Here are the top 5 news updates of December 10, 2021:
The wife and brother-in-law of an NRI man, who had been found infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Gujarat a week back, were also detected with the new strain, officials of the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) said today. With this, Gujarat now has three patients of Omicron, classified as a 'variant of concern' by the WHO after it was detected in Africa last month. Genome sequencing of swab samples at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar has established that both the COVID-19 patients were also infected with the Omicron variant, the officials said. They were shifted to a special Omicron Ward created in the state-run Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital in the city, said a release by the JMC.
The third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can reduce mortality due to the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by 90 per cent, according to a study conducted in Israel. The research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, included data from participants 50 years of age or older who had received two doses of Pfizer vaccine at least five months earlier. "Participants who received a booster at least five months after a second dose of Pfizer had 90 per cent lower mortality due to COVID-19 than participants who did not receive a booster," the authors of the study noted.
The Indian Air Force today announced that it has constituted a tri-service Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the military chopper crash which claimed the lives of 13 people including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat. The IAF has also urged people to avoid 'uninformed speculation' over the incident. "IAF has constituted a tri-service Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the tragic helicopter accident on December 8. The inquiry would be completed expeditiously and facts brought out. Till then, to respect the dignity of the deceased, uninformed speculation may be avoided," IAF tweeted.
Stating that extremism should be shunned, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar today appealed the youngsters "who want to save the country" to join the Sonia Gandhi-led party. Speaking at a 'Lokshahi Bachav Sabha' organized by the Pune unit of the party, he said Congress has complete "Indianness" and believes in the "middle path". When he joined Congress, one of his close friends called and asked what "deal" had been brokered, said Kumar, who was earlier with the Communist Party of India (CPI). "I told him sarcastically that when apartments will be built on the Mars, Rahul Gandhi has promised me a duplex flat," he said. People should stop seeing him or Congress party from this kind of perspective, Kumar said.
Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower today, led by losses in index majors HDFC twins, Infosys and Kotak Bank amid negative global cues. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 20.46 points or 0.03 per cent to end at 58,786.67. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 5.55 points or 0.03 per cent to 17,511.30. Titan was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by HDFC, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and Tech Mahindra. On the other hand, Asian Paints, SBI, M&M, TCS and Bajaj Finserv were among the gainers.
