Tag: health

France eases Covid curbs, including outdoor mask-wearing

PARIS, France (AFP) — France began lifting coronavirus restrictions including mandatory outdoor mask-wearing Wednesday in a bid to ease citizens’ daily lives, dividing opinion as the country only last month reported record Covid-19 infections. Audience capacity limits for concert halls, sporting matches and other events were also removed, and although homeworking will no longer be mandated it is still recommended. The move begins a two-part relaxation of curbs announced at the end of January — […]

Continue Reading →

DOH guidelines recommend use of self-administered antigen test kits for individuals with Covid symptoms

  (Eagle News) – The Department of Health has issued guidelines on the use of self-administered antigen test kits, recommending these only for those with Covid-19 symptoms to be taken “within seven days from onset of symptoms.” In the Department’s Memorandum No. 2022-0033, the DOH said that “only self-administered antigen test kits approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and validated by the Reasearch Institute for Tropical Medicine may be used.” The FDA […]

Continue Reading →

Pfizer seeks US approval of Covid vaccine for children under 5

  by Lucie AUBOURG WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday they are seeking emergency authorization from US health regulators for use of their Covid vaccine for children aged over six months and under five years. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes the two-shot regimen, it will become the first Covid vaccine available to this age group in the United States. The companies said Tuesday that they started submitting their […]

Continue Reading →

Omicron sub-variant found in 57 countries: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus strain, which some studies indicate could be even more infectious than the original version, has been detected in 57 countries, the WHO said Tuesday. The fast-spreading and heavily mutated Omicron variant has rapidly become the dominant variant worldwide since it was first detected in southern Africa 10 weeks ago. In its weekly epidemiological update, the World Health Organization said that the variant, which […]

Continue Reading →

WHO warns ‘premature’ to declare victory over Covid

  by Nina LARSON Agence France Presse The World Health Organization chief warned Tuesday that it is too early for countries to either declare victory over Covid-19 or give up attempts to halt transmission. “It is premature for any country to either surrender or to declare victory,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. “This virus is dangerous, and it continues to evolve before our very eyes.” His comments came as Denmark on Tuesday became […]

Continue Reading →

UK PM Johnson safe for now, but future in jeopardy over ‘partygate’

  by James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “probably safe” for now despite a scathing report into government lockdown parties, but his long-term future is “very much out of his hands” as police probe the claims, analysts said on Tuesday. Johnson on Monday apologised after his government was criticised for “failures of leadership and judgment” in allowing parties at his offices during lockdown. His position […]

Continue Reading →

PHL new Covid cases drop below 10K for the first time in 4 weeks at 9,493

New recoveries at 24,210; total active cases down to 176,053   (Eagle News) – For the first time in four weeks, new Covid-19 cases were below 10,000 in the Philippines as new recoveries continued to exceed new cases on Tuesday, February 1. New Covid-19 cases on Tuesday dipped to 9,493 while new recoveries were 24,210. This brought the total active cases further down to 176,053 or 4.9 percent of total Covid-19 cases (3,569,665) since the […]

Continue Reading →

PHL gov’t, health advisers explain scientific data, soundness of lifting of travel ban for fully vaxxed tourists

Green, Yellow, Red risk classification of countries dropped effective today, Feb. 1, as int’l leisure travel to PHL allowed   (Eagle News) – The Philippine government explained that its decision to allow fully vaccnayed international leisure travelers to come into the country and not undergo facility-based quarantine anymore is based on scientific data and had been studied carefully. Starting today, Tuesday, February 1, the Green, Yellow and Red risk classification for countries based on their […]

Continue Reading →

WHO warns of Covid medical waste threat

by Robin MILLARD Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that the vast amount of waste produced in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic posed a threat to human and environmental health. The tens of thousands of tonnes of extra medical waste had put a huge strain on healthcare waste management systems, the WHO said in a report. The extra waste is “threatening human and environmental health and exposing a dire need […]

Continue Reading →

Canada’s PM Trudeau tests positive for COVID-19

  By Thomas I. Likness Eagle News Service (Eagle News) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19. “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19,” Trudeau said on Twitter, “I’m feeling fine — and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines.” Trudeau, who is 50, has been in isolation since last Thursday when one of his children tested positive for the infection. A second […]

Continue Reading →

‘Stealth Omicron’ spreads more than original strain: study

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) – A sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus strain is even more infectious than the original version, according to a Danish study published on Monday. Sub-variant BA.2 — also called “stealth Omicron” — was detected earlier this year and has displaced the first Omicron variant, known as BA.1, as the dominant strain in Denmark. A person infected with BA.2 has a 39 percent chance of transmitting the virus to someone else […]

Continue Reading →

Moderna Covid vaccine gets full US approval

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday that it has granted full approval to Moderna’s Covid-19 “Spikevax” vaccine, which had previously received an emergency use authorization in the United States. “The public can be assured that Spikevax meets the FDA’s high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality required of any vaccine approved for use in the United States,” acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 36 37 38 39 40 … 370