Singapore to lift Covid-19 restrictions even for non-vaccinated from next week

Also Read: Do you have COVID cough? Here’s how to find out Everyone should use a mask when going outside, especially in crowded areas, Guleria advises. Although it is expected that new variants may emerge and that existing types will continue to mutate, the current circumstance is different.

A rapidly spreading Covid strain has been dubbed the Nightmare Variant after it was found to double infections in a matter of days.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A decision has been taken to wind up operations of the “Covid 19 Health and Social Security Fund”, which was established to provide relief to those affected by the Covid 19 epidemic, and Cabinet approval has been obtained for it.The Secretary of the Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund, Dr Tharaka Liyanapathirana notified the public that the “Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund” at the Bank of Ceylon, account number 85737373 has been closed down effective from October 18th and requested the public not to donate to this fund from now on.He also notified donors not to send cheques or money towards this fund, to the Presidential Secretariat.The secretary of the Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund extended his appreciation to the donors who contributed to this fund to make this program implemented throughout the country during the Covid-19 epidemic, a success.The Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund had received a total of Rs. 2,207,164,785.58 (Rs.

Hong Kong is unlikely to make any major changes to Covid restrictions for inbound travelers before a banking summit next month, but is considering concessions including allowing attendees to leave the city via private jet should they test positive for the virus. The health bureau is in discussions with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to finalize details for the two-day summit set for early November, including what to do if a participant is infected, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.

pregnancy-related deaths last year, according to a government report released on Wednesday. It says that it is a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims. The report lays out trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies, the news agency AP reported.

Meanwhile, states have been asked to continue monitoring incoming international travelers, undertake constant genome sequencing and step-up vaccination. NEW DELHI: India reported 2,141 new covid infections in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said in an update on Thursday. Active cases now stand at 25,510, with total reported cases since the pandemic hit in early 2020 at more than 4.46 crore.

PHILADELPHIA - A man is in critical condition after police say he was shot at multiple times in North Philadelphia Tuesday night.Reports of gunshots were called into police on the 3200 block of West Allegheny Avenue around 9:33 p.m.The 34-year-old man was later found to be the victim of that shooting.

China's capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop Covid, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks, just as a key Communist Party congress entered full swing.

Also Read: COVID-19 lockdown, mass testing in China despite minor cases - here’s why On October 20, the 21 million-people city reported 18 additional locally-transmitted cases for the day before, bringing the total for the preceding 10 days to 197. The 49 infections found in the prior 10-day period were outnumbered by that number by a factor of four.

Covid-19: The cumulative caseload of India has gone up to 4,46,36,517, while the active cases declined to 25,510. India again witnessed an increase in daily Covid-19 cases with the country reporting 2,141 coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The country had logged around 1,500 cases on Tuesday.  With this, the cumulative caseload of India has gone up to 4,46,36,517, while the active cases declined to 25,510.

ANI, he said, “I would suggest to everyone that if they are going out and especially in crowded places then they must wear a mask." Dr Guleria also warned that high-risk patients can get serious infection. "High-risk groups, elderly people should avoid going out because there are high chances of spreading infection and some can also get a serious infection," he said.

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 booster by Novavax and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH are allowing use of the COVID-19 booster by Novavax.Novavax monovalent COVID-19 boosters are recommended for adults 18 and older for whom a bivalent booster by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna is not clinically appropriate and adults who would otherwise not get a COVID-19 booster.Adults who completed their primary series of Novavax, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines at least six months ago can receive a Novavax booster if they have not already received a different booster by another manufacturer.“We encourage people to get the new bivalent boosters from Pfizer or Moderna because those are the only boosters specially designed to protect against Omicron subvariants.

12 Years a Slave. This led to the start of her remarkable film and theater career playing memorable roles. But after Nyong’o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she experienced “panic” and serious health issues.

COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, WHO says On Oct. 17, 2021, there were 218 COVID patients in ICU and 772 in non-ICU spaces, a total of 990.

WASHINGTON - COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims, according to a government report released Wednesday.The report lays out grim trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies.It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80% since 2018, with COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year.

WASHINGTON - U.S. regulators on Wednesday authorized a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax.The Food and Drug Administration said the new booster option is for people 18 and older who can’t get the updated omicron-targeting Pfizer or Moderna boosters for medical or accessibility reasons -- or who otherwise would not receive a COVID-19 booster shot at all.The FDA specified the additional Novavax shot was to be used as a first booster -- not for people who've already had one or more booster doses already — at least six months after completing their primary shots.FILE - In this photo illustration a COVID-19 vaccine is seen with the Novavax logo in the background.

Ontario has quietly changed masking rules for long-term care homes, no longer requiring visitors or caregivers to wear them when alone with a resident in their room.Long-term care homes are one of the only places where provincial mask mandates remain, after Ontario lifted most such requirements in June.But the rules were changed as of Friday, though no public announcement was made. Operators were notified and the COVID-19 guidance document for long-term care homes was updated on an Ontario government website, said a spokesperson for Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra.

