Kenya to start second dose of Covid-19 jabs in June

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Kenya to start second dose of Covid-19 jabs in June

Kenya will start administering the second dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the first week of June, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday.

This followed the country’s revision of the duration between the first and the second does from eight weeks to 12 weeks in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation late in April, the Xinhua news agency reported.

“The ministry has revised the interval period for the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to 12 weeks. This means the country would begin administering the second dose of the vaccine in June,” said the ministry amid a shortage of the jabs in Kenya following the crisis in India.

Kenya commenced inoculation against the coronavirus in early March, soon after the country received 1.02 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses that were manufactured in India under the COVAX facility.

The ministry assured the public that efforts to acquire the Covid-19 vaccines are underway to ensure as many as eligible people are fully immunized in the shortest time possible, and that the entire adult population will be vaccinated by June 2022.

“To secure the second dose of the vaccine as fast as possible, the government is working with the COVAX facility, which is a program that ensures low and middle income countries access Covid-19 vaccines,” said the ministry.

The ministry ruled out mixing of Covid-19 vaccines even when jabs from other manufacturers become available in the country.

Data from the health ministry showed that as of Friday, Kenya had vaccinated 934,436 people against the coronavirus including 284,411 elderly citizens aged 58 years and above, 162,396 healthcare workers, 146,538 teachers, 79,906 security officers and 261,185 general population.

Kenya has confirmed 165,112 Covid-19 cases, 113,432 recoveries and 2,976 fatalities as of Friday.

Big B buys oxygen concentrators from Poland, donates ventilators to BMC

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Big B buys oxygen concentrators from Poland, donates ventilators to BMC

Amitabh Bachchan has blogged about how he purchased 50 oxygen concentrators from Poland and donated ventilators to BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

“I have to, in deepest gratitude thank profusely the Govt., of Poland, the Mayor of the City of Wroclaw, the Ambassador of India at Warsaw and the LOT Polish Airlines for their very gracious gesture towards me. The general call from the places that were in need of help had been for the urgent need of Oxygen Concentrators. These are and were difficult to procure and when I was not getting any immediate source to acquire them my friend and the Indian Consul in Wroclaw stepped forward,” Bachchan wrote in his latest blog entry, late on Thursday.

He further wrote: “…He came to know of my work in the procurement of Concentrators and came out with the name and details of a Polish Company that was making them and that were being exported to various parts of the World, and whether this could be one of the sources for my need. I immediately placed an order for 50 Oxygen Concentrators, which were blocked for me by him, since the equipment was in short supply and was being manufactured and sold out rather rapidly. So I have bought 50 concentrators and they shall be shipped out on the 15th of May.”

“Oxygen Concentrators, have also been ordered from another source and about 60 of them should be coming in in a few days,” he further informed in his blog post.

Big B has also written about donating ventilators to BMC.

He mentioned in his blog post: “Then the need for Ventilators has been equally acute. The BMC the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation when I said I wished to donate something for the cause, told me to not give money, but to get them Ventilators. This has been an arduous task as well, but luckily another Agency has stepped forward and is helping me with my order. I had ordered 20 ventilators, 10 of which have arrived to day and I am happy that I was able to deliver them to the BMC and a few Municipal Hospitals in Mumbai today. The balance 10 should be in by the 25th and they shall also be distributed to some more Hospitals in need of them.”

Karnataka minister favours extension of lockdown in state

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Karnataka minister favours extension of lockdown in state

Karnataka Revenue Minister R. Ashoka on Friday favoured extension of the 14-day lockdown to contain the Covid spread in the state, which is in the grip of the pandemic’s second wave.

“As the 14-day lockdown since May 10 has helped us in controlling Covid cases, I am in favour of extending it beyond May 24 to contain the virus spread further,” Ashoka told reporters here.

Noting that new cases which were over 25,000 in a day in Bengaluru earlier declined to about 17,000 daily after the lockdown was imposed, Ashoka said its extension would further reduce the caseload.

“Extension of lockdown in Maharashtra and Delhi reduced Covid cases in the worst-affected states, positive cases will also decline in our state if the 14-day lockdown is extended beyond May 24,” asserted Ashoka.

Cabinet ministers involved in the fight against the pandemic will meet before the present lockdown ends on May 24 to assess the situation to decide on the next course of action in containing the disease.

“Though I will suggest extension of lockdown, the final decision will be taken by the chief minister (B.S. Yediyurappa)

Refuting charge by the opposition parties that testing had reduced in the state, the minister said that the guidelines have been issued to test all symptomatic, ILI (Influenza Like Illness) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) patients across the state for early detection and treatment.

“Even primary contacts of each Covid positive patient are tested to contain the virus spread. Mass testing in public places has been suspended due to lockdown as people are not allowed to come out of their home,” he reiterated.

According to the state health bulletin, 41,779 new cases were registered on Thursday, taking the state’s Covid tally to 21,30,267, including 5,98,605 active cases.

As epicentre of the pandemic in the state, Bengaluru reported 14,316 fresh cases on Thursday, taking its Covid tally to 10,29,312, including 3,60,862 active cases.

