COVID-19
Bangladesh sees 16 more Covid cases, zero death
Bangladesh reported 16 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,532, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,442 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity dropped to 0.45 percent from Saturday’s 0.46 percent as 3,531 samples were tested.
Also read: Bangladesh logs 16 more Covid cases
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.79 percent.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 of the same year.
Covid-19: Bangladesh reports another death, 10 more cases
Bangladesh logged another death from Covid-19 with ten more Covid cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatality rose to 29,442 and the caseload to 2,037,516, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity dropped to 0.46 percent from Friday’s 0.85 percent as 2,155 samples were tested.
Also Read: Bangladesh sees 12 more Covid cases, zero death
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.78 percent.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 of the same year.
Covid-19: 13 more cases reported in 24 hours
Bangladesh reported 13 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,469, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read more: US proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity dropped to 0.49 percent from Monday’s 0.56 percent as 2,657 samples were tested.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.44 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.74 percent.
Read more: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 11 more cases, zero death
Bangladesh reported its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 of the same year.
Global Covid-19 cases now over 673 million
The overall number of Covid-19 cases around the world has now surpassed 673 million, with a sudden surge of cases in Asia and some other parts of the world.
According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count mounted to 673,506,825 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,748,110 this morning.
The US has recorded 103,888,296 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,129,145 people have died from the virus in the North American country, both highest counts around the world.
Read: US proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans
India reported 94 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths in 24 hours, the union health ministry data on Monday showed. While active cases have declined to 1,934, the South Asian country’s total coronavirus cases have reached 4.47 crore so far. The overall death toll stood at 5,30,735 since the onset of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, China reported nearly 13,000 Covid-related deaths in hospitals between January 13 and 19, after a top health official said the vast majority of the population had already been infected.
Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 12 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
With the new cases, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,456, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.
US proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans
U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus.
This means Americans would no longer have to keep track of how many shots they’ve received or how many months it’s been since their last booster.
The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell. While more than 80% of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, only 16% of those eligible have received the latest boosters authorized in August.
The FDA will ask its panel of outside vaccine experts to weigh in at a meeting Thursday. The agency is expected to take their advice into consideration while deciding future vaccine requirements for manufacturers.
In documents posted online, FDA scientists say many Americans now have “sufficient preexisting immunity” against the coronavirus because of vaccination, infection or a combination of the two. That baseline of protection should be enough to move to an annual booster against the latest strains in circulation and make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the yearly flu shot, according to the agency.
For adults with weakened immune systems and very small children, a two-dose combination may be needed for protection. FDA scientists and vaccine companies would study vaccination, infection rates and other data to decide who should receive a single shot versus a two-dose series.
FDA will also ask its panel to vote on whether all vaccines should target the same strains. That step would be needed to make the shots interchangeable, doing away with the current complicated system of primary vaccinations and boosters.
The initial shots from Pfizer and Moderna — called the primary series — target the strain of the virus that first emerged in 2020 and quickly swept across the world. The updated boosters launched last fall were also tweaked to target omicron relatives that had been dominant.
Under FDA's proposal, the agency, independent experts and manufacturers would decide annually on which strains to target by the early summer, allowing several months to produce and launch updated shots before the fall. That’s roughly the same approach long used to select the strains for the annual flu shot.
Read more: Covid-19 vaccine consignment for kids arrive in Dhaka
Ultimately, FDA officials say moving to an annual schedule would make it easier to promote future vaccination campaigns, which could ultimately boost vaccination rates nationwide.
The original two-dose COVID shots have offered strong protection against severe disease and death no matter the variant, but protection against mild infection wanes. Experts continue to debate whether the latest round of boosters significantly enhanced protection, particularly for younger, healthy Americans.
‘World Bank should support countries hit hard by Covid-19, Russia-Ukraine war, climate change’
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (January 23, 2023) urged the World Bank and other international organizations to strengthen their support for countries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change.
The PM said this when World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Axel van Trotsenburg, paid a courtesy call on her at her office this morning.
PM’s speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting.
Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh had achieved an impressive 8-plus percent GDP growth before Covid-19 broke out, but it declined due to the pandemic. When Bangladesh was regaining the growth momentum, it was hit hard again by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Read more: World Bank: Recession a looming threat for global economy
Developing countries like Bangladesh are dealing with the challenges brought about the economic fallout, including soaring food and fuel prices, she said.
The PM focused on her government’s measures and endeavours to fight the climate change, including projects undertaken with financing from Climate Trust Fund, to mitigate the adverse impacts by creating green-belt, afforestation, sustainable housing and livelihood.
She said developed countries shares responsibility for climate change but unfortunately, they are not complying with their commitments to assist the climate vulnerable countries.
BANGLADESH MADE INCREDIBLE DEVELOPMENT: WB MANAGING DIRECTOR
The World Bank Managing Director praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for Bangladesh’s incredible development journey under her leadership.
The per capita income in Bangladesh was only some US $50 in 1972, which is now US $2824, he added.
Read more: World Bank okays $250m for Bangladesh for better environmental management, green investments
Talking about the current context, Axel van Trotsenburg said that developing countries like Bangladesh need to create employment opportunities for youths to face the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.
Employment generation is also needed for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he added.
He said the World Bank has been assisting Bangladesh since 1972 and will continue to stand beside the country.
“I’ve come here to strengthen the World Bank’s partnership with Bangladesh,” said the WB senior official.
Read More: World Bank a key partner of Bangladesh’s economic growth: Finance Minister
About the development of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said the country has gained fast development in the last 14 years thanks to the continuation of political stability, the government’s tireless efforts to implement its political visions and its desire to work for the people.
