Heena Sharma Blog

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the B.1.1.529 lineage of Sars-CoV-2, thought to have emerged in southern Africa, is to be designated as a variant of concern (VoC) named omicron . This decision has already precipitated a broad shift in priorities in pandemic management on a global scale. The WHO has recommended, among other things, increased surveillance, particularly virus genome sequencing; focused research to understand the dangers posed by this variant; and ramping up mitigation measures, such as mandatory mask wearing. Greater restrictions on international travel have already come into force in the UK and many other countries. Indeed, Japan has closed its borders to all foreign visitors. The speed with which the omicron variant was designated a VoC was dizzying. A little over two weeks passed since the first known infections in Botswana and South Africa. Contrast this with the delta variant that is currently dominant in Europe and many other parts ...

  The World Health Organization is opening a long-planned special session of member states to discuss ways to strengthen the global fight against pandemics like the coronavirus, just as the worrying new omicron variant has sparked immediate concerns worldwide. In the wake of diplomatic wrangling, a draft resolution at the special World Health Assembly stops short of calling for work toward specifically establishing a pandemic treaty" or legally binding instrument sought by some, which could beef up the international response when not if a new pandemic erupts. European Union member states and others had sought language calling for work toward a treaty, but the United States and a few other countries countered that the substance of any accord should be worked out first before any such document is given a name. A treaty would suggest a legally binding agreement that would require ratification and would likely incur domestic political haggling in some countries. Read More

  Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Thursday said it has conducted India's first 5G trial in the 700 MHz spectrum band in partnership with Nokia. The demonstration, which was conducted on the outskirts of Kolkata, also marked the first 5G trial in the eastern India, the company said in a statement. Airtel has been allotted test spectrum in multiple bands by Department of Telecommunications for the validation of 5G technology and use cases. "Airtel conducts India's first 5G trial in the 700 MHz band in partnership with Nokia," the telco said. Airtel used equipment from Nokia's 5G portfolio, which included Nokia AirScale radios and standalone (SA) core. Read More  

  I own a smart TV which I bought in 2019. It was rich in specifications and features back then, but it now seems to have aged prematurely. Not that it has bad picture or audio quality, but it lags behind newer smart televisions in performance, connectivity, and user experience. Thankfully, there are streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max which bring to speed these otherwise mediocre televisions with their faster internet connectivity, sleek performance, and support for tons of new and updated apps. How? Let’s find out: What is Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max? The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a streaming device with HDMI interface that turns any screen with HDMI input into a smart screen connected to the internet for online streaming of content available on supported apps like YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, etc. It boots Android operating system-based Amazon’s Fire OS with Amazon services like Prime Video and Amazon Music built-in, and ...

  India reported 7,579 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the smallest rise in one-and-a-half-years despite huge festival gatherings in recent weeks, thanks to rising vaccinations and antibodies from prior infections. The country of 1.35 billion celebrated Durga Puja in October and Diwali this month, during which millions of people shopped, travelled and met family, mostly without masks. Mask-wearing is nearly non-existent outside the big cities. "Even after Diwali, we are not seeing a surge," said M.D. Gupte, a former director of the state-run National Institute of Epidemiology, attributing it mainly to the presence of antibodies in a huge majority of Indians through natural infection. "I think we are much safer now." Government surveys have estimated that nearly 70% of Indians had been naturally infected by July, following a record rise in infections and deaths in April and May. Read More

  India recorded 8,488 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 538 days, taking the country's total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,18,901, while the active cases declined to 1,18,443, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll climbed to 4,65,911 with 249 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 45 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 148 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.34 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.31 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 4,271 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Read More

  India reported 11,106 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday. With this, India's active caseload stands at 1,26,620. The active cases now account for less than 1 per cent of total cases, currently at 0.37 per cent, the lowest since March 2020. With 12,789 people recovering in the last 24 hours, the recovery tally has gone up to 3,38,97,921. The recovery rate is currently at 98.28 per cent, the highest since March 2020. The country also reported 459 deaths in a day. As per the health ministry, the daily positivity rate stands at 0.98 per cent. It has remained below 2 per cent for the last 46 days while the weekly positivity rate is at 0.92 per cent, less than 2 per cent for the last 56 days. India has tested 62.93 crore samples for Covid-19 so far. More than 115.23 crore vaccine doses have been administered under the nationwide vaccination drive. Read More