Strengthening mental health services in the Pacific during COVID-19 and beyond

COVID on Friday, with 262 in intensive care units as figures continue to trend downwards.This is down by 13 hospitalizations and a decrease of five in ICUs since the previous day. Last Friday, there were 1,003 hospitalizations with 297 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 821 people in hospital with COVID-19, 44 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 56 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 262 people in ICUs with the virus, 80 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while 20 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Authorities say all known residents have been contacted and accounted for as investigators and search crews resume operations fire at a Silver Spring apartment complex the morning after an explosion and fire left over a dozen injured.Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said crews are still working to confirm that there were no visitors in the buildings at the time of the explosion. Goldstein said 14 people suffered injuries in the blast -- three with serious injuries and 11 with minor injuries.

A recent study by U.S. Government Accountability Office has elaborated on the syndrome and here is what we know about it: 

Kerala in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload to 65,08,845, said the health department on Friday.

WASHINGTON - U.S. employers added a robust 678,000 jobs in February, another gain that underscored the economy’s solid health as the omicron wave fades and more Americans venture out to spend at restaurants, shops and hotels despite surging inflation.The Labor Department’s report Friday also showed that the unemployment rate dropped from 4% to 3.8%, extending a sharp drop in joblessness as the economy has rebounded from the pandemic recession.The latest jobs data follows recent reports that have shown an economy maintaining strength as new COVID infections have plummeted since late January.

administered more than 178.29 crore (1,78,29,13,060) COVID-19 vaccine doses so far with 24.84 lakh doses (24,84,412) vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare said on Friday.

Stacey Solomon has opened up about the birth of her daughter Rose and her health battle on Loose Women.During Friday’s (4 March) instalment of the popular ITV daytime show, the mum-of-four returned to the show after her four-month maternity leave for the birth of her and fiancé Joe Swash’s second child.And while she updated fans on how life has changed for the couple since they welcomed the little tot, the 32-year-old revealed she was only in labour for an hour and a half before she welcomed their daughter.But despite having an “easier birth” the mum-of-four opened up about her daughter’s struggle with tongue tie which made stopped her from breastfeeding properly.This is a live TV story and is constantly being notes updated.Please refresh the page regularly to get the latest TV updates.TV & Showbiz reporters are working to source the latest information, reaction, pictures and video related to this story.You can also follow us on Twitter @DailyStar, or follow us on Instagram @dailystar to get the latest TV and celeb gossip 24 hours a day.Or like our Daily Star Showbiz Facebook page to get the day's biggest stories, and have your say on them.Why not also subscribe to receive our regular Daily Star showbiz newsletters?You can do this on this page by simply entering your email address above and hitting 'subscribe'.Download the Daily Star app for flash alerts on the biggest stories of the day, so you don't miss out.Why not also subscribe to receive our regular Daily Star news bulletins? You can do this on this page by simply entering your email address above and hitting 'subscribe'.

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next COVID wave is a "valuable input", Centre said, “But, it is yet to be examined whether this particular report has any scientific worth." The Centre further asserted that ‘it is completely prepared for the unpredictable virus’. Last week, an IIT Kanpur team of scientists suggested that India is likely to witness the 4th COVID wave in June. This is the same team that had correctly predicted that the third COVID wave would hit the country in February.  

High inflation caused by Covid-19 and Brexit, along with a reduced capital budget raised fears that two ongoing projects to extend Falkirk district primary schools might be delayed.

SIMPLY Red frontman Mick Hucknall has revealed he’s suffering from Long Covid. The singer was forced to cancel several shows last month after he contracted the virus and says he’s still experiencing symptoms now, including a racing heart and sleepless nights. Mick, 61, said: “I’ve got long Covid.

Two of Hong Kong's largest retail chains have started rationing some food and drug items to curb panic buying that has plagued the city over the past week amid fears of a citywide lockdown as Covid-19 cases soar.

