The Indian American, U S  Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on Thursday said he lost as many as 10 family members both here and in India to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is  calling for a national effort across tech companies, health care workers, journalists and everyday Americans to do more to address an "urgent threat" to public health.

Murthy released a 22-page advisory highlighting a string of false claims that have driven people away from vaccines at a time when the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations has slowed throughout the US. He said, "Modern technology companies have enabled misinformation to poison our information environment with little accountability to their users", Murthy said at a White House briefing on Thursday. "We are asking them to step up, we can't wait longer for them to take aggressive action."

"Misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation's health," Murthy said. "We must confront misinformation as a nation. Lives are depending on it." Striking a personal note, Murthy said he is "concerned" as a father of two young children who aren't yet eligible for the vaccine. Murthy said he has lost 10 family members to Covid-19 and wishes "each and every day" that they had had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Colombia Govt investigates 3 fugitives over Haitian President’s murder

Troops across Ethiopia mobilise to fight in Tigray

Germany floods: Merkel pledges support for victims