By Apoorva Mandavilli The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain superspreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus … Read more
GENEVA: The World Health Organization on Tuesday acknowledged “evidence emerging” of the airborne spread of the novel coronavirus, after a group of scientists urged the global body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease passes between people. “We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of … Read more
SAO PAULO: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he tested positive for the novel coronavirus, adding in a television interview that he was in good health despite running a fever. The right-wing populist, who has played down the severity of the virus which he has called a “little flu,” took the test on Monday … Read more
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday decided to expand the areas under lockdown and impose tougher restrictions from July 9 to stem the relentless spike in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said. The containment zones and buffer zones around them will be clubbed together and constitute a “broad-based” containment zone where total lockdown will … Read more
As part of the government’s plan to accelerate economic growth, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) to boost their capital expenditure (capex) and achieve their targets, in a virtual meeting on Tuesday. Sitharaman said CPSEs played an important role in pushing the economy forward while reviewing their performance, adding that a … Read more
Twenty-seven police personnel, including at least 13 of a station, have tested positive for coronavirus in a city division in the last ten days and five of them discharged after treatment, a senior officer said on Tuesday. All these cases were reported from Whitefield Police Division and 15 of them, including 12 from the Hindustan … Read more
BEIJING: Alarmed at China’s stranglehold over supplies of masks, gowns, test kits and other front-line weapons for battling the coronavirus, countries around the world have set up their own factories to cope with this pandemic and outbreaks of the future. When the outbreak subsides, those factories may struggle to survive. China has laid the groundwork … Read more
NEW DELHI: With another big single-day jump in coronavirus cases, India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the seven lakh-mark on Monday, just four days after the number of infections in the country had reached six lakh. The total number of tests for detection of COVID-19 also crossed the one-crore mark in India on Monday. According to Union … Read more
BENGALURU: Wipro chief executive officer Thierry Delaporte said the company would aim to achieve industry leading growth and strive for improvement in all spheres despite the short-term challenges. “Despite the immediate challenges, I have no doubt that we will emerge stronger. We must strive for improvement in all spheres and aim to achieve industry leading … Read more
Antibodies test A medical test that can show if a person has had the coronavirus and now has some immunity. The test detects antibodies in the blood, which are produced by the body to fight off the disease. Asymptomatic Someone who has a disease but does not have any of the symptoms it causes. Some … Read more