Transport Canada says.The department didn’t say why or for how long the aircraft — that was grounded on Tuesday — would be restricted to the airport but told Global News in an email Thursday that Transport Canada is working with Canada’s Border Services Agency to “assess the matter.” Cryptocurrency a ‘double-edged sword’ in Ukraine-Russia war, experts say They said they are trying to find out if there has been any violation of the recently announced Notice to Airman (NOTAM) that prohibits Russian aircraft from operating in Canadian airspace.Ottawa officially closed up the nation’s airspace on Feb. 24 while announcing a set of sanctions against Russia as the war against Ukraine rages on.

Chrystia Freeland was photographed holding a scarf bearing colours associated with a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group from the Second World War this past weekend.Both her office and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress suggest the questions and criticism she has received about it online is linked to a pattern of Russian-backed disinformation targeting members of the Ukrainian community.The Twitter account for Freeland shared photos of the federal finance minister at a Ukrainian solidarity march in Toronto on Sunday holding a black-and-red scarf with the Ukrainian phrase “Slava Ukraini,” which translates to “Glory to Ukraine,” written in Cyrillic. Canada targets Russia and Belarus with tariffs, sends more lethal aid to Ukraine Toronto Mayor John Tory was in the group and his account also shared photos of the moment, including one that showed the other side of the scarf, which had the phrase “Heroyam Slava,” or “Glory to heroes.” Neither Tory nor Freeland are touching the scarf in that photo.Both accounts deleted the photos the next day. Freeland then issued an identical tweet about her presence at the march organized to show solidarity with Ukraine after Russia launched a multi-pronged attack on the sovereign country.

COVID-19 may have more than one variant of the virus attacking them, according to a pair of new studies published earlier this year.Researchers for the two studies — one published in January, the other in February — say their evidence suggests less dominant variants may be simultaneously present in the same infected individual, with some cloaking themselves from the immune system.That could make it difficult for infected patients to get rid of COVID-19 from their systems entirely, said Kapil Gupta, lead author of the January study, in a statement Tuesday.“Some of these variants may use kidney or spleen cells as their niche to hide, while the body is busy defending against the dominant virus type,” Gupta said. Arthritis drug cuts risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: U.K.

COVID-19 case tally rose to 42,951,556 with 6,396 people testing positive for the infection in a day while active cases declined to 69,897, according to Union Health Ministry data on Friday.

Cheryl Burke is opening up about her efforts to get in touch with her emotions and embrace her feelings following her split from Matthew Lawrence.The pro took to Instagram on Thursday to share a video with her fans and followers about how she's «been really trying to feel my feelings for the first time.»According to Burke, she's been reading up on different philosophies and schools of thought regarding the power of mindfulness and self-reflection, but that it hasn't been an easy road.«It has been an interesting journey so far, to say the least,» Burke, 37, shared. «It's been scary, because I'm so used to pushing through, because of my athleticism and dancing in general.

B.C. Premier John Horgan seemed to hint that the province might be dropping its mask requirement before spring break. Keith Baldrey has more.

Health Matters March 3: An Alberta woman was surprised to find out she’s not eligible for fertility treatments at PCRM because of her size. As Su-Ling Goh reports, the fertility clinic’s policy is controversial among obesity awareness advocates.

Covid-19 release contagious droplets when they breathe out, so a face covering helps to avoid spreading the disease. If you’re meeting people indoors it’s important to let fresh air in, so it’s a good habit to open the windows for 10 minutes every hour when people visit.

The increasing number of cases and hospitalisations is a reminder of the importance getting vaccinated and boosted.