New cases were 35,297 in the state and 15,191 in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The virus claimed 373 lives, including 121 in Bengaluru, taking the state’s death toll to 21,085 and the city’s toll to 9,246 since the pandemic broke out in mid-March a year ago.

Out of 1,27,105 tests conducted across the state during the day, 10,315 were through rapid antigen detection and 1,16,790 through RT-PCR method.

Positivity rate rose to 32.86 per cent and case fatality rate declined to 0.89 per cent across the state on Thursday

More young Zambians living with HIV

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More young Zambians living with HIV

As the world works to end AIDS, more and more Zambian young people who are HIV positive begin to openly talk about their status.

It is an effort to discourage populations from discriminating people living with HIV as well as encourage those infected to seek help without feeling ashamed, the Xinhua news agency reported.

One of the Zambians who have come out to publicly state that they are HIV positive is 29-year-old Precious Kaniki, a resident of Zambia’s capital Lusaka.

Kaniki who tested positive for HIV about 14 years ago explained that she had challenges accepting her condition because of what society perceived people living with the virus.

She explained that some young people have been dumped by their partners after they revealed their HIV status. There are also individuals living with HIV who are discriminated against by their own family members whereby in a home set up, one is forced to use separate cutlery.

“These are some of the things that compelled me to begin to talk openly about my status,” kaniki said.

She added that confronting issues head on has greatly helped many youths in Zambia and beyond to take positive action towards the further spread of HIV as evidenced from media reports.

“It is good that many young people living with HIV have taken the step to speak about their status publicly. This has greatly helped to dispel misinformation around the topic,” Kaniki further added.

And according to a youth rights advocate, many more HIV positive youths are openly talking about their status because they have realized that doing so encourages other members of society to appreciate the fact that having HIV is not a death sentence.

Those skeleton-like images of people with AIDS from the 1980s and early 1990s do not exist today because people living with HIV are living much longer, and healthier lives, thanks to antiretroviral therapy, said Oswald Chisenga, director at Phenomenal Positive Youths Zambia, an entity that advances the needs of youths living with HIV in Zambia.

Thirty-two-year-old Chisenga who is HIV positive said it is encouraging to see many young people talking freely about being HIV positive noting that this has greatly helped to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.

He revealed youths from a number of countries in southern as well as East African regions are openly talking about their HIV status through the various media platforms run by Phenomenal Positive Youths Zambia.

These young people are helping change the narrative of HIV/AIDS and letting populations see that HIV positive people have a lot to offer society, he said.

Chisenga was, however, quick to state that while Phenomenal Positive Youths Zambia supports those who choose to go public about their status, it does not compel them to do so.

“It is a choice that one has to make on their own after much consideration. Our job is to give them the necessary support,” he said.

Chisenga further stressed that his organization is working to ensure that youths who are HIV negative maintain their negative status so as to ensure the realization of the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

According to UNAIDS data 2019, there are about 1.2 million people living with HIV in Zambia.

Australia all set for T20I, ODI series in Caribbean

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Australia all set for T20I, ODI series in Caribbean

Australia is all set to tour West Indies for five T20 International (T20I) and three One-day International (ODI) series from July 9 till 24, in preparation for the T20 World Cup to be held later this year in India.

This will be the Australians’ maiden visit to the Caribbean in five years, and only their third overseas tour since Covid-19 ravaged the world.

All the T20I matches will be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, following which the teams will move to Barbados for the one-dayers, which will be played at the Kensington Oval.

Incidentally, the Kensington Oval is the same venue where Australian batsman Mike Hussey had smashed an amazing unbeaten 60 off 24 deliveries in a 2010 T20 World Cup match against Pakistan.

The One-day International series is part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI Super League, which will determine automatic qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Following the announcement of the fortnight-long series, Cricket Australia (CA) is expected to name the squad for the Caribbean tour next week.

The Australian men’s team has not toured the Caribbean since the 2016 ODI tri-series also involving South Africa. The Steve Smith-led side had defeated the West Indies in the final by 58 runs.

Itinerary: T20I series (All matches at Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia) First T20: July 9; Second T20: July 10; Third T20: July 12; Fourth T20: July 14; Fifth T20: July 16.

ODI series (All matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados) First ODI: July 20 (D/N); Second ODI: July 22 (D/N); Third ODI: July 24 (July 24, D/N).

Don’t mislead about my Covid-19 status: SRH’s Saha

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Don’t mislead about my Covid-19 status: SRH’s Saha

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) cricketer Wriddhiman Saha on Friday urged people not to spread rumors that he was still Covid-positive, saying that it was still inconclusive as one test had come positive and the other negative.

There were reports that the wicketkeeper-batsman had tested positive for the virus a second time.

The veteran Bengal cricketer, who is in quarantine in Delhi and “feeling much better”, tweeted: “My quarantine period is still not over. As a part of the routine check-up, 2 tests were done; out of which 1 was negative and the other one came as positive. Otherwise, I am doing much better. Requesting everyone not to spread misleading stories/information without the whole context.”

