Health insurance claims surge over 3.5 times in 2021: Study

Covid-19 cases, India on Thursday recorded 1,225 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data. Additionally, India's Covid-19 deaths witnessed a steep decline in cases with 28 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, the updated data revealed. The active caseload on Thursday stood at 14,307, as per Health Ministry data.

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TRENTON - New Jersey has issued a statewide recall of a specific brand of school cafeteria milk after officials said it contained sanitizer that sickened several students when they unknowingly drank it. The New Jersey Department of Health’s Public Health on Wednesday instructed public schools to remove Guida's 1% Lowfat Milk from circulation in its cafeterias. Officials said at least 25 children have been hospitalized due to the presence of peroxyacetic sanitizer in milk with the date code 09-183 Apr 11 B2. The health department fears that other batches of milk could also be tainted. The statewide recall comes after emergency teams were called to the Early Childhood Development Center in Camden Wednesday after sanitizer was discovered in milk cartons, according to the school district. According to tweets released by Camden Schools, it was determined that some of the cartons contained a "non-toxic consumable sanitizer that runs through the vendor machines prior to milk." The Camden County Health Department said first responders were also called to Riletta Twyne Cream Childhood Development Center where five children were sent to Cooper Medical Center and discharged in the afternoon.

TAMPA, Fla. - Bruce Arians told his coaching staff and players that he is stepping aside as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. To take his place, the Bucs promoted Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles to head coach.Arians will be stepping into a new role as the team's Senior Football Consultant, according to team officials. He said the decision is not prompted by health issues and has been working with the Glazer Family and General Manager Jason Licht on a potential succession plan.  "I have spent most of the last 50 years of my life on the sidelines as a football coach in one form or another.

With the BA.2 Omicron subvariant now the dominant strain in the U.S., there are concerns of another COVID-19 surge this spring. Jackson Proskow looks at the push to get Americans to take a fourth dose of the vaccine.

FILE - Scientists with NASA’s New Horizons mission have assembled this highest-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on the surface of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. Slushies anyone? After years of research, scientists now hypothesize that giant dome-like formations that were first photographed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 were recently active icy volcanoes, also known as cryovolcanoes. Scientists guessed these cryovolcanoes expelled "slushy" ice water as opposed to molten lava. These formations could indicate that the interior of the giant space rock was warmer than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on March 29. Researchers believe there may be an insulating layer under Pluto’s surface, kind of like the insulation in a coffee mug that keeps the liquid hot - the same principle applies to Pluto. This built-up heat within Pluto could be how these icy volcanoes produced viscous material and spewed out icy water or slush, Kelsi Singer, senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado and lead author of the study, told FOX TV Stations. This recent theory allows scientists to view Pluto as a far more reactive space body than previously believed. "This area is by far the most numerous and the largest icy volcanoes found so far in the solar system," Singer said. "Besides just being a fun fact, this means that Pluto had to have more heat in its interior than we expected.

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were 68% less likely to be hospitalized during the Omicron wave in the United States than unvaccinated children, according to a study published on Wednesday.

The Razzie Awards and director Kevin Smith on Wednesday issued apologies for past criticism of Bruce Willis in the wake of news that the actor was 'stepping away' from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that impact's one's ability to understand or process speech.The Razzie Awards, a satire on the Oscars that lampoons critically-maligned movies, had promoted a new category titled 'Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie,' after the 67-year-old actor appeared in eight straight-to-video films in 2021.They included American Siege, Apex, Cosmic Sin, Deadlock, Fortress, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Out of Death, and Survive the Game. The latest:The Razzie Awards and director Kevin Smith, 51, on Wednesday issued apologies for past criticism of Bruce Willis, 67, in the wake of news that the actor was retiring after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that impact's one's ability to understand or process speech.

BRISTOL, Pa. - A large contingent of law enforcement officers traveled to Bucks County on Wednesday for a viewing for Pennsylvania State Trooper Martin Mack III, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver on I-95 in Philadelphia in March."We have to continue to pray for them every day they’re doing a very difficult job and obviously it can have deadly consequences and I just feel awful," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said. The deadly crash happened over a week ago on Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia near the sports complex. Investigators said Mack, 33, and fellow Pennsylvania State Trooper Branden Sisca, 29, were called to the area to assist a man who was walking on the highway. A large number of Pennsylvania State Troopers showed up to Trooper Mack's viewing.