Overall COVID-19 cases declined again last week, down 6% compared to the week before, but some Western Asian nations such as Singapore are experiencing a steady surge in cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest update on the pandemic.

Two new studies uncover the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global life expectancy (LE), one showing substantial and sustained LE losses in the United States and Eastern Europe, and the other finding a link between LE at 60 years of age before the pandemic and excess deaths amid COVID-19 only in countries with older populations.

Among a group of vaccinated college athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 and underwent rapid antigen testing 7 days later, 27% were still positive—a proportion that climbed to 35% in symptomatic athletes and 40% in those infected with the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.The findings, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, suggest that

Ontario hospitals are coming up with alternative solutions, including the use of unconventional patient spaces and new staffing models, to deal with high patient volumes and long wait times as cases of COVID-19 and other illnesses rise.The Ottawa Hospital says recent high patient volumes have been straining its capacity, while staff pressures, as well as ongoing COVID-19 cases, have made it difficult to manage the issue.The hospital says it has prepared several “temporary unconventional spaces” that could be used to care for patients if needed.

Delhi EV Policy released in 2019 set a target of accelerated EV penetration across all vehicle segments so that 25% of all new vehicle registrations are EVs by 2024. The policy also aims to take the share of electric buses in the public transport bus fleet to 70% by 2025.

FILE-A driver sits in his vehicle as he waits for a health care professional to swab his nose for a COVID-19 PCR test at a Nomi Health testing center inside Tropical Park in Miami on May 24, 2022. (Daniel A.

Novavax's vaccine is based on an older technology that has been used for decades to combat diseases including hepatitis B and influenza. Wednesday's decision is in addition to the earlier clearance for the protein-based vaccine as a primary two-shot regimen for those 12 years and above.

Ryan Seacrest has been seen for the first time since he revealed a week ago he had come down with COVID-19.The morning show star looked healthy on Tuesday in a dark suit with a polka dot scarf around his neck in New York City.The 47-year-old The Kardashians producer was with his 24-year-old model girlfriend Aubrey Paige.

Covid-19 cases between 10 -16 October compared to the previous week. XXB was discovered in Singapore in August. It is a hybrid of Omicron's BA.2.75 and BJ.1 sub-variants.

The World Health Organization has said that Covid-19 remains a global emergency, nearly three years after it was first declared as one.

descendants. Worse, they potentially undermine a critical message: Covid vaccines still provide good protection against all of these variants. Much of the recent hubbub arose because the Centers for Disease Control updated its estimates of circulating variants, noting that two — BQ.1 and BQ.1.1., both descendants of the by-now familiar BA.5 — combined now account for about 11% of infections in the US.

Covid-19 cases in the second week of October. The Department's Surveillance Officer Dr Pradeep Awate had earlier said that the state has reported the XBB variant, which is a new variant having a "growth advantage" over BA.2.75 and immune evasive property. The city civic body asked citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection, if not done so till now and also get booster dose, and wear face masks in crowded places and follow other COVID-19 protocols.

Elon Musk has claimed that the names of new Covid variants are giving him inspiration for the names of future children.The world’s richest man was responding to a story discussing how variants of Omicron are appearing differently around the globe, rather than just as a single strain.On Twitter, Shibetoshi Nakamoto – the pseudonym for the person behind the cryptocurrency Dodgecoin – posted a screen grab from the article along with a caption.READ MORE: Elon Musk says World War Three could be on the horizon as Putin prepares his nukes“Did Elon Musk name these new covid variants[?]” they asked.Musk appeared to deny that he was in fact the person behind the naming, but did it admit it was giving him inspiration.He replied: “Definitely giving me kid naming ideas”.Musk has a bit of a track record of unusual baby names.In May 2020, the Tesla founder shared a snap of his and musician Grimes’s newborn son.The accompanying caption revealed that the baby boy’s name was “X Æ A-12 Musk” – something that people still find impossible to pronounce.X Æ A-12 was the couple's first child together.Some people were convinced the name was pronounced as “X Ash Archangel”, in reference to a Lockheed aircraft that is nicknamed Archangel.On Twitter, one fan mused: "How do you pronounce that even? Like you can't just go "Come here X AE A-12", like is it pronounced John or Smith.

(With inputs from agencies)

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament on Wednesday (19) that there is no national policy to cater to the non-academic education staff in the country.He told the house that the 30,000 plus non-academic staff are facing numerous issues due to the absence of a proper policy that also includes promotions.He said that educated individuals are serving as janitors, and security officers as a result of the absence of a proper policy to facilitate their future progress.The Opposition Leader also raised concern over the funds that have been allocated for security officers for their uniforms, torches, and batteries, however, no one appears to know what happens to the money that is reserved from the budget.Education Minister Susil Premajayantha proposed for the non-academic education staff to be recruited to management-level positions in schools, and if they are already qualified they can sit for the management-level examinations.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.75%, while the weekly positivity rate was 1.01%, the health ministry said New Delhi: India reported 1,946 new covid cases in the last 24 hours, according to the union health ministry on Wednesday. The active caseload currently stands at 25,968.

