COVID vaccine may cut long-term symptoms up to 80%

Two studies published today in the European Respiratory Journal describe long-COVID findings, one revealing signs of autoimmune disease in 41% of blood samples taken 1 year after recovery, and the other showing that 23% of patients still had exercise intolerance a year after hospital release.

Serious criminal trials backlogged in Scotland due to Covid-19 restrictions may not be cleared until 2026, according to new figures.

A study has revealed that people who have had Covid-19 infection are at a higher risk of a long-term brain injury, a year later compared to the people who have never been infected with the virus. The year-long study, published in Nature Medicine, assessed brain health across 44 different disorders using medical records without patient identifiers from millions of US veterans. Brain and other neurological disorders occurred in 7 per cent more of those who had been infected with Covid compared with a similar group of veterans who had never been infected.

#InAMinutewithMint Is the #Covid-19 pandemic over?... more#InAMinutewithMint Is the #Covid-19 pandemic over? At least that’s what US President Joe Biden says. But has the pandemic really ended? What do the numbers show? Watch@Alisha2494 explain In a Minute with Mint.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lanka is likely to once again face an electricity crisis due to issues surrounding the procurement of coal to power the Norochcholai Power Plant.The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineer's Union warned that daily power cuts are likely to be extended to ten hours a day, if coal is not received by the 25th of October 2022.The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka also approved the Ceylon Electricity Boards' (CEB) request for power cuts of 2 hours & 20 minutes from 23rd to 25th September.Electricity Supply: 30 percent of the country's electricity supply depends on the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant despite one generator being out of order.More than 40 percent of the electricity demand is met from this plant when all three generators are in operation.Currently, the stock of coal in the plant is sufficient only till October 25th, 2022.After October 25th, sufficient coal stocks should be provided for power generation at the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant.What happened to the supply of coal?Recently, bids were invited to contract a long-term supplier of Coal for Sri Lanka. Several companies submitted bids during the formal tender process and another company submitted bids outside the tender process.After opening and evaluating the bids submitted outside the tender process, the proposals submitted in the formal tender process have been evaluated.Ultimately, it was decided to award the long-term supply to the company that submitted bids via the proper tender process.But the company that submitted bids outside the tender process had again submitted a bid at a lower price.The Minister of Power and Energy recently revealed in Parliament that the said bidder also influenced the company that offered

PTI report. Additionally, staff and equipment in hospitals to be scaled down in phased manner, officials said about the DDMA Covid-19 meeting. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) met on Thursday to review the Covid situation in the national capital and conduct an assessment of dedicated resources deployed at hospitals to tackle coronavirus.

Covid-19 fatality rate stands at 1.82 per cent in the state.  Additionally, the number of active infection cases stands at 3,857, the state health department said, adding that 740 patients recuperated during the day, taking the cumulative recovery count to 79,65,395. The state's recovery rate stands at 98.13 per cent. A total of 24,105 tests were conducted in the state in the last 24 hours, which pushed the state's overall recovery count to 8,46,18,216.

Some long COVID patients suffering symptoms including fatigue and shortness of breath are showing signs of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, suggests a Canadian study that builds on similar findings elsewhere.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved the Ceylon Electricity Boards' (CEB) request for power cuts of 2 hours & 20 minutes from 23rd to 25th September as follows:Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1 hour during daytime  1 hour and 20 minutes during the nightApproval for extended power cuts was granted after considering the unavailability of old Laxapana Stage 1, lack of fuel availability at Westcoast, and due to sudden increase in demand.

