than 50,000 health and wellness centres (HWCs) across the country to administer health services to the eligible […]
Thorang village: All residents test positive for COVID, bar one
In Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district, the village of Thorang has seen all but one of its residents test positive for COVID-19. Of the village’s 42 residents, just 52-year-old Bhushan Thakur tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – or, simply, coronavirus – which causes the disease COVID-19. The remaining 41 […]
Smartwatches: A weapon against COVID-19?
The ever-popular smartwatches may have a new application: detecting COVID-19. New research suggests that the wearables could indicate a case of COVID-19 even before symptoms present in the wearer in question. The study, conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States and published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, found that […]
Child health during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted manifold effects on society and health from all angles – including on child health. On this Universal Children’s Day, it is worthwhile assessing the impact. Telangana governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan pointed to child health earlier this week. She called for more attention to be paid to child health; as reported […]
Scientists join effort to fight misinformation about COVID-19
During this pandemic, misinformation about COVID-19 has been a major issue of concern. The scientific and medical communities are working to change that – especially when it comes to a COVID-19 vaccine. More than 100 scientists – including more than twenty from India – have joined the cause of Team Halo. Team Halo is a […]
80% of YouGov survey respondents in India would like to be vaccinated against the coronavirus (003)
80% of YouGov survey respondents in India would like to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, over half of the respondents are aware of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V November 16, 2020 – Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) published the results of a survey of 12,000 respondents in 11 countries regarding coronavirus […]
COVID-19 recoveries still outpace new cases: Ministry
Though India remains the second worst-affected country in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 recoveries continue to outpace new cases according to government figures. At the time of writing, India’s confirmed COVID-19 case count thus far number at 8,874,918 – behind only the United States according to Worldometer. However, the Union Ministry of Health […]