India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeds 219 crore

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National STD/AIDS Control Programme says that a system has been set up to schedule HIV tests online. Specialist Doctor Nimali Jayasuriya says that this online method can be used instead of going to clinics. Accordingly she further sais that bookings for HIV tests can be made at the website www.know4sure.lk News 1st is now on Whatsapp, Viber, LinkedIN and Telegram. Don't miss out on all the latest developments in Sri Lanka and overseas.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The State Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government says that from next week, every public servant should report to duty in official attire based on the respective institution's policies.State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura says that the relevant circular will be issued next week.He said the government aims to encourage all public servants to return to the pre-COVID pandemic dress code. During the pandemic, a circular was issued relaxing the rules imposed on those working in the public sector.

Will Smith has gone viral, but not in a good way. The actor, 54, was planning on surprising an audience who had just watched his film, Emancipation, but ended up testing positive for Covid, sharing a video to show how he took a Covid test prior to the appearance. Will seemed to take the news well, writing a lighthearted 'I went viral' next to the video on social media.  Viral: Will Smith used a lighthearted play on words saying 'I went viral' as the actor revealed he tested positive for Covid-19 Participants at screenings are often required to show negative results before they can attend an event. The action star showed no signs of illness, but bellowed out exaggerated screams of pain as swirled the test swab around his nasal passages, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result. Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.  Surprise: The actor was hoping to surprise an audience who had just watched his new film, Emancipation, but was unable to attend  No signs: The action star showed no signs of illness, and was shocked when one hour later, he received a positive result Zoom: Instead of speaking to the audience in person, the Oscar winner met with them via Zoom, as he sat in front of a laptop.

It’s a damning statistic.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Commissioner General of Examinations L. M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Supreme Court ordered the Inspector General of Police to establish a committee to formulate a regulatory framework for Police officers to follow when conducting inquiries into disputes. The Supreme Court gave this direction as part of an interim order issued when an incident where a senior police officer had obstructed an Attorney at Law from performing his duties was taken up in court. According to the petitioner, an Attorney, he had visited the Boralasgamuwa Police on the 13th of November 2021 to represent his client at the police station. The petitioner stated, while representing his client, Senior Superintendent of Police K.S.K Rupasinghe had demanded that he step out of the room. The petitioner had refused to do so. The SSP had then proceeded to threaten the Attorney claiming he will be thrown into a cell.

KYM Marsh has shared an update after it was revealed she won't take part in Strictly this weekend after testing positive for Covid. A statement from hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing said "all being well", ex-Corrie actress Kym Marsh, 46, will return with pro partner Graziano Di Prima, 28, next weekend. But her pro-dance partner shared an update to his Instagram account - hinting that despite the setback, the pair are still focused on the competition.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyabalapitiya says that the consumption of alcohol in the country has decreased by 30%.The state minister said the production of legal liquor has increased by 11%.He further said that the flooding of illegal alcohol in the market has decreased.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board says that the use of a drug called ICE (methamphetamine) among school children is on the rise.The Chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, Sakya Nanayakkara said that parents should pay special attention to their children and their activities.He further said that parents should pay special attention to the people their children associate with, their travels, and their children's behaviour.

Covid-19 update: The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala. India has reported 389 coronavirus infections, taking the cumulative Covid-19 tally to 4,46,71,219 on Saturday, while active cases declined to 5,395, according to the Union Health Ministry data.  The country's death toll climbed to 5,30,608 with three fatalities, including one reconciled by Kerala, according to the ministry data.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and Matara, Hambanthota, Ampara and Jaffna districts during the afternoon or night.Mainly fair weather will prevail elsewhere in the country.The misty condition can be expected in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central provinces, and Galle and Matara districts during the morning.Condition of Rain:A few showers are likely in sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Hambantota via Matara.Winds:Winds will be from a north-easterly or variable direction and the speed will be (20-30) kmph. State of Sea:The sea areas around the island will be slight. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and Matara, Hambanthota, Ampara and Jaffna districts during the afternoon or night.Mainly fair weather will prevail elsewhere in the country.The misty condition can be expected in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central provinces, and Galle and Matara districts during the morning.Condition of Rain:A few showers are likely in sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Hambantota via Matara.Winds:Winds will be from a north-easterly or variable direction and the speed will be (20-30) kmph. State of Sea:The sea areas around the island will be slight. 

