Covid-19 Reinfection: A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) examined the cases of 1,300 individuals who had tested positive for the coronavirus twice. It was found that 58 cases of the 1,300 individuals or 4.5% could be classified as possible reinfections. Worldwide Cases of Reinfection: The first confirmed case was […]
Category: Science and Technology Current Affairs
Asteroid Apophis
Asteroid Apophis: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has ruled out the possibility of the dreaded asteroid Apophis causing any damage to the Earth for the next 100 years. Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid with a relatively large size (about 335 meters wide). Named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos and darkness, it […]
7th Annual Summit of NATHEALTH 2021
7th annual summit of NATHEALTH: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, addressed the 7th annual summit of NATHEALTH in virtual mode on March 26, 2021. The summit focused on ‘Indian Health system expansion in post-COVID era’. While addressing the summit the minister reiterated the commitments of the government for fulfilling the […]
What is Tribal TB Initiative?
Tribal TB Initiative: Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘Tribal TB Initiative’ in pursuit of TB Mukt Bharat. A Guidance Note on Joint Action Plan for Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, a Special Edition of Tribal Ministry’s Publication ‘ALEKH’ on TB, and a document on Tribal Tuberculosis (TB) Initiative was also released. Over 104 million […]
NISAR Satellite : Points to Remember
NISAR: NASA and ISRO are collaborating on developing a satellite called NISAR, which will detect movements of the planet’s surface as small as 0.4 inches over areas about half the size of a tennis court. NISAR is an SUV-sized satellite that is being jointly developed by the space agencies of the US and India. The […]
Helium Crisis
Helium Crisis: India imports helium for its needs, and with the USA appearing set to cut off exports of helium since 2021, Indian industry stands to lose out heavily. The Federal Helium Reserve which is the major helium reserve of the USA is set to close down production in 2021, and scientists are looking for […]
What is Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant?
Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant: Genome sequencing of a section of virus samples by a consortium of 10 laboratories across the country, called the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), has revealed a unique “double mutant” coronavirus variant — with a combination of mutations not seen anywhere else in the world. The new variant has been […]
National Health Mission (NHM) : FY 2019-20
National Health Mission (NHM): The Union Cabinet was apprised of the progress under National Health Mission (NHM) during FY 2019-20. The Cabinet noted that NHM has envisaged new Initiatives in 2019-20 as: Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) initiative was launched to accelerate action to reduce deaths due to childhood pneumonia. Surakshit Matritva […]
What is Parosmia? Covid-19
Parosmia: Some people may experience parosmia as a symptom of COVID-19. Parosmia is a medical term used to describe a condition in which affected individuals experience “distortions of the sense of smell”. A person with parosmia can detect certain odours, but they might experience the smell of certain things as different and often unpleasant. For […]
Covishield : Interval Between Doses
Covishield: The government has decided to increase the interval between the first and second doses of Covishield to up to eight weeks in its ongoing vaccination drive against Covid-19. Covishield is Serum Institute of India’s version of AZD1222, the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Some data from global trials […]