Health

Melbourne, Oct 11 (AP/PTI) The premier of Australia's Victoria state is stepping up his fight with members of the public who don't comply with pandemic regulations, saying close contacts of those infected who refuse a test will have to spend 21 days in quarantine.

The state government has announced mandatory quarantine will be extended by 10 days for close contacts if they decide not to be tested on the 11th day of isolation. The change will come into effect at midnight Sunday.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s confirmed coronavirus toll crossed 7 million on Sunday with a number of new cases dipping in recent weeks, even as health experts warn of mask and distancing fatigue setting in.

The Health Ministry registered another 74,383 infections in the past 24 hours. India is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country in coming weeks, surpassing the U.S., where more than 7.7 million infections have been reported.

The ministry also reported 918 additional deaths, taking total fatalities to 108,334.

New York, Oct 9 (AP/PTI) President Donald Trump has said he doesn't think he's contagious anymore, but medical experts say that's impossible to know a week after his diagnosis with COVID-19.

Most people with COVID-19 can stop isolating and be around others about 10 days after they first showed symptoms, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rio De Janeiro, Oct 9 (AP/PTI) Dozens of people converged on the cobblestone streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro for its traditional Pedra do Sal samba party the first since the pandemic began and it seemed Brazil was returning to normal.

Among those dancing Monday were Luana Jatob and two friends, all of whom overcame COVID-19. As a nurse technician caring for coronavirus patients, she knows better than most that occupancy rates at Rio's intensive-care units have surged as the city's seven-day average number of cases reaches its highest level since June.

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, may linger on human skin for nine hours, much longer than the flu viruses can, according to a study.

The influenza A virus (IAV), in contrast, remained viable on human skin for nearly two hours, said the researchers including those from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan.

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Classes in schools will be suspended in Jordan from tomorrow “until further notice”, the education minister announced yesterday.

“Exams for secondary school students will, however, be held on time, with the exact dates for the tests to be announced sometime next week,” Tayseer Al-Nuaimi was quoted as saying by the official Petra news agency.

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Iranian authorities have announced their intention to impose the use of protective masks in public places across the capital, Tehran, starting Saturday, local media reported yesterday.

The move comes following a rise in the number of new coronavirus cases, as well as the shortage of beds and medical supplies in the city’s hospitals.

Bengaluru, Oct 7 (PTI) Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was under home quarantine.

"I have tested positive for #COVID19 .

As I am asymptomatic, as per doctor's advice I am in home quarantine," he tweeted.

Joshi, an MP from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency, played a crucial role in the conduct of the recent Parliament session amid the pandemic in his capacity as the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Tunisian Prime Minister, Hichem Mechichi, announced the dismissal of Culture Minister, Walid Al-Zaidi, due to his refusal to implement the instructions for measures to confront coronavirus.

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Iran will require face masks in public in the capital Tehran from Saturday, authorities said on Tuesday, announcing a daily record of 4,151 new coronavirus cases as hospitals face shortages of beds during a third wave of infections.