Health

Restrictions imposed in several states in India as COVID-19 cases spread rapidly

India reported 159,632 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in the country, nudging several state governments to impose fresh restrictions.
India’s richest state, Maharashtra, said on Saturday it would close swimming pools and gyms from Monday while schools and colleges have been closed till Feb 15 after daily cases in the state jumped to over 41,000.

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The state government has said only fully vaccinated people will be allowed into private offices while limiting the capacity to 50 percent of the total workforce.

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In the neighboring state of Gujarat, authorities have extended night curfew hours and cancelled leave for all healthcare personnel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting to review the COVID-19 situation later on Sunday, according to government sources.
The health ministry reported 327 new deaths, taking the official death toll since the start of the pandemic to 483,790. Total infections stand at 35.52 million.

Health

WHO chief warns against misinformation over global pandemic accord

The head of the UN World Health Organization on Thursday spoke out forcefully against “misinformation on social media and in the mainstream media” which has falsely alleged that a new global pandemic accord being negotiated, would allow the WHO to override national sovereignty relating to a future outbreak.

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World Tuberculosis Day: WHO ramps up initiative to combat killer disease

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Health

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