Coronavirus Omicron variant India live updates: At 678, India sees 3rd wave’s highest daily toll

The Union health ministry on Thursday refuted as “misleading” media reports which claimed that 50 lakh unused Covishield doses may go waste by the end of this month.It said the Centre had proactively advised all state governments to review the availability of vaccines, right from the start of the vaccination drive against COVID-19, to ensure that the wastage of doses is reduced to a minimum.

A comparatively younger population with an average age of 44 years has been infected more in this Covid wave, the government said on Thursday, highlighting there was significantly less use of drugs for treatment this time.Addressing the weekly press conference, ICMR DG Balram Bhargava said in this Covid wave, sore throat was seen more in the patients.

After learning that a friend tested positive for COVID-19, Thembi Ndlovu went to a health clinic in Zimbabwe's capital in search of a free coronavirus test. But there were none left that day, leaving the 34-year-old hairdresser unsure if she needed to take precautions to protect clients.“I wish we could just walk into a pharmacy and buy a cheap self-testing kit like we do with pregnancy or HIV,” she said as she left the clinic in a working-class township of Harare. “It would be much easier.”For millions of people in rich countries, COVID-19 self-tests are abundant and free, including in Britain, Canada, France and Germany. But most people across Africa have limited access to them.