The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield will today host a media briefing to provide updates on the response to the Omicron outbreak.

FILE-Florida, Miami Beach, South Pointe Park, Carnival Splendor cruise ship Departing. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Federal health officials are dropping the warning they have attached to cruising since the beginning of the pandemic, leaving it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship.Cruise-ship operators welcomed Wednesday’s announcement, which came as many people thought about summer vacation plans.An industry trade group said the move by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention validated measures that ship owners have taken, including requiring crew members and most passengers to be vaccinated against the virus.RELATED: Norwegian Cruise Line announces additional cancellationsThe CDC removed the COVID-19 "cruise ship travel health notice" that was first imposed in March 2020, after virus outbreaks on several ships around the world.However, the agency expressed reservations about cruising.RELATED: More cruise ships under CDC investigation due to rising COVID cases"While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings," CDC spokesman Dave Daigle said in an email.Daigle said the CDC's decision was based on "the current state of the pandemic and decreases in COVID-19 cases onboard cruise ships over the past several weeks."COVID-19 cases in the United States have been falling since mid-January, although the decline has slowed in recent weeks, and the current seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S.

LOS ANGELES - After hosting the 2022 Oscars alongside co-hosts Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, comedian Amy Schumer is speaking out about that onstage viral debacle between Chris Rock and Will Smith.In an Instagram post, Schumer started by joking that "the best way to unpack what happened is to stream my series @lifeandbethhulu." She goes on to address "what happened," saying "But for real. Still triggered and traumatized," she continued. "I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro.

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping announces more pharmacies in the province now have access to the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid.

Health Minister Jason Copping says 70 per cent of positive COVID-19 cases in Alberta are now the Omicron variant BA.2.

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping says both positivity rates from PCR tests and wastewater data are showing initial signs of increased COVID-19 transmission.

Actor Bruce Willis attends the "Motherless Brooklyn" premiere during the 57th New York Film Festival on October 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage) Actor Bruce Willis is taking a break from acting and his family announced on social media Wednesday that the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with aphasia. "Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," the family said.

This photo taken February 4, 2019 shows Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the Hollywood Reporter's 7th Annual Nominees Night in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP) / ALTERNATE CROP (Photo by JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Imag LOS ANGELES - NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not hold back in his response to the slap that echoed around the world after Will Smith smacked Chris Rock, writing that the incident on the Oscars stage "perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community."Abdul-Jabbar wrote a column titled "Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing," which was posted to his Substack account.He shared that he first met Smith when he appeared on an episode of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1994."I like him.

Bruce Willis' daughters Rumer and Scout Willis were captured out in Los Angeles on Wednesday after revealing their famous father has been diagnosed with thedegenerative brain condition aphasia.Because of the devastating diagnosis, the 67-year-old Hollywood icon is stepping away from the spotlight and the acting career that 'has meant so much to him,' as per a statement published by the family earlier in the day.The sisters, 33 and 30 respectively, put on brave faces as they reportedly attended a Coachella pre-party held at Infinity house. Spotted:Bruce Willis' daughters Rumer and Scout Willis were captured out in Los Angeles on Wednesday after revealing their famous father has been diagnosed with the degenerative brain condition aphasiaRumer and Scout were photographed seemingly arriving to the event, with the eldest Willis sister rocking a white sundress and Scout opting for a psychedelic sweater and black shorts.Scout appeared to be in a jovial mood while Rumer strolled along the sidewalk with her cellphone pressed to her ear.

Bruce Willis is retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive disease that obstructs language and written communication skills. The family of the beloved 67-year-old actor took to social media to release a joint statement.Emma Heming, the actor’s wife; Demi Moore, his ex-wife; and his daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn, asked for compassion and support during the challenging time they are experiencing.“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” they said on Instagram.“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.

