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Coronavirus: The faces smiling behind the masks

Laura Fuchs is capturing New Yorkers who are trying to stay positive in the midst of the pandemic.




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Coronavirus: How South Korea 'crushed' the curve

South Korea was once a Covid-19 hotspot but used technology and testing to avoid a total lockdown.




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Obama lashes out at Trump, calls his response to coronavirus an 'absolute chaotic disaster'

More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.3 million people have tested positive, according to the latest estimates from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University




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Coronavirus update: US FDA okays new antigen tests with fast results

Coronavirus update: Quidel said that the test can provide an accurate, automated result in 15 minutes. The company said it specialises in testing for diseases and conditions including the flu and Lyme disease.




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Coronavirus in Delhi: School teacher involved in distributing ration tests COVID-19 positive

Coronavirus Delhi update: The teacher had last come to school on April 28 and started showing COVID-19 symptoms from May 2. His test report came on Friday




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Coronavirus crisis: Elon Musk threatens to move Tesla HQ out of California over COVID-19 curbs

Musk has been ranting about the stay-home order since the company's April 29 first-quarter earnings were released, calling the restrictions fascist and urging governments to stop taking people's freedom




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Maharashtra coronavirus update: State on edge with cases past 20,000; death toll at 779

Coronavirus in Maharashtra: In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra's COVID-19 positive cases jumped 1,165. Coronavirus has killed as many as 779 people in Maharashtra. The state reported 48 deaths in last one day




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Coronavirus post-lockdown: NDMA issues workplace safety guidelines for industries

The measures comprise 24-hour sanitisation of factory premises, providing face masks and PPEs to all workers, temperature check of all employees twice daily, no sharing of tools, and ensuring physical distancing by raising barriers on work floors as well as dining facilities, among others




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Coronavirus Outbreak: Uber offers free rides to BMC frontline health workers

In the fight against COVID-19, Uber has extended support by offering free rides to frontline BMC healthcare workers and non-COVID patients in Mumbai through its recently launched UberMedic service.

All UberMedic cars are fitted with a roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver. Additionally, all drivers are being trained in safety procedures and provided with personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitisers and disinfectants to sanitise the cars between rides.

The agreement is part of Uber’s recent offer to provide free rides worth Rs 1 crore to the Maharashtra government. Prabhjeet Singh, Director, Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, said, “The BMC has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19. We feel privileged to be supporting them in these challenging times and will help move what matters by leveraging our global experience, technology and network of drivers.”

Uber’s recently launched UberMedic service has been transporting frontline medical workers in 35+ hospitals across 23 Indian cities.

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Coronavirus outbreak: No time for large sarvajanik murti for Ganesh Chaturthi

The city might miss seeing Lord Ganesh in his full glory this year, as work on the gigantic idols, which usually adorn the biggest and richest pandals during Ganesh Chaturthi, has taken a big hit due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the resulting lockdown. Sculptors, who usually start work in May for the annual festival that will be celebrated on August 22 this year, have been forced to put all orders on hold, as raw materials aren't available, and most of the artisans are stuck in their hometowns. The government too, hasn't given permission to begin work. With the lockdown extended till May 17, the sculptors say that mandals might have to settle for scaled-down versions of the idol.

Mumbai has over 10,000 sarvajanik Ganesh mandals. To ensure that the idols are delivered on time, sculptors start work three months in advance, first making the pattern, a rough model, which is then corrected with welding at the workshops. Another 20 days are invested in painting the idol, and giving it the final touches. Mandals usually accept delivery of the idols 10 days before the festival begins.


A Ganesh idol-making workshop at Chinchpokli, where work otherwise begins in May, is currently shut due to the lockdown

With the way the situation has panned out till now, work is unlikely to begin before July. This will leave sculptors with just about a month to complete work. Reshma Khatu, daughter of late sculptor Vijay Khatu, says, "Currently, we have put all the orders and planning on hold and are awaiting the government's decision. The crisis doesn't seem to be nearing an end. We do not want to put our workers at risk. Even if one person is detected COVID-19 positive, work will go for a toss and the entire workshop will be sealed."

