WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Chinese scientists reported Thursday it is possible, although rare, for pregnant mothers with the COVID-19 illness to pass the infection down to their babies. The team followed 33 pregnant women from Wuhan, the city where the disease behind a deadly pandemic was first identified — and found that three babies were infected with the new coronavirus at birth (a rate of nine percent, albeit in a very small sample). They […]
Life
Shortages hamper mass virus testing goals
by Paul RICARD PARIS, France (AFP) — “Test, test, test”. The World Health Organisation’s prescription for success in wrestling the new coronavirus pandemic under control may seem simple. So why are so few countries able to follow it? While nations like South Korea have been praised for their decisive efforts to control the spread of the virus with mass screening, experts say many other countries have been unable to emulate their approach. WHO chief Tedros […]
Peru saves bats blamed for coronavirus
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Authorities called Wednesday for worried Peruvians to stop killing bats after rescuing 200 that was going to be burnt by peasants believing them to be spreading the coronavirus. “We must not distort the situation due to the pandemic. Bats are not our enemies,” the National Service of Wild Forests and Fauna (SERFOR) said in a statement on Wednesday. SERFOR called for calm after peasants in Culden, in the northern Cajamarca region, […]
Crisis brings robots to medical frontline: researchers
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Robots are expected to demonstrate their value for “dirty and dangerous” medical tasks in the fight to quell the coronavirus pandemic, researchers said Wednesday. An editorial in Science Robotics noted that robots can help with telemedicine, decontamination, handling of hazardous waste and monitoring compliance with voluntary quarantines. “Historically, robots have been developed to take on dull, dirty and dangerous jobs,” the researchers wrote. “As epidemics escalate, the potential roles of […]
WATCH: Policeman sings song he wrote to inspire Filipinos forced to stay home amid COVID-19 quarantine
(Eagle News) — A young Filipino policeman decided to compose a song to inspire Filipinos forced to stay at home amid the COVID-19 quarantine. The 32-year old cop, Christian Pagaduan Villamor, presently assigned at the Lupao Police Station in Nueva Ecija performed his song himself while strumming his guitar, dedicating it to all Filipinos fighting the war against the coronavirus. Villamor’s hobby is composing songs, especially when there are calamities, saying he wants to inspire […]
Virus lockdown makes big dent in Paris air pollution: report
PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s stay-at-home orders to combat the coronavirus outbreak has produced a 20 to 30 percent decline in overall air pollution levels in Paris, according to a report from the region’s air quality monitoring agency. The lockdown has taken countless cars and delivery trucks off the roads since coming into effect on March 17, and massively reduced the number of flights at the two airports serving the capital. The Airparif report said […]
Online gaming booms as virus lockdowns keep millions at home
by Sean GLEESON Agence France-Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) When two Spanish footballers took to the controls of “FIFA 20” after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online. The huge digital crowd last week is part of a spectacular boom for the digital gaming industry, as record numbers flock to online servers for distraction, entertainment and friendship with the “real world” seemingly falling apart. Real Betis striker Borja […]
WATCH: How to make hand sanitizers at home
WASHINGTON DC (Eagle News) — Eagle News International, Washington DC, asks a stay-at-home mom, how do you make homemade hand sanitizers? © Eagle News Service
WATCH: Filipino Artist Elmer Calata shares ideas on creating artwork
WASHINGTON DC (Eagle News) — Elmer Calata, Filipino-American artist, based in Washington DC, talks with Eagle News International, Washington DC, about his art and his take on the COIVD-19 lockdown. “Not necessarily fretting it right now. I’m just really enjoying my time and working on my work.” Elmer says that being a creative, it’s natural to spend a lot of alone time. So for the lockdown, “it’s really interesting to see other people be in […]
3-D printers help save lives from virus in Italy
by Arman SOLDIN ROME, Italy (AFP) — They may not be a miracle cure or a vaccine, but respirator valves from 3-D printers have helped coronavirus patients breathe a little easier in the Italian epicenter of COVID-19. Italy has thrown everything at a pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 people in just a month, more than anywhere else. Hospitals in the northern Italian heart of the outbreak have had to make life-and-death decisions about […]
Loss of smell could reveal hidden virus cases: experts
by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — From a mother unable to smell her baby’s nappy to a lawmaker who suddenly could not taste the food, some coronavirus patients have described a loss of olfactory senses — and experts say this might be a new way to detect the virus. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in Britain, the United States and France have noted a growing number of patients in recent weeks with anosmia […]
For Moscow’s quarantined, 100,000 cameras are watching
by Victoria LOGUINOVA-YAKOVLEVA Agence France-Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) —A vast and contentious network of facial recognition cameras keeping watch over Moscow is now playing a key role in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus in Russia. The city rolled out the technology just before the epidemic reached Russia, ignoring protests and legal complaints over sophisticated state surveillance. Since last month, thousands of Muscovites have been confined to their homes for 14 days of compulsory […]