COVID-19 indicators rising in Ontario, opposition politicians are calling on the government to expand access to PCR tests for the virus.Critics have been calling for Ontario to reinstate broad access to the gold-standard tests, which have been restricted to certain groups of high-risk people since December when the Omicron variant overwhelmed resources.Those calls continued on Wednesday as some suggested the province was entering a sixth wave of cases after a lull following the peak of the Omicron wave.

NEW DELHI :

stealth Omicron” variant had become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Alberta, Health Minister Jason Copping will be delivering the weekly update on the state of the pandemic in the province.Copping’s press conference will be streamed in this story.Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw is not expected to take part in the press conference scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

World Health Organization on Wednesday released an updated plan for COVID-19, laying out three possible scenarios for how the pandemic will evolve this year.“Based on what we know now, the most likely scenario is that the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, but the severity of disease it causes reduces over time as immunity increases due to vaccination and infection,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing.However, the WHO head cautioned that periodic spikes in cases and deaths may occur as immunity wanes, which may require periodic boosting for vulnerable populations.Talking about the other two potential scenarios, Tedros said either less severe variants will emerge and boosters or new formulations of vaccines will not be necessary, or a more virulent variant will emerge and protection from prior vaccination or infection will wane rapidly.

The World Health Organization has released an updated plan for Covid-19, laying out three possible scenarios for how the pandemic will evolve this year.

Bruce Willis is retiring due to health issues.

RMZ Nexity is an example of health and safety, with equal weighting given to all aspects of health.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan Ministers & MPs were mum when questions were posed to them on the present crises, following events on Tuesday (29).Labour Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva’s response to the crisis was “what country does not have a crisis?”.State Minister Sisira Jayakody noted that he was aware of the situation at filling stations, but did not prefer to comment any further.Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena admitted the fact that the people were struggling to survive, but only noted that the government is doing whatever it can.

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner is calling on provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry to bring back the COVID-19 mask mandate, saying its “hasty end” will have “profoundly unequal effects” on society.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court dismissed petitions filed challenging the gazette that declared it mandatory to be fully vaccinated to enter public places. These applications were turned down as per a majority decision of the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court.The Extraordinary Gazette:Sri Lanka’s Health Minister has issued an Extraordinary Gazette preventing unvaccinated people from entering or being in public places on 25th January 2022.People must have proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to enter public places starting 30 April.The Gazette noted that “A person shall not enter any public place without having the proof of being fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID – 19) unless exempted by the Proper Authority in respect of the whole of Sri Lanka.”“For the purposes of this regulation “fully vaccinated ” means that the relevant person has obtained the required doses of the relevant vaccination as specified by the Director – General of Health Services”, it added.

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COVID-19 cases in China's most populous city jumped by a third despite stringent measures already in place to try to stop the virus spreading.

coronavirus surged by more than 40 per cent last week, likely due to changes in how COVID-19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India, according to a World Health Organization report released Wednesday.In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, the U.N. health agency said the number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere, including in WHO’s Western Pacific region, where they had been rising since December.About 10 million new COVID-19 infections and more than 45,000 deaths were reported worldwide over the past week, following a 23% drop in fatalities the week before.The jump in reported deaths, up from 33,000 last week, was due mainly to an accounting change; WHO noted that countries including Chile and the United States altered how they define COVID-19 deaths.

Kerry Katona has shared a positive update on her health, revealing that she is no longer taking medication for her bipolar but admits she often suffers from manic episodes.The former singer, 41, has never shied away from discussing her health and lifestyle, admitting that her famous interview on This Morning back in 2008 was not related to drink or drugs.Kerry appeared to slur her words during the interview with Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield, with many claiming she was under the influence – a claim she has always denied and insisted it was the result of her bipolar meds.Speaking on GB News' Breakfast with Eamonn & Isabel, she revealed that she has stopped taking medication.Sharing an insight on her current condition, Kerry explained: "I'm very hyper and I get very manic."I have really manic episodes and these can last for weeks and then I come crashing down, that is almost like being on a drug itself."They are the traits of being on some kind of drug anyway."The television star went on to say: "I went on lots of different medications which they call it trial and error to find the right kind of dosage for your manic and depressive episodes."There was a very famous interview where because of my medication, it makes your speech very very slowly because I can be very manic and things are 100 miles an hour in my head I'm very animated but I'm on no medication at the moment."Isabel interjected, adding: "That's your choice then, does it dampen how you feel? I ask you that because we look at people like Kanye West for example who has very publicly been having displays of bipolar recently, these long episodes."But also many people say he's a genius, are you afraid of taking medication because you'll lose some of the benefits

The effects of the long St Patrick's weekend are yet to be seen on Ireland's Covid figures, according to a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Connolly Hospital in Dublin.

