Tag: Virus

IOC vice-president in Japan as Olympic preparations ramp up

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates arrived in Japan on Tuesday, as organisers ramp up final preparations with just over five weeks until the pandemic-postponed Games open. Ahead of his arrival, several dozen people protested against the Games in Tokyo, though recent opinion polls suggest public opposition may be weakening. Later Tuesday, organisers will release the final version of their virus countermeasures for athletes in a so-called “playbook” that they say […]

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Covid-19 vaccine more than 90 percent effective: Novavax

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Novavax’s Covid-19 jab is more than 90 percent effective, including against coronavirus variants, the vaccine maker said Monday after a large-scale US study. The jab “demonstrated 100% protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4% efficacy overall,” the company said in a statement, adding “the study enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico to evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity.” The Maryland-headquartered company said it intended to […]

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Start-up launches India’s first Covid home test kit

LONAVLA, India (AFP) — Indian start-up Mylab Discovery Solutions hopes that its inexpensive Covid-19 home test kit — the country’s first — will help the massive South Asian nation better track the pandemic’s spread among its 1.3-billion people. CoviSelf was launched earlier this month and is the first home testing kit to be approved in India, which is slowly emerging from a brutal second wave that overwhelmed its hospitals and crematoriums, with almost 30 million […]

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WHO warns virus quicker than vaccines after G7 doses pledge

by Agnès PEDRERO GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO warned Monday that Covid-19 was moving faster than the vaccines, and said the G7’s vow to share a billion doses with poorer nations was simply not enough. Global health leaders also warned the pledge was too little, too late, with more than 11 billion shots needed. Faced with outrage over disparities in jab access, the Group of Seven industrialised powers pledged during a weekend summit in […]

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Brazil’s President Bolsonaro fined for maskless motorcyle rally

  SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was fined $100 Saturday for violating Covid-19 containment measures in Sao Paulo state by failing to wear a face mask and provoking huge crowds at a motorcycle rally for supporters. Thousands of roaring motorcycles took part in the “Accelerate for Christ” rally in Sao Paulo, led by the far-right president, who wore an open-faced helmet and no mask, in violation of state health regulations. Bolsonaro, […]

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Highest single-day new COVID cases for this month recorded at 8,027 cases

PHL active cases at more than 60k reported for 2nd straight day   (Eagle News) – The Philippines recorded 8,027 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, June 12, the highest single-day new infections this month. Total active coronavirus cases in the country is now 60,341 or 4.6 percent of total COVID cases. This is also the second straight day that active cases are more than 60,000. On Friday, there were even more active cases at 61,345. […]

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Abu Dhabi to impose tougher Covid rules for unvaccinated

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Abu Dhabi is to bring in new Covid rules from next Tuesday that will require less frequent testing to access public places for those who have been fully vaccinated. All residents of the largest of the seven emirates that make up the UAE have been provided with a colour-coded app detailing their testing and vaccination history. From next week, only those with “green” status will be allowed entry […]

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Africa likely to miss September vaccination deadline: WHO

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Nearly 90 percent of African countries will miss a target of vaccinating a tenth of their population by September unless they urgently receive more than 200 million jabs, the WHO warned Thursday. “Only seven African countries (out of 54) are likely to reach the target,” the World Health Organization’s director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said in an online briefing. At least 225 million jabs are urgently required if the majority […]

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Moderna seeks US authorization for Covid vaccine in teens

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — American biotech company Moderna said Thursday it was asking the US Foods and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine to be given to adolescents. The move was widely expected after the company announced in May-early results from a trial of 3,700 12-to-17-year-olds that found the two-dose regimen was safe and highly effective. On Monday, Moderna made similar requests to the European and Canadian regulators. “We […]

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Two Covid cases on one of first N.American cruises since virus hit: company

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Two guests on one of the first cruise ships to sail from North America since the Covid-19 pandemic hit tested positive Thursday, the cruise company said, adding all passengers and crew had been vaccinated. The Celebrity Millennium, carrying about 600 passengers and 650 crew, set sail from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Saturday for a seven-day tour including stops in Barbados, Aruba and Curacao. “Two guests sharing a […]

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G7 to provide 1 billion Covid vaccine doses ‘to world’: UK

by AFP bureaus FALMOUTH, United Kingdom (AFP) — G7 leaders will agree to expand global Covid vaccine manufacturing to provide at least one billion doses to the world through sharing and financing schemes, Britain said Thursday. The announcement came after the United States said it would donate 500 million jabs to 92 poor and lower-middle-income nations. The UK, which is hosting the big powers’ gathering in southwest England, added it would donate at least 100 […]

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Macron calls for vaccine makers to donate 10% of doses

PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called Thursday for pharma groups producing vaccines against Covid-19 to donate 10 percent of their production to poor nations. “Donations of doses by states have to be supplemented by donations of doses by pharmaceutical companies,” Macron told a news conference, adding that states had helped fund vaccine research and it was “legitimate” to ask for a contribution from the companies. Macron also called for leaders of the […]

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