Tag: covid

Russia sets another Covid record as world battles Delta variant

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia reported its fifth record for daily Covid-19 deaths in a row on Saturday, as countries around the world rush to contain the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The variant has propelled a resurgence of the virus which has already killed nearly four million people, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the pandemic first swept the world. Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown […]

Indonesia rolls out tougher curbs as virus cases skyrocket

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown Saturday in the capital Jakarta, across the main island of Java and on Bali as the Southeast Asian nation grappled with an unprecedented wave of coronavirus infections. Mosques, restaurants and shopping malls were shuttered in virus hotspots around the Muslim-majority country, which recorded more than 25,000 new cases and 539 deaths on Friday, both new daily records. Indonesia’s daily caseload has more than quadrupled in […]

PHL COVID deaths breach 25k as 90 fatalities are added, but percentage of active cases still at a low

New COVID recoveries added were 7,698, the highest this past week   (Eagle News) – The Philippines’ COVID-19 deaths breached 25,000 on Saturday, July 3, with the addition of 90 virus fatalities, even as the country continued to record low percentages of active COVID-19 cases. As of Saturday, July 3, the number of COVID-19 fatalities reached 25,063. The number of new fatalities reported on Saturday at 90 were still much lower than the previous day’s […]

WHO warns against vaccine favoritism; says all COVID jabs it approved for EUL are “safe and effective”

WHO issues “Joint COVAX Statement on the Equal Recognition of Vaccines” amid some countries’ preference for Western-made jabs     (Eagle News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all countries and regions to recognize the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines included in its emergency use listing (EUL) as these are all “safe and effective.”  WHO said failure by some countries to do so is “undermining confidence in life-saving vaccines.” In a statement, WHO called […]

Myanmar orders 2 million to stay home as Covid-19 cases spike

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Myanmar authorities imposed stay-at-home-measures on the country’s second city Friday as coronavirus cases in the coup-wracked country surge, with many health workers striking to protest against the junta. Inhabitants of Mandalay, as well as two townships in the southern Bago region woke up to new restrictions banning more than one person leaving home for non-medical reasons. There was no timeframe given for the new rules, announced by the health and […]

India hits 400,000 virus deaths as vaccinations slow

  NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India became the third country to pass 400,000 Covid-19 deaths, official data showed Friday, as the country’s vast vaccination drive slows. Total deaths are 400,312, according to the health ministry — behind only the United States and Brazil — with total cases almost 30.5 million. Many experts suspect India’s true death toll is more than a million, after a devastating spike in cases in April and May that overwhelmed […]

Lagundi effective in treating COVID patients with mild symptoms based on clinical trial, says DOST

Clinical trial for patients with moderate symptoms recommended   (Eagle News) – A clinical trial involving the traditional herb “Lagundi” has showed that it was effective in eliminating symptoms of COVID-19 patients much earlier, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Those given ‘Lagundi” were also able to get back their sense of smell much earlier that the other patients who were not given the herb. DOST gave this report as it finished […]

Indonesia to impose ’emergency’ curbs to battle virus surge

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia will impose “emergency” coronavirus restrictions this week to battle an alarming surge in infections, President Joko Widodo said Thursday, as the country scrambles to avoid a collapse of its overwhelmed healthcare system. Widodo said the new restrictions, starting Friday, would last more than two weeks in the capital Jakarta and across hard-hit Java, as well as on the holiday island Bali, after infections surged to record levels. New daily […]

QC gov’t ends contract with EzConsult after several system crashes delaying COVID vaccination

Lawsuit eyed for firm’s failure to meet contractual obligations   (Eagle News) — The Quezon City government has decided to terminate its contract with EzConsult, Zuellig Pharma Corporation’s booking services, due to a series of technical difficulties experienced by city residents. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that the city government had received numerous complaints from the ineffective services of EzConsult that made it difficult for Quezon City residents to have a scheduled vaccination slot. […]

IATF lists “green” countries as shorter quarantine for fully vaccinated inbound int’l travelers start

Fully-vaccinated travelers who stayed in these COVID-19 “low-risk” countries can qualify for shorter quarantine starting July 1, says Palace   (Eagle News) — The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) issued a list of the so-called “green” or “low-risk” countries and jurisdictions as the Philippine government starts allowing shorter quarantine period for international fully vaccinated travelers. Today, July 1, is the effectivity of the shorter quarantine for fully vaccinated inbound travelers provided that they came from any […]

US urges Covid cooperation at G20 as China calls for “true multilateralism”

Blinken cites US $2B pledge for COVAX, add’l 500M Pfizer doses to other countries   by Shaun TANDON / Gildas LE ROUX Agence France Presse MATERA, Italy (AFP) — The United States led calls at a G20 meeting Tuesday for greater global cooperation in light of the coronavirus crisis as China insisted that multilateralism should not just be a slogan. Italy welcomed foreign ministers of the Group of 20 major economies to the southern city […]

France’s Sanofi to invest 2 billion euros in mRNA vaccines

  by Marie-Morgane LE MOEL Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said Tuesday that it would invest 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) in the mRNA vaccine technology behind the pioneering Covid-19 jabs developed by rivals BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna. Sanofi, which was left trailing in the race to break out a Covid vaccine in 2020, said it would invest 400 million euros a year between now and 2025 to develop at […]