PARIS, France (AFP) — Covid treatments using plasma taken from the blood of recovered coronavirus patients should not be given to people with mild or moderate illness, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Convalescent plasma showed some early promise when given intravenously to people sick with Covid-19. But in advice published in the British Medical Journal, the WHO now says that “current evidence shows that it does not improve survival nor reduce the need for […]
Tag: health
Covid disruptions caused surge in malaria deaths: WHO
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Pandemic-related disruptions caused tens of thousands more malaria deaths in 2020, the World Health Organization said Monday, but added that urgent action had averted a far worse scenario. In a fresh report, the UN health agency found that Covid-19 had reversed progress against the mosquito-borne disease, which was already plateauing before the pandemic struck. There were an estimated 241 million malaria cases worldwide in 2020 — 14 million more than a […]
Russia reports first Omicron infections
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia has registered its first two cases of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus in its nationals returning from South Africa — where the variant was first detected — the country’s health agency said on Monday. “Two citizens who returned to Russia from South Africa have been diagnosed with the Omicron coronavirus strain,” the Rospotrebnadzor health agency said in a statement. The agency said that all Russians […]
Namibia detects 18 Omicron cases, destroys 150,000 jabs
WINDHOEK, Namibia (AFP) — Namibia’s President Hage Geingob announced Monday that the first cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant had been detected in the country, which was forced to dispose of 150,000 expired vaccine doses. Geingob called on citizens to get booster jabs after 18 Omicron cases were identified in the country, which neighbours South Africa where the variant was first discovered last month. Only 12.1 percent of Namibia’s 2.4 million people are fully vaccinated […]
All travellers to UK to show pre-departure virus tests
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The UK government has announced that those travelling into the country will need to show a negative coronavirus test pre-departure as it reintroduces Covid-19 restrictions due to the Omicron variant. From 0400 GMT on Tuesday, anyone travelling to the UK will have to show evidence of a negative lateral flow or PCR test taken within the last 48 hours before boarding a flight, the health ministry said late Saturday. This […]
France records more than 50,000 daily Covid cases
PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Saturday said more than 50,000 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, as Covid-19 cases rocketed despite millions receiving a vaccine booster shot. The country recorded 51,624 new daily cases of Covid, health authorities said. France has recorded an average of almost 41,000 new cases a day over the past week, compared to less than 28,000 a week ago. Some 694 people had been admitted […]
Sealand: the ‘micronation’ defying the UK and Covid
by Anna MALPAS Agence France-Presse SEALAND (AFP) – It’s a hulking metal-and-concrete platform in the North Sea that has been run as an independent micronation in defiance of the UK government for the last 54 years. But even on Sealand, some seven miles (11 kilometres) off the coast of southeast England, visitors have to show a negative Covid-19 test before being winched up onto the deck. “We have zero Covid cases,” Liam Bates, one of […]
‘Concerning’ jump in Omicron cases in Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Denmark’s health authorities said Sunday the country had seen a “concerning” jump to 183 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The number represented a tripling of confirmed cases in 48 hours, from 18 confirmed and 42 suspected cases on Friday, according to data from the SSI public health institute. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had previously tallied just 182 cases across all of the European […]
Australia approves Covid vaccine for children aged 5-11
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Sunday cleared the first Covid-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, with the next stage of its vaccine rollout expected to start in early 2022. Health Minister Greg Hunt said medical regulators had granted provisional approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered to younger children for the first time. It follows similar decisions in the European Union, the United States, Israel and Canada. Hunt said the vaccination […]
10 Covid cases detected on cruise ship carrying thousands
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Ten Covid-19 cases have been detected among crew members and passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship returning to New Orleans on Sunday with thousands on board, a US health authority said. “The Norwegian Breakaway departed from New Orleans on Nov. 28 and stopped in Belize, Honduras and Mexico on its voyage,” the Louisiana Department of Health tweeted Saturday. “There are more than 3,200 individuals onboard.” The health department said […]
Saudi Arabia approves entry of tourists jabbed with Sputnik
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia has granted approval for people vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik jab to enter the country in a move that will enable Muslims to take part in religious pilgrimages, the vaccine’s developers said Sunday. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has granted approval for entry of individuals vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine starting from January 1, 2022,” the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which financed the development of Sputnik V, […]
PHL total active cases down to just 13,853, the lowest total active cases since May 2020
New COVID cases at 603, new fatalities at 156 (Eagle News) – The Philippines total active COVID-19 cases were only 13,853 on Sunday, December 5, as active cases continued its downward trend, with only 603 new COVID-19 cases recorded that day. The total number of active COVID cases for Sunday ay 13,853 is the lowest since May 2020, or two months since the start of the pandemic. There are also more recoveries at 1,047 on […]





