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A major flu outbreak has hit Kremlin and could force Russian President Vladimir Putin into isolation in a bunker, a report in Metro said. The development comes a day after officials announced that Mr Putin will not hold his annual end-of-year press conference this year. Since Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no reason or the break with tradition, several outlets are claiming that it has been done due to health issues Mr Putin is facing. After Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine in February this year, there has been a renewed focus on Mr Putin's health. "Yes, this year, flu...

COVID-19 long haulers might be experiencing long-term changes to their genes in their airway cells, according to a new study. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein showed the changes in gene expression in the airway cells of long haulers, according to experimental biology researcher Nicholas Evans, who will present his study's findings at a virtual meeting Friday. The long-hauler symptoms of shortness of breath and dizziness can be a result of the long-term changes in the cells even after recovering from the disease.

The United States has told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible as the country battles a devastating coronavirus wave. India reported 379,257 new infections on Thursday, the world's highest single-day total. The US embassy warned that "access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited". The Level 4 "do not travel" advisory is the highest of its kind issued by the Department of State. In the advisory, US citizens were told "not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so". "US citizens who wish to depart India...

The skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases in India is likely driven by a “far more infectious and probably far more deadly” variant — and is driving hospitals to “beyond [a] crisis point,” a top physician warned Tuesday. Dr. Zarir Udwadia, who works in Mumbai hospitals and consults for the government, said he has seen “ward after ward full of patients struggling to breathe on ventilators of different forms and shapes.”

People in India are dying in the streets amid a catastrophic surge of COVID-19 infections — prompting an oxygen shortage and mass cremations to deal with the overwhelming amount of bodies. “The virus is swallowing our city’s people like a monster,” said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat crematorium in Bhopal. Sharma said the unprecedented crush of bodies has forced them to skip individual ceremonies and rituals that are Hindu traditions.