A study has said that most coronavirus-infected patients who experience long Covid recover within 12 months, irrespective of the severity. The study said that while 75 per cent of the patients recovered within 12 months of getting infected with the virus, the rest (25 per cent) of the patients still experienced one of the three most common symptoms. Long-Covid-19 conditions can include many ongoing health problems that can last weeks, months, or longer.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that it made a payment for a shipment of 41,000 MT of Diesel.The shipment reached Sri Lanka on the 7th of September 2022.In the meantime, the CPC further noted that the unloading of a petrol shipment will commence on Thursday (22) evening.Moreover, the Corporation said that payments have been made to the Crude oil vessel scheduled to arrive in the country in November.There are sufficient reserves in the country, CPC adds.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says it will not sign a contract with the supplier it selected to supply coal to Sri Lanka on long-term credit.A senior official attached to Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says the decision was reached as the supplier had failed to place a performance bond of 37 million dollars.He added that the supplier did place the performance bond due to the prevailing credit risk and legal conditions.Therefore, the required coal will be imported to Sri Lanka through Swiss Singapore which bid for the tender.Senior Spokesperson to Swiss Singapore says 50 percent of the tender was procured last year, and the remainder will be procured this year.Although plans were in place to procure the remainder after December this year, steps are now being taken to expedite the process.Accordingly, orders have been placed for five shipments carrying 60,000 metric tonnes of coal each.The first shipment is due to reach Sri Lanka between the 20th and 25th of October.Lanka Coal (Private) Limited says if Sri Lanka decides to purchase coal from the selected supplier on long-term credit, the country would benefit USD 30 from every metric tonne of coal imported to Sri Lanka.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Cabinet has agreed to recruit 10,000 workers from Sri Lanka after taking into account the state of the country which has been hit by an economic crisis, Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan said.According to Minister for Human Resources Datuk Seri M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said that the appointment of three secretaries to Ministries and an ambassador was approved by the Committee on High Posts of Parliament recently (20).Accordingly, the Committee on High Posts of the Parliament has approved the appointment of Rodney Manoranjan Perera as the new Sri Lankan Ambassador to Japan.Furthermore, appointments of Mr. B.L.A.J. Dharmakeerthi as the Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation, Mr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Under Secretary for Political Affairs of the U.S.

COVID-19 in Ontario is even lower than the relatively small numbers many experts had expected.Shots for the youngest age group have been available for two months, but only about six per cent of those kids have had their first dose.Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said that is lower than the numbers he thought he would see by this point.“I certainly want more families to consider immunizing their children from six months to four years of age,” in particular, children at high risk, he said in an interview.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Wickremesinghe joined the 23rd Colombo National Book Fair at the BMICH this morning (22).He noted that a special book exhibition including books and documents of rare and historical value that have been taken from Sri Lanka to foreign countries is expected to be organized in conjunction with the 75th Independence Commemoration.The President also said that he expected to obtain the support of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association for the Independence Commemorative Book Exhibition.The President, who arrived at the book exhibition this morning, was received by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association, Samantha Indivara, and the group.Sri Lanka Foundation Chairman Saman Athaudahetti, members of the Book Publishers Association,  Vijitha Yapa, H.D.

Covid condition.  Noting that Covid-19 infection can increase the likelihood of health related issues, Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said, in a report released earlier this month, that a study found an increase of 60% in the incidents of heart-related issues and neurological disorders. Dr Seth told ANI, “There is a large data from the west, which has noticed that over a period of a year and more than a hundreds and thousands of patients study, there was a 60 per cent increase in the incidents of heart attacks or even strokes compared to the normal population at the same period of time.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the decision to lower the retirement age of Public Sector employees to 60 years will have to be reconsidered, and the matter will be moved to the Cabinet of Ministers for discussion.It was proposed in the Interim Budget 2022 to amend the retirement age of state sector employees to 60 years, from the 65 years age requirement implemented in 2021.Accordingly, all Government employees aged 60 years or above must retire by December 31st, 2022.Many factions have raised concerns citing that lowering the retirement age in such a manner would threaten to the existence of many sectors.The Ministry of Public Administration issued the circular on the new retirement age of state employees, a week ago.Sri Lanka Railways said that as per the new circular over 250 Railway Workers will have to go on retirement.Sri Lanka Railways warned that is a solution is not provided soon, operations will be hampered from January 2023.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 359.1876 Sell 369.9235GBP Buy 401.5695 Sell 417.3688EUR Buy 350.3877 Sell 365.1473JPY Buy 2.4695 Sell 2.5700AUD Buy 234.9426 Sell 245.9917

It is possible, but not certain, that Ireland will face a "twindemic" of Covid-19 and flu this winter, according to the HSE's Chief Clinical Officer.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Investigations were conducted today (22) regarding a complaint made to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) regarding the arrest of Veranga Pushpika de Silva.The complaint was filed by the Union of Young Journalists and the Union of Trade Unions and Mass Unions.A group of Sri Lanka Police officers had also called the HRCSL today (22).

