Tag: coronavirus

S.Africa president blasts vaccine hoarding at Davos forum

PRETORIA, South Africa (AFP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday lashed “vaccine nationalism,” accusing rich countries of bulk-buying coronavirus vaccines and hoarding them to the detriment of others. Addressing the all-virtual 2021 World Economic Forum (WEF), Ramaphosa said low- and middle-income countries were being shouldered aside by wealthier nations able to acquire “up to four times what their population needs”. “We are concerned about vaccine nationalism,” he warned. “Rich countries in the world are […]

Continue Reading →

Mexico City plastic ban poses challenge for virus-hit firms

by Natalia Cano Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s ban on single-use plastic in its capital, one of the world’s most populous metropolises, has delighted environmentalists but dismayed some businesses struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. Home to around nine million people, Mexico City generates about 13,000 tons of solid waste every day. The new rules, which are being phased in, ban the use of disposable plastic items such as cutlery, plates, […]

Continue Reading →

Virus hunters delve into Gabon forest in search for next threat

by Adrien MAROTTE Agence France-Presse ZADIE CAVES, Gabon (AFP) — The scene looks like something out of a science fiction movie, or maybe some dystopian TV series. Six men in yellow biohazard suits clamber in suffocating heat towards a cave in the heart of the Gabonese jungle. Their quest: to unlock new knowledge on how pathogens like coronavirus leap the species barrier to humans. In the cave is their goal — a colony of bats. […]

Continue Reading →

India’s coronavirus cases pass nine million as Delhi struggles

  by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s coronavirus caseload passed nine million on Friday, as hospitals in the capital New Delhi came under increasing pressure and graveyards began to fill up. The world’s second-worst-hit country has now also registered more than 132,000 deaths from the disease, according to the latest official figures, which are widely seen as understating the true scale of infection. India has seen a drop in […]

Continue Reading →

Frontrunners emerge in race for Covid-19 vaccine

PARIS, France (AFP) — Dozens of companies, from biotech start-ups to Big Pharma, are racing to develop a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, both to meet urgent medical need and for the potential payday. Here’s an update on the quest for a magic bullet against the coronavirus that has already killed more than a million people worldwide. How many in the pipeline? The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 42 “candidate vaccines” at the stage […]

Continue Reading →

Covid-19 vaccine ‘best science news’ of 2020

by Nina LARSON Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Data indicating that a vaccine being developed against Covid-19 is highly effective is the “best science news of the year”, a pharmaceutical industry association chief said, voicing hope that other vaccine candidates would show equally good results. “A vaccine that has 90 percent efficacy and is pretty safe, that is a historic breakthrough,” the head of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Thomas […]

Continue Reading →

Coronavirus ‘can survive for 28 days on surfaces’: study

by Holly ROBERTSON Agence France-Presse BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can survive on items such as banknotes and phones for up to 28 days in cool, dark conditions, according to a study by Australia’s national science agency. Researchers at CSIRO’s disease preparedness centre tested the longevity of SARS-CoV-2 in the dark at three temperatures, showing survival rates decreased as conditions became hotter, the agency said Monday. The scientists found that at 20 […]

Continue Reading →

Trump criticized for leaving hospital to greet supporters

  by Brian Knowlton and Joshua Melvin Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump sparked an angry backlash from the medical community Sunday with a protocol-breaking visit to his supporters outside the hospital where he is being treated for the highly-infectious, potentially deadly new coronavirus. He was masked as he waved from inside his bulletproof vehicle during the short trip outside Walter Reed military medical center near Washington, which appeared […]

Continue Reading →

World leaders wish Trump a speedy recovery

  By Agence France Presse World leaders have wished US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania a quick recovery following his announcement that they were quarantining after testing positive for coronavirus. – China – Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan extended their sympathies to Trump and First Lady Melania and said they “hope for your speedy recovery,” the foreign ministry said. – Russia – “I am convinced that your vitality, good […]

Continue Reading →

Trump hospitalized for Covid treatment, campaign grounded

  by Sebastian Smith and Emma Charlton Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump remained hospitalized Saturday for an experimental Covid-19 treatment, but said he was “well,” following bombshell news that he had contracted the virus, knocking him off the campaign trail a month from the US election. After having not been seen in public since the shock announcement, the president walked out of the White House Friday evening wearing a […]

Continue Reading →

PHL becomes 20th country in the world with the most COVID-19 cases

  (Eagle News) – The Philippines is now the 20th country in the world with the most COVID-19 cases based on the virus dashboard of the Johns Hopkins University. This was after the coronavirus cases in the country reached 314,079 as of Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. The Philippines came after Italy which was in the 19th place. Italy had 317,409 cases. The Philippines overtook Pakistan (at 21st place) and Germany which was ranked 22nd. Indonesia […]

Continue Reading →

US President Trump says he and First Lady Melania tested positive for COVID-19

  (Eagle News) — US President Donald Trump says he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus in a tweet that shocked the world. “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!,” he said in his tweet. Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through […]

Continue Reading →
1 2 3 4 5 … 58