South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership has won three awards of national trophies.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that electricity tariffs will be increased, again."No matter who becomes, President, Finance Minister, or Government we cannot avoid another hike in tariffs.," he told Parliament on Friday (25) adding that Sri Lanka will not receive rainfall in 2023 as it did in 2022.Therefore, according to the Minister it costs Rs. 56.90 to generate a unit for the CEB to deliver around clock electricity."We charge Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – On the 26th and 27th of November, the Dawoodi Bohra community of Sri Lanka will host the Bohra Business Exposition 2022 at the Havelock City Hall, from 10am- 9pm.For generations, the Dawoodi Bohra community in Sri Lanka has played an instrumental role in Sri Lanka's business sphere and continually has had an impact on the lives of million employed and engaged with their sectors. Subsequent to their entry into Sri Lanka's business community in 1830, the Bohra entrepreneurs infiltrated the business community as traders and merchants.

With a steady decline in covid cases, several state governments have eased travel norms and mandatory wearing of masks NEW DELHI: India reported 365 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pulling down active cases to 5,516, according to an update by the Union health ministry on Friday. Total reported cases in the country since the pandemic hit in 2020 now stands at 4,46,70,830, and death toll at 530,604. Active cases account for 0.01% of total reported infections, while the recovery rate stands at 98.80%, according to the health ministry.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government of China has donated 10.6 Million liters of Diesel to Sri Lanka for farmers and fisheries in Sri Lanka.The "Super Eastern" vessel carrying diesel is scheduled to arrive in the country form Singapore to the Port of Colombo tomorrow (26).The embassy earlier tweeted that China will donate 10.6 million liters of diesel to farmers and fishermen in remote areas of Sri Lanka, to upgrade livelihood in the most affected sectors of agriculture & fishery. The shipments are scheduled between November and December, and will be distributed to the needed asap.

new high of Americans say they believe the pandemic is "over."Most say they think COVID-19 infections will increase "a great deal" (15%) or "a moderate amount" (47%) in the fall and winter months.

Covid-19: The death toll climbed to 5,30,514 with three new fatalities -- two in Maharashtra and one in Rajasthan --being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated. India logged 1,016 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,46,63,968, while the active cases dipped to 13,187, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,514 with three new fatalities -- two in Maharashtra and one in Rajasthan --being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Fran Drescher has praised Disney for dropping Covid vaccine mandates on 12 shows - after previously calling for a review of the strict measures.The president of the SAG-AFTRA actors union, 65, posted a video on Wednesday captioned: 'Way to go Mickey! as she celebrated Disney's decision that shows including 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy - would no longer require cast and crew members to be vaccinated.In an impassioned video, the star - who is herself vaccinated - likened vaccine mandates to 'fascism' and lauded the entertainment company for becoming one of the first notable studios to lift the mandate. Joy: Fran Drescher has praised Disney for dropping Covid vaccine mandates on 12 shows - after previously calling for a review of the strict measuresShe said: 'To think that every human on the planet can take one vaccine is ludicrous.'And to make that one vaccine the criteria for who is allowed to work, travel, dine, go to theatre … is an infringement on the Disabilities Act, the Freedom of Religion Act, and body sovereignty.

MIKE Tindall has been investigated over breaching I'm A Celeb's strict Covid rules by playfully tackling an assistant producer, it has been revealed. The former England Rugby ace, who is married to the late-Queen's granddaughter Zara Philips, could have broken ITV rules that dictate cast and crew members must remain at least two meters apart at all times.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Olivia Attwood was apparently not forced to leave the ITV show for Covid reasons, despite previous reports claiming otherwise.The celeb shocked viewers when she left the Australian-based series within the first 24 hours of arriving. The Love Island star entered the jungle last Sunday alongside the likes of Boy George, and radio DJ Chris Moyles, and quickly made an impact on fans.During her brief time on the show, Olivia was tipped as a possible Queen of the jungle, but fans were soon left disappointed after ITV confirmed she had to exit the show on medical grounds.On Monday night, host Declan Donnelly said: "Unfortunately, Olivia Attwood has left the jungle for medical reasons and sadly won't be returning."Ant McPartlin added: "Now, she does feature in tonight's show, which was filmed before she had to leave.

