Day: July 24, 2020

Delhi: Water levels in Yamuna rise after heavy rains

High pollution levels in Yamuna hit water supply in Delhi

8:40 pm July 24, 2020

New Delhi: Water treatment plants in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla were on Friday forced to curtail production due to high levels of pollutants in the Yamuna river, the Delhi Jal Board said. The water utility said it was trying to rationalise supply and therefore, water will be available at low pressure till the situation improves. “Due to high levels of pollutants being received in […]

Researchers trying to identify COVID case from cough sounds

8:35 pm July 24, 2020

Bhubaneswar: Awing of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a healthcare initiative formed by Indian and Norwegian governments have launched a study to detect coronavirus infection from cough sounds of people using artificial intelligence (AI), an official said. A mobile App has been developed by Norway-India Partnership Initiative, in which people who are not infected by the virus […]

COVID-19: Department of Biotechnology provides seed funding for vaccine candidate

8:33 pm July 24, 2020

New Delhi: The Department of Biotechnology on Friday said it has provided seed funding for the development of Gennova’s novel self-amplifying mRNA-based vaccine candidate for COVID-19. In collaboration with HDT Biotech Corporation, USA, Gennova has developed an mRNA vaccine candidate (HGCO19), with demonstrated safety, immunogenicity, neutralisation antibody activity in the rodent and non-human primate models. The company is working […]

Melbourne, Home-made cloth face masks may need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets associated with COVID-19, according to a study. Researchers, including those from the University of New South Wales in Australia, noted that viral droplets are generated by those infected with the novel coronavirus when they cough, sneeze, or speak. As face masks have been proven to protect healthy people from inhaling infectious droplets as well as reducing the spread from those who are already infected, several types of material have been suggested for these, but based on little or no evidence of how well they work, the scientists said. In the current study, published in the journal Thorax, the researchers compared the effectiveness of single and double-layer cloth face coverings with a surgical face mask (Bao Thach) at reducing droplet spread. They said the single layer covering was made from a folded piece of cotton T shirt and hair ties, and the double layer covering was made using the sew method described by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The scientists used a tailored LED lighting system and a high-speed camera to film the dispersal of airborne droplets produced by a healthy person with no respiratory infection, during speaking, coughing, and sneezing while wearing each type of mask. Their analysis showed that the surgical face mask was the most effective at reducing airborne droplet dispersal, although even a single layer cloth face covering reduced the droplet spread from speaking. But the study noted that a double layer covering was better than a single layer in reducing the droplet spread from coughing and sneezing. According to the researchers, the effectiveness of cloth face masks is dependent on the number of layers of the covering, the type of material used, design, fit as well as the frequency of washing. Based on their observations, they said a home made cloth mask with at least two layers is preferable to a single layer mask. "Guidelines on home-made cloth masks should stipulate multiple layers," the scientists said, adding that there is a need for more research to inform safer cloth mask design.

Home-made face masks may need at least two layers to stop COVID-19 spread: Study

8:28 pm July 24, 2020

Melbourne: Home-made cloth face masks may need a minimum of two layers, and preferably three, to prevent the dispersal of viral droplets associated with COVID-19, according to a study. Researchers, including those from the University of New South Wales in Australia, noted that viral droplets are generated by those infected with the novel coronavirus when they cough, sneeze, […]

I'm sure global pharma industry will support India's WTO proposal of IP waiver for COVID-19: Goyal

India-UK move towards ‘Early Harvest’ trade pacts in JETCO meet

8:02 pm July 24, 2020

London: India and the UK are committed to a free trade agreement (FTA) which will start off with “Early Harvest Agreements”, the Indian government said on Friday during the first-ever virtual India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). Minister of Commerce and Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss agreed to intensify the work of Working Groups through frequent meetings in […]