The other problem is that at least 70 per cent of the workers employed, hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They work in Maharashtra during May to October. Vijay Kumar Soni, hails from Patna, but is currently stuck in Konkan, where he and his employer Rajan Zaad, have been working on rough designs. "We came here in March, and hence could begin work. Some of the dyes are ready, and we hope to get started on the idols when we return to Mumbai. But, I am not sure if the other workers from Patna will be able to make it on time." Zaad, who is a sculptor from Lalbaug, says that he will be requesting the mandals to accept smaller-sized idols.


Sculptor Rajan Zaad says he intends to request mandals to have smaller-sized idols this year

The raw materials for making the larger idols come from Rajasthan and Kerala, while shadu—a kind of clay used for the sculpture—comes from Gujarat. But transportation has taken the biggest hit, and state borders are sealed.

Ankush Kambli, a sculptor from Parel village, says he has started work from home with the help of his family members but is running out of raw materials. Ditching the ubiquitous plaster of Paris, he has decided to use only shadu. "There is no clarity, if we will be able to get back to our routines of working from a workshop. We understand that there is the need for social distancing and that is the sole reason why we are working from home."


Reshma Khatu

The Brihanmumbai Murtikar Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella body of Ganpati sculptors, has decided to share their concerns with the government. Gajanan Tondvalkar, president of the samiti, and a sculptor in Naigaon, Dadar, says, "We will request the government to help ensure transportation of raw materials, so that we can work from home, at least."

Meanwhile, the city's Ganesh mandals, have decided to put discussions about the festivities on hold. Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal, says, "Calls that need to be taken regarding the celebrations will be done once the Coronavirus situation is under control." The secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, popularly known as Ganesh Galli Ganpati, Swapnil Parab, says the committee is yet to take a decision and will honour the government's directive.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Maharashtra has more than 20,000 COVID cases

Maharashtra's count for COVID-19 cases crossed 20,000 cases and the city had 722 new cases on Saturday. The bar of the state's death toll rose higher with 48 deaths, and 27 of them occurred in Mumbai.

State health officials said that while Mumbai has 12,864 COVID-19 cases, an additional 178 cases have been reported, but are yet to be added to the tally. Apart from 27 deaths that occurred in Mumbai, 10 were reported in Pune, eight in Malegaon and one each in Akola, Nanded and Amravati. State health officials said that the 48 deaths had occurred between April 25 and May 8.


Migrant workers, who were walking to MP on the Eastern Expressway, were herded back by policemen before the Mulund Toll Naka. Pic/Sameer Markande

Civic officials said that among the 27 patients who died, 21 of them were suffering from other ailments and three of the patients who died were less than 40 years old. In order to reduce the burden on the city's hospitals, the civic body is now urging people who test positive but have no symptoms to refrain from visiting hospitals. They are encouraging asymptomatic positive patients to visit COVID care centres instead.

Meanwhile, 25 new cases were reported from Dharavi which included one death. Five of the cases were from Mukund Nagar, the slum pocket with the highest concentration of cases. Dharavi alone now has 833 positive cases. Five other cases were reported from Mahim, 18 in Dadar, including eight cases from Kasarwadi.

In order to avoid the spread of the infection as seen in Dharavi, officials from H West ward are sealing the Khar Danda area, which includes slum pockets. The decision was taken after five members of a family in a residential building in the area tested positive earlier this week. "We found a high-risk patient while tracing the contacts of the family that tested positive. We are sealing the area. We are figuring out the arrangements for food," said an official from H West. In other parts of Bandra West, 13 cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar and 14 from the slaugherhouse near the Bandra Railway Station. Civic officials said another 12 cases have been reported from the Nargis Dutt Nagar slums.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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Even the Coronavirus can't stop rampant Pangolin poaching

It seems that there is rampant poaching of pangolins taking place during the lockdown in the Konkan belt, and their scales are being illegally sold in the local black market. During the raids, the forest department recovered two kilograms of pangolin scales and six nails. The pangolin is one of the most trafficked wild animals across the world as there is a huge international demand for its scales.

Range Forest Officer (RFO), Vaibhav Borate, said, "Based on the tip-off received from our sources, our forest department team raided the house of Kalpesh Tukaram Balgude at Karanjali [Balgudewadi] village near Dapoli. During the search operation of the house, our team recovered one tortoise shell, one jungle hare, and 22 kg of pangolin scales and nails. We have taken the accused into custody and investigation is on."