(More details are being added.)    

States have been asked to continue monitoring incoming international travelers, undertake constant genome sequencing and step-up vaccination. NEW DELHI: India reported 811 fresh covid infections in the past 24 hours, while active cases slipped to 13,559, the health ministry said in an update on Wednesday.

₹1,854.5 crore, lower than consensus estimates. This is the first decline in Divi’s revenue in the last 20 quarters, said analysts from Nuvama. Operating deleverage coupled with high energy costs meant that the Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin fell fast.

Council finance chiefs are proposing to use Covid-19 response cash to ease cost of living pressures in the region.

Police in northeastern China said that seven people have been arrested following a clash between residents and authorities enforcing COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. The violence comes as China reports new cases nationwide, with 2,230 cases reported Tuesday in the southern manufacturing and technology hub of Guangzhou.

Covid-19: The country's infection tally has climbed to 4,46,62,141, while the active cases have declined to 14,021, the ministry data updated at 8 am stated. India saw a single-day rise of 625 fresh Covid-19 cases, the lowest since April 9, 2020, while no death was reported in a span of 24 hours in first such instance since March 2020, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. The country's infection tally has climbed to 4,46,62,141, while the active cases have declined to 14,021, the ministry data updated at 8 am stated.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Eight Sri Lankan sailors, who are part of a 26 member crew of MT Heroic Idun, an oil vessel, have been "illegally" detained by Equatorial Guinea since 14 August.Apart from the Sri Lankan sailors, the crew also includes 6 Indian sailors and a national each of Poland and Philippines.As per the crew, their vessel was arrested by an Equatorial Guinea naval ship on international waters on 12th August and brought to Luba port under naval escort and threat of legal action.The vessel was arrested based on a request made by Nigeria.The Nigerian Navy says it is conducting an investigation into the activities of MT HEROIC IDUN, a supertanker, arrested by Equatorial Guinea forces over alleged crude oil theft in Nigeria.The vessel and its crew were arrested on August 7th by the Central African country after it fled from Nigeria’s AKPO oilfield when its alleged activities were uncovered by operatives of the Nigerian Navy.Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, spokesperson of the Nigerian Navy, confirmed that the vessel is on it way back to Nigeria for further investigations.He said after the investigation is complete, the office of the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) will determine whether or not the vessel and its crew will be prosecuted by the federal government.The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited in September said it loses $700 million every month as a result of oil theft and vandalism at terminals.The Incident: The Heroic Idun ship was supposed to load cargo of crude oil in Nigeria’s AKPO terminal on 8 August, but as per terminal instructions the loading operation was delayed and the ship never made any operations in Nigeria.The same evening, the ship was approached by an unidentified craft claiming

Doctors were able to cure the man with a mix of neutralising antibodies known to be effective against early coronavirus variants A Covid patient who testest for 411 days has finally been cured. This is the longest phase a patient has suffered from the infection anywhere in the world.  As per reports, 59-year-old British man patient first tested positive in December 2020 and he continued to test positive for Covid until January 2022.

up by double digits since July when optimism was waning amid rising cases.With weekly COVID-19 cases now lower than in July, the 65% of U.S. adults who believe the pandemic is improving is up 24 percentage points and on par with readings in February and April. In addition, 24% of Americans say the situation is staying about the same and 11% think it is getting worse.Gallup began measuring public perceptions of the coronavirus situation once per quarter this year after tracking it monthly in 2021 and weekly for much of 2020.Though markedly improved, the current assessment, from an Oct.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Sri Lankan Government has announced via an Extraordinary gazette that electricity supply, petroleum production and distribution, hospital services have been declared as essential services. 

Covid-19 update: The death toll climbed to 5,30,479 with 18 fatalities which includes 15 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. With 1,216 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 4,46,58,365, while the active cases declined to 15,705, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,30,479 with 18 fatalities which includes 15 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Qatar Fund for Development sent 4.7 tons of urgent medical aid to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.The Aid was received by Jassim bin Jaber J.B. Al-Sorour, Ambassador of the State of Qatar and Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Health in Sri Lanka and in the presence of the Diplomats in the Mission and the senior officials of the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka including  Janaka Chandraguptha, Secretary – Ministry of Health, Dr.

