Tag: covid

PHL plans first vaccine roll-out by March, but bulk of over 60M doses to come in by May to July

  (Eagle News) – The Philippines will get more than the 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines needed for the mass vaccination next year in the country, and sees the first roll-out of vaccines by March. This was according to vaccine czar and the chief implementer of the National Action Plan against COVID-19 Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. In his report to President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night, Dec. 16, Galvez said that once the contracts […]

Palace, FDA warn public against alleged COVID vaccines being circulated in black market

FDA says it has not yet authorized entry and use of any COVID vaccine in the PHL (Eagle News) — Malacanang warned the public against availing of alleged COVID-19 vaccines in the black market, saying these are not yet registered and their safety and efficacy are in question, and could even be a danger to one’s health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also said that the source of these alleged vaccines is also questionable, […]

EU set for vaccines by year-end after regulator relents

  by Danny KEMP Agence France Presse THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (AFP) — The EU’s medicines regulator on Tuesday dramatically advanced the decision day for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus jab under pressure from Germany, meaning vaccinations in the bloc could start by the year’s end. The Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency’s announcement that it will meet on December 21 instead of December 29 to decide whether to authorise the shot, followed a growing backlash from desperate EU […]

US begins Covid-19 vaccinations as its death toll passes 300,000

  by Peter HUTCHISON with Agence France Presse bureaus NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States kicked off a mass vaccination drive Monday hoping to turn the tide on the world’s biggest coronavirus outbreak, as the nation’s death toll passed a staggering 300,000. The start of the desperately awaited vaccine program coincided with several European countries announcing new lockdowns amid spiraling infections, highlighting the long road to ending the global pandemic. New York […]

AstraZeneca agrees to give more vaccine doses to PHL thru initiative of PHL business firms

Concepcion says they hope to get 2.6M additional doses or more of vaccine, translating to 5.2M total doses   (Eagle News) — The private business initiative to get more COVID-19 vaccines got a boost after the pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca agreed to give additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines, aside from the earlier 2.6 million doses it had agreed to give. Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said that AstraZeneca agreed to a “part 2” […]

Pentagon chief receives Covid-19 vaccine

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pentagon chief Christopher Miller was one of the first Americans to receive the Covid-19 vaccine Monday, on camera to encourage the rest of the country to follow suit. The acting defense secretary received the jab at Walter Reed military hospital near Washington, according to a video published by the Pentagon. “That’s all?! Oh come on! That did not hurt at all!” Miller joked while receiving the vaccine, a symbol […]

South Korea hits new daily record for Covid cases

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a record high for a second day in a row as the country struggles to tackle a third wave of infections. The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules. But a resurgence centred on the capital and surrounding area has prompted President Moon […]

Trump pushes for fast Pfizer approval as other vaccines hit snags

by Issam Ahmed Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Friday piled pressure on the US drug regulator to quickly approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as America readied to roll out mass immunizations. The Washington Post reported that the White House told the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Stephen Hahn to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the vaccine by the end of the day. Hahn […]

US buys additional 100 mn doses of Moderna vaccine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US said Friday it was purchasing 100 million more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, amid reports the government passed on the opportunity to secure more supply of the Pfizer jab. The agreement brings the total number of Moderna doses bought by the US to 200 million, enough to immunize 100 million people with the two-shot regimen. “Securing another 100 million doses from Moderna by June […]

AstraZeneca to use part of Russian Covid vaccine in trials

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia’s homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials. “Today we announce a clinical trial programme to assess safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Sputnik V, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research institute,” AstraZeneca said in a statement published on its website in English and Russian. The pharmaceutical company said […]

Sinovac’s COVID vaccine to be used by 1st quarter of 2021, says Palace

PHL clinical trial application of China firms Sinovac, Clover BioPharma also pass vaccine evaluation, ethics board review, says DOST (Eagle News) – The Philippines will start getting the COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac by the first quarter of next year, Malacanang said, even as the Department of Science and Technology announced that another China-based pharmaceutical firm, aside from Sinovac, had also passed evaluation for clinical trials in the country. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Sinovac Pharmaceuticals […]

Trump administration carries out another execution despite appeals, pandemic

  by Charlotte PLANTIVE Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A convicted murderer died by lethal injection on Thursday as the administration of President Donald Trump carries out a series of federal executions in its waning days in power, ignoring calls for clemency and Covid-19 outbreaks behind bars. Brandon Bernard, a 40-year-old African-American inmate, was put to death at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for his role in a 1999 double murder […]