COVID-19: Did SARS-CoV-2 originate in raccoon dogs from Wuhan wet market? New data gives links

Meanwhile, Israel reports new COVID-19 variant — a combination of BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants of Omicron

3 years of pandemic: Anxiety weighed on me like a rock during my 10-day ordeal

I had developed a false notion that my treatment was not being done properly; it became an impediment in my getting better earlier than I did

Three years into the pandemic, it’s clear COVID won’t fix itself. Here’s what we need to focus on next

Political frankness, avoidance of infections and adoption of new knowledge and technology can be our future respone plan

3 years of pandemic: I am still dealing with the havoc COVID wreaked on my health

Down To Earth reporter recounts his harrowing experience of dealing with post-COVID illnesses

Governments discuss over 300 proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations

This is the 2nd meeting where countries worldwide came together to strengthen the mechanism in place to mitigate public health threats

Three in five long COVID patients have organ damage a year after infection

Most patients studied were not severely affected when they had COVID initially

MGNREGA budget cut sends wrong signal, goes against Odisha’s successful policy experiment

Collaborative MGNREGA implementation in Odisha improved livelihoods; such efforts will be discouraged by budget cut

COVID-19 damaged cognitive development, lifetime earnings of an entire generation, finds Word Bank

Report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the young, children finds jeopardy to well-being of generations and growth of economies

Budget 2023-24: Food security in just name as Centre slashes funds by 32%

Allocation of about Rs 2 lakh crore for National Food Security Act compared to Rs 2.8 lakh crore last year

WHO says COVID remains a global emergency, but we’re at a transition point. What does this mean?

We still face significant challenges, with high rates of transmission in many countries

Non-communicable diseases rising in Pakistan, finds Lancet

Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, congenital defects, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease among the 10 leading causes of deaths in 2019

Has COVAX delivered on its vaccine access promises?

Organisations behind the vaccine arm seem to be losing interest in COVID-19

Online child abuse escalated in India during pandemic: CRY

Adolescent girls and boys within 14-18 years, belonging to the lower income strata, were figured as the most vulnerable group

FAQ on COVID-19 subvariant XBB.1.5: Why is it nicknamed ‘Kraken’?

Answers to questions like what is it, where is it prevalent and how does it differ from Omicron

China’s definition of COVID deaths ‘very narrow’, country’s data ‘under-represents’ severity: WHO

Updated definition is narrow since it counts only those deaths caused by COVID-induced pneumonia or respiratory failures

Lifecycle of COVID-19: Yet another omicron sub-variant has countries on high alert

 XBB.1.5 shows how dynamic and wide-reaching SARS-CoV-2 variant evolution is, says expert

2022 too short, too far: How did the economy fare last year

Down To Earth recaps the primary environment, health and developmental news from 2022

COVID-19 in 2023 and beyond — why virus trends are more difficult to predict three years on

In total, 13 billion vaccine doses have been administered — but not equitably.

2020-2022: A chronicle of the pandemic

Some 100 journalists and researchers document the first three years of the pandemic. Their verdict: "It is a prologue to a world that would never …

Coronavirus update: 157 new cases in the country; Drills at hospitals to check preparedness

India now has 3,421 active cases; Cumulative vaccinations cross 2,200 million

Infographic: COVID-19 pandemic enters the fourth year

The most widespread pandemic to have hit the planet appears to be turning endemic and adding to the world’s burden of diseases

COVID-19: Why physicians administered steroids in the second wave

Poor dissemination and discrepancies in Union and state governments’ versions have made doctors lose faith in COVID-19 treatment protocol, …

‘COVID-19 has become endemic in India’

The risk of a future severe wave in the country is very low, says expert

COVID effect: Pendency of cases in district courts went up by 13% in 2020, finds think tank

Disposal of cases saw a decrease of 42.33%; case filings went down 32%

TB is once again the deadliest disease in Africa — what went wrong

COVID-19 pandemic, associated lockdowns have set back TB control programmes worldwide