Hong Kong’s attempts to welcome back global investors with a flagship summit were overshadowed by the controversial handling of a top local official’s Covid-19 test result, a typhoon and a lack of debate over how coronavirus restrictions have weakened investors’ confidence in both Hong Kong and mainland China.

The best way to deal with the new COVID variant is to keep the immunity quotient high throughout the year Even after nearly 3 years, COVID remains a threat to us mostly because the virus is still mutating. The latest variant of Omicron continues to be a threat to us as it is said to spreading faster than its predecessors and has immune escape properties. So even if you are vaccinated and also boosted, you still need to be careful.

HONG KONG : Foxconn Technology Group is scrambling to contain a weekslong Covid-19 outbreak at an iPhone factory in central China, trying to appease frightened and frustrated workers during a crucial period for smartphone orders. In Foxconn’s main Zhengzhou facility, the world’s biggest assembly site for Apple Inc.’s iPhones, hundreds of thousands of workers have been placed under a closed-loop system for almost two weeks. They are largely shut off from the outside world, allowed only to move between their dorms or homes and the production lines.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Health says nearly 7 Million Pfizer vaccines will expire today (31).Director of the epidemiology unit Dr Samitha Ginige says that even today people can visit to obtain their vaccine.The Pfizer vaccine stock will expire at midnight today (31).Currently, 52% of the population has been fully vaccinated.Dr Ginige further said that members of the people still have the option of obtaining Sinopharm vaccines.

Humza Yousaf has admitted it could take five years for the NHS in Scotland to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The SNP health secretary spoke candidly today about the huge pressures facing the country's hospitals ahead of a challenging winter period.

The country’s active caseload has declined to 18,317 taking the total tally of covid cases to 44.6 million and 529,016 deaths so far New Delhi : India reported 1,604 new covid cases in the last 24 hours, as per the Union health ministry. The country’s active caseload has declined to 18,317 taking the total tally of covid cases to 44.6 million and 529,016 deaths so far. While Assam has reported 2,613 active caseload, Gujarat has contributed 414 active cases.

Covid-19 update: The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,29,016 with eight fatalities being recorded, including three reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am showed. With 1,604 more people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, India's tally of Co-19 cases has gone up to 4,46,52,266 while that of active cases has declined to 18,317, according to Union Health Ministry data on Sunday. The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,29,016 with eight fatalities being recorded, including three reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Two Lanarkshire health and social care heroes are up for top awards for their dedication to help people in their communities.

Val Chmerkovskiy will miss Monday's (31. 10. 22) 'Dancing with the Stars' after testing positive for COVID-19.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Health says that the remaining doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be disposed using appropriate methods.Accordingly, approximately 7 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will expire in two days on Monday, the 31st of October.The Deputy Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath said that after Monday, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be available in the country, until a new batch is imported.Dr.

In the last 24 hours, more than 2,161 patients recovered from the infection. Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 4,41,02,852 people have recovered from the disease. New Delhi: India reported 1,574 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

Val Chmerkovskiy revealed this Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss the Halloween episode of Dancing With The Stars.The 36-year-old heartthrob made the announcement in a shirtless Instagram video, saying that while 'I feel fine' he regrets having 'let some people down.'He shared that in his absence, his celebrity dance partner Gabby Windey of Bachelor Nation fame will be temporarily teamed up with pro Alan Bersten. Whoops: Val Chmerkovskiy revealed this Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to miss the Halloween episode of Dancing With The StarsVal said his diagnosis 'sucks majorly, for lack of a better, more profound word, but the good thing is that Gabby tested negative so we’re still in it.'On an optimistic note he pointed out that 'we have some awesome pros on the show, one of them being Alan, who’s gonna step in, learn the routine and partner Gabby this Monday.

A special award was gifted to all NHS Tayside staff at this year’s STAR Awards for their incredible work saving numerous lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health officials have warned about two mutant strains of coronavirus that have emerged in the UK.