Life

Open the windows to curb Covid spread: experts

by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Opening windows and ventilating spaces should be at the heart of efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19, a group of experts said Thursday, arguing that confusion over airborne transmission meant this simple measure was being overlooked. Mounting evidence convinced many places to adopt mask-wearing recommendations and health authorities have for months said that crowded, badly ventilated indoor spaces are a particular risk. The virus […]

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Drug-resistant malaria gaining foothold in Africa: study

  by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse Researchers on Thursday reported the first clinical evidence that drug-resistant mutations of the parasite responsible for malaria are gaining ground in Africa. Experts have long worried about the emergence of drug resistance across the continent, which accounted for more than 90 percent of malaria deaths worldwide in 2019. A new study published in The Lancet appears to confirm those fears. In clinical trials, the disease lingered longer in […]

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Noise pollution poses long-term risk to trees: study

  by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse Noise pollution poses a long-term risk to tree populations and plant diversity that may persist even after the sources of excess noise are removed, according to research published Wednesday. Manmade noise from construction, industry and the building of infrastructure such as roads and pipelines has increased dramatically since the middle of last century, and biologists are increasingly concerned about their impact on plants and animals. While previous research […]

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Toshiba CEO resigns as buyout offer stirs turmoil

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Toshiba’s president Nobuaki Kurumatani has resigned, the firm announced Wednesday, as a buyout offer from a private equity fund reportedly stirs turmoil inside the Japanese company. The resignation came as reports said two other funds were considering their own offers for the Japanese household name, potentially setting up a bidding war. In a statement, Toshiba said the board had accepted Kurumatani’s resignation, without giving details on why he had asked […]

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Moderna Covid vaccine efficacy falls slightly to 90% in US trial

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech company Moderna announced Covid vaccine is 90 percent effective against all forms of the disease and 95 percent effective against severe disease. The new results come from its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial involving more 30,000 people across the United States, and the headline efficacy figure is a slight decrease from an earlier figure of 94.1 percent published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December. […]

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US pauses J&J vaccine in blow to global immunization drive; rare clot in brain found in 6 women

South Africa follows US lead in suspending J&J vaccine rollout by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Tuesday recommended pausing the Johnson & Johnson Covid shot over blood clot fears, with the company quickly announcing it would delay its European rollout, in a setback for global immunization campaigns. Out of nearly seven million Americans who have so far received the single dose vaccine, six women between age […]

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Covid patients with sedentary habits more likely to die: study

  by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse Among covid patients, a lack of exercise is linked to more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death, according to a study covering nearly 50,000 people who were infected with the virus. People physically inactive for at least two years before the pandemic were more likely to be hospitalised, to require intensive care, and to die, researchers reported Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. As […]

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UK B.1.1.7 variant not linked to more serious infections: study

  The UK variant of the novel coronavirus does not increase the severity of Covid-19 compared to other strains, according to research published Tuesday that also confirmed its increased transmissibility. The variant, known as B117, is now the dominant viral strain across much of Europe, and previous studies had shown it was linked to a higher likelihood of death than normal variants. But two studies published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and The Lancet Public […]

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S. African Covid variant better at bypassing Pfizer/BioNTech jab: Israeli study

  JERUSALEM (AFP) — The South African coronavirus variant is better at “breaking through” the defences of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than other forms of the virus, Israeli experts said Sunday. However, one of the authors told AFP that while the study showed the variant to be relatively successful in infecting vaccinated people, it did not provide any data on whether it could generate serious illness among vaccinees. The study by Tel Aviv University and Clalit […]

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NASA delays Mars copter flight for tech check

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA has delayed by at least several days the first flight of its mini-helicopter on Mars after a possible tech issue emerged while testing its rotors, the US space agency said Saturday. Ingenuity’s trip, which is to be the first-ever powered, controlled flight on another planet, was set for Sunday but is now on hold until at least April 14. A high-speed test of the four-pound (1.8 kilogram) helicopter’s […]

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AstraZeneca jab clots link plausible but unconfirmed: WHO experts

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse A link between AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 jabs and blood clots is plausible but unconfirmed, the World Health Organization’s vaccine experts said Wednesday, stressing that reported occurrences were “very rare”. The statement came after the EU’s EMA drug regulator said earlier in the day that blood clots should now be listed as a “very rare” side effect of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. But the jab’s benefits continue to outweigh the […]

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US promises ‘much more’ vaccine aid, puts envoy in charge

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will soon be able to ramp up vaccine assistance abroad and will not seek “favors in return,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, putting a veteran aid administrator in charge. Blinken said the top US priority was to fight Covid-19 at home but that the goal would be achieved soon, pointing to President Joe Biden’s promise that 90 percent of Americans will be near a […]

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