Coronavirus Highlights: Covid-19 may spread rapidly in North Korea, WHO warns

Amid rising Covid-19 cases in different countries, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country will spare no effort to help North Korea, as the isolated nation battles a Covid-19 outbreak, and reiterated he will remain open to humanitarian aid. India reported 2,202 new cases and 27 deaths in the last 24 hours.

US Covid-19 deaths hit 1 million in less than 2.5 years

The US death toll from Covid-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration.

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Karnataka sees 98 new Covid-19 cases, no death

Maharashtra records 129 new Covid-19 cases, zero death

Maharashtra on Monday recorded 129 new Covid-19 cases, including 74 in Mumbai, taking the overall tally to 78,80,969, while the toll remained unchanged at 1,47,855 as no fresh death due to the infection was registered in the state, an official said.

The fresh addition to the tally was much lower than the 255 recorded on Sunday. The recovery count increased by 121 in the last 24 hours to touch 77,31,588, leaving the state with an active caseload of 1,526, he said.

Covid-19 may spread rapidly in North Korea, WHO warns

The World Health Organization warned on Monday that Covid-19 may spread rapidly in North Korea, where it said vaccination programmes had yet to begin.

"With the country yet to initiate Covid-19 vaccination, there is risk that the virus may spread rapidly among the masses unless curtailed with immediate and appropriate measures," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO's regional director for South-East Asia, in a statement sent to journalists.

In the same statement, the WHO said it had yet to receive information about the reported outbreak directly from local authorities.

Workers in protective suits sort boxes near a waste sorting facility outside a residential compound under lockdown, amid the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing

(Reuters Photo)

Shanghai says lockdown to ease as virus spread mostly ends

Most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown, authorities said Monday, as the city moves toward reopening and economic data showed the gloomy impact of China's “zero-Covid" policy.

Vice Mayor Zong Ming said 15 out of Shanghai's 16 districts had eliminated virus transmission among those not already in quarantine.

Puducherry adds one new Covid-19 case, overall tally stands at 1,65,813

The union territory of Puducherry reported a solitary fresh coronavirus case and zero fatalities in the last 24 hours, a top Health department official said on Monday. The overallCovid-19 tally in the union territory went up to 1,65,813 following the detection of one new infection after the testing of 25 samples, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release

Biological E cuts price of its Covid-19 vaccine to Rs 250 per dose

Pharmaceuticals firm Biological E. Ltd (BE) on Monday said it has reduced the price of itsCovid-19 vaccine Corbevax to Rs 250 from Rs 840 a dose, inclusive of GST, for private vaccination centres.

It would result in end users paying a price of Rs 400 a dose, including taxes and administration charges, the company said in a statement.

Covid lockdowns may end but China is still sneezing

With swathes of China spending April under lockdown -- 46 cities according to one estimate -- it was inevitable that dining out, shopping, factory output and energy usage would all take big hits.

The dire data overshadowed announcements that someCovid curbs would be loosened. A Q2 economic contraction looks inevitable. What's more, the 6.7% urban unemployment rate -- the highest since 2018 -- won't escape the notice of authorities, wary of any kind of unrest.

N Korea's Kim orders military to stabilise supply of Covid drugs

Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise the distribution ofCovid-19 medicine in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.

Last week brought the North's first acknowledgement of an "explosive" outbreak, with experts warning it could devastate a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme.

Drugs procured by the state were not reaching people quickly or accurately, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital's Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said.

Studies reveal Omicron infection produce better immune responses than booster shot

People who are vaccinated and then get infected with Omicron may be primed to overcome a broad range of coronavirus variants, early research suggests.

A pair of studies showed that infection produced even better immune responses than a booster shot in vaccinated patients. Teams from Covid-19 vaccine maker BioNTech SE and the University of Washington posted the results on preprint server bioRxiv in recent weeks.

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Staff members wearing face shields serve customers at a stall set up outside a restaurant, after the city banned dine-in services amid the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing

(Reuters photo)

South Korea offers North working level talks on Covid-19

India reports 2,202 new cases, 27 deaths in the last 24 hours

Kim Jong-un slams North Korea pandemic response, deploys army

Kim Jong Un slammed North Korea's pandemic response and ordered the army to help distribute medicine, state media said Monday, as the country said 50 people had died since first reporting an outbreak of Covid-19.

China reports 1,227 new Covid cases for May 15 vs 1,789 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 1,227 newcoronaviruscases for May 15, of which 151 were symptomatic and 1,076 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Monday.

S.Korea says it will spare no effort to help North Korea amid Covid outbreak

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country will spare no effort to help North Korea, as the isolated nation battles a Covid-19 outbreak, and reiterated he will remain open for humanitarian aid.