Saha had tested positive for Covid-19 hours before SRH were to take on Mumbai Indians on May 4, the same day when the Indian Premier League (IPL) was postponed indefinitely.

A day earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier had tested positive, forcing the postponement of their game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Saha had then told Anandbazar Patrika in an interview that, “I felt tired after finishing the practice on the first day of May. I felt cold. Cold and mild cough. I informed the team doctor that day. Arrangements were made for me to stay in seclusion without any risk.

“Covid test was taken on the same day. The next day the report came negative. On the second day I was also tested. The result was negative. Yet I was not allowed to leave the seclusion. Because by then fever had started coming. After the test on the third day, the result was positive,” Saha had said.

Sunny Leone: Hold your loved ones close to you

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Sunny Leone: Hold your loved ones close to you

Sunny Leone on Friday shared that her children Nisha, Asher, Noah, and husband Daniel Weber outdid themselves in making her feel special on her birthday, which was on May 13.

“So thankful to all the love put into making me feel special on my birthday. We make do with the resources around us but Nisha, Asher, Noah, and @dirrty99 outdid themselves. Beyond touched. You can have all the things in the world but without family you are nothing,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I love you all so so much! God bless and stay safe everyone! Hold your loved ones close to you and protect each other at all costs!! It’s our job as parents to protect our family and feed our family. Stay indoors and wear a mask!!” she concluded.

On the work front, Sunny will next be seen in the film “The Battle Of Bheema Koregaon” and the web series “Anamika”.

Pooja Bisht opens up on her role in ‘Flawed’

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Pooja Bisht opens up on her role in ‘Flawed’

Actress Pooja Bisht has opened up about her role in the upcoming web series “Flawed”.

“I play the character of Soumya. She is a strong, independent girl in everyone’s eyes, but at the same time she bears the scar of her father’s absence after he abandoned her, along with her younger sister and mother, for another woman, putting responsibilities on her shoulders,” says Pooja.

“Just the idea of love itself nauseated her and because of this she is unable to have a healthy relationship with anyone, and she doesn’t want to open herself to anybody. Yet a little part of her wants a father figure in her life because she is tired of the responsibilities. An internal search for broken people like herself leads her from time to time towards the greater unknown,” she added.

The series also stars Rajniesh Duggall, Sumit Manak, Ashok Pathak, and Sammratt Kapoor. It is directed by Dheeraj Singh Padiyar.

Sanjana Sanghi helps Covid-impacted underprivileged children, families

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Sanjana Sanghi helps Covid-impacted underprivileged children, families

Actress Sanjana Sanghi on Friday announced that she will help Covid-infected underprivileged children and their families.

She has joined hands with Save The Children to support such families, residing in remote parts of India. The mission, named “Protect A Million”, aims to reach one million affected underprivileged children and families across the nation.

“It is my honor to be joining hands with Save The Children, a century-old Global Child Rights Organisation in our mission to #ProtectAMillion. Together we will be providing Covid support in the form of oxygen, critical care, essential medicine, psycho-social support, and nutritional packages, to the most underserved and vulnerable communities which are children and their families in remote parts across 57 districts of India. Our aim is to reach One Million such children and families and we just can’t do this without you,” she said in an Instagram video.

She added: “Join me and save the children as we fight to protect the future and fight for hope. Every single penny, I promise you will better the life or save the lives of those for whom the basics like a thermometer, oximeter, a mask or medicine, are a huge, huge privilege. Let’s open our hearts up, like we already have, and Help each other and fight for the children of our country.”

She captioned the post as: “#ProtectAMillion | Save The Children We need all your help in helping us be able to provide critical relief to the most disadvantaged COVID-impacted children & families in the most remote parts of India. @savethechildren_india and I are on a mission #ToProtectAMillion such children & families and fight for them, as they fight for their lives. Your contribution, big or small will go the longest way in allowing us to make this uphill task a reality by allowing us to make the following reach them: -Oxygen -Critical Care -Essential Medicines -Testing Support -Nutritional Packages -Psychosocial support.”

Kohli’s training regime behind his superlative performances: Yousuf

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Kohli’s training regime behind his superlative performances: Yousuf

Pakistan batting great Mohammad Yousuf was all praise for India captain Virat Kohli, whose performances according to him have been unbelievable. Yousuf said that Kohli’s commitment to giving his everything in training is what sets him apart from the rest of his competitors.

“I’ve never seen him practice but have followed some of his training videos on Twitter and other places. In today’s era, if someone asks me what is modern cricket, I’d say it’s about training. The players today are fit and fast, as is Virat Kohli, which is the reason behind his terrific performances,” Yousuf said on the YouTube Show Cricast.

“He has 70 centuries in ODIs and Tests combined. In ODIs, he has some 12000 runs and is approaching the 10,0000 marks in Tests as well. In T20I as well, he has some great numbers. His performance in all three formats is high-class. In today’s era, he is the No.1 batsman. I have earlier said as well that comparisons with the players of the previous era in unfair. Despite that, his performances are unbelievable,” said Yousuf, who scored 9720 runs in 288 ODIs and 7530 runs in 90 Tests.

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