by Ivan Couronne Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — Taiwan and South Korea have led the world in digital contact tracing for the COVID-19 pandemic — an example the US with its emphasis on personal privacy and decentralized system of government is unlikely to be able to follow. Instead, states and cities are opting to hire thousands of public health workers who will have to carry out the laborious task of phoning everyone with […]
Tag: coronavirus
Humans to blame for spread of coronavirus and other ‘zoonoses’
by Stéphane ORJOLLET Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Whether it came from a bat or a pangolin is not certain, but one thing is: the coronavirus outbreak that has killed tens of thousands and turned the world upside down comes from the animal world. It is human activity enabled the virus to jump to people, and specialists are warning that if nothing changes many other pandemics of this nature will follow. The name given to […]
Japan virus expert ‘pessimistic’ Olympics can be held in 2021
by Sara HUSSEIN Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese expert who has criticised the country’s response to the coronavirus warned Monday that he is “pessimistic” that the postponed Olympics can be held even in 2021. “To be honest with you I don’t think the Olympics is likely to be held next year,” said Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University. Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed last […]
UN member states demand ‘equitable’ access to future COVID-19 vaccines
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The 193 members of the UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by consensus a resolution that calls for “equitable, efficient and timely” access to any future vaccines developed to fight coronavirus. The resolution also highlights the “crucial leading role” played by the World Health Organization, which has faced criticism from Washington and others about its handling of the pandemic. The resolution, which was drafted by Mexico and received US support, […]
Italy mulls psychological tests to gauge lockdown impact
ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian scientists want the government to conduct psychological tests on a sample of the population to determine how long people can stay confined to their homes, a report said Monday. The Corriere della Sera newspaper said scientists want to understand how long Italians “are able to endure a lockdown” in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will announce a new set of social guidelines this week that […]
40 RITM staff members test positive for COVID-19 forcing scaled down operations
(Eagle News) – At least 40 staff members of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) tested positive for COVID-19 forcing the facility to reduce operations to allow disinfection activities, and to investigate and do further tests on other employees. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they are still determining the source of the infection, but that initial information that they have is that those who have been going home from the facility were […]
Brazil President Bolsonaro joins demo against stay-at-home orders
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday joined hundreds of demonstrators outside army headquarters in the capital Brasilia protesting stay-at-home orders issued by state governors. The crowd of around 600 called on the army to intervene in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and demanded the closure of Congress. Some held up posters declaring “Military intervention with Bolsonaro”. “I am here because I believe in you and you are here […]
Kids in Malaysia talk about COVID-19 and why they cannot go out
(Eagle News) — Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children already know some basic information about the virus that has so far infected more than 2.3 million people around the world. In this video report by Hui Mei See, EBC correspondent in Kuala Lumpur, children interviewed in Malaysia, including kids of Filipinos working there, already know why they cannot go out and why their schools are closed. They already know the importance of proper hand washing […]
New York woman meets baby she gave birth to in COVID-19 coma
by Ivan Couronne Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — A woman in New York has met for the first time the baby she gave birth to in early April while she was on a ventilator in an artificial coma because she had a serious form of COVID-19. Yanira Soriano, 36, was intubated for 11 days in an intensive care unit before recovering “miraculously” to welcome her fourth child, her doctor told AFP. “We really […]
UK gov’t launches task force to develop vaccine vs COVID-19 as soon as possible
(Eagle News) — The UK government has launched a “new Vaccine Taskforce” meant to “drive forward, expedite and co-ordinate efforts to research and then produce a coronavirus vaccine.” In a statement, the UK government revealed that “21 new research projects combating coronavirus will receive government funding from a £14 million pot investment to rapidly progress treatments and vaccines.” “This follows the government’s £250 million pledge to develop a vaccine, putting the UK at the […]
Trump warns China could face ‘consequences’ over pandemic
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that China could face consequences if it was “knowingly responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic. “It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t,” Trump told reporters at a White House briefing. “And now the whole world is suffering because of it.” Trump was asked whether China should suffer consequences over the pandemic which began in the Chinese city of […]
Global virus deaths pass 150,000 as Trump endorses lockdown protests
by Paul HANDLEY / with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse Coronavirus deaths have surged past 150,000 worldwide with nearly a quarter of them in the United States, where President Donald Trump lent his support to protesters rallying against lockdown orders. Evidence is mounting that social distancing successfully slowed the pandemic after more than half of humanity — 4.5 billion people — were confined to their homes. Governments around the world are now grappling with […]





