Tag: testing

Covid tests ordered for 14 million in China’s Tianjin

SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — The northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday advised its nearly 14 million people to stay home while it conducted mass Covid testing after a spate of recent cases, including two caused by the Omicron variant, state-controlled media reported. Tianjin emerged as a new area of concern after more than 20 Covid cases were reported there in the last few days, most of them imported from abroad, according to the National […]

IATF revises protocols for int’l passengers from green list, yellow list countries amid Omicron threat

Starting Dec. 3, fully vaccinated travelers need negative RT-PCR test 3 days prior to travel, facility-based quarantine with RT-PCR test on 5th day upon arrival (Eagle News) — Starting Friday, December 3, fully vaccinated travelers from countries and territories under the so-called “green list” and “yellow list” are required to have a negative RT-PCR test within 3 days (72 hours) before their departure from their country of origin and should undergo a facility-based quarantine with […]

COVID-19 mass testing of rail line personnel yields 519 active COVID-19 cases

(Eagle News) — There are over 500 active COVID-19 cases among rail line personnel, according to results of the ongoing COVID-19 mass testing. According to recent data from the Department of Transportation, the breakdown of the 519 active cases is as follows: Light Rail Transit-1: 25 active cases LRT-2: 169 active cases Metro Rail Transit-3: 144 active cases Philippine National Railways: 181 active cases The data showed 594 have so far recovered. So far, 6154 […]

England to step up testing after detecting 11 S.African variant cases

  by Joe JACKSON Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Health officials said Monday they will urgently increase testing in eight areas across England where nearly a dozen South African Covid-19 variant cases have been identified in the last week. The 11 cases, detected in genomic sequencing carried out on random samples of positive coronavirus results, cannot be traced back to international travel, prompting concerns of localised transmission. The move in the areas […]

One-third of Chinese city of 9 million swabbed for virus in two days

BEIJING, China (AFP) — More than three million swabs have been taken in a matter of days in Qingdao, the Chinese port city where a minor coronavirus outbreak elicited a sweeping health response. Queues for testing stretched deep into Monday night across the eastern city, which detected six virus cases the day before but swiftly swung into action to head off a wider outbreak. In scenes which contrast with the fumbled efforts of other nations […]

Israeli firm developing 30-second coronavirus breath test

by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse MISGAV, Israel (AFP) — An Israeli company is developing a coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 30 seconds, billing it as a “front line” tool that can help restore a sense of normality during the pandemic. NanoScent, the firm making the test kits, said an extensive trial in Israel for the presence of live virus delivered results with 85 percent accuracy, and the product could receive regulatory approval within […]

PHL gov’t expands COVID-19 targeted mass testing to include asymptomatics, other frontliners

Palace says 10 million PCR testing kits to be utilized   (Eagle News) – The Philippine government has approved plans to expand targeted mass testing for COVID-19 to include even asymptomatic individuals, health care workers and other frontliners such as members of the mass media with no symptoms. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this in Laging Handa press briefing on Friday where he announced the latest developments from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious […]

Australia starts virus testing blitz to curb surge in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Health workers fanned out across suburbs of Melbourne Friday in a testing blitz aimed at choking off a surge in coronavirus cases in Australia’s second-biggest city. Officials reported another 30 new COVID-19 infections in the city overnight in a continuing outbreak that has raised fears of a second wave in Australia, which looked like it had successfully contained the epidemic. It was the 10th straight day of double-digit rises in new […]

US VP Pence spokeswoman tests positive for COVID-19

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US vice president’s spokeswoman became the second White House staffer this week to test positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II ,commemoration with veterans in their 90s. News that staffer Katie Miller had fallen ill boosted fears that the White House is at risk of becoming a viral hot […]

Virus detectives tracking COVID-19 to its genetic origins

by Amélie BOTTOLLIER-DEPOIS with AFP bureaus Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — China reported its first cases of the new coronavirus in December. But was COVID-19 already silently circulating? To find out scientists are looking for “patient zeros” by tracking the evolution of the virus itself. This genetic detective work is tracing the family tree of the coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands in its relentless spread across the planet. It could also help find out if […]

US starts contact tracing the old-fashioned way, but ‘it’s late’

by Ivan Couronne Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — Taiwan and South Korea have led the world in digital contact tracing for the COVID-19 pandemic — an example the US with its emphasis on personal privacy and decentralized system of government is unlikely to be able to follow. Instead, states and cities are opting to hire thousands of public health workers who will have to carry out the laborious task of phoning everyone with […]

Italy mulls psychological tests to gauge lockdown impact

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian scientists want the government to conduct psychological tests on a sample of the population to determine how long people can stay confined to their homes, a report said Monday. The Corriere della Sera newspaper said scientists want to understand how long Italians “are able to endure a lockdown” in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will announce a new set of social guidelines this week that […]