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has made its determination on the The Petroleum Products (special provisions) amendment bill.The Supreme Court determination was announced to the house on Thursday (21) by the Speaker.The determination is as follows: A: Clause 3 (2) of the bill is inconsistent with the article 12 (1) of the constitution, and it may only be passed by a special majority required under the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 84.The inconsistency will cease if the composition of the committee is changed, to include the following:– Secretary to the Ministry in charge of the subject of Economic Policy Development  – Secretary to the Ministry in charge of the subject of Investment PromotionB: Clause 7 of the bill is inconsistent with articles 3 & 4 of the constitution, and may be passed only by a Special Majority required under the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 84, and approved by the people at a referendum by virtue of the provisions of article 83 of the constitution.The bill as a whole is inconsistent with Article 12 (1) of the constitution.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers are yet to be briefed on the IMF Staff-Level Agreeement that was reached with official recently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Speaker.The Speaker said the President has noted that though an agreement was reached between the IMF Staff and Sri Lankan Officials, it has to be approved by the Executive Board of the IMF."Before that discussions need to happen with the other creditor countries, and their reports also need to be added and until such time it will not be decided by anybody," the Speaker informed the house."So, before that there will a cabinet briefing once the President receives all the details. The opposition, the Speaker, interested parties will be invited for that briefing.

PROSPECT PARK, Pa. - Prospect Park Police are investigating a theft against an elderly woman who they say was simply gardening in her front yard when she was taken advantage of by two suspects. On September 12, police say an 83-year-old woman was approached by two suspects, who they later identified as Anthony Miguel, 29, and Tasha Delmaro, 31, at her home in Prospect Park. Authorities say the suspects asked the woman about the RV that she had in her driveway as a way to distract her while she was mindlessly gardening. While the woman was chatting with Delmaro about the RV, authorities say Miguel asked the victim if he could use her bathroom and she gladly agreed and let him inside. Instead of using the bathroom, officials say Miguel took all the jewelry he could from the victim's home. Prospect Park Police Chief David Madonna says the suspects showed absolute cruelty in committing this crime as they even used their children as bait for the victim. "This is a woman who was so kind and so trustworthy that she actually gave snacks to the children that were in the backseat of the car.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Americares, one of the world’s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies, has generously donated more than $773,000 USD worth (an estimated 279,476,100.28 LKR) of urgently needed medical supplies for the people of Sri Lanka. The donation was made consequent to the request made by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C., and under the purview of Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe.This donation consists of essential medicines, including prenatal and lactation vitamins, chronic disease medications, intravascular catheters, syringes, and gloves that are urgently required from the Ministry of Health. As a result of facilitating this kind deed, an MOU was signed between the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka and Americares enabling future donations to take place. A formal certificate handover ceremony took place at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C.

India reported 5,443 new Covid-19 cases and 26 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to an update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday. As a result, active cases currently stand at 46,342. The active caseload comprise 0.10 per cent of the total infections.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Litro gas says that new domestic gas cylinders will not be distributed to the local market until DecemberThis is due to the ongoing project introduced by Litro Gas for Sri Lankan expatriates to place orders for gas cylinders, on behalf of their relatives in the country. This project has been implemented due to the shortage of dollars.Meanwhile, the Chairman of litro says that the demand for cooking gas has decreased, as people have opted to use gas sparingly.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 1 hour and 20 minutes for today (22) as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW:1 hour and 20-minutes from 6.00 PM – 10.00 PM

England have been handed a huge boost ahead of Monday's clash against Germany, as Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka have been ruled out with Covid.Squads were announced last week ahead of the last batch of international fixtures before the World Cup later this year, with England set to take on Italy on Friday before rounding things up against Germany four days later. Wembley takes centre stage for England's last warm-up game before Qatar 2022, but their opponents have been weakened.Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann will replace keeper Neuer at short notice, while further call-ups are expected within the coming days.

