Pandemic
Pandemic News
'If not now, then when?' WHO chief asks country to prepare for next pandemic
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was addressing the 10th annual World Health Assembly in Geneva. The assembly addressed topics ranging from global health challenges to the eradication of polio and supporting steps to ease Ukraine's health emergency triggered by Russia's invasion.
Hundreds of millions of life years lost to COVID-19 pandemic, according to WHO
The pandemic wrecked worldwide devastation and killed roughly seven million people, with the total death toll estimated to be closer to 20 million
Not a Joke: Why the Japanese are taking lessons on how to smile
People in Japan believe that wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has made them forget how to smile. Now they are turning to experts who will train them to smile without appearing fake
US ends COVID-19 health emergency today: Key figures defining the pandemic
The COVID-19 public health emergency in the United States will end in full today. More than 1.1 million people have died of the disease in the US, making it the country with the most known pandemic deaths by absolute numbers
Banking instability to US debt default fears await G7 finance ministers
The world economy is still shaky following years of pandemic problems, which have been made worse by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the Group of Seven developed countries meet for three days
'Why': The one question haunting families in the US over mass shootings
There are a few reasons why mass shootings are so common in the US: A general increase in all types of gun violence; the proliferation of firearms amid lax gun laws; the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and a political climate unable or unwilling to change
WHO says COVID-19 emergency is over: What does this decision mean?
Although WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the coronavirus emergency was over, he warned that the virus is here to stay and that thousands of people continue to die every week. The risk of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths remains
60 per cent of US teen girls are 'persistently sad': What's ailing them?
A recent Centres for Disease Control and Prevention report showed almost 60 per cent of US girls reported persistent sadness and hopelessness. Is social media the root of their woes? Are their male peers somehow immune, or part of the problem?
Plant Pandemic is Real: How a disease is threatening wheat, the world’s most important food crop
The next big pandemic could leave billions hungry. According to a study, an unprecedented spread of a fungus is threatening wheat, the most-consumed grain in the world. The blast disease is affecting production in Bangladesh and it could spread to India and China, the biggest exporters of wheat
Philippines, China to use diplomacy to address boundary disputes
The Philippines hosted this week the first in-person meeting between diplomats from the countries since before the pandemic, amid a flare-up in tensions over what Manila described as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea
WATCH: Medanta Hospital MD expresses concern over rising Covid-19 cases, urges precautions
Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, MD, Medanta hospital has expressed concern over the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the Delhi NCR region and has urged people to take the required precautions
Flower Power: How cherry blossoms season is a boon for Japan's economy
Hanami or cherry blossom season is more than a national obsession in Japan. It brings an influx of revellers from the world over and this year is estimated to have a positive economic impact of 615.8 billion yen (Rs 38,312 crore)
Japan's government eases mask guidelines, but few are keen to change
Japan has never had a mask mandate, but residents have adhered to guidelines to wear them indoors and outside from the early days of the pandemic
North Korea chronic food shortage worsens amid COVID-19, but no famine yet
It is difficult to know the exact situation in the North, which kept its borders virtually closed during the pandemic. Food shortages and economic hardships have persisted since a famine killed estimated hundreds of thousands of people in the mid-1990s
Bird flu is spreading: Is this a foreboding of the next pandemic?
Millions of birds have been killed or culled since October 2021 due to the outbreak of avian influenza. While the deadly H5N1 virus has affected humans, the cases have been rare and there is no proof of people-to-people transmission yet. But could that change soon?
How life will change for Americans as Joe Biden announces the lifting of COVID-19 emergency
The end of the emergency may limit access to COVID-19 drugs, tests, and vaccines. When the emergency status is lifted on 11 May, federal funding for free treatment or vaccination will end, further slowing the already low uptake of boosters
6.8 million deaths, 135 million job losses and more: Key figures that define the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a series of unprecedented events, ranging from a record number of deaths, to a 3.1 per cent drop in global GDP, to masks becoming the pandemic's most symbolic accessory
Covid still an international emergency, says WHO
The UN health agency's emergency committee on Covid-19 met last Friday for a 14th time since the start of the crisis
COVID-19 still an international emergency, says World Health Organization
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had suggested the emergency phase of the pandemic is not over, pointing to surging numbers of deaths and warning that the global response to the crisis 'remains hobbled'
Explained: Why Asian hotspots aren't teeming with Chinese tourists
The expected resumption of group tours from China is likely to bring far more visitors. For now, it's only individual travellers who can afford to pay, with flights costing more than triple what they normally do, who are venturing abroad