New rules for vaccines
Starting March 1, the vaccine will be available for people aged above 60—and the 45-plus with chronic health disorders. You can get it for free at a government hospital, but will have to pay if you opt to go private. The price hasn’t been determined yet, but it will be available at nearly 20,000 private hospitals. AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria explains why it’s important to get vaccinated—and flags more changes coming up in phase 2, including walk-in centres.
One reason to get the jab: Rising numbers. Maharashtra’s added an alarming 8,807 new cases on Wednesday. A nationwide survey suggests that one big reason is increasing complacency: “Mask compliance was 35% in large metros or tier-1 cities, but fell to 29% in tier-2 cities, and to 19% in tier-3 locations and rural districts.” The Telegraph has more on the results.
In other pandemic-related news:
- Here’s some very good news: New data shows that Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is safe and effective—varying from 72% in the United States to 64% in South Africa where variants are an issue. The best bit: J&J required only one shot.
- The Oxford vaccine was supposed to offer hope to poorer countries—with AstraZeneca and its Indian partner Serum Institute promising to keep it affordable. The reality: less affluent nations are struggling to secure the vaccine—and they’re being forced to pay a higher price. Example: Bangladesh is paying $4 per dose via the Serum Institute of India—compared to the EU price of $3.50. Politico explains this pricing gap.
- US researchers are worried about a newborn baby and here’s why: “But the real surprise came when doctors measured the infant’s viral load. It was 51,418 times the median of other pediatric patients. And when they sequenced the virus in the baby recently, they found a variant they hadn’t seen before.” The good news: The baby has recovered.
Tiger Woods undergoes surgery
The golfer—who was in a horrific car accident—underwent a lengthy surgery to repair "significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity." Doctors say Woods had multiple "open fractures" to his lower right leg. They have put in a rod in his tibia and inserted screws and pins in his foot and ankle. ESPN has more details on his accident, and whether he can ever play professional golf again.
Two high profile #MeToo allegations
One: Iconic designer Alexander Wang is facing multiple allegations of sexual assault. A student claims that Wang got him drunk at a nightclub and then attacked him in public:
"All of a sudden he unzipped my trousers, put his hands in my pants and started grabbing my penis in front of a bunch of people..I completely froze...He then said: 'I want to take you home with me."
The latest accusation—similar in description to one levelled in 2017—comes amid reports that a high-profile lawyer is representing 11 men with misconduct allegations against the designer. BBC News has more.
Two: French actor Gerard Depardieu has been charged with rape and sexual assault in connection with a 2018 case. He is accused of raping an actress in her 20s at his Paris home in August 2018. An initial investigation was dropped in 2019 due to lack of evidence—but was reopened last summer. Variety has more details.
Bad news about animals
Inbred tigers: A new study which sequenced whole genomes from 65 individual tigers reveals that habitat loss is leading to inbreeding—which can threaten their survival. The Hindu has more.
Stranded cattle: Two livestock ships from Spain left before Christmas to deliver their cargo. But they were refused entry by a number of countries—including Turkey and Libya. The reason: suspected outbreaks of the bovine disease bluetongue onboard the ships. And now they are stranded at sea. Animal activists say that many animals are likely already dead and any still alive would be “suffering a real hell.” The Guardian has this sad story.
A bizarre case of ‘blackface’
South Korean brand Bad Blood was caught using Photoshop to make a Korean woman look Black! This bizarre case of ‘blackface’ sparked outrage, and the company finally issued a statement:
“Our intention, as always, was to highlight our clothes by using an Instagram’s filter. By increasing the contrast between our clothes and that of the model, we unfortunately thought our clothes would look even better.”
In happier fashion news: Deepika Padukone will become the first female celebrity to become the face of Levi’s in India. (Mint)
Four amazing things to behold
Frozen falls: The United States is witnessing freezing temperatures due to an exceptionally bitter winter. The upside: This stunning sight of a half-frozen Niagara Falls as temperature dropped to -14°Celsius on Tuesday.
Exploding volcano: Mount Etna in Sicily has been extra-active over the past week—with spectacular eruptions that reached a peak on Monday when the volcano’s lava fountains soared to 1,500 metres. Watch! Also: check out this excellent gallery of photos.
A wooly sheep: This very sad sheep was rescued from a forest in Australia—where he was wandering unshorn for a very long time. He’s feeling much better now after being relieved of 35 kg of fleece—which is half the weight of an adult kangaroo. And he has a name: Baarack!
A golden biryani: A Dubai restaurant called Bombay Borough is now serving a special biryani served on a golden platter—and adorned with 23-carat gold leaves. The price: 1,000 dirhams or Rs 19,705.85! According the restaurant’s Insta account:
“This heavenly plate consists of Gold Leaf kababs- The Kashmiri lamb seekh kababs, old Delhi Lamb chops, Rajput chicken kababs, Mughlai koftas, and malai chicken roast served on a bed of saffron-infused biryani, complimented by a wide selection of our exquisite sauces, curries, and raitas.”
Well, it certainly looks amazing!
Dine With Data: All About Splashlearn 🃏
Editor's Note: Here is DWD’s weekly installment of one cool, innovative or just plain quirky startup from around the world.
Company: Splashlearn 🃏
About: Learn while playing games. Sounds ideal, and is a reality, thanks to Splashlearn.
More than 40M kids from preschool to 5th grade learn Math and Reading from the games that the company develops. 🎯
The product sets a daily learning goal for each kid , and curates activities in order to achieve those goals. Even the progress can be tracked directly by the parent, helping them keep a keen eye on their child.
The company announced a $18M Series C on 9th Feb, with plans to double their Gurgaon based workforce from 250 to 500 within the year.
Food For Thought: Like most ed-tech companies, SL had a great 2020. Adoption rose by 300%, and they added 10M more students. According to their website, the product is now used in 1 out of 3 US Schools! 🤯
DWD Take: Gaming is gradually crossing the bridge from being a waste of time to a potentially beneficial activity. Industries like e-commerce, banking, and education are picking up on cues from gaming to add a layer of fun to their products. We're here for this! ✅
Link: http://www.splashlearn.com/
About DWD: Dine With Data sends you a short summary on one new startup every day, delivered straight to your Whatsapp Inbox!