PM’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammd Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, and Finance Senior Secretary Fatima Yasmin were present at the meeting.
Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 11 more cases, zero death
Bangladesh reported 11 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,444, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity fell to 0.41 percent from Saturday’s 0.54 percent as 2,674 samples were tested.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 17 more cases, zero death
The mortality rate fell to 1.44 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.72 percent.
Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 17 more cases, zero death
Bangladesh reported 17 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,433, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity increased to 0.54 percent from Friday's 0.41 percent as 3,134 samples were tested.
Also Read: Bangladesh sees 4 more Covid cases, zero death
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.45 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.71 percent.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 of the same year.
Job cuts in tech sector spread, Microsoft lays off 10,000
Microsoft is cutting 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, joining other tech companies that have scaled back their pandemic-era expansions.
The company said in a regulatory filing Wednesday (January 18, 2023) that the layoffs were a response to “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.”
The Redmond, Washington-based software giant said it will also be making changes to its hardware portfolio and consolidating its leased office locations.
Microsoft is cutting far fewer jobs than it had added during the COVID-19 pandemic as it responded to a boom in demand for its workplace software and cloud computing services with so many people working and studying from home.
Read More: Recession-Proof Your Career With Tech Skills
“A big part of this is just overexuberance in hiring,” said Joshua White, a finance professor at Vanderbilt University.
Microsoft’s workforce expanded by about 36% in the two fiscal years following the emergence of the pandemic, growing from 163,000 workers at the end of June 2020, to 221,000 in June 2022.
The layoffs represent “less than 5 percent of our total employee base, with some notifications happening today,” CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to employees.
“While we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas,” Nadella said. He emphasized the importance of building a “new computer platform” using advances in artificial intelligence.
Read More: 11 Virtual Meeting Etiquette Rules for Professionals
He said customers that were accelerating their spending on digital technology during the pandemic are now trying to “optimize their digital spend to do more with less.”
“We’re also seeing organizations in every industry and geography exercise caution as some parts of the world are in a recession and other parts are anticipating one,” Nadella wrote.
Other tech companies have also been trimming jobs amid concerns about an economic slowdown.
Amazon and business software maker Salesforce earlier this month announced major job cuts as they prune payrolls that rapidly expanded during the pandemic lockdown.
Read More: Malta Work Permit Visa for Bangladeshi Citizens
Amazon said that it will be cutting about 18,000 positions and began notifying affected employees Wednesday in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica, with other regions to follow, according to emails from executives. The job cuts, which began in November, are the largest set of layoffs in the Seattle company’s history, although just a fraction of its 1.5 million global workforce.
Also Wednesday, the U.K.-based cybersecurity firm Sophos confirmed it had laid off 10% of its global workforce — 450 employees — on Tuesday. Sophos, known for threat intelligence and detection, was acquired in 2020 by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo for $3.9 billion.
Facebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce. And Elon Musk, the new Twitter CEO, has slashed the company’s workforce.
Nadella made no direct mention of the layoffs on Wednesday when he put in an appearance at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting happening this week in Davos, Switzerland.
Read More: Career Counseling: 10 Reasons you need a Career Coach
When asked by the forum’s founder Klaus Schwab on what tech layoffs meant for the industry’s business model, Nadella said companies that boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic are now seeing “normalization” of that demand.
“Quite frankly, we in the tech industry will also have to get efficient, right?” Nadella said. “It’s not about everyone else doing more with less. We will have to do more with less. So we will have to show our own productivity gains with our own sort of technology.”
Microsoft declined to answer questions about where the layoffs and office closures would be concentrated. The company sent notice to Washington state employment officials Wednesday that it was cutting 878 workers at its offices in Redmond and the nearby cities of Bellevue and Issaquah.
As of June, it had 122,000 workers in the U.S. and 99,000 elsewhere.
Read More: UNV Program: How to become a UN Volunteer from Bangladesh
White, the Vanderbilt professor, said all industries are looking to cut costs ahead of a possible recession but tech companies could be particularly sensitive to the rapid rise in interest rates, a tool that has been used aggressively in recent months by the Federal Reserve in its fight against inflation.
“This hits tech companies a little harder than it does industrials or consumer staples because a huge portion of Microsoft’s value is on projects with cash flows that won’t pay off for several years," he said.
Among the projects that have been attracting attention recently is Microsoft’s investment in its San Francisco startup partner OpenAI, maker of the writing tool ChatGPT and other AI systems that can generate readable text, images and computer code.
Microsoft, which owns the Xbox game business, also faces regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. and Europe delaying its planned $68.7 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, which had about 9,800 employees as of a year ago.
Read More: Interview Anxiety: How to calm your nerves and avoid stress
Global Covid-19 cases near 672 million
The overall number of global Covid-19 cases is gradually nearing 672 million, with the sudden surge of the virus’ Omicron sub-variant in Asia and some other parts of the world.
According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count mounted to 671,889,386 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,733,572 this morning.
The US has recorded 103,614,411 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,125,895 people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.
Read: China reports 60,000 COVID-related deaths since early December
India recorded 89 new coronavirus infections, the lowest since March 27, 2020, while the active cases declined to 2,035, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The Covid-19 case tally for the country stood at 4.46 crore (4,46,81,233) while the death counts were at 5,30,726.
Meanwhile, France has registered 39,461,387 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position in the world, while 163,562 people have died in the country, as per the Worldometer.
Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported nine more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 9 more cases
With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,386, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,441 as no new fatalities were reported.