COVID affects train services in Sri Lanka; Multiple cancellations

Reuters.

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested all MPs, Ministers and politicians to conduct themselves in an exemplary manner.The President made this request during his address to the nation at the 74th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo.Furthermore, the President requested Sri Lankans living overseas to take the opportunity to invest in their motherland.The President also noted that Sri Lanka as a country that respects the Rule of Law and International Conventions will never allow for human rights to be violated and the government has never permitted such act and will never do so in the future.

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Legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey joins us with some surprising details about B.C.’s ICU number.

wrote in a “Déjà Vu” statement.“While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don’t want our music—or the music we made together—to be on the same platform.”Young started the trend when he pulled his solo catalog from the streaming service last week in protest of “fake information about vaccines” being spread on the popular “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Joni Michell, a contemporary of the 60s supergroup, followed suit on the heels of Young’s announcement and Nash joined the chorus of musicians requesting to flee the service on Tuesday, calling on Spotify to be “responsible and accountable” for its content.The band’s request applies to music the band released both with and without sometimes-member Young, as well as solo releases from Crosby and Stills, according to a press release.Crosby tweeted last month that removing his catalog might be difficult because he sold his recorded music and publishing rights. Music from CSNY, CSN and Crosby, Nash and Stills was still on Spotify as of Thursday night.Rogan, who has a $100 million deal with the streaming service, addressed accusations on Sunday that his show promoted unsanctioned COVID-19 treatments and claimed that vaccinations were harmful to some.“I’m not trying to promote misinformation.

COLOMBO (News 1st): As a sovereign nation, Sri Lanka celebrates its 74th Independence Day on February 4th.The main ceremony to mark the historic occasion will be held at Independence Square in Colombo under the patronage of President of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Members of Parliament, foreign diplomats and senior government officials.The President will hoist the national flag and later deliver a televised speech to the nation.It was after 450 years of colonial rule, under three of Europe’s maritime and military powers that Ceylon gained her independence from Great Britain in 1948.One week after winning independence, the Independence Hall in Colombo 7, was transformed into a Kandyan audience hall of yore as a setting for the crowning ceremony, the State opening of the first Parliament of Independent Ceylon by the Duke of Gloucester, brother and representative of King George VI.Sir Henry Monk Mason was sworn in as the first Governor-General of the Dominion of Ceylon during that historic colourful ceremony. The oath was administered by the Chief Justice, Sir John Howard.

City of Calgary officials are exploring their options if the Alberta government rescinds the restrictions exemption program. Here’s Adam MacVicar with the main concerns if COVID-19 restrictions are lifted too soon.

As countries around the world begin to relax COVID-19 mandates, Canadian health experts are warning against easing COVID-19 restrictions too soon, saying it could be problematic for some provinces.

CVS is no longer limiting the number of over-the-counter coronavirus at-home tests consumers can purchase at its stores. "We’ve worked with our vendors to increase inventory of OTC COVID-19 tests and have removed all product limits on those products at CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide and on CVS.com," a CVS spokesperson told FOX Business. Although CVS never ran out of stock, some areas had strained inventory as cases, driven by the omicron variant, mounted. In December, CVS was one of a handful of companies, including Amazon and Walgreens, that announced a limit on the amount of at-home tests customers can purchase due to the omicron variant, which is now the dominant variant in the U.S. At the time, CVS customers were limited to six at-home test kits per purchase of its five over-the-counter offerings, including Abbott BinaxNOW, Acon FlowFlex, Quidel Quickvue, Ellume, and Pixel by LabCorp.Now, not only is there no longer a limit on the number of tests a consumer can purchase but the tests are also covered by most insurance policies. The Biden administration announced in January that private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. Americans will be able to either purchase home testing kits for free under their insurance or submit receipts for the tests for reimbursement, up to the monthly per-person limit."Particularly, in the early stages of this program, we strongly encourage customers to save their receipt(s) as they may need to submit them to their insurer," the spokesperson added. AdvertisementFOX Business' Julia Musto and Lucas Manfredi contributed to this report.

B.C. health officials release a written statement reporting 985 people are in hospital with COVID-19 related illnesses and 145 are in critical care on Thursday, Feb. 3. Legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey has an analysis of the numbers.

PHILLIP Schofield has revealed he is still testing positive for Covid - throwing Dancing on Ice into chaos. The 59-year-old was forced out of presenting This Morning this week after falling ill with the virus.

