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HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — A fresh wave of coronavirus infections in Vietnam was caused by a more contagious variant spotted in Britain, authorities said Tuesday, as they rushed to contain the country’s most serious ever outbreak. Schools have been shut early ahead of the Lunar New Year and hundreds of thousands of people are in lockdown after more than 300 cases were detected in less than a week. The government said 12 cases have so […]
by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6 percent effective against symptomatic Covid-19, according to results published in The Lancet on Tuesday that independent experts said allayed transparency concerns over the jab, which Moscow is already rolling out. Sputnik V — named after the Soviet-era satellite — was approved in Russia months before results from its final-stage clinical trials were published, leading to scepticism from experts. […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Tuesday extended a coronavirus state of emergency in several parts of the country, with less than six months to go until the pandemic-postponed Olympics. The month-long extension will cover 10 of the 11 areas currently under the measure, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a meeting with the taskforce guiding the government’s pandemic response. © Agence France-Presse
Majority of vaccines this month coming from Pfizer, AstraZeneca (Eagle News) — Philippine vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez said that there will be three million vaccine doses against COVID-19 which will be coming in this February. In his report to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, Feb. 1, Galvez said that these 3 million vaccine doses will be among the first batches of the expected 148 million vaccine doses targeted for this year by the […]
(Eagle News) — The Philippine government on Tuesday, Feb. 2, said it was following with “deep concern” the situation in Myanmar. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is “especially concerned about the safety” of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who, along with others, has been detained by Myanmar’s military. The military, which alleged voting irregularities in November’s election, later declared a one-year state of emergency over the country. “Myanmar has made substantial […]
But none of 29 poorest countries has formally started vaccination drive by Jean-Philippe CHOGNOT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — More than 100 million Covid-19 vaccines have been given around the world, an AFP tally from official sources found Tuesday. But none of the world’s 29 poorest countries has formally started mass vaccination drives, while the richest nations have given more than two-thirds of jabs administered. Israel leads the race by far, with […]
PERTH, Australia (AFP) — A wildfire on the fringes of Australia’s fourth-largest city Perth has destroyed several homes and forced emergency evacuations, authorities said Tuesday, just days after the west coast city entered a coronavirus lockdown. Firefighters are battling the out-of-control bushfire on the city’s eastern fringes, where several properties are ablaze and several fields have been blackened. Smoke from the fires sent ash falling in the Perth city centre, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The military takeover in Myanmar and detention of Aung San Suu Kyi was “a major cabinet reshuffle” according to Chinese state media, who rolled out the euphemisms to avoid calling a coup a coup. As democratic leaders around the world slammed the Burmese military and President Joe Biden said the US was “taking note” of who was standing up for Myanmar’s people, China’s communist leadership took a softly-softly approach. Beijing […]
by Marc BURLEIGH Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Commission said Monday a shortfall in deliveries from Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca had forced it to recalibrate its early coronavirus vaccination strategy. The head of the Commission’s health directorate, Sandra Gallina, told MEPs the firm has been able to guarantee just 25 percent of the more than 100 million doses promised and that this was “a real issue” for the EU’s 27 countries. […]
(Eagle News) — Cloudy skies and rains will persist in parts of the country today, Feb. 2, due to the northeast monsoon. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Visayas and Bicol Region will have cloudy skies with rains. Flashfloods or landslides during moderate with at times heavy rains are possible. Cagayan Valley, and the provinces of Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Aurora, and Quezon, PAGASA said, will have cloudy skies with light […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — EU export rules are preventing Japan from finalizing its coronavirus vaccination plan, a Tokyo minister said Tuesday, after the bloc introduced a controversial new mechanism for the shipment of jabs made inside its borders. With less than six months until the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics, Japan has yet to set out when it will vaccinate its population of 126 million people, although it hopes to give the first doses later in February. […]
Says EU trying to “hostage” AstraZeneca vaccines produced in European bloc (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte noted how the European Union (EU) had been pressuring Oxford-AstraZeneca on its vaccine supplies, as the European bloc threatened to block AstraZeneca vaccine exports outside EU. Duterte noted that this was just the way it is: rich countries will try to hog vaccines as supplies dwindle. Countries where the vaccines are manufactured will also naturally have the […]
