Harsh Goenka, chairman, RPG Enterprises
2020 goal: Becoming fitter
Agencies On the personal front, Goenka is really looking forward to going back to his old ways back at the workplace, meeting people and travelling.
“In the beginning, work from home was a pleasure. I was grateful for the quiet, enjoyed the sunsets, spent more time on exercises and walking. Being fit had taken on a greater priority to improve my immunity. However, solitude and conf inement have made me think deeper. They made me more accepting, giving and adapting. On the personal front, I am really looking forward to going back to our old ways back at the workplace, meeting people and travelling.”
Will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines?
Not until there s enough data from studies in different age groups, which will stretch well into next year.
The Pfizer vaccine authorized in the U.S. this month is for people 16 and older. Testing began in October in children as young as 12 and is expected to take several more months. The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide when there s enough data to allow emergency use in this age group.
Depending on the results, younger children may be enrolled for study as well.
Moderna, which is expected to become the second COVID-19 vaccine greenlit in the U.S., began enrolling study participants ages 12 to 17 this month, and will track them for a year. Testing in children younger than 12 is expected to start in early 2021.
BOSTON: Natural variations in ultraviolet radiation influences the spread of the novel coronavirus, says a new study which adds that the effect is still modest compared to that of measures like physical distancing, and mask wearing.
The findings, published in the journal PNAS, suggests that the incidence of COVID-19 may have a seasonal pattern in which the virus spreads faster in the winter when it s darker with lower levels of UV radiation than during summer. Understanding the potential seasonality of COVID-19 transmission could help inform our response to the pandemic in the coming months, said Jonathan Proctor, a co-author of the study from Harvard University in the US.
WASHINGTON: COVID-19 is associated with a higher need for ventilators, more admissions into intensive care units (ICUs), and nearly five times the risk of death among hospitalised patients than those suffering from the flu, according to a study.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in the US noted that although both COVID-19 and the flu attack the lungs, the former viral disease can also damage other organs.
The latest study, published in The BMJ, shows that COVID-19 was linked with an increased risk of conditions such as acute kidney and liver damage, as well as heart disorders, stroke, severe septic shock, low blood pressure, excessive blood clotting and new-onset diabetes.
BEIJING: Fast walking in narrow spaces behind a group of people can significantly increase COVID-19 transmission risk, especially in children, according to a study which says virus-laden respiratory droplets can trail behind infected individuals moving through such corridors.
The results of the computer simulation, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, underscored the importance of the shape of spaces in predicting how virus-laden droplets move through the air.
While earlier studies highlighted the influence of objects, like glass barriers, windows, and air conditioners on airflow patterns and virus spread, the scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing said these simulations usually assumed large, open indoor spaces.