MUMBAI :

Residents aged 75 and over and at-risk groups across Ayrshire are now being invited for their second Covid-19 booster vaccination.

Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far has exceeded 183.82 crore.

most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding COVID-19 booster shots.Effective immediately, people who received their first booster shot at least four months ago may receive a second booster shot of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) if:“Additional booster shots allow people in these select populations to get extra protection against severe illness. A second booster can be especially beneficial for people 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions,” said State Health Director Dr.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch talks about the rise of the BA.2 subvariant across Canada and why he suggests Canadians should still be wearing masks.

FILE - Jamie Lee Curtis speaks onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. LOS ANGELES - It was a paw-fect match. A rescue puppy that actress Jamie Lee Curtis advocated for in honor of Betty White, a staunch animal activist, during the Oscars on Sunday was adopted by none other than actor John Travolta’s son. Curtis was slated to be the presenter for a tribute dedicated to the late and legendary White who died in December last year. During the tribute, Curtis advocated for rescue animals while holding a puppy from Paw Works, a Southern California nonprofit dedicated to partnering with county and city shelters to give abandoned animals a second chance, according to the rescue’s Facebook page. The puppy, named Mac and Cheese, was chosen by Curtis ahead of the pup’s TV debut. During the awards ceremony, Curtis posted on her Instagram that she ran into her fellow "PERFECT" co-star, Travolta, who took a picture with Mac and Cheese. The next day, Travolta posted on his Instagram sharing that his son, Ben, officially adopted the rescue pup. "Ben adopted this dog from last nights Oscar tribute to Betty White.

A stressed police response officer who has seen five dead bodies in the past four weeks has spoken out about the grim reality of the job - after an application for two days off "for a break from it all" was rejected.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.The study, comprised of researchers from New York, Georgia, and China, was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. Scientists gathered archived data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving more than 6,500 youths between 12 and 19 years old from 1999 to 2018.

Police say a 17-year-old was wounded in a shootout Tuesday evening. PHILADELPHIA - A teenager is recovering from gunshot wounds after police say a fight escalated to a street shooting Tuesday afternoon in West Philadelphia.Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the intersection of Media and Frazier streets around 4:30 p.m.

Whether we use them to help us relax or to simply fill our homes with nice scents, most of us use scented candles at least once in a while. They make the perfect addition to any relaxing bath, and they easily create ambience in our living rooms, all the while adding to our home decor.

Canadian actor Jim Carrey had several choice words about the now-infamous Oscars moment when Will Smith walked onstage to slap Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife’s hair during the broadcast.

Omicron mutation of the novel coronavirus is relatively new to the region.“We know the BA.2 is in Quebec now,” he said in an interview Tuesday, about the subvariant of Omicron, “so I think we provided a fertile ground for the variant.” Quebec public health experts say province has already entered a sixth wave of COVID-19 And while the transmission rate is high, Bonnier-Viger said it represents a fraction of the reality. “We only test 10 per cent of people with PCR tests right now.”He said he supports the decision to lift many restrictions, including the vaccine passport system, which ended in mid-March.

Comedian Jim Carrey criticized Hollywood on Tuesday, saying he was “sickened” by the audience at the Academy Awards for giving Will Smith a standing ovation following his acceptance speech for Best Actor, which occurred shortly after he slapped Chris Rock on stage.

The government has issued a statement clarifying who will be able to get free Covid testing from April 1, Friday, when mass PCR and lateral flow testing is brought to an end. The free testing available to a small number of groups will be symptomatic - meaning that those taking tests must already be showing symptoms.