Tag: health

Oxford to run trial alternating Covid-19 vaccines

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Oxford University announced on Thursday it will launch a medical trial alternating doses of Covid-19 vaccines created by different manufacturers, the first study of its kind. The trial will show whether different Covid doses — those created by the Astrazeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech pharmaceutical companies — can be used interchangeably to allow greater flexibility in pressured vaccine delivery schedules. The British government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said the […]

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Covax issues distribution list for first vaccine wave

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The Covax programme to ensure equitable worldwide access to Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday published its first distribution list, with enough doses for countries to immunise more than three percent of their populations by mid-2021. The distribution plan comes with lower-income countries falling behind in the vaccination race — a problem Covax was set up to address. It broke down how the programme’s initial 337.2 million doses will be […]

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Japan toughens virus measures with new law

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan passed a new law strengthening enforcement of its virus restrictions on Wednesday, allowing authorities to fine bars and restaurants that defy closure requests. People can also be fined up to 500,000 yen ($4,800) if they test positive for Covid-19 but refuse hospitalisation, although lawmakers scrapped plans to introduce prison sentences as punishment. With just six months until the pandemic-postponed Summer Olympics, Tokyo and other regions are currently under a state […]

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WHO’s Covax Facility sets out vaccination plans in first distribution list

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The Covax programme for Covid-19 vaccines published its first distribution list Wednesday, planning enough doses for dozens of countries to immunise more than three percent of their populations by mid-year. The list comes with concerns over whether lower-income countries will be left out of the immunisation race dominated by rich nations, a problem Covax was set up to resolve. It broke down for the […]

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WHO expert calls for patience over sensitive Wuhan probe

by Laurie CHEN BEIJING, China (AFP) — There will be no quick answers into the origins of the coronavirus, one of the World Health Organization experts on a mission to the Covid-19 ground zero in central China told AFP. Hung Nguyen-Viet, who is visiting various virus-linked sites in the city of Wuhan with the team, said starting the investigation more than one year after the pandemic began was not ideal, but added that the mission […]

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WHO team visits Chinese virus lab in Wuhan

  WUHAN, China (AFP) — World Health Organization inspectors visited a laboratory in China’s Wuhan city on Wednesday that American officials suggested could have been the source of the coronavirus. The inspection of the Wuhan virology institute, which conducts research on the world’s most dangerous diseases, will be one of the most-watched stops on the team’s probe into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sensitive mission, which China had delayed throughout the first year […]

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71 homes destroyed as Australia bushfire rages near locked-down Perth

PERTH, Australia (AFP) — At least 71 homes have been destroyed in a bushfire raging out of control near Australia’s fourth-biggest city Perth, authorities said Wednesday, as they told residents to ignore a virus lockdown and evacuate threatened areas. The blaze has torn through large swathes of land in the Perth Hills and was moving towards more densely populated areas. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported so far. “To the people who have […]

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Some US pharmacies will offer Covid vaccines from February 11

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will begin to offer Covid-19 vaccines at pharmacies from February 11, part of efforts to rapidly increase the rate at which shots reach arms. The White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on Tuesday that because of supply constraints, the program would initially be limited to 6,500 participating pharmacies nationwide, before eventually expanding to 40,000. “This will provide more sites for people to get […]

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Vietnam Covid cluster caused by UK variant

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 […]

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Japan PM extends virus emergency, months before Olympics

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

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More than 100 million vaccinated worldwide

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 […]

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DOH says shortage of reagents for genome sequencing limited PHL testing for UK variant

From 750 samples per week, PGC limited to testing only 48 samples last week   (Eagle News) — The Department of Health said that the global shortage of reagents for genome sequencing has affected the country’s ability to do genome sequencing on COVID-19 samples in the country for testing on the UK variant B.1.1.7 and the South African variant of the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV2. The DOH said that due to this deficiency, the Philippine Genome […]

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