Health

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) A possible third wave of coronavirus may peak in November if a new variant, more virulent than the Delta, emerges and becomes fully active by September end, a scientist involved in the mathematical modelling of pandemic said on Monday.

At the same time, the third wave may not see the number of new cases going as high as the second wave and is more likely to be on the lines of the first wave.

23 Aug 2021; MEMO: The Egyptian government yesterday said it would not allow unvaccinated civil servants from accessing their places of work starting October.

"The decision is taken as part of government measures to prevent a fourth wave of the coronavirus," the Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, told reporters.

Zayed added that all civil servants at the education and higher education ministries would be "vaccinated before the end of September, in preparation for the start of the new academic year."

LONDON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Wuhan lab leak theory is more about politics than science, The Guardian newspaper reported Sunday.

Whatever this week's Biden review on the virus' origins finds, the cause of the pandemic lies in the destruction of animal habitats. As for the "lab leak" theory of the disease, scientists refuted the idea in the paper.

Kanpur: The possibility of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic remains negligible, claimed Senior Scientist, IIT Kanpur, Prof Manindra Aggarwal.

Releasing his new research based on his mathematical ‘model formula’, explaining that the COVID-19 vaccination crusade has  reduced the risk of a third wave.

Therefore it can be said that It is a massive vaccination that has ensured the reduction in infection to a great extent.

States like UP, Bihar, Delhi are on the way to become almost infection-free, he said.

Hanoi, Aug 21 (AP-PTI) Vietnam's government said it is sending troops to Ho Chi Minh City to help deliver food and aid to households as it further tightens restrictions on people's movements amid a worsening surge of the coronavirus.

The army personnel will be deployed to help with logistics as the city of 10 million people asks residents to stay put for two weeks starting from Monday, a report on the government website said Friday.

Colombo, Aug 21 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has warned of the consequences the public will need to face if a longer lockdown is enforced as he ordered a 10-day nationwide shutdown to combat the spike in coronavirus cases.

In a televised address to the nation on Friday, Rajapaksa said he agreed to enforce a brief lockdown from 10 pm till 4 am on August 30, however, if a longer shutdown is enforced in future then the public will need to be prepared to make sacrifices.

Sydney, Aug 20 (AP-PTI) A lockdown in Australia's largest city was extended through September and tougher measures to curb the coronavirus's delta variant were imposed Friday, including a curfew and a mask mandate outdoors.

New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, reported 642 locally acquired infections in the latest 24-hour period, the fourth consecutive day of tallies exceeding 600.

Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) At least seven first information reports (FIRs) for alleged violation of COVID-19 norms were registered in Mumbai on Thursday against the organizers of the BJP's `Jan Ashirwad Yatra', an official said.

Cases were registered at Vile Parle, Kherwadi, Mahim, Shivaji Park, Dadar, Chembur and Govandi police stations under section 188 of IPC (disobeying an order duly promulgated by public servant) as well as Disaster Management Act and Mumbai Police Act, the official said.

19 Aug 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett yesterday ruled out the possibility of imposing a lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus as serious infection cases in the country hit a five-month high record.

"A lockdown is the easiest step for the government. Lots of people say, 'press on the lockdown button'… and everything is in order, except for one thing. In doing so we are destroying the future of the country," Bennett said during a televised press conference.

Hong Kong, Aug 18 (AP-PTI) Hong Kong will tighten entry restrictions for travellers arriving from the United States and 15 other countries beginning Friday, extending the quarantine period to 21 days.

Previously, the 15 countries, which also include Malaysia, Thailand, France and the Netherlands, were classified as medium-risk, with travellers able to stay only seven days of quarantine if they were fully vaccinated and tested positive for antibodies prior to leaving for the city.