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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A high level panel of US medical experts voted unanimously Friday to recommend authorizing a second shot of the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine. The decision will help end a sense of limbo for 15 million Americans who received the first dose but were worried whether it was enough to protect them, particularly after the rise of the Delta variant. The committee members, convened by the Food and Drug Administration […]
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa will begin vaccinating children as young as 12 next week and also offer Covid-19 boosters against certain immune disorders, the health minister announced Friday. With a large youth population and the world’s biggest HIV caseload, the announcement affects millions of people and marks a significant scaling up of South Africa’s pandemic response. “We ready to open up vaccination for children between 12-17 years of age, and a majority […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An expert committee on Thursday recommended a booster dose of Moderna’s anti-Covid vaccine in the United States for certain at-risk groups, a month after making a similar decision for the Pfizer shot. The opinion submitted by the advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration — composed of researchers, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts — is not binding, but it is rare for the FDA not to follow it. After […]
by Andrew BEATTY SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Sydney will scrap all quarantine requirements for travellers from next month, officials said Friday, an abrupt step toward reopening Australia’s long-shuttered borders. In a surprise announcement, Premier Dominic Perrottet of New South Wales said that from November 1 vaccinated travellers would be allowed to enter the state without quarantine of any kind. “For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales, is open for business,” Perrottet […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former US president Bill Clinton has been hospitalized with a non-Covid-related infection, a spokesman said Thursday evening. Clinton, 75, was admitted to a hospital in Irvine in southern California on Tuesday evening, Angel Urena tweeted. He gave no details other than to say the infection was not Covid-related. “He is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly thankful to the doctors, nurses, and staff providing him with […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Thursday reported a pandemic high for both new coronavirus infections and fatalities over 24 hours, with the country’s vaccination drive at a snail’s pace and few restrictions in place. Officials registered 31,299 new infections and 986 deaths from Covid-19 over 24 hours, bringing Russia’s total fatalities to 220,315 — the highest toll in Europe. The surging outbreak has come with just 31 percent of Russians fully inoculated, according to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — People who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine may benefit from a booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna, preliminary results of a US study published Wednesday showed. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was eagerly awaited in the United States because it looked at the possibility of “mixing” vaccines — using a different vaccine than the initial doses for the booster shot — which is not […]
KOROR, Palau (AFP) — The tiny Pacific nation of Palau has emerged as one of the world’s most vaccinated places with more than 99 percent of the eligible population fully protected against Covid-19, according to data released Thursday. In a population of about 18,000, almost 15,000 people have been fully vaccinated, according to the country’s ministry of health and human services. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that meant […]
by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization unveiled Wednesday a team of scientists it wants to investigate new pathogens and preventing future pandemics — plus reviving the stalled probe into Covid-19’s origins. The group of 26 experts will be charged with producing a new global framework for studies into the origins of emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential — and their remit includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease. […]
by Sonia Logre with Alexandria Sage ROME, Italy (AFP) — In one Rome hospital, the vast majority of Covid-19 patients in intensive care are unvaccinated — and many are urging Italian anti-vaxxers to get the jab. A 41-year-old patient at the ICC Casalpalocco Covid hospital, who gave his name as Francesco, said he was opposed to the vaccine but that if he could go back, he would get jabbed. “The vaccine doesn’t inspire confidence but […]
BENI, DR Congo (AFP) — Vaccination against the deadly Ebola disease began on Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern city of Beni, the WHO said, five days after reports of a new case. The fresh case was reported in North Kivu, the same province where the vaccination program began. “People at high risk, including contacts of the confirmed case and first responders will receive the doses as the health authorities move to curb […]
by Aurélia END WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will open its land borders with Mexico and Canada in early November to non-essential travelers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a senior White House official announced Tuesday. The official said the administration would give the “precise date very soon” — both for land crossings as well as international air travel, which would be timed to “go together.” The United States had already announced […]