Queen Margrethe has tested positive for COVID-19 after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. The Queen of Denmark - who is Europe's longest-serving monarch following the death of Elizabeth aged 96 on September 8 - was among the dignitaries who attended the state funeral at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday (19. 09.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train comes around a bend in the tracks. (Photo by: Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) ((Photo by: Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images))(FOX 9) - A man is facing felony charges for allegedly attacking a train engineer with a knife, causing the victim to flee by jumping from a moving locomotive Tuesday near Sauk Rapids, Minnesota.Samuel David Hohman, 40, is charged with second-degree assault (assault with a deadly weapon) and criminal damage to property in the Sept.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically worsened disparities in all-cause death rates for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), and Black Americans and eroded mortality advantages for Asian and Hispanic groups, finds a study published yesterday in PNAS.A team led by researchers at the University of California and Stanf

After a 5-week drop, global COVID-19 cases stabilized last week, though deaths continued to decline, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its weekly update on the pandemic.

FILE - An illustrative image of a medical thermometer, flu medication, medical syringe, Covid-19 Antigen Rapid test, and Covid-19 vaccine vials. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) With flu season approaching in the United States, as well as the availability of the updated COVID-19 booster for everyone age 12 and older, some may have questions about these vaccines and when to get them. Is there a best time to get the flu shot? And is it OK to receive both the seasonal flu shot and the new COVID-19 booster designed to target circulating omicron strains at the same time? Can kids get both during the same visit?Here are some answers to common questions:Yes, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine, including a COVID-19 booster shot, and a flu vaccine at the same time if you are eligible and the timing coincides, the U.S.

Faye Flam is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering science

Covid-19 diagnosis, people were 21 times more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke, conditions mainly caused by blood clots in arteries.  Notably, after 4 weeks, the likelihood dropped to 3.9 times, according to the study. The team, led by researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Swansea University, UK, also studied conditions caused by blood clots in veins, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, the latter being potentially fatal, according to PTI report.

Manitoba announces first groups eligible for bivalent COVID vaccine To get the bivalent vaccine, Manitobans must have completed their primary two doses of vaccine, and it’s recommended that you wait six months after a previous dose of vaccine or a COVID-19 infection.The province said people who meet the criteria can get the bivalent vaccine after three months, if they feel they’re at increased risk.Currently, adults 65 and older, Indigenous people 18 or older, adults with high-risk medical conditions, including those who are immunocompromised, health-care workers, and care home residents are eligible for the vaccine.Global News will be live streaming this conference at 2 p.m.

TORONTO - Canada will likely drop the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for people who enter Canada by the end of September, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.Canada, like the United States, requires foreign nationals to be vaccinated when entering the country. It is not immediately known whether the U.S.

PHILADELPHIA - Home Depot workers in Philadelphia have filed a petition with the federal labor board to form what could be the first store-wide union at the world's largest home improvement retailer.The petition, filed with the National Labor Relations Board this week, seeks to form a collective bargaining unit for 274 employees who work in merchandising, specialty and operations. The federal agency's database shows no other attempts to form a store-wide union at the company, though a group of Home Depot drivers successfully unionized with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 2019.Sara Gorman, a Home Depot spokesperson, said the company is aware the filing and "we look forward to talking to our associates about their concerns.""While we will of course work through the NLRB process, we do not believe unionization is the best solution for our associates," Gorman said in an email.Vincent Quiles, a store employee who is leading the petition, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's crime rate is increasing by the day, while the economic crisis takes its toll on all Sri Lankan citizens.Rasika Vinod, a 29-year-old mid-level employee at a State Bank in Sri Lanka was brtually killed with he tried to prevent a mugging attempt.On Tuesday (20) night, Vinod tragically died when he attempted to foil a snatching attempt at his doorstep, in Pahalagama in the Gampaha District.According to reports, this is how the tragedy had taken place. His wife and her friend were returning home from work on Tuesday (20) night.When his wife was close to their home, a couple in a motorbike approached them and attempted to snatch a handbag.According to Sri Lanka Police Rasika was waiting at the doorstep for his wife to return home, along with his father.The duo immediately attacked the motorcycle thieves, and also topple the two-wheeler onto the ground.During the tussle, the motorcycle rider attacked Rasika with a sharp weapon.The victim of the mugging attempt detailed her ordeal to News 1st's Naveksha Gunasekera who visited the scene of the crime on Wednesday (21)."A motorcycle crossed my path and one person attempted to snatch my bag.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects COVID-19 vaccine boosters targeting circulating variants of the virus to be available for children aged 5-11 years by mid-October.

