"Recorded 57 active COVID-19 cases as of today", says Sikkim Health Minister GT Dhungel
GT Dhungel
said on Saturday that the state has 57
active Covid-19 cases
.
He added that the health department is fully prepared, with doctors, nurses, and medical staff on alert and hospitals equipped with beds, medicines, and necessary equipment.
Speaking to the reporters, GT Dhungel said, "We have recorded 57 active cases as of today from across the state. The entire department is well-prepared, and all doctors, nurses, and technicians have been put on alert. The rooms have been equipped with adequate beds, medicines, and other necessary equipment."
Meanwhile, health authorities in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have reported a mild uptick in COVID-19 cases, though officials assert that the situation remains under control with no indication of widespread concern.
In Rajasthan, Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, Director of the Department of Medical, Health & Family Welfare, said that the state is currently seeing "30 to 35 new COVID-19 cases every day", with one death recorded so far.
"We are seeing 30-35 cases of COVID every day in the state. We have sufficient stock of medicines," he said.
Dr Sharma added that the deceased patient also suffered from tuberculosis and that the state has adequate supplies of medicines and is closely monitoring the situation.
In Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, authorities at Gajra Raja Medical College have reported multiple COVID-19 cases among medical staff, including junior doctors.
Dr RKS Dhakad, the institution's dean, stated that 6 to 7 junior doctors have tested positive but reassured that all cases are mild and under observation.
"Several tests have returned positive, including some junior doctors. The situation is not serious. Guidelines have already been issued," Dr Dhakad told reporters.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's official dashboard, as of June 13, India reported 7,131 active COVID-19 cases and 10,976 recoveries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
WHO rejects US charge it is violating countries' sovereignty
Geneva: The World Health Organization rejected Wednesday US accusations that changes agreed last year to the rules governing the international response to pandemics and other health emergencies violated Washington's national sovereignty. "Our job is to provide evidence-based recommendations and guidelines, and to support countries to protect and improve the health of their populations," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. "But how or whether countries implement that advice has always been and always will be up to them, based on their national guidelines and rules." In 2024, the WHO's 194 member states approved by consensus a range of amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), which were first adopted in 1969. The changes were deemed necessary after the Covid-19 pandemic exposed flaws in the system, with countries failing to jolt into action when the United Nations health body sounded the regulations' highest available alarm in January 2020. The amended rules introduced a new, higher "pandemic emergency" level of alarm, aimed to kick in before a full-blown pandemic develops, spurring member states to take "rapid" coordinated action. But last week, US President Donald Trump's administration, which is in the process of withdrawing from the WHO itself, rejected the amendments. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said that the changes "risk unwarranted interference with our national sovereign right to make health policy". "We will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans' speech, privacy or personal liberties," they said in a joint statement. Tedros stressed that the amendments were "proposed, negotiated and adopted by our member states". "WHO has no authority to tell countries what to do. We cannot impose travel bans, lockdowns, vaccine mandates or any other type of measure. Nor do we seek to," he insisted. "That is clearly laid out in our founding document, the WHO Constitution." The WHO's chief legal officer Steven Solomon meanwhile told the press conference that "less than a handful" of countries had rejected the amendments ahead of a July 19 deadline. "It's now clear that the 2024 IHR amendments will apply to the overwhelming majority of the 196 countries that are party to the IHRs," he told the press conference.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Neuro scans of adults in UK reveal faster ageing of brain post-pandemic
New Delhi: Experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated brain ageing by five and a half months, regardless of one's infection status, according to a new study, which researchers said point to the indirect effects of aspects such as isolation and uncertainty. The researchers, led by those from the University of Nottingham, analysed brain scans of adults in the UK taken before and after the pandemic. They found that changes were most noticeable among the brains of older individuals, men, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those unemployed and having lower incomes or education. However, brain ageing was found to impact cognitive function, with 'brain fog' and difficulty in focussing being common symptoms, only in those who were infected with COVID-19, suggesting that brain ageing alone may not necessarily produce symptoms. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, highlight "how much the experience of the pandemic itself, everything from isolation to uncertainty, may have affected our brain health," said lead researcher Ali-Reza Mohammadi-Nejad, research fellow at the university's faculty of medicine and health sciences. "What surprised me most was that even people who hadn't had Covid showed significant increases in brain ageing rates," Mohammadi-Nejad added. According to the authors, the pandemic-related brain ageing "may be at least partially reversible", but being strongly linked with socio-economic deprivation, the policies addressing inequalities are urgently needed, given that existing gaps widened during this time. AI-powered models which were used for predicting brain age were first trained on magnetic resonance image (MRI) brain scans of over 15,000 healthy people from the UK Biobank. The models thus learnt to measure the 'brain age gap' i.e. how much one's brain age differed from their actual age. The models were then employed to analyse two scans of the brains of 996 healthy participants, in 564 people (controls) both the scans were taken before the pandemic, while in the 'Pandemic' group consisting of 432 individuals, one scan was taken before and one after. "The 'Pandemic' group shows on average (a) 5.5-month higher deviation of brain age gap at the second time point, compared with controls," the authors wrote. They also found that "accelerated brain ageing is more pronounced in males and those from deprived socio-demographic backgrounds and these deviations exist regardless of SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes COVID-19) infection." Further, cognitive tests taken at the time of both scans revealed that an "accelerated brain ageing correlates with reduced cognitive performance only in COVID-infected participants." Senior author Dorothee Auer, professor of neuroimaging at the University of Nottingham, said "This study reminds us that brain health is shaped not only by illness, but by our everyday environment." "The pandemic put a strain on people's lives, especially those already facing disadvantage. We can't yet test whether the changes we saw will reverse, but it's certainly possible, and that's an encouraging thought," Auer said.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Set up 100-bed hospitals in all segments: Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed officials to ensure the strict implementation of the government's policy to establish a 100-bed hospital in every Assembly constituency, aiming to provide accessible and quality healthcare across Andhra Pradesh. During a review meeting with officials of the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister emphasised that government hospitals must be upgraded to the standards of private institutions, with special focus on healthcare access in tribal and underserved regions. Outlining the government's broader vision, Naidu said the State must prioritise public health through disease prevention and lifestyle awareness, rather than focusing solely on treatment. 'Medical expenses are fast becoming an unbearable burden for many families. Prevention is the only sustainable solution,' he said. He called for mass awareness campaigns to promote healthy food habits, pesticide-free organic produce, and lifestyle changes. Farmers and the general public must be sensitised through targeted education and actionable government plans, he added. A major announcement was the revival of the Yogadhyayana Parishad, a body that will promote traditional health systems such as yoga, naturopathy, Ayurveda, homoeopathy, and Unani medicine. A dedicated society will be created for this purpose, and staff will be recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board. Naidu stressed that yoga should become a daily habit and its benefits, including its role in promoting natural childbirth, must be widely publicised. He instructed officials to organise both online and offline yoga training sessions across the State. 'We already announced a Yoga Day declaration, but it must move beyond advertisements and into people's lives,' he said.