As evidence related to wildlife trade have been found from the house of the accused, the forest department is exploring the possibility of him doing this regularly. The forest department team has registered an offence under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

According to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) website, "Major threats to pangolins in India are hunting and poaching for local consumptive use and international trade. Another reason for hunting pangolin is its meat. There is now greater evidence of its inclusion in illicit international trade, in particular its scales, from India through Myanmar to China and South-East Asian countries as the most likely, final destinations. Inadequate information on population and distribution further accentuates the threats arising from hunting and poaching."

The Indian Pangolin is found sporadically throughout the plains and lower slopes of hills from south of the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, except the north-eastern region. The Chinese Pangolin is found in India in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and the northern part of West Bengal.

Why Pangolins?

Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, for their scales [made of keratin], which are boiled off their bodies for use in traditional medicine. Their meat is a delicacy in Vietnam and China; and their blood, which is considered to be a healing tonic.

Pangolin could help find cure for COVID-19?

Soon after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, there were many media reports that claimed that the endangered pangolin was linked to the initial outbreak of the disease in China. However, this hasn't been proven yet. Now, a research conducted by the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, has revealed that certain genes sense when a virus enters the body, and trigger an immune response in most mammals. They found that pangolins, which have been called the 'missing link' between bats and humans, lack two of those virus-sensing genes. This means that not only are the endangered animals carriers, but they also seem to be immune to it, via an unknown mechanism. This evolutionary advantage and its understanding may give way to possible treatment options for COVID-19.

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virus

Researchers Identify A New Vaccine Candidate for Chikungunya Virus

A new method of vaccine creation for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) using a technique called large scale random codon re-encoding was developed by researchers.




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Peru Reports Its First Case of the Chikungunya Virus

Peru reported its first cases of the chikungunya virus in two people who recently traveled to the Dominican Republic. Health ministry director Henry




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Chikungunya Virus may Soon Spread to the US

Chikungunya is mosquito-borne viral disease that causes fever, headache, severe joint pain and rash on the body. A study published in the iNew England




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New Assay Developed in US Helps Detect Chikungunya Virus Within an Hour

A new assay developed in the United States helps to detect the virus that causes chikungunya (CHIKV) within an hour. This is expected to cut down the




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Spain On High Alert After First Ever Case Of Mosquito-Borne Chikungunya Virus Detected

The first case of the mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya has been detected in Spain. A 60-year-old man in the eastern province of Valencia,




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New Insights on Chikungunya Virus and Chronic Joint Pain

Chikungunya causes chronic joint pain after infection. However, the virus that was thought to be present in the synovial fluid of the joints was not detected




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Union Health Ministry Says We Have to Learn to Live With the Virus

We have to learn to live with the virus. We need to introduce certain behavioral changes to implement these (social distancing) practices, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary at the Health Ministry.




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Coronavirus deaths in India cross 2,000-mark; total tally hits 62,939

With 3277 new cases and 128 new fatalities, total case count of novel Coronavirus rose to 62,939 and total deaths getting past the 2000 mark, the health ministry said on Sunday, May 10.




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United States Coronavirus Cases

United States recorded 1347318 Coronavirus Cases since the epidemic began, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, United States reported 78616 Coronavirus Deaths. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States Coronavirus Cases.




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United States Coronavirus Deaths

United States recorded 80040 Coronavirus Deaths since the epidemic began, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, United States reported 1347318 Coronavirus Cases. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States Coronavirus Deaths.




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United States Coronavirus Recovered

United States recorded 238080 Coronavirus Recovered since the epidemic began, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, United States reported 80040 Coronavirus Deaths. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States Coronavirus Recovered.




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Spain to begin limited loosening of coronavirus lockdown

Madrid and Barcelona must wait as other areas relax restrictions on restaurants and shopping




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Coronavirus latest: China detects new cases near North Korean border




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Experts warn coronavirus will divert resources from killer diseases

Fears for prevention and treatment of other illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever




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Coronavirus deepens north-south divide in Italy and Spain

Uneven recoveries from pandemic expected to exacerbate decades-old inequalities







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Italy's parks are filled with sunseekers as coronavirus deaths rise by 194 to 30,395

The Italian public took to bicycles around the Piazza Venezia and the Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome while people of all ages walked and cycled to Ruffini Park in Turin during Phase Two of lockdown.




