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by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO said Thursday that 80,000 to 180,000 health care workers may have been killed by Covid-19 up to May this year, insisting they must be prioritized for vaccination. The World Health Organization said the fact that millions of health workers remain unvaccinated is an “indictment” on the countries and companies controlling the global supply of doses. A WHO paper estimated that out of the planet’s 135 million […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thai Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha announced Thursday that vaccinated travellers from more than 40 countries will be allowed to enter the kingdom without undergoing quarantine come November 1, as it readies for a much-anticipated re-opening. The 46 countries and territories is a significant jump from the 10 initially announced last week by Prayut, when he unveiled plans to reopen the country next month. The ballooning list is due to Thailand’s urgent need […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Authorities in China cancelled hundreds of flights, closed schools and ramped up mass testing on Thursday to try and stamp out a new Covid-19 outbreak linked to a group of tourists. Beijing has maintained a relentless zero-Covid approach with strict border closures and targeted lockdowns, even as other countries tentatively try to ease restrictions. Domestic outbreaks have largely been eliminated, but as China logged a fifth straight day of new cases […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — One of the world’s most locked-down cities will reopen late Thursday, with Melbourne residents hoping this sixth bout of stay-at-home restrictions will be their last. Five million people in Australia’s second-biggest city have endured lockdowns totalling more than 260 days since the beginning of the pandemic. But now that 70 percent of eligible people in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state are fully vaccinated, restrictions that began on August 5 will be […]
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — A third dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 developed by Pfizer/BioNTech is 95.6 percent effective against symptomatic infection, according to a study by the makers published on Thursday. The clinical phase three trial with “10,000 participants 16 years of age and older” showed “a relative vaccine efficacy of 95.6 percent against disease during a period when Delta was the prevalent strain”, the companies said in a statement. © Agence France-Presse
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo will lift curbs on bar and restaurant opening hours as virus cases in the Japanese capital hit their lowest level this year, officials said Thursday. It is the latest softening of virus restrictions in Japan, where cases have been in freefall for weeks, which experts ascribe to a rapid increase in the vaccination rate. Nationwide, new infections have plunged from record highs of over 25,800 in August to under 400 […]
by Aishwarya KUMAR Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India administered its billionth Covid-19 vaccine dose on Thursday, half a year after a devastating surge in cases brought the health system close to collapse. According to the government, around three-quarters of adults in the country of 1.3 billion people have had one shot and around 30 percent are fully vaccinated. However, hundreds of millions of Indians under 18 — who make up […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s government on Wednesday rejected calls to trigger “Plan B” measures to limit spiralling Covid infection rates, even as it warned that cases could reach as many 100,000 a day over the winter months. Healthcare leaders have urged the government to reinstate some restrictions to prevent the close-contact spread of the coronavirus, including the wearing of masks indoors, to ease pressure on hospitals. But Health Secretary Sajid Javid played down […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday authorized using a so-called “mix and match” strategy for people who require a booster shot of a Covid vaccine after their primary series. “The FDA has determined that the known and potential benefits of the use of a single heterologous booster dose outweigh the known and potential risks of their use in eligible populations,” the agency said in a statement. The […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is ready to start vaccinating children aged 5-11 against Covid-19 starting next month, the White House said Wednesday, a move that will make 28 million more Americans eligible for shots. “Our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation,” the White House said, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drugmaker […]
by Ola CICHOWLAS MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia reported Wednesday a record 1,028 Covid deaths in a single day, with President Vladimir Putin expected to introduce new nationwide restrictions in Europe’s worst affected country. The new figures bring Russia’s official death toll to 226,353 — the highest on the continent even as authorities have been accused of vastly downplaying the severity of the pandemic. The country also recorded 34,074 new virus cases, according to an […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Healthcare leaders urged the British government Wednesday to reinstate some coronavirus restrictions to ease pressures on hospitals because of spiralling case numbers. But ministers remain opposed to reintroducing any curbs, arguing the situation is still far better than earlier this year and the country is learning to “live with the virus”. A total of 223 deaths from Covid-19 were registered on Tuesday — the highest 24-hour toll since March — […]
