Health

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) Around 150 Army personnel who arrived in the national capital from various locations in the last few weeks to participate in the Republic Day and Army Day parades have tested positive for COVID-19, official sources said.

The infection was detected during a mandatory testing for COVID-19 under a strict protocol formulated to insulate all the personnel taking part in the two parades from the COVID-19 infection, they said.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Medical workers, nursing home residents and politicians are set to be vaccinated against the coronavirus across the European Union on Sunday, part of an effort by the bloc’s 27 nations to roll out shots in a coordinated and equitable fashion.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen released a video celebrating the vaccine rollout, calling it “a touching moment of unity” in the battle to protect the bloc’s nearly 450 million people from the worst public health crisis in a century.

London, Dec 25 (PTI) A record number of people have tested positive for COVID-19 in England as millions spend Christmas Day away from friends and family due to a continuing spike in coronavirus infections on Friday.

Figures from the National Health Service's (NHS) Test and Trace network show that between December 10 and 16, 173,875 people received a positive result the highest weekly total of positive cases and a 58 per cent increase on the previous week.

Seoul, Dec 26 (AP-PTI) South Korea had seemed to be winning the fight against the coronavirus: Quickly ramping up its testing, contact-tracing and quarantine efforts paid off when it weathered an early outbreak without the economic pain of a lockdown. But a deadly resurgence has reached new heights during Christmas week, prompting soul-searching on how the nation sleepwalked into a crisis.

The 1,241 infections on Christmas Day were the largest daily increase. Another 1,132 cases were reported Saturday, bringing South Korea's caseload to 55,902.

Beijing, Dec 25 (AP-PTI) Authorities in China's northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours.

The cluster that has emerged in recent days has grown to 12 cases. In five neighbourhood divisions, authorities have shut schools and public spaces and are restricting anyone but essential workers from leaving their residential compounds.

Pune, Dec 24 (PTI) The Pune district administration has received a list of 504 passengers who returned from the UK in the last 28 days, an official said.

After a new variant of coronavirus was detected in the UK, the Union government had asked for tracing of passengers who arrived in India from the UK between November 25 and December 23.

"We have received a communication from the state government to trace the passengers who arrived in the district from the UK between November 25 and December 23.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — With rich countries snapping up supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, some parts of the world may have to rely on Chinese-developed shots to try to conquer the outbreak. The question: Will they work?

There is no outward reason to believe they won’t, but China has a history of vaccine scandals, and its drugmakers have revealed little about their final human trials and the more than 1 million emergency-use inoculations they say have been carried out inside the country already.

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) The faster spreading coronavirus strain first detected in the UK is unlikely to make vaccines less effective as of now but the preventives may need to be appropriately altered if more mutations occur over time, say scientists.

More than 40 countries, including India, have banned travel to and from the UK, a move several scientists said was necessary in view of the rapid spread of the new viral strain, VUI-202012/0, that was detected on September 21.

22 Dec 2020; MEMO: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman are closing their borders and suspending commercial flights over fears about a new coronavirus strain, the three Gulf Arab states said.

Saudi Arabia shut its land and sea borders on Sunday and suspended international commercial flights for a renewable week although foreign flights already in the country can leave, the Interior Ministry said.

22 Dec 2020; MEMO: A group of 24 Members of the European Parliament (MEP) signed a petition launched by Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) which called on Israel to lift its siege on Gaza and allow COVID-19 medical supplies.