LOS ANGELES - With rent prices skyrocketing across the country, some renters and prospective renters are finding themselves squeezed financially due to tight inventory, significantly high rental costs and multiple offers on less-than-ideal one-bedroom apartments. If this sounds like you, well, you’re not alone.Rentals have exploded across the nation, causing many to dig deep into their savings and risk eviction now that the federal moratorium has ended.But could renters possibly see some relief in the coming months amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Will prices for apartments finally come down?Brian Carberry, an expert with leading national consumer resource Rent.com, says rental prices started to skyrocket last summer, and monthly payments remain high for renters. "It really boils down to supply and demand right now," Carberry told FOX Television Stations Group. "Occupancy rates are at an all-time high right now, so there’s just not a lot of available inventory on the market for all of these people that are looking for a place to live.

press release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta states. TikTok's privacy policy states that users 13 and under may use the app to play with effects, watch videos, and follow others but not post public videos or interact with other users via messages. Recently the app experimented with the 'profile view' function, which would allow users to see who viewed their profile.

Dancing on Ice legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have shared a health update on contestant Connor Ball after the musician took a nasty fall during the latest live show.Last Sunday (February 27), The Vamps singer and his professional partner Alexandra Schauman skated to George Ezra’s Paradise dressed as pirates, but things didn’t go to plan as he lost his balance during a risky move and fell to the ice.He managed to slice his shin with a blade leaving it bleeding as concerned hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby checked he was ok.During an appearance on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch, Olympic skating champions Torvill and Dean gave an update on the star’s recovery.Asked if anyone had surprised them this series, Chris replied: "I think Connor is a surprise because our other top celebrities are all from a dancing background and Connor, he's a guitar player and so not so much."He's really stepped up, he's a stand out - he's our dark horse."Jayne added: "As Chris said, Connor, each week, has got better and better but unfortunately he's had a couple of falls recently. "He managed to kick himself in the shin last week, he's had stitches in his leg.

COVID-19 in Alberta declined slightly on Thursday to 1,204. That’s a drop from 1,231 patients in hospital with the disease on Wednesday.Of the people in hospital, 80 are being treated in intensive care.

Mike Bradley is among 15 Canadian mayors calling for the federal government to scrap all COVID-19 testing requirements for land border travellers who are double- or triple-vaccinated.In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the border city mayors, including Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, ask for an end to the testing guidelines, which they say are out of line with public health mandates and unjustified by current science.The letter, also cc’d to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, public safety minister Marco Mendocino, and health minister Jean-Yves Duclos, cites the “heavy price” pandemic travel measures have had on border communities, including through the lengthy closure of the land border to all but essential travel. Feds scrapping pre-arrival COVID PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers The letter comes days after the federal government lifted its pre-arrival PCR test requirements for double- and triple-vaccinated travellers.As of Monday, a negative rapid antigen or PCR test result will be accepted to meet entry requirements, provided the tests are administered by a lab or health care entity.

Americans living in rural areas are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 than their urban counterparts, and the gap between the two groups did not close during the Delta and Omicron surges, according to research published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

In the latest global COVID-19 developments, some recent hot spots reported new daily record cases, as US officials announced the transfer of some technology to an international effort to speed and share new pandemic tools.

From March 2020 to September 2021, women were more likely than men to lose their jobs, forego work to care for others, and report increasing violence, and women and girls were more likely than men and boys to drop out of school for reasons other than school closures, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet.University of Washington at Seattle researchers reviewing public

several municipalities in Ontario that is keeping its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for its employees.The decision is being made despite the provincial government lifting several pandemic restrictions, including ending proof-of-vaccination requirements in certain settings. Several Ontario municipalities keep mandatory COVID vaccine policies in place for employees In a statement, Guelph’s general manager of human resources Mark Ellis said the city remains committed to ensuring its workspaces and facilities are safe for all staff and residents who use their services.“In addition to public health requirements, the city’s vaccine policy and screening requirements will remain in place for staff,” Ellis said.“Our policy requires disclosure of vaccination status and a regular testing protocol for those who are unable to or chose not to get fully vaccinated.”In August 2020, the city announced that its employees had until Oct.

