Coronavirus pandemic India’s states should declare an epidemic following a rise in deadly “black fungus” cases, the country’s health authorities has said. The normally rare infection, called mucormycosis, has a mortality rate of 50%, with some only saved by removing an eye or jaw bone. But in recent months, India saw thousands of cases affecting […]
India Covid-19: The ‘tuk-tuk ambulance’ helping patients Raj Kumar, a tuk-tuk driver, in India’s capital, Delhi, wants to do his bit to help his fellow citizens weather the pandemic. So, he has turned his humble vehicle into an ambulance, ferrying people to and from hospitals for free. This is a huge help given the shortage […]
By Jonathan Josephs Business reporter, BBC News Coronavirus pandemic The boss of the world’s busiest airport for international passengers has said Covid passports are the only way to restart mass foreign travel. Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths told the BBC: “I don’t think there is an alternative.” Critics of the digital systems argue they […]
By Nikhil Inamdar and Aparna Alluri BBC News Coronavirus pandemic It took 31-year-old Sneha Marathe half a day to book an appointment online for a Covid vaccine. “It was a game of ‘fastest finger first’,” she says. “The slots filled up in three seconds.” But the hospital cancelled her slot at the last minute: they […]
By Sima Kotecha BBC Newsnight Coronavirus pandemic Legislation brought in by the Indian government is preventing non-profit organisations from supplying oxygen concentrators to those who desperately need them, BBC Newsnight understands. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was amended at the height of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic last year. The changes mean […]
Coronavirus pandemic The bodies of at least 40 people have washed up on the banks of the Ganges river in northern India, officials say. The discovery, near the border between the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, was confirmed to the BBC on Monday. It is not clear how the bodies came to be there, […]
Coronavirus pandemic People should get their Covid-19 jab when invited, the PM has said, amid concerns about potential side effects of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Boris Johnson said getting vaccinated was “the key thing” and the regulator’s advice was to keep giving the jab. It comes after a European Medicines Agency official, speaking in a personal […]
By Reuters Staff MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s richest state, Maharashtra, said it would impose stringent COVID-19 restrictions from Monday as there has been a rapid rise in infections, a state minister said on Sunday The state will shut down malls, cinema halls, bars and restaurants from Monday evening and impose a complete lockdown on weekends, […]
Coronavirus pandemic The chief minister of the western Indian state of Maharashtra has warned a full lockdown could be imposed unless Covid-19 cases begin to fall. Uddhav Thackeray said people were failing to take precautions and warned the state’s health system could become “inadequate” within weeks. Maharashtra recorded at least 47,828 cases on Friday. The […]
Coronavirus pandemic Italy has entered a strict three-day lockdown to try to prevent a surge in Covid-19 cases over Easter. All regions are now in the “red zone” – the highest tier of restrictions – as the country battles a third wave, with about 20,000 new cases a day. Non-essential movement is banned, but people […]
