Tag: Virus

France to widen Covid vaccine drive to 12 to 18-year-olds from June 15

SAINT-CIRQ-LAPOPIE, France (AFP) — France will start offering Covid-19 vaccines to all young people aged 12-18 years starting on June 15, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday. During a visit to the village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in southern France, Macron also noted that 50 percent of French adults have now received at least one Covid vaccine jab, calling it “truly a turning point” in the country’s inoculation drive. Vaccine supplies have increased sharply recently, prompting officials to […]

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10,000 Olympic volunteers quit ahead of Games: organisers

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Around 10,000 of 80,000 planned Tokyo 2020 Olympic volunteers have quit, organisers have revealed as they battle persistent doubts over the Games with just 50 days until the opening ceremony. Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto ruled out a further postponement of the Games, speaking to a Japan sports paper, and said cancellation would only happen in catastrophic circumstance such as most delegations not being able to come to Japan. Organisers will […]

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Covid origins mystery continues to spark speculation and tension

by Julie CHARPENTRAT PARIS, France (AFP) — The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has scorched its way across the world killing millions and bringing economies to a standstill. But where exactly did it come from? With few clear answers, speculation has persisted since the beginning of the pandemic, spawning misinformation and conspiracy theories as well as sharp diplomatic tensions. Here is a look at leads scientists are following — and others they have rejected — in trying to […]

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Vietnam reverses virus flight suspension

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — International flights to Vietnam’s two biggest cities are to resume, officials said Wednesday, reversing a short-lived ban imposed over fears of a new coronavirus wave. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on Monday announced a temporary suspension for international passenger arrivals at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport from June 1-7. A similar decision was in force for the airport in commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City until June 14, as the country […]

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IMF, World Bank prioritize vaccine access to end pandemic

by Delphine TOUITOU WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — After kicking their massive lending powers into overdrive to help the nations hardest hit by Covid-19 last year, the IMF and the World Bank are now focusing on getting vaccines to poor countries to keep the pandemic from derailing the global economic recovery. Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva is spearheading a $50 billion joint effort with the World Health Organization to expand vaccine […]

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Moderna seeks full US approval for Covid-19 shot

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Moderna said Tuesday it was applying for full approval in the United States of its Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and over, joining Pfizer which made the same request last month. The vaccine has been available since December 18, 2020 under an “emergency use authorization” intended to make life-saving medications available as fast as possible. More than 124 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the US. […]

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Exhaustion and fear for India’s frontline doctors in Covid battle

by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Low pay, 24-hour shifts and severe shortages of staff and protective gear have left many doctors on the frontlines of India’s brutal pandemic surge near breaking point and fearful for their lives. Coronavirus infections have killed at least 165,000 people in the vast South Asian nation — home to some of the world’s most densely populated cities — since the start of April. Although India’s latest Covid-19 […]

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Virus lockdown in Australia’s second-largest city extended by a week

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — A coronavirus lockdown of Australia’s second-biggest city will be extended by another seven days, authorities announced Wednesday, as they attempt to stamp out a cluster of cases in Melbourne. “We have right now 60 cases and over 350 exposure sites and a variant of the virus that is quicker and more contagious than we have ever seen before,” said James Merlino, the acting premier of the state of Victoria. © Agence […]

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UK reports zero daily Covid deaths for the first time since July

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Tuesday reported zero daily deaths from Covid-19 for the first time since last July, despite a recent rise in cases linked to the Delta variant. According to the latest government figures, 127,782 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive test since the start of the pandemic — the worst death toll in any European country. The UK has had 4.49 million cases in […]

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WHO approves China’s Sinovac Covid jab

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use — the second Chinese jab to receive the WHO’s green light. The UN health agency signed off on the Beijing-based firm Sinovac’s two-dose vaccine CoronaVac, which is already being deployed in several countries around the world. “I’m happy to announce that the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine has been given WHO emergency use listing after being found […]

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WHO narrows in on Covid Delta variant

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO said Tuesday that only one strain of the Covid-19 Delta variant first detected in India was now considered “of concern”, while two other strains had been downgraded. The B.1.617 variant of the virus, which has in part been blamed for India’s explosive outbreak, has been dubbed a triple mutant variant since it is split into three lineages. The UN health agency last month declared the entire strain a “variant […]

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Israel eases Covid restrictions after mass vaccination

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel inched closer to lifting Covid restrictions Tuesday as its caseload remains tiny following a sweeping nationwide vaccination campaign. People are no longer required to show vaccination certificates to enter restaurants and entertainment venues, and capacity limits on businesses have been lifted. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said his office would discuss ending an indoor mask requirement over the coming two weeks. “The Israeli economy and public may have some more breathing” […]

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