Covid-19 variant ‘Nimbus' with ‘razor blade throat' symptom spreads in California – should you worry?
Airport screening in the United States detected the new variant in travelers arriving from those regions to destinations in California, Washington state, Virginia and New York.
You aren't likely to get sicker from this variant than others. The WHO said some western Pacific countries have reported increases in Covid cases and hospitalisations, but there's nothing so far to suggest that the disease associated with the new variant is more severe compared to other variants, the report added.
The variant has earned a new nickname – 'razor blade throat' Covid. That's because the variant may cause painful sore throats. The symptom has been identified by doctors in the United Kingdom, India and elsewhere, according to various media outlets.
According to the AP report, other Covid-19 symptoms of any variant include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or loss of taste or smell. Experts say there isn't major cause for concern with the Nimbus variant.
The WHO has designated Nimbus as a 'variant under monitoring' and considers the public health risk low at the global level. Current vaccines are expected to remain effective.
A US government scientist who oversees the team responsible for collecting data on Covid-19 and RSV hospitalisations used to shape national vaccine policy has resigned, citing concerns over how such data would be used by the Trump administration.
The scientist, Dr Fiona Havers, told colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday that she no longer had confidence that the Covid and RSV data would be used "objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions," according to an email seen by Reuters.
Havers, leader of the RESP-NET Hospitalization Surveillance Team, did not respond to requests for comment.
Her resignation follows moves by Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to abruptly fire all 17 members of the CDC's independent vaccine advisory panel and drop a recommendation for administering Covid shots to healthy children and pregnant women.
Kennedy, who has long sown doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, replaced the advisory board with eight members of his own choosing, some of whom have histories of objecting to Covid shots or vaccines in general.
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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Six years on, multi-specialty hospitals yet to take off in Odisha
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The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
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India has gone from a primarily agrarian economy at Independence to a growth engine of STEM and AI. Far from a dead economy, right? Also read: India's strategic pillars are crumbling. Complacency is not an option Poverty reduction In the last ten years, especially, India has made major progress in drastically reducing poverty. A World Bank Report states that the percentage of people living in extreme poverty—defined as surviving on less than $2.15 a day—dropped from 16.2 per cent in 2011–12 to just 2.3 per cent in 2022–23, lifting around 171 million people above this threshold. This is in stark contrast to 1956, when BS Minhas of the Planning Commission estimated that 65 per cent, or 215 million Indians, were poor. Since 2021–22, job creation has grown faster than the working-age population, with employment rates improving, particularly for women. Urban unemployment fell to 6.6 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2024–25, the lowest level recorded since 2017–18. 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Alaska meet offers a window Electricity, water and sanitation At Independence, access to electricity, clean water, and sanitation was minimal. Just 3,000 of over 5,00,000 Indian villages had an electric pole in 1950. By 2023, 99.5 per cent of Indians had electricity access. Urbanisation doubled, from approximately 18 per cent in 1951 to around 37 per cent in 2024. The proportion of Indians with access to clean water has increased significantly due to Government schemes such as Jal Jeevan Mission and Har Ghar Jal. According to PIB, 74 per cent of rural homes now have access to tap water. At Independence, India was primarily an open defecation country. In 2014, PM Modi launched the Swach Bharat Mission and promoted the discussion around toilets to bring about a behavioural change. SBM Rural built over 100 million household toilets and 2,30,000 community and public toilets between 2014 and 2019. This was the first time that the taboo subject of toilets was discussed in India, marking a shift in the mindset of people. An emerging global superpower The geopolitical landscape is rapidly changing. India was once a global superpower, respected for trade, freedom, religion and economic development, giving rise to the moniker 'Sone ki Chidiya'. All this changed when various invaders altered the culture and ethos of the country and turned us into an impoverished nation. Now, India is regaining the ability to stare down global leaders who push for policies contrary to our national interests. We are also happy to help out our neighbours like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Myanmar without extracting our pound of flesh or using derogatory terms like 'aid'. Vaccine Maitri was a case in point. Dealing with sovereign nations is an art, and we are sending the message that we are helping as friends, not engaging in disrespectful one-upmanship. 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NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Covid May Age Women's Blood Vessels By 5 Years: Study
New Delhi: A Covid-19 infection can accelerate ageing in blood vessels around five years, particularly in women, according to research. As blood vessels ages, it can make arteries stiffer -- raising the risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack, explained the researchers. "We know that Covid can directly affect blood vessels. We believe that this may result in what we call early vascular ageing, meaning that your blood vessels are older than your chronological age and you are more susceptible to heart disease," said Professor Rosa Maria Bruno from Université Paris Cité, France. "If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes," Bruno said. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, included 2,390 people from 16 different countries (Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Turkey, the UK, and the US) who were recruited between September 2020 and February 2022. The results showed that all three groups of patients who had been infected with Covid, including those with mild Covid, had stiffer arteries compared to those who had not been infected. The effect was greater in women than in men and in people who experienced the persistent symptoms of long Covid, such as shortness of breath and fatigue. Notably, people who had been vaccinated against Covid generally had arteries that were less stiff than those of the unvaccinated. Over the longer term, the vascular ageing associated with Covid infection seemed to stabilise or improve slightly. The Professor noted that one reason for the difference between women and men "could be differences in the function of the immune system". "Women mount a more rapid and robust immune response, which can protect them from infection. However, this same response can also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection," Bruno said.
