COVID-19 News Updates

Indonesia was mulling the rollout of the fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccines as the pandemic is predicted to last longer than expected and the antibodies decline after six months of inoculation, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Syahril has said.

"This new material can filter out the virus like the N95 mask does, but also includes antiviral enzymes that completely deactivate it. This innovation is another layer of protection against SARS-CoV-2 that can help prevent the virus from spreading," said Professor Dibakar Bhattacharyya from the College of Engineering at the University of Kentucky.

The latest surge in global Covid cases, majorly driven by the Omicron sub-variant BA.5, may be causing increasing reinfections, meaning more people are catching Covid-19 for the second or third time, according to a media report.

India's daily positivity rate has also risen to 4.42 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate currently stands at 4.51 per cent.

With the fresh addition, the State’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 13,04,369.

The active cases account for 0.34 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent

The UK ZOE Covid Symptom study app shows how to spot the difference between Covid and common cold.

UNICEF also applauded the hard work and effort of the scientists, health practitioners, vaccine manufacturers, and policymakers for the timely availability of the vaccine for fighting the deadly disease.

PM Modi sent appreciation letters to them, which can be downloaded from their CoWIN login ID.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,825 with 40 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

As per the data shared by the Odisha government’s I &PR department, 164 cases were detected in 0-18 year age group, while 658 and 464 cases were reported in quarantine and local contacts respectively.

In an official order issued by BeMC Commissioner J Sonal on July 18, residents of BeMC area and those visiting the city have been advised to wear face masks appropriately while in public places.

Of the total 945 new cases, 110 cases have been detected within the age group of 0-18 years. While 392 are local contact cases, 553 are detected from quarantine. 

The active caseload has marginally declined to 1,43,654 cases, accounting for 0.33 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

However, a significantly lower percentage of the people have taken the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, he added.