Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
Specially formulated Pfizer vaccines for young kids might arrive by the end of January 2022 (Eagle News) – Vaccines to be used for the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 could be delivered before the end of the month but the vaccination of this age group could experience delays, according to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. Galvez, the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19, said that the vaccines for minors […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic on Wednesday admitted meeting a journalist when he knew he had Covid-19, describing it as an “error of judgement”. Djokovic also conceded he submitted a false declaration to the Australian government about his travel history between flying to Melbourne, though he blamed it on his agent. The comments were in a statement posted to Instagram aimed at addressing the controversies surrounding his efforts to play at the […]
by Nina LARSON GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — WHO experts warned Tuesday that repeating booster doses of the original Covid vaccines is not a viable strategy against emerging variants and called for new jabs that better protect against transmission. An expert group created by the World Health Organization to assess the performance of Covid-19 vaccines said simply providing fresh jabs of existing Covid vaccines as new strains of the virus emerge was not the best way […]
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — The Canadian province of Quebec, struggling to control the Omicron variant, will impose a new health tax in the coming weeks on those who are not vaccinated against Covid-19. “We are working on a health contribution for all the adults who are refusing to get vaccinated” because they represent a “financial burden for all Quebecois,” said Quebec Premier Francois Legault. The 10 percent of Quebecois who have not yet received any […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The United Arab Emirates has threatened to jail people who make fun of its anti-Covid measures after mocking photos and videos appeared online. Federal prosecutors said social media users could be punished under new laws which allow at least two years’ jail and 200,000 AED ($54,000) fines for sharing misleading information during a pandemic. The UAE has introduced a number of measures to tackle a wave of Omicron variant […]
by Joe JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was embroiled Tuesday in another scandal over his government’s alleged lockdown breaches as police said they were investigating a Downing Street gathering attended by dozens of top officials. In the latest in a string of such allegations, Johnson and others allegedly held a drinks gathering in the garden of his official residence in May 2020 when any in-person socialising was outlawed. An […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will extend measures barring almost all new foreign arrivals until the end of February and reopen mass-vaccination centres as it battles an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus surge, the government said Tuesday. “We will keep the current border control policy until the end of February while taking necessary measures from a humanitarian viewpoint and considering the national interest,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. Local media said there would be some new […]
by Matthew Walsh with Jerome Taylor in Hong Kong BEIJING, China (AFP) — Five million residents of a central Chinese city were confined to their homes Tuesday while another megacity shuttered all non-essential businesses, as the country battles a spate of coronavirus outbreaks including from the Omicron variant. Beijing is on high alert as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics next month, sticking to a zero-Covid strategy of targeted lockdowns, border restrictions and lengthy […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Experts said Monday that an alleged hybrid coronavirus mutation dubbed “Deltacron” reportedly discovered in a Cyprus lab is most likely the result of a lab contamination, and not a new worrying variant. Cypriot media reported the discovery Saturday, describing it as having “the genetic background of the Delta variant along with some of the mutations of Omicron”. While it is possible for coronaviruses to genetically combine, it is rare, and […]
But those infected with Omicron variant exhibiting “less severe” symptoms, faster incubation period, says DOH (Eagle News) – The entire country is now considered under “critical risk” as the Omicron variant is declared as the dominant COVID-19 variant in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health. In fact, the highly infectious Omicron variant has overtaken the Delta variant as of the latest genome sequencing data, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III noting that […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he had caught Covid-19 for a second time and was experiencing mild symptoms. “I inform you that I am infected with Covid-19 and although the symptoms are mild, I will remain in isolation and will only do office work and communicate virtually until I get through it,” he tweeted. Hours earlier the 68-year-old, who rarely wears a face mask, had appeared […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pfizer expects a Covid-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant to be ready in March, the company’s head said Monday. Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla told CNBC that Pfizer is already manufacturing doses due to keen interest from governments, as authorities contend with huge Covid-19 infection counts, including large numbers of “breakthrough” Omicron cases in vaccinated populations. “This vaccine will be ready in March,” Bourla told the network. “I […]
