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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Novavax said Thursday its Covid vaccine was 82 percent effective among adolescents during the period when the Delta variant was dominant, and the US biotech now plans to submit for regulatory approval in this age group. The two-dose vaccine, which is based on synthetic proteins that mimic the spikes that dot the surface of the virus, was found to be safe and effective among more than 2,200 adolescents aged […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Covid vaccine maker AstraZeneca said Thursday that net profit collapsed last year, hit by the vast takeover of US biotech firm Alexion and other charges, despite surging revenues. Profit after tax slumped to just $112 million (98 million euros) compared with $3.2 billion in 2020, the pharmaceutical company said in a statement. However, revenues including Covid vaccine sales rebounded 41 percent to $37.4 billion. The Covid jab, Vaxzevria, […]
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia began testing a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine on humans Wednesday after getting the green light from the drug regulator as the country faces a rising wave of virus cases. Research on the “Merah Putih” (“Red White”) vaccine — named after the colours of the Indonesian national flag — is led by Airlangga University and Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. The project has suffered delays since starting in 2020, but authorities are now hoping […]
95 percent of active cases still either mild or asymptomatic (Eagle News) – The country’s total active Covid-19 cases dropped below the 100,000 mark for the first time in a month, hitting only 96,326 on Wednesday, February 9. The last time that total active cases were below 100,000 was on January 7 at 77,369 cases. On Tuesday, February 8, the total active cases were 105,550. New cases today, February 9, reached 3,651. This is […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea said Wednesday it was dropping its vaunted “trace, test and treat” program as a surge in Omicron cases threatens to overwhelm the country’s healthcare system. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, South Korea was hit by one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China but brought it under control with mass testing and aggressive contact tracing. The strategy earned the country widespread praise, […]
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO Wednesday urged rich countries to pay their fair share of the money needed for its plan to conquer Covid-19 by contributing $16 billion as a matter of urgency. The World Health Organization said the rapid cash injection into its Access to Covid Tools Accelerator could finish off Covid as a global health emergency this year. The WHO-led ACT-A is aimed at developing, […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson has temporarily suspended production at a key plant manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine, the New York Times reported Tuesday. The facility in the Dutch city of Leiden halted output late last year, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the decision. J&J, without confirming or denying the report, said it has continued to fulfill delivery commitments, a company spokesman said. The factory, which is currently […]
by Geneviève NORMAND OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Seated around a campfire flanked by big rigs, with a view of parliament, bleary-eyed protesters on their 12th day of occupying Canada’s capital say they are more determined than ever to stay put — and defend their “freedom.” “I am here to get my life back and so everyone else can too,” said protester Sebastien Beaudoin. Warming himself by the fire, the 39-year-old carpenter with a long beard […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization lamented Tuesday that half a million Covid-19 deaths had been recorded since the Omicron variant was discovered, calling the toll “beyond tragic”. The WHO’s incident manager Abdi Mahamud said that 130 million cases and 500,000 deaths had been recorded globally since Omicron was declared a variant of concern in late November. It has since rapidly overtaken Delta as the world’s dominant Covid variant because it is […]
by John BIERS NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pfizer forecast more than $50 billion in 2022 sales for its Covid-19 vaccine and therapeutic on Tuesday as the pharmaceutical giant reported a more than doubling of annual profits on strong sales of its innoculation. Pfizer, whose vaccinee developed with German company BioNTech was the first approved in the United States to counter the deadly virus, sees slightly lower 2022 revenues for the vaccine compared with […]
(Eagle News) – The Department of Health reported 3,574 new Covid-19 cases, the lowest record of new virus cases this year as the Covid-19 positivity rate dropped further to 16.3 percent. There were also more new recoveries at 14,644 and 83 new Covid fatalities on Tuesday, February 8. This brought the number of total active cases to 105,550 or 2.9 percent of the total confirmed cases of 3,619,633 since the pandemic began in March […]
Covid numbers lowest in a month (Eagle News) – The Department of Health reported 6,835 new Covid-19 cases and 16,330 new recoveries on Monday, February 7. The number of new Covid cases at 6,835 and the positivity rate of 19.1 percent is the lowest in over a month. Only 12 new Covid fatalities were also reported. The total active cases went down to 116,720, the lowest in a month. This is 3.2 percent of […]