COVID-19: City of Calgary updates vaccine passport bylaw, including age and ID requirements The city’s vaccine passport bylaw has been in effect since September 2021, which made it mandatory for certain Calgary businesses like bars, restaurants and movie theatres to opt into the provincial passport system.Changes were made to the bylaw in November 2021 — and again last month — to better align it with the provincial program.Due to the language in the bylaw, it “ceases to have effect” if the province’s program is scrapped.City officials said the mask bylaw, however, would be unaffected by the change.Premier Jason Kenney announced early this week that his government is hoping to remove some public health restrictions, including the vaccine passport program, by the end of the month if the province’s COVID-19 situation improves sufficiently to warrant the changes.Kourtney Penner, the city councillor for Ward 11 and chair of the city’s emergency management committee, has made a request to city administration and CEMA for an update on the impacts to the city. COVID-19 causing Calgary Transit staffing shortages, route changes, cancellations “We do know that there would be impacts and we would have to respond accordingly,” Penner told Global News.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti responded to critics after photos posted online showed him maskless during the Los Angeles Rams game Sunday at SoFi Stadium.LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson posted pictures on social media, in a suite with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, all posing for photos without anyone wearing a mask. The photos were criticized by many online.

MADISON, Wis. - COVID-19 could become endemic by the end of the year, Wisconsin's top medical officer said Thursday.Wisconsin Department of Health Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard still warned that case counts could periodically spike, but the disease likely will reach a stage in 2022 where case numbers remain fairly constant.Westergaard's remarks come as a surge in Wisconsin case numbers driven by the omicron variant continues to subside.

Manitoba’s COVID-19 numbers for February 3 show seven more people have died from the virus while the number of hospitalizations has dropped slightly.

Protestors remain in the capital with demands for the federal government to lift COVID-19 health measures. The Prime Minister is holding firm and says the government will support the city and its police force.

COVID-19: Quebec health system remains ‘fragile,’ says public health director Bernard “Rambo” Gauthier, a well-known union leader from Quebec’s Côte-Nord region, posted a video to Facebook on Thursday morning, stating he was departing with about 50 vehicles toward the provincial capital and promising to stay there.“We’re doing this for the next generation — our kids — but also for ourselves,” Gauthier said in the video. “I’m tired of not being able to see my friends, go out for a beer with my friends, go out to the restaurant with my girlfriend — a normal life.

As disruptive protesters demanding an end to COVID-19 restrictions refuse to leave Ottawa, residents are questioning why the city’s police are not taking more action to clear them out. Abigail Bimman explains what’s causing police to hesitate and what options they are considering, as residents’ frustrations boil.

New Zealand medicines regulator Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid, for adults 18 years and over.

Covid-19 may contribute to heart damage apparent in severely-ill sufferers, according to new research.

Cases of COVID-19 continue to drop significantly across the country, as the most recent surge caused by the Omicron variant is declining at a rapid pace.

COVID-19 pandemic.Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) says their adult acute inpatient occupancy continues to exceed 100 per cent with sites reporting rates close to 120 per cent. Adult intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is also stretched exceeding 92 per cent as of Thursday.“Unfortunately, our reality in Hamilton and across our region remains highly pressured.

Many of the top musicians in the industry are making their voices heard – by taking their voices away.

COVID-19-related deaths on Thursday, lifting the death toll in the region to 370 including 11 people over the first three days of February.“Today we are reporting five deaths in our community related to COVID-19. The individuals were three males in their 80s, one female in her 80s, and a male in his 70s,” Dr.

The severity of COVID-19 does not change based on pregnancy trimester, finds research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM's) virtual annual meeting.According to an abstract published Jan 1 in the American Journal of Obstetrics &

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” singer lives and thrives on social media — both as a marketing tool and for engaging with fans (and haters) — but his last posts on Twitter and on Instagram were nearly two months ago on Dec. 6.But Lil Nas X has not been publicly heard from since — and his fans are beginning to notice.More worryingly, he actually last posted on Dec.

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Middlesex-London Health Unit reported three deaths and 189 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, compared with one death and 220 cases last Thursday.The deaths involved two men, in their 60s and 80s, and a woman in her 90s. None were associated with long-term care homes or retirement homes.Meanwhile, the London Health Sciences Centre reported 139 COVID-19 inpatients on Thursday, with 25 in critical care.As noted, LHSC is caring for 139 COVID-19 inpatients, with 25 inpatients in adult critical care, compared with a record-high 166 inpatients, 19 of whom were in critical care, last Thursday.Of those, there are five or fewer in Children’s Hospital with zero in pediatric critical care. Last Thursday, the same figures were reported.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge said on Thursday the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe was entering a “plausible endgame,” driven by a “large capital of immunity,” built up by a combination of vaccine drives, a favourable seasonality pause, and lower severity of the Omicron variant.

COVID-19 wave in the spring of 2020 only reduced COVID-19 mortality by .2% in the U.S. and Europe, according to a Johns Hopkins University meta-analysis of several studies. "While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted," the researchers wrote.

