Tag: health

Despite virus outbreaks, US meat plants told to stay open

by Juliette MICHEL Agence France-Presse Video report by Eagle News International NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US slaughterhouses are being forced to stay open on government orders despite deadly coronavirus outbreaks among workers, as authorities move to ensure supermarkets are fully stocked with meat. President Donald Trump signed the executive order on Tuesday under the Defense Production Act, a law designed for use in wartime to divert private business for defense and security needs. Several […]

Continue Reading →

UK plans mass singalong for locked-down VE Day

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britons will be urged to join a national singalong from their doorsteps and hold 1940s-style tea parties to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day or Victory in Europe Day, under a coronavirus-appropriate programme unveiled Wednesday. Queen Elizabeth II will make a televised address to the nation on May 8 to mark the day the Nazis surrendered, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. It will be followed […]

Continue Reading →

Rare inflammatory syndrome seen in children with COVID-19

by Issam AHMED with Paul Ricard in Paris Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Children have largely been spared the worst of COVID-19, but there may be a rare complication — an inflammatory syndrome that one doctor described as causing patients to feel like “every blood vessel in the body is on fire.” Britain’s National Health Service first sounded the alarm over the weekend, warning about a small rise in children infected with […]

Continue Reading →

US records 2,502 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours: tracker

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 2,502 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the latest real-time tally on Wednesday reported by Johns Hopkins University. After two days of a relative easing in the toll on Sunday and Monday, the numbers have spiked again the past two days. At least 60,853 people have now died in the country, according to the Baltimore-based university. © Agence France-Presse

Continue Reading →

France reports 427 more coronavirus deaths, toll tops 24,000

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Wednesday reported 427 more deaths from COVID-19 to push the total above 24,000 but it also saw new declines in the numbers of patients in the hospital and intensive care. The total number of deaths in hospitals and nursing homes from the virus in France is now 24,087, the health ministry said in a statement. The daily toll was slightly higher than the 367 deaths announced on Tuesday. But […]

Continue Reading →

Fire at South Korea warehouse kills 38

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A fire at a warehouse in South Korea killed 38 people and left another 10 injured on Wednesday, according to reports. The blaze at the unfinished four-storey building in Icheon, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Seoul, spread “extremely quickly” and rendered those inside “unable to evacuate”, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported citing fire officials. Eight of the injured are in a serious condition, local officials said. Suh Seung-hyun, […]

Continue Reading →

Remdesivir shows ‘clear-cut’ effect in treating coronavirus: Fauci

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A major new study proves that the antiviral drug remdesivir is effective in saving people with serious cases of COVID-19, top US doctor Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. Fauci, speaking at the White House, said “the data shows remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery.” This proves “that a drug can block this virus,” he said, comparing the discovery to the fight for AIDS therapies […]

Continue Reading →

Finland to reopen schools mid-May

HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Children in Finland will begin to return to class from May 14 as the country starts to lift coronavirus restrictions, ministers said on Wednesday. “Based on the advice of epidemiologists, continuing the emergency restrictions on early and primary education is no longer justified,” prime minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday. Children will be instructed to follow social distancing guidelines at schools once teaching resumes, education minister Li Andersson said, with break […]

Continue Reading →

Switzerland speeds up lifting of virus restrictions

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The Swiss government said Wednesday it would speed up easing the restrictions imposed to control the coronavirus pandemic, allowing restaurants to open again on May 11. “We are in a new phase and we must learn to live with the virus,” Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga told a press conference in Bern. Switzerland stopped short of imposing full confinement in March but most shops and services closed down. On Monday, hairdressers, garden […]

Continue Reading →

S.Africa virus cases jump past 5,000 after highest daily rise

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) –The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa surged past the 5,000 mark on Thursday after it saw the largest single-day jump to date, health ministry figures showed. A total of 354 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the overall total to 5,350, and the number of fatalities spiked by 10 to 103. “This is the highest number of cases in a 24 hour cycle recorded to date and represents […]

Continue Reading →

Virus syndrome also found in French children, minister says

PARIS, France (AFP) — France has more than a dozen cases of children with inflammation around the heart, the health minister said Wednesday, after Britain sounded an alarm about a new disease with possible links to novel coronavirus. Olivier Veran said there was not enough evidence to confirm a link with the coronavirus sweeping the globe but France was taking the cases “very seriously”. Britain’s state-run National Health Service issued the alert at the weekend […]

Continue Reading →

German virus testing capacity now 900,000 weekly

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German labs are now able to carry out almost 900,000 tests a week for the novel coronavirus, officials said on Wednesday, as they plan to widen testing among health workers. “Today, we have a theoretically possible capacity of almost 900,000 tests (per week) in Germany already, as long as the materials for these tests are available,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin. Roughly 470,000 tests were carried out last […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 239 240 241 242 243 … 370