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Nine great paintings in Britain you must see after the coronavirus lockdown

Britain is home to works of art by some of the most important painters of all time, from J.M.W Turner to Salvador Dali. Here we pick nine unmissable masterpieces and show you where to find them...




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RBS set to target 'Generation Rent' after coronavirus crisis

RBS forecasts a big fall in home ownership and experts expect the trend to accelerate as house sales resume.




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LORD PATTEN: China's nasty, lying, bullying Communist regime must face judgment over coronavirus

Pin the blame where it belongs. This is not the fault of the Chinese people. It is the Chinese Communist dictatorship which hold the responsibility for the spread of the coronavirus.




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When did China know about coronavirus

One study found this virus spreads so fast that if officials had acted three weeks sooner, they would have reduced cases by 95 per cent. Even one week faster could have cut numbers by two-thirds.




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Kremlin-linked cyber hackers steal hundreds of medical trial records from British coronavirus lab 

This newspaper revealed last week how hackers linked to Russia and Iran were behind 'utterly reprehensible' hits on British institutions.




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ALEXANDRA SHULMAN'S NOTEBOOK: The sober truth about my coronavirus lockdown wine habit

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: How much are you really drinking in these lockdown days? Studies claim that one person in three is drinking less often that causal, but I can't say I've come across them.




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Up to 50,000 coronavirus test samples are sent to the US for analysis after 'operational issues' 

Daily coronavirus tests fell the below 100,000 target for a seventh day in a row. Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Boris Johnson to 'give me a break' in a furious bust-up over the coronavirus crisis.




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Britons urged to shine a light from windows on Tuesday in tribute to nurses on coronavirus frontline

Public are being encouraged to shine a light from windows in recognition of nurses in the coronavirus fight, described as the 'greatest health emergency in NHS history'.




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Boris Johnson will tell public to 'stay alert, control the virus and save lives'

Boris Johnson is expected to drop the 'stay at home' slogan during a televised address to Britain on Sunday at 7pm in an effort to reopen parts of the economy damaged during the coronavirus crisis.




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Metropolitan police officers' spokesman blasts coronavirus response as 'wishy washy'

The Metropolitan Police Federation's Ken Marsh said British authorities 'needed to be firmer right from the beginning'. Pictured: Sunbathers in Greenwich Park, London yesterday.




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Australian share market drops due to coronavirus and tourist fears

The ASX fell by 1.7 per cent, wiping $36billion off the market amid fears the outbreak will reduce the number of tourists visiting from China.




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Australians trapped in coronavirus epicentre could REJECT offers to be evacuated on emergency flight

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday plans to remove more than 600 citizens currently trapped in China's Hubai province amid escalating health fears.




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Australians in Chinese coronavirus epicentre will pay $1000 to be evacuated to Christmas Island

Around 600 Australians are trapped in the Hubei province amid fears over the deadly outbreak that has so far killed 170 people and affected more than 7,000 in China.




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Christmas Island prepares for Australian coronavirus evacuees

Around 600 Australians are trapped in the Wuhan province which had the outbreak of the deadly disease that has killed 170 Chinese people and infected more than 7,000.




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Australian family in Coronavirus epicentre Wuhan in China refuse to come back home

Public servant Malcolm Scriber and his family, who live in Hobart, were on holiday visiting relatives in the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan when the city was put under quarantine on January 23.




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Qantas suspends China all flights amid coronavirus fears

Qantas has suspended all of its flights to China as the deadly coronavirus becomes a global emergency.  




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Secret reason why Qantas took a route from Wuhan to Australia during its coronavirus rescue mission

The Qantas rescue flight which lifted hundreds of Australian citizens from Wuhan took an unexpected route on its flight to Western Australia on Monday.




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Coronavirus: Australians stranded in Wuhan are rescued by Qantas as second jet departs China

A flight aimed at evacuating the Australian citizens and permanent residents from Wuhan to and old mining facility in Darwin has left China after it was delayed.




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Australians trapped in Wuhan plea for a third evacuation flight out of coronavirus ground zero 

Up to 100 Australians still remain in the Chinese coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan after 266 'clinically well' evacuees arrived in Darwin on a chartered Qantas flight on Sunday.