LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The number of COVID-19 cases has exploded in one of California’s oldest prisons, San Quentin, as more than 1,000 inmates have tested positive for the virus, authorities in the US state announced Tuesday. “That is our deep area of focus and concern right now,” said Governor Gavin Newsom, noting that 42 percent of the some 3,500 inmates at San Quentin, near San Francisco, are considered “medically vulnerable.” Unlike other […]
Tag: health
Two Nets players positive for COVID ahead of NBA restart
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Brooklyn Nets center DeAndre Jordan will not play again this season and teammate Spencer Dinwiddie’s participation is also in doubt after both tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. The NBA is planning to go ahead with its restart plans at Disney World in Orlando on July 30, despite Florida is battling a surge in coronavirus cases in the past few days. “Found out last night and confirmed again […]
US records more than 42,000 new virus cases in 24 hours: tally
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded at least 42,000 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tally showed Monday, as the country confronts a rapid surge in the disease. The new infections, concentrated in southern and western states, bring the total number of infections in the US to nearly 2.6 million, according to the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Tuesday). The number of daily US deaths […]
US records more than 42,000 new virus cases in 24 hours: tally
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded at least 42,000 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tally showed Monday, as the country confronts a rapid surge in the disease. The new infections, concentrated in southern and western states, bring the total number of infections in the US to nearly 2.6 million, according to the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Tuesday). The number of daily US deaths in […]
New swine flu found in China has pandemic potential
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses “all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans,” say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities, and China’s Centers for […]
Chinese coronavirus vaccine approved for military use
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s military has approved a coronavirus vaccine for use within its ranks that has been developed by its research unit and a biotech firm, the company said Monday. Organisations around the world are racing to find ways to treat and prevent the deadly pathogen, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has since killed over half a million people worldwide. More than half of 17 candidate vaccines […]
Nets ace Chandler to skip NBA restart
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Brooklyn Nets forward Wilson Chandler ruled himself out of the NBA’s restarted season on Sunday, citing safety fears because of the coronavirus. Chandler told ESPN he had opted to skip the restart in Orlando in order to spend more time with his family. “As difficult as it will be to not be with my teammates, the health and well-being of my family has to come first,” Chandler told ESPN. […]
Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Duran hospitalized with COVID-19
PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP) — Panamanian Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran, six-time boxing world champion, was hospitalized in non-life-threatening condition Thursday with the novel coronavirus, his children said on the same day that Panama hit a new record of daily cases. “Test results have just arrived for my dad, and they confirm he is positive for COVID-19,” the legendary fighter’s son Robin Duran said on Instagram. “Thank God for now he doesn’t have symptoms […]
Australia starts virus testing blitz to curb surge in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Health workers fanned out across suburbs of Melbourne Friday in a testing blitz aimed at choking off a surge in coronavirus cases in Australia’s second-biggest city. Officials reported another 30 new COVID-19 infections in the city overnight in a continuing outbreak that has raised fears of a second wave in Australia, which looked like it had successfully contained the epidemic. It was the 10th straight day of double-digit rises in new […]
Israel wields startup tech against coronavirus second wave
by Guillaume Lavallee Agence France-Presse TEL-AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israel’s armoury in the battle against the novel coronavirus includes thermal cameras scanning crowds and algorithms trawling vast medical databanks for real-time indicators of an infection spike. The Jewish state is enlisting the help of local startups in the hope of stemming a “second wave” of the virus. The chaos of daily life in Israel, or “balagan” as it is known in Hebrew, stands in contrast […]
UN says Covid will increase the risks associated with drug trafficking
Vienna, Austria (AFP) — The new coronavirus pandemic could hit drug markets just as the 2008 economic crisis did, exacerbating the risks for users, the UN drugs and crime agency warned Thursday. In its 2020 World Drug Report, the agency predicted an overall increase in drug use due to the pandemic, with a shift towards consuming cheaper products and injecting them, which carries greater risks. Countries were also likely to reduce drug-related budgets, it warned. […]
Italy study shows mosquitoes cannot transmit coronavirus
ROME, Italy (AFP) — A new scientific study by Italy’s national health institute ISS shows that mosquitoes are unable to transmit coronavirus to humans, the institute said Thursday. The World Health Organisation had already said there was no evidence that the virus could be transmitted by the blood-sucking insects, which spread dengue and other diseases when they bite humans. But the latest study, performed in collaboration with IZSVe, a research organization for animal health and […]





