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by Issam Ahmed with AFP bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was to begin leaving the company’s Michigan factory on Sunday, ready to be injected into the arms of millions of the most vulnerable Americans as the global death toll topped 1.6 million. Doses will be shipped out in boxes containing dry ice that are capable of staying at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), the frigid temperature needed to preserve […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a record high for a second day in a row as the country struggles to tackle a third wave of infections. The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules. But a resurgence centred on the capital and surrounding area has prompted President Moon […]
by Issam Ahmed Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Friday piled pressure on the US drug regulator to quickly approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as America readied to roll out mass immunizations. The Washington Post reported that the White House told the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Stephen Hahn to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the vaccine by the end of the day. Hahn […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US said Friday it was purchasing 100 million more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, amid reports the government passed on the opportunity to secure more supply of the Pfizer jab. The agreement brings the total number of Moderna doses bought by the US to 200 million, enough to immunize 100 million people with the two-shot regimen. “Securing another 100 million doses from Moderna by June […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia’s homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials. “Today we announce a clinical trial programme to assess safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Sputnik V, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research institute,” AstraZeneca said in a statement published on its website in English and Russian. The pharmaceutical company said […]
by Charlotte PLANTIVE Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A convicted murderer died by lethal injection on Thursday as the administration of President Donald Trump carries out a series of federal executions in its waning days in power, ignoring calls for clemency and Covid-19 outbreaks behind bars. Brandon Bernard, a 40-year-old African-American inmate, was put to death at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for his role in a 1999 double murder […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government said Thursday that it would begin offering coronavirus tests for children aged 11-18 in the worst-affected parts of London and southeast England to try to cut a rise in infections. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “particularly concerned” about a spike in cases in London, and parts of the counties of Kent and Essex that border the British capital. He told a news conference that […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A strong earthquake struck off Taiwan on Thursday, causing buildings to shake violently in Taipei but with no immediate reports of damage or injury. The quake was of magnitude 6.2, the US Geological Survey which monitors earthquakes worldwide, initially said. It later downgraded this to 6.1. The quake struck off Yilan City on the island’s east coast at a depth of 73 kilometers (45 miles) at 9:19 pm local time (1319 […]
by Heather SCOTT WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New applications for US unemployment benefits surged last week by 137,000, according to government data released Thursday, underscoring the need for more economic stimulus as Covid-19 cases hit new peaks. The gain was far higher than economists had been expecting and ramps up pressure on US lawmakers to break the impasse on a new federal relief package to help families and businesses hit by the pandemic. With […]
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US experts met Thursday to assess whether to grant emergency approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine and allow America to become the next country to move ahead with mass immunization. The independent committee of experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a non-binding vote at the end of the day, and the US regulator will determine after that whether to issue an emergency use […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday registered more than 3,000 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally — the highest daily toll since April. American authorities warned a spike in deaths was coming after millions traveled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month, ignoring pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the virus. As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday), […]
by Agence France Presse Bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — American regulators were due to meet Thursday to assess the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, as the country logged one of its worst-ever daily Covid-19 death tolls with more than 3,000 people lost to the pandemic. Other northern hemisphere countries were also grappling with a winter virus surge, as the number of global infections raced towards 70 million with more than 1.5 million […]
