COVID19 | Common News Update

Apr122021 by adminNo Comments

NHS Covid-19 app update blocked for breaking Apple and Google’s rules

Technology

PA MediaAn update to England and Wales's contact tracing app has been blocked for breaking the terms of an agreement made with Apple and Google.The plan had been to ask users to upload logs of venue check-ins - carried out via poster barcode scans - if they tested positive for the virus. This could be used to warn others.The update had been timed to coincide with the relaxation of lockdown rules.But the two firms had explicitly banned such a function from the start.Under the terms that all health authorities signed up to in order to use Apple and Google's privacy-centric contact-tracing tech, they had to agree not to collect any location data via the software. As a result, Apple and Google refused to make the update available for download from their app stores last week, and have instead k...

Apr112021 by adminNo Comments

Covid-19: India vaccination crosses 100 million doses

Health

India says it has become the "fastest country in the world" to administer more than 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, amid a deadly second wave of infections.It achieved the feat in 85 days, whereas the US took 89 days and China 102 days, the health ministry said.But the country reported a record daily increase of over 150,000 cases - and more than 800 new deaths - on Sunday.And there are reports the vast vaccination drive itself is struggling.This week, half a dozen states reported a shortage of doses even as the federal government insisted that it had 40 million doses in stock and that the "allegations" of vaccine scarcity were "utterly baseless".The inoculation drive aims to cover 250 million people by July, but experts say the pace needs to pick up further to meet the target.E...

Apr102021 by adminNo Comments

The Latest: Indian states warn of COVID-19 vaccine shortages

Health

NEW DELHI — Multiple Indian states are warning the federal government of COVID-19 vaccine shortages as another spike in cases threatens to overrun the country and its already-feeble medical infrastructure.Authorities in New Delhi and in Punjab and Rajasthan states said Saturday that they would not be able to continue vaccinations in the coming days unless stocks were replenished. Earlier this week, western Maharashtra state, the epicenter of the country’s outbreak, closed some vaccination centers and turned people away due to inadequate vaccine supplies.Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said the country has enough doses and urged state governments to put an end to “fearmongering.”India, a major vaccine manufacturer, has so far administered 97 million shots but is facing major supply...

Apr92021 by adminNo Comments

Kate Garraway’s husband returns home after a year-long battle with Covid-19

Entertainment

PA MediaKate Garraway's husband has returned home after more than a year in hospital being treated for Covid-19.Former political adviser Derek Draper, 53, was admitted in March last year with coronavirus symptoms, before having to be put into a coma.ITV presenter Garraway said on Friday that he "absolutely knew he was home" but had not yet regained his speech and will require round-the-clock care.She and her young family all "burst into tears" when he arrived home."As we pulled up, I could see two little faces, Darcey and Billy [their children] looking out the window, and I could literally see them go, 'He's here,'" she told her Good Morning Britain colleagues."And they sort of ran out and ran forward, opened the door, and he immediately burst into tears."There was a lot of hugging and we ...

Apr62021 by adminNo Comments

Texas governor bans mandated COVID-19 ‘vaccine passports’

Health

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is using his executive power to ban state government and some private entities from requiring COVID-19 “vaccine passports" to access servicesByThe Associated PressApril 6, 2021, 10:09 PM• 3 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used his executive power Tuesday to ban state government and some private entities from requiring COVID-19 “vaccine passports” to access services, in the latest move from a Republican governor pitting public health campaigns against personal freedom and private choices.According to Abbott's order, state agencies and political subdivisions, and public and private organizations that receive public funding in Texas cannot require people to prove that they have been inoculated against th...