Health

Dexamethasone trial results confirm COVID-19 benefits but also risks

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The keenly-awaited full results from a UK trial of the steroid dexamethasone were published Friday, confirming its life-saving benefits for COVID-19 patients on ventilators but suggesting it may cause harm if given too early. A total of 2,104 hospitalized patients were assigned to receive six milligram daily doses of the medicine for up to 10 days, and 4,321 to receive usual care, with the rate of deaths compared after 28 […]

Actor Michael V says he is COVID-19 positive, asks public to heed gov’t protocols

  (Eagle News) — Philippine actor Michael V, known for his character “Bitoy” and various impersonations of popular personalities, said that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The comedian said that his COVID-19 test results released on Saturday, July 18. He said that he had experienced flu-like symptoms and lost his sense of smell, but did not experience high fever.  He then had a swab test for COVID-19 a few days later after experiencing COVID-19 […]

Vaccine studies offer new hope as WHO warns on Africa

  by James Pheby with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two studies offered new hope of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus on Monday, as the World Health Organization warned about a possible acceleration of the disease in Africa. Seven months after COVID-19 was first identified in China and has since killed more than 600,000 people worldwide and battered economies, there is growing alarm over fresh outbreaks of the […]

Breakthrough’ treatment slashes virus death risk: study

  by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — An aerosol-based treatment could drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus patients dying from the disease or requiring intensive care, according to preliminary results released Monday by a British biotech firm. In a randomized trial of 100 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, those who received an inhaled formula of the protein interferon beta were at 79 percent lower risk of developing severe disease […]

Vaccination levels falling during pandemic, UN warns

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse The number of children worldwide getting life-saving vaccinations has declined this year largely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization and UNICEF warned on Wednesday. The first four months of 2020 saw a “substantial drop” in the completion of the three-dose jab that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough — the first decline in 28 years. “Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the […]

Millions face new virus curbs, but hope rises for US vaccine

  by Qasim Nauman, with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse Millions of people faced new coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday as infections surge, but in one sign of hope, an American firm said it would soon start final-stage human trials for a possible vaccine. Countries around the world re-imposed lockdowns and curbs to contain new outbreaks, as global cases surged past 13.2 million with more than 576,000 deaths. Parts of the Asia-Pacific region, which had been […]

Baby infected with COVID-19 in the womb: study

by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — Doctors in France have described what they said was the first confirmed case of a newborn infected in the womb with COVID-19 by the mother. The baby boy, born in March, suffered brain swelling and neurological symptoms linked to COVID-19 in adults, but has since recovered, they reported Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. Earlier research had pointed to the likely transmission of the virus from mother to […]

‘Strong evidence’ mothers can transmit virus to newborns

  by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — There is “strong evidence” that COVID-19- positive mothers can pass the virus on to their unborn infants, scientists said Thursday, in findings that could affect how pregnant women are shielded during the pandemic. While there have been isolated cases of babies infected with the virus, the findings show the strongest link yet between mother and infant transmission. Researchers in Italy studied 31 pregnant women […]

State officials respond to Hawaii’s largest single-day count of new COVID-19 cases

By Alfred Acenas EBC Hawaii Bureau HONOLULU (Eagle News) – The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) announced on Tuesday, July 7, that there were 41 new cases of COVID-19, the highest case count since the pandemic began in early March. Thirty-eight (38) were in Honolulu/Oahu, one (1) in Big Island, and two (2) in Kauai. Governor David Ige has assured that the new COVID-19 cases are still manageable. “It is the highest we’ve had, […]

Malnutrition in poorer nations costs firms up to $850 billon: study

by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — Hunger, poor nutrition and obesity not only present a health burden in developing countries but carry a hidden economic penalty that costs businesses up to $850 billion a year, according to a new report published Wednesday. Researchers said malnutrition reduces the resilience of populations to risks such as infectious disease outbreaks and extreme climate events, as well as causing a reduction in productivity and earnings. With the coronavirus […]

Global experts warn of COVID-19 airborne threat

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As countries ease their lockdowns, authorities need to recognize the coronavirus can spread through the air far beyond the two meters (six feet) urged in social distancing guidelines, an international group of 239 scientists said Monday. In a comment piece that takes direct aim at the World Health Organization for its reluctance to update its advice, researchers recommended new measures including increasing indoor […]

Johnson and Johnson cuts price of anti-TB tablets

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson announced Monday an immediate cut in the price of its tuberculosis treatment course — a move NGOs have long been calling for. Bedaquiline, sold under the brand name Sirturo, was approved for medicinal use in the United States in 2012, becoming the first new tuberculosis drug in 40 years to be given the green light. Johnson and Johnson said it would make its bedaquiline tablets […]