Her Majesty's funeral earlier this week.But the monarch, 82, is better known for her laid-back lifestyle that reportedly includes scoffing hot dogs and shopping at Lidl - not the usual behaviour you'd expect from royalty.One of her most famous attributes is her love of smoking - according to some reports she has even been known to light up as many as 60 a day.READ MORE: Royal tests positive for Covid days after attending Queen's funeralSeveral years ago the royal was snapped leaving a Lidl supermarket, sipping on a carton of apple juice and smoking, all the while clutching a hot dog.A tweet at the time read: "The Danish Queen: The only queen in the world who walks straight out of Lidl drinking an applejuice, eating a sausage while smoking at the same time. Yep, we love our queen Margrethe."The beloved Queen also had a bizarre passion for archaeology and speaks a whopping five languages - English, French, German, Danish and Swedish.Born in 1940, Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid is the great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria - making her Queen Elizabeth II's third cousin.The two reportedly shared a tight bond for decades, both loving dogs and calling each other by the adorable nicknames "Daisy" and "Lilibet".Margrethe came to the throne in 1972 and her ascension was historic, as previously only men had been allowed to rule.As a princess she was extremely popular and married French diplomat Henri de Laborde de Monpezat in 1967.

China has long been a coveted assignment for business executives and diplomats, a prestigious posting in a rising power and a valuable addition to one’s résumé.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The World Broadcasting Unions – WBU, which is the co-ordinating body of broadcasting unions around the world, has condemned the vicious attack on journalists of MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd by Sri Lanka Police and security personnel on the 9th of July. The World Broadcasting Unions has among its membership the largest and most influential unions of broadcast journalists around the world. They include the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the Arab States Broadcasting Union, the African Union of Broadcasting, the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, the European Broadcasting Union, and International Association of Broadcasting, and the North American Broadcasters Association.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The first consignment of rice from an Australian donation totaling AUD22 million (approximately USD15 million) arrived in Sri Lanka and will soon be distributed to those most affected by the ongoing economic crisisThe consignment, consisting of 600 metric tonnes of rice, forms part of a larger consignment of rice, pulses and cooking oil, due to arrive in the country soon.“Australia and Sri Lanka share many decades of friendship, and this latest contribution is an extension of our goodwill during this unprecedented crisis,” said Paul Stephens, Australia’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. “We are supporting WFP to provide life-saving food to people who are struggling with price increases, job losses and reduced incomes”. “Australia was the first to contribute to WFP’s emergency response, enabling us to kick-off much needed assistance to those hard-hit by the ongoing crisis,” said Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, WFP Sri Lanka’s Representative and Country Director.

COLOMBO (News 1st): Sri Lanka Police made public the images of four suspects wanted for unlawfully entering the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation on the 9th of July 2022, and causing damage to its property.The suspect are wanted for the investigations carried out by the Cinnamon Gardens Police.Police is seeking public support to arrest the four men pictured below, and information can be provided directly or via Whatsapp on  0718 591 588. 

Queen Margrethe of Denmark has tested positive for Covid-19 upon her return home from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday. Margrethe travelled over to London for the historic state funeral, and in light of her positive test has cancelled all her upcoming activities for the rest of the week while she recovers. It’s believed that this is the second time this year the 82 year old royal has contracted the virus.