Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Fell 3% Amid Covid-19 Shutdown | Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 3% in the year to June due to the Covid-19 shutdown, the ongoing impact of drought and an influx of cheap solar and wind power, according to government figures. The government said it meant Australia had beaten its international 2020 target – widely regarded among experts as an unambitious goal. Experts said much of the fall in emissions over the year were unrelated to federal government action.
India continues to have one of the lowest deaths per million population globally (presently 99). Focussed measures to ensure a low and manageable fatality rate have resulted in daily mortality figures of less than 500, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Fauci Warns of ‘Surge Upon Surge’ in US Cases after Thanksgiving | Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s “This Week” that the level of infection in the US. would not “all of a sudden turn around.” “So clearly in the next few weeks, we’re going to have the same sort of thing. And perhaps even two or three weeks down the line … we may see a surge upon a surge,” he said.
Iraq Reopens Schools After Almost 10 Months of Lockdown | Children in Iraq have started returning to school for the first time since late February, with social distancing measures in place and schools operating six days a week.
Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteer Alleges Side Effects; DCGI and Ethics Committe Probing Matter | An Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial participant in Chennai has sought a compensation of Rs five crore for allegedly suffering serious side effects from the shot, a claim which is being investigated by the Drugs Controller General of India and the institutional ethics committee at the trial site. A senior ICMR official said that apreliminary assessment has not indicated any causal link between the alleged adverse events shown by the volunteer and the ‘Covishield’ vaccine. The 40-year-old business consultant, who was a volunteer for the third phase of the vaccine trial conducted by Serum Institute of India (SII), has alleged he suffered a virtual neurological breakdown and impairment of cognitive functions, and has sent a legal notice to SII and others.
Mexico Reports 6,388 New Cases, 196 Deaths | Mexico reported 6,388 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 196 additional deaths on Sunday, health ministry data showed. The latest tally brought the official number of cases to 1,107,071 with a total death toll of 105,655. Health officials have said the real number of both is likely to be significantly higher due to little testing.
US Health Experts Worry About Major Surge in Covid-19 After Thanksgiving | Two top American health experts, also members of the White House Task Force on COVID-19, on Sunday feared a major surge in the coronavirus pandemic after this week’s Thanksgiving festival, which traditionally involves gathering of family and friends. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the US topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since January, when the first infections were reported in the US, America’s total number of cases has surpassed 13 million. More than 265,000 people have died.
Source: News18