Tag: vaccine

Argentina starts distributing local Sputnik vaccine

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina on Thursday began distributing the first batch of more than one million doses of the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine produced domestically. The South American country announced in June that a local pharmaceutical company would manufacture the vaccine using an antigen provided by the Moscow-based maker of Sputnik. So far Laboratorios Richmond, the pharmaceutical company tasked with the effort, has produced 995,000 units of the first dose and 152,000 […]

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Spain approves human trials of homegrown virus vaccine

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s medicines agency approved Tuesday a first round of clinical trials on humans for a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Spanish firm Hipra. “This is the first trial on humans of a vaccine made in Spain,” the agency said in a statement. Dozens of volunteers will be recruited from Spanish hospitals “as soon as possible” for the clinical trials, it added. Hipra, which is based in the northeastern city of Girona, said […]

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US health authorities urge pregnant women to get Covid vaccine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities urged pregnant women on Wednesday to get inoculated against Covid-19, arguing that the data demonstrates they do not increase the risk of miscarriage. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency “encourages all pregnant people or people who are thinking about becoming pregnant and those breastfeeding to get vaccinated to protect themselves from Covid-19.” “The vaccines are safe and effective, […]

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California mandates Covid vaccines for all teachers

by Huw GRIFFITH LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — All teachers in California will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to weekly virus tests, the state’s governor announced Wednesday, as authorities grapple with exploding infection rates. The number of people testing positive for the disease has surged across the United States in recent weeks, with the highly infectious Delta variant blamed for the bulk of new cases. That has worried parents and educators […]

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China approves first mixed-vaccine trial as Delta spreads

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s drug regulator has approved the country’s first mixed-vaccine trial, a company involved in the study said, as the rapid spread of the Delta variant raises concern about the efficacy of domestically produced jabs. The trial will test the efficacy of combining an “inactivated” vaccine made by China’s Sinovac with a DNA-based one developed by US pharmaceutical company Inovio, a statement issued on Tuesday said. The statement was put out by […]

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WHO urges power players to end ‘disgraceful’ jab inequity

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged the 20 leaders with the power to overturn the “disgraceful” global imbalance in access to Covid-19 vaccines to reverse the tide before October. The WHO’s Bruce Aylward said the world should be “disgusted” — and asked whether the situation could have been any worse had there been an active effort to block the planet’s poor from getting vaccinated. The UN health agency has been […]

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Mexico says US to send 8.5 million Covid vaccines

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The United States has promised to send 8.5 million more coronavirus vaccines to Mexico as the Latin American country battles a third wave of infections, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday. The offer came during a phone call between Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, when they also discussed migrant flows and prospects of reopening the border. “The United States is […]

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Germany to end free Covid tests to boost jab take-up

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany will end free coronavirus tests in October, regional leaders and the federal government agreed on Tuesday, in a push to incentivise more people to get vaccinated. Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination or recovery will be required to access facilities including restaurants, cinemas and gyms, in areas where infection rates rise above a certain threshold. From October those who refuse to get jabbed will have to pay to prove they […]

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Bangladesh begins Covid-19 vaccinations for Rohingya refugees

KUTUPALONG Bangladesh (AFP) — Bangladesh on Tuesday began vaccinating Rohingya refugees living in congested camps as the impoverished South Asian nation battles a record surge in coronavirus cases, officials said. Health officials say 2,600 Covid-19 cases and 29 deaths have been recorded in the camps housing some 850,000 Rohingya but many experts say this is likely a gross underestimate. The initial inoculation phase will see around 48,000 refugees aged over 55 get Chinese-made Sinopharm shots […]

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Pentagon to mandate Covid shots for military

by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon said Monday it will make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for all members of the US military by mid-September, amid an alarming surge in infections by the Delta variant. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo he would ask President Joe Biden to approve the move in about five weeks, even if none of the current vaccines gains full approval from the US Food and Drug […]

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Brunei clamps down after first local virus cases in 15 months

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Brunei imposed strict curbs to halt the spread of Covid-19, after finding its first locally transmitted cases in the country in over a year. Seven community infections were found, the health ministry said Saturday, leading the government to close all places of worship and postpone social events for two weeks. Mass events were also limited to groups of 30 people over this period as school classes were moved online and […]

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Iran records over 500 Covid deaths, hits new high

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran reported over 500 daily Covid deaths for the first time on Sunday, its health ministry announced, as new infections also hit a record high. Iran registered 39,619 new infections in the 24 hours to Sunday, taking the total since the pandemic started to 4,158,729, the ministry said During that same period it recorded 542 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 94,015, it added. Iranian health officials have acknowledged […]

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