COVID-19-related deaths was reported by the Saskatchewan government Thursday.In the seven days ending Feb. 26, the deaths of 44 people with COVID-19 were reported in Saskatchewan, up from 37 in the previous reporting period.More than half the deaths — 24 — were reported in people aged 80 and older.One-quarter of the new deaths — 11 — were in the north-central zone and nine were reported in the Regina region.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says mask mandates will be removed by the end of March as long as positive public health trends continue.Dr. Kieran Moore says the province can “only mandate masking for so long,” with the risk from COVID-19 decreasing.He says Ontario has a very high vaccination rate, hospitalizations have been declining, and he believes the worst is behind us.However, he says that due to limited access to PCR testing, the true number of daily new COVID-19 cases can be estimated by multiplying the number of positive tests by 10, meaning there could be more than 22,000 new cases today.

Most of the Thompson family members are shown on the left; on the right is "M," whom they're trying to rescue and adopt from Ukraine. (Colleen Thompson) As Russia continues its attack against Ukraine, Colleen Thompson of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday about her family's desperate efforts to help orphans in Ukraine get out of the country safely.One orphan in particular, "M," is a future member of their family — a teenage girl whom the family had begun the process of adopting about three years ago.

Last Thursday, LHSC was caring for 50 COVID-19 patients with seven in adult intensive care.There are five or fewer COVID-19 inpatients in Children’s Hospital with five or fewer in pediatric critical care. The same figures were reported last Thursday. LHSC says of its 44 COVID-19 inpatients, 15 are being treated for COVID-19, while 29 are being treated with COVID-19, meaning they were admitted for a different reason and were found to have an incidental COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 will soon become a matter of personal choice rather than an obligation.The province announced Wednesday that mask mandates will be lifted by mid-April at the latest, but Luc Boileau said Thursday that the change could happen as soon as the third week of March.Boileau told a news conference that he’s encouraged by recent projections that indicate cases and hospitalizations have continued to decline.

AMES, Iowa - Going for a long jog or taking a brisk walk could increase the benefits of the COVID-19 shot, a new study finds.The findings, published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, demonstrate that 90 minutes of exercise after immunization of the vaccine increases antibody response several weeks later across several models.According to the study’s researchers, a total of 68 people were included in the final analysis, which analyzed the effects of exercise on different influenza vaccines or the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 75 mice were included in experiments to determine the minutes of exercise required to increase antibody response to the influenza vaccine.In the experiments involving the COVID-19 vaccine, participants were randomly assigned to 90 minutes of outdoor exercise — brisk walking or jogging depending on the fitness level of the person.

Dallas Cowboys players wear masks during the U.S. National Anthem before their game against the Baltimore Ravens.

COVID-19 pandemic, scenes like this did not exist inside Quebec’s long-term care homes.A year ago, Idola St-Jean was in the throes of a major COVID-19 outbreak, with dozens of workers and residents infected. Most activities were cancelled, and the Billy Joel singer — who normally is a recreation co-ordinator — was reassigned to a job in infection control.

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WASHINGTON - TikTok and its possible harmful effects on the mental health of children and teenager users are being investigated by a bipartisan group of U.S. state attorneys general from coast to coast — the latest issue for the wildly popular video-sharing app.A nationwide probe was announced Wednesday by a number of states, led by officials from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.

COVID-19 as hospital numbers dipped on Thursday.Pandemic-related hospitalizations dropped to 1,364, a decrease of 17 in the last day. This comes after 98 patients were admitted and 115 were released.The latest roundup also accounted for 76 intensive care unit cases.

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- Suicidal behaviours -

COVID-19 therapeutics to include a “conditional recommendation" on Merck & Co's Covid drug Molnupiravir, a new antiviral medicine. Under this conditional approval, Merck's Covid-19 antiviral pill was approved for patients who are in the early stages of the disease.WHO has updated its living guidelines on #COVID19 therapeutics to include a conditional recommendation on molnupiravir, a new antiviral medicine.https://t.co/ZRygSEAbzC

Delhi on Thursday reported 326 fresh Covid-19 cases and three death, while the positivity rate stood at 0.77% and the case fatality rate stood at 1.40%, according to data shared by the city's health department.