Vaccination requirements for UK travellers heading to France have been tightened, bringing into force an 'expiration date' for second jabs.

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AMBLER, Pa. - Emergency crews responded to a fire at a business in Ambler Thursday morning. Flames broke out inside of an auto body shop on the unit block of Main Street around 10 a.m. FOX 29 crews arrived on the scene as smoke continued to pour from the building, particularly the open garage door. A short time later, flames could be seen coming from the windows on the second flood of the building - which is located near SEPTA's Ambler Station.SEPTA has suspended service between Fort Washington and Doylestown until further notice.

investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

Covid cases in the UK are reportedly back to 200,000 new per day, a new report from a symptom study suggests.

COVID-19. Of them, 191 people were in intensive care, a drop of 13 compared with the previous day.Health officials say 193 patients were admitted to hospital while 286 left over the past 24-hour period.Quebec also recorded 3,592 new novel coronavirus cases as part of its daily tally.

The World Health Organization has offered Europe hope of a "long period of tranquility" and even "enduring peace" in the war on coronavirus, with a growing list of nations lifting almost all Covid curbs.

NEW DELHI :

COVID-19 pandemic, the beat goes on for an Indigenous drum group that meets outside the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George.Masked and at a distance, the group gathers every Monday evening to sing traditional songs and prayers as a show of support for the health-care workers and COVID-19 patients inside.It started with one Prince George man during the first wave of the pandemic and has transformed into a community affair.

B.C. expands long-term care visitation, allowing one social visitor per resident Tia Tang, whose 83-year-old mother lives in care, told Global News she was denied status as an essential visitor — meaning she was unable to see her mom.“I reached out and asked if I could go visit her, and they said no, only essential visits, not social visits,” Tang said.“It’s really hard.

COLOMBO (News 1st): Paying the highest tribute to dedicated and continuing services of the armed forces, with the approval of the President Gotabaya Rajapakse, General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army on account of the 74th National Independence day has promoted a record 480 Officers and 8034 Other Ranks to their next rank.Accordingly, 7 Senior Brigadiers to the rank of Major General, 16 Colonels to the rank of Brigadier, 36 Lieutenant Colonels to the rank of Colonel, 50 Majors to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, 207 Captains to the rank of Major, 94 Lieutenants to the rank of Captain, 70 2nd Lieutenants to the rank of Lieutenant in total receive these National Independence Day promotions on 4th February 2022The Sri Lanka Army after General Shavendra Silva took the mantle of the Army Command on 18 August 2019 joins history once again by granting those four-digit numbers of promotions to both Officers and Other Ranks in the organization within a short period after assumption of his office.Unprecedented in its history of 73 years, a record number of 4341 promotions to Officers and 86741 Other Ranks including today’s ones have been granted to-date after 18 August 2019.

COVID on Thursday with 541 in intensive care units.This is down by 142 hospitalizations and a decrease of 14in ICUs since the previous day. Last Thursday, there were 3,645 hospitalizations with 599 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 2,797 people in hospital with COVID-19, 56 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 44 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 541 people in ICUs with the virus, around 83 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while around 17 per cent were admitted for other reasons. Dr.

Mumbai in the last 24 hours, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday. The city also saw seven deaths due to the infections in the same duration. 

Queen Elizabeth II attends the decommissioning ceremony for HMS Ocean on March 27, 2018 in Plymouth, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) When 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed queen on Feb.

R. Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 while in a Brooklyn federal jail.The singer stood trial last September for racketeering, bribery and violating the Mann Act, which criminalises the transportation of any woman or girl across state lines for “immoral” purposes, such as illegal sexual activity. Kelly was found guilty of all the charges against him and has been in jail ever since, ahead of sentencing on May 4, 2022.Kelly could face life behind bars for his crimes, and will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.He initially had until today (February 3) to appeal the convictions, but because of his positive coronavirus test, U.S.

reopen schools now, said the central government on Thursday. 

Another 8,210 Covid cases have been confirmed in Scotland within the last 24 hours as the nation's virus death toll increased by 31.

Gary Lineker, 61, has logged onto social media to announce he had tested positive for coronavirus following a flight from South Africa.The former professional footballer apologised to those sitting near him on the flight, while clarifying he had been wearing a mask during the journey.In view of his 8.3 million Twitter followers, Gary wrote: “Long time since I got between the lines.“Arrived back from Cape Town early this morning.“Started feeling a little unwell on the flight.“Sorry to those sitting near, although I wore a mask for the entirety of the journey as didn’t eat.“Hope I didn’t pass it on to anyone on BA42.” (sic)The BBC Sport star accompanied the tweet with a picture of a positive Covid test.MORE TO FOLLOW...