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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Thursday the US Food and Drug Administration had authorized an extension for the shelf life of its Covid-19 vaccine from three months to four-and-a-half months. The news comes as millions of doses of the single-shot vaccine, which is stored at refrigerator temperatures, were in danger of expiring and being tossed. “The decision is based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies,” the company said in a […]
Nasal and anal samples taken from 28 elephants at a forest reserve in India COIMBATORE, India (AFP) — Twenty-eight elephants have been tested for Covid-19 at a forest reserve in southern India, officials said Wednesday, after the reported death of a rare Asiatic lion from the virus. In what is believed to be the first known death of an animal in India from the coronavirus, a nine-year-old lioness at a zoo in Chennai in […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam, once a model for its successful handling of the pandemic, has started asking for public donations to buy vaccines as it struggles to contain a new coronavirus wave. The Southeast Asian country has vaccinated only about one percent of its population of nearly 100 million, and authorities have become increasingly alarmed by a recent spike in cases. Since last week, mobile phone users have received up to three text messages […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Five million Melbourne residents will exit lockdown Thursday after Australian authorities said their adherence to strict rules had “changed the course” of a coronavirus outbreak in the city. After two weeks under stay-at-home orders, the toughest restrictions in Australia’s second-biggest city will be lifted from 11:59 pm Thursday, after just one new virus case was recorded on Tuesday. “This is a good day. Everyone should be absolutely proud of what we […]
by Heather SCOTT WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Fueled by widespread Covid-19 vaccinations in advanced nations, the world economic recovery has picked up speed, but the upbeat outlook obscures a worrying picture in poor nations, the World Bank said Tuesday. The global economy is now expected to grow 5.6 percent this year, 1.5 points faster than projected in January — the fastest post-recession bounceback in 80 years, according to the latest Global Economic Prospects (GEP) […]
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AFP) — The CoronaVac vaccine reduces coronavirus mortality by 97 percent, according to early results of the immunization campaign in Uruguay, which relies heavily on the Chinese jab. In people who had received two doses, it reduced infection with the coronavirus by 57 percent and intensive care admissions by 95 percent, said a report by the health ministry of the South American nation. Compared to other vaccines in use, there have been few […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has approved the emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine for those as young as three, the drugmaker confirmed Tuesday, making it the first country to offer jabs to young children. Since the coronavirus first emerged in central China, Beijing has mostly managed to bring the country’s outbreak under control, and has administered over 777 million vaccine doses after a sluggish start. A spokesperson for Sinovac told AFP its vaccine had […]
by Jordi MIRO BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Already reeling from one of the highest death tolls in the pandemic, Brazil is bracing for the threat of a third wave of Covid-19, fueled by vaccination delays and a lack of containment measures. So far, each pandemic wave has been successively worse in Brazil, peaking at a weekly average of around 1,000 deaths per day in July 2020 during the first wave and 3,000 deaths per day […]
by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO on Monday called for Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to give Covax first refusal on new doses, or commit half of their volumes to the global jab equity scheme. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said manufacturers should turn their attention to the Covax facility, which has struggled to get donation-funded doses to poorer countries. Tedros voiced his frustration that several poor countries have been unable to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna said Monday it was seeking conditional approval for use of its Covid-19 vaccine on teens in Europe and Canada, in what will assuredly be a boost for inoculation campaigns. “We are encouraged that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was highly effective at preventing Covid-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in adolescents,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement, adding that the firm also planned to file for emergency […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand launched a mass Covid-19 vaccination drive on Monday as it seeks to beat a third wave of infections and reboot its vital tourism industry, which has been devastated by pandemic travel curbs. The kingdom plans to give out some six million jabs in June, initially focusing on Bangkok — where the country’s current third wave began — and the tourist island of Phuket. The push comes as the government faces […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s capital New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai began a gradual easing of restrictions on Monday as coronavirus infections in the country fell to a two-month low. Hospitals in the megacities — which have a combined population of some 40 million — were overwhelmed by a deadly Covid-19 wave in April and May, with severe shortages of oxygen and other critical medicines. The huge spike saw India report record-breaking numbers […]