(With inputs from PTI)

Diwali and other upcoming festivals to prevent a spike in cases.  In a statement, the BMC said the festival season is a “critical period" as there may be a tendency to ignore COVID-19 safe behaviour during festivals due to large gatherings, events, fairs and crowds in enclosed and non-ventilated spaces. 1) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked citizens to get vaccinated against the viral infection, if not done so till now   2) The Mumbai civic body has also asked all  to get booster dose, and wear face masks in crowded places and follow other COVID-19 protocols.

Covid-19 update: The death toll climbed to 5,28,923 with 10 fatalities, which include six deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated by the the Union health ministry at 8 am stated. India saw a single day rise of 1,946 infections, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,34,376, while the active cases declined to 25,968, according to government data updated on Wednesday. The death toll climbed to 5,28,923 with 10 fatalities, which include six deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated by the the Union health ministry at 8 am stated.

COVID-19 variants, as early signs show a fall resurgence of the virus.At the House of Commons health committee, Dr. Theresa Tam says the Public Health Agency of Canada is keeping a careful eye on the evolution of Omicron variants, which are the most common subvariants in the country.Tam says in the early days of the pandemic the virus would mutate in all sorts of ways, because there was no immunity from previous infection or vaccines.

A study of essential and frontline workers in six US states who tested positive for COVID-19 and received two or three mRNA vaccine doses before Delta infections and three doses before Omicron infections suggests that they had significantly milder infections and lower viral loads than their unvaccinated peers.

New research from the American Psychological Association (APA) shows that various state restrictions and lockdowns imposed during the first 6 months of the pandemic were not related to worsening mental health. The study is published in Health Psychology.The research was based on data collected from a survey of

Several road closures in Barrie this Thursday for funeral of 2 Ontario police officers shot dead Six patients have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been isolated.Health officials say enhanced cleaning measures and contact tracing are underway, as well as swabbing of patients and staff.Admissions to the unit are on hold during the outbreak and visitors are not permitted, staff at the health centre said.

Pals remembered a popular Lanarkshire man 'who always had headphones on' at a nightclub fundraiser, while raising vital funds for a local suicide prevention charity.

POTTSTOWN, Pa. - The deaths of two teenagers has sparked a homicide investigation in Pottstown, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.Police found the male teens while responding to nine calls of shots fired near Fourth and Johnson street around 11:30 p.m.

The researchers at Boston University have claimed that they have developed a Covid-19 strain that inflicts severe disease and has  80 per cent kill rate. The ones that are dominant across the world such as the sub-variants of Omicron are said to be mild when it comes to their severity. To develop the most lethal Covid strain, the researchers, according to a report, extracted the spike protein from Omicron and genetically engineered it into the strain of Covid-19 which was first detected in China’s Wuhan and tried it on mice.

Many families will be looking forward to jetting off this October half term to get some sun before winter arrives. Across the world countries have scrapped their coronavirus entry requirements, so you can travel abroad without having to worry about completing complicated forms or presenting vaccine certificates.

The Health Information and Quality Authority has published a review of public health measures that 21 countries have planned to use this winter in the event of a Covid-19 surge.

COVID-19 vaccination policy by the end of the year.The last day for the policy will be on Dec. 31.

coronavirus pandemic – and has "no regrets".Jodi Cross had been trying to fall pregnant with her husband Rob for a year.And as life slowed down for the furloughed hairdresser during the pandemic, she had more time to focus on planning for a baby. READ MORE: Mum banned from Halloween bash by 'Karens' after planning Jeffrey Dahmer costume for baby The couple, from Wixams, Bedfordshire, were delighted to find out they were expecting their first daughter during the second lockdown.She they decided to call her baby Lockie – short for lockdown.Jodi, 36, said: "We had been trying for a year to get pregnant and lockdown meant I was furloughed and Rob was working less."I think we just relaxed a bit because we had so much more time than we normally would, and then we found out I was pregnant."When she was born there was the new strain of Covid coming about – Omicron – so we knew she'd be a lockdown baby."So we named her Lockie for lockdown – we really liked the name, and lockdown was a good time in our lives because it was so relaxing."If it wasn't for the pandemic, the pair may not have fallen pregnant so quickly.Rob, 36, moved in with Jodi as the nationwide lockdown began in March 2020.Jodi recalled: "I ended up taking over a little salon during lockdown because I had been on furlough a long time."By this point we had been trying for a year and thought pregnancy wasn't going to happen so started to focus on work instead."A week later I found out I was pregnant."The couple were overjoyed – and got hitched in secret when Jodi was seven months pregnant.Their baby was born last November and they decided to celebrate her conception by calling her Lockie.Jodi said: "We know lots of people didn't enjoy lockdown but for us, it was a

States have been asked to continue monitoring incoming international travelers, undertake constant genome sequencing and step-up vaccination. NEW DELHI: Over the past 24 hours, India reported 1,542 new covid cases, the lowest single-day rise, the Union health ministry said in an update on Tuesday. Active cases are now at 26,449, with total reported cases since the pandemic hit in early 2020 at 4.46 crore.