Tag: health

Russia sees record daily virus cases amid Omicron surge

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Friday reported a record number of new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, a government tally showed, with officials warning of surging cases driven by the Omicron variant. A government website reported 49,513 new infections in Russia, which is already one the world’s worst-hit countries by caseload, surpassing the previous record set in November of 41,335. The number of cases across Russia has risen sharply in recent […]

Antibiotic-resistant superbugs killed 1.2 mn in 2019: study

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Superbug infections killed 1.2 million people in 2019, according to a study published Thursday, which authors described as the most comprehensive assessment of the impact of antimicrobial resistance to date. The death toll means infections by bacteria resistant to antibiotics are directly responsible for more deaths than HIV/AIDS or malaria. The report, published in the Lancet, also found antimicrobial resistance played a role in up to 3.68 million other deaths. […]

Austria makes Covid vaccination mandatory in EU first

by Julia ZAPPEI / Jastinder KHERA VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Austria’s parliament on Thursday approved making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for adults from next month, becoming the first European country to do so despite a wave of protests opposing the measure. Tens of thousands have demonstrated against mandatory vaccination in regular weekend rallies since the measure was announced in November in a bid to drive up the country’s vaccination rate. All parties, except the far-right, supported […]

Nine evacuated as Covid-19 hits Antarctic research base

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — For the first time since the start of the pandemic the coronavirus has reached an Argentine research base in Antarctica, causing the evacuation of nine unvaccinated staff who tested positive for Covid-19, an official said Thursday. Twenty-four of the 43 scientists and military personnel resident at Argentina’s La Esperanza base have been infected, Patricia Ortuzar of the government’s National Directorate of the Antarctic told AFP. Nine of the 24, who […]

US Covid doc: We are ‘burned out’

by Joe Prezioso NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Exhausted and overwhelmed by the influx of mostly unvaccinated Covid patients, Dr James Samuel Pope, an intensive care physician at Hartford Hospital in the US state of Connecticut, hopes the Omicron wave of the pandemic will be the last. “It’s been very much the wild west for about the last two weeks,” says Pope, medical director of the ICU at Hartford Hospital. “More ER visits in […]

Thailand to restart quarantine-free travel from February 1

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand will resume its quarantine-free travel scheme from February 1, officials said Thursday, after the programme was suspended due to the fast-spreading Omicron Covid-19 variant. Pandemic travel curbs have hammered the kingdom’s tourism-dominated economy, sending visitor numbers dwindling to a trickle. Fully vaccinated travellers will now be able to enter under the “test and go” scheme as long as they take Covid tests on the first and fifth days after arriving, […]

PHL vaccination drive in pharmacies, clinics start; walk-ins allowed but should first register onsite – Dizon

Only Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccine doses as booster shots to be used in pilot run since these jabs don’t need ultra-cold storage, according to DOH   (Eagle News) – Walk-ins are allowed in the “Resbakuna sa Botika” program that starts today, Thursday, January 20, but they have to still online when they arrive in participating pharmacies which are part of the pilot implementation in Metro Manila. COVID-19 testing czar Secretary Vince Dizon said that the […]

Japan brings back virus restrictions over Omicron surge

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government approved new coronavirus restrictions on a large part of the country, including Tokyo, on Wednesday as it battles record infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. The restrictions in 13 regions, which mainly target nightlife and are far less strict than a blanket lockdown, will be in place from Friday until mid-February. The move allows each region to decide what specific measures to implement, with most places urging bars and […]

Natural immunity more potent than vaccines during US Delta wave: study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — During America’s last surge of the coronavirus driven by the Delta variant, people who were unvaccinated but survived Covid were better protected than those who were vaccinated and not previously infected, a new study said Wednesday. The finding is the latest to weigh in on a debate on the relative strengths of natural versus vaccine-acquired immunity against SARS-CoV-2, but comes this time with the imprimatur of the US Centers for […]

PHL new COVID-19 recoveries of over 36k exceed new cases for 2nd straight day

New COVID-19 cases reach 22,958, much lower than previous day’s 28,471   (Eagle News) — For the second straight day, new COVID-19 recoveries exceeded the number of new virus cases on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.  New recoveries reached 36,611 while new cases were only 22,958. The new recoveries on Wednesday, January 19, were even higher compared to Tuesday’s (Jan. 18) number of 34,892. The new cases today were also lower than the previous day’s record […]

France posts daily record 464,000 Covid cases

PARIS, France (AFP) — France’s daily reported new coronavirus cases broke a new record on Tuesday with an average of over 300,000 a day in the past week, with the headline figure approaching half a million. The latest data issued by Public Health France showed that there were 464,769 new cases in the last 24-hour period as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spread unabated. A day earlier, 102,144 people had tested positive for the virus. […]

Vaccination of boosters in pharmacies, clinics to start; pilot week begins on Jan. 20 in 7 sites in NCR – Palace

  (Eagle News) – Five pharmacies and two private clinics in Metro Manila will participate in the pilot implementation of “Resbakuna sa Botika” drive which tapped pharmacies and private clinics to administer COVID-19 vaccines, particularly booster shots, Malacanang said. Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that this intensified vaccination drive involving pharmacies will start on Thursday, January 20, and will last for a week. The pilot implementation is the […]