Tag: Virus

Biden to celebrate Covid gains, urge spending spree in Congress address

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden in his first address to Congress Wednesday will urge following up the fight against Covid-19 with a no less epic battle for a fairer United States, where the rich do more to help end inequality. Speaking to a joint session of Congress on the eve of his 100th day in office, Biden will likely hail what on Tuesday he called “stunning” success in vaccinating […]

India’s Covid death toll passes 200,000

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India’s coronavirus death toll passed 200,000 on Wednesday with more than 3,000 fatalities reported in 24 hours for the first time, official data showed. A total of 201,187 people have now died, 3,293 of them in the past day, according to health ministry data, although many experts suspect that the true toll is higher. India has now reported 18 million infections, an increase of 360,000 in 24 hours, which is […]

Few reported Covid infections after trial Barcelona gig

by Maud Watine BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Six people out of 5,000 who attended an indoor trial concert last month in Barcelona reported testing positive for Covid-19 afterwards, organisers said on Tuesday, giving hope for the revival of the live music industry. Ahead of the show, everyone underwent mass screening and antigen tests. There were no mass tests afterwards, but 15 days later only six people reported testing positive for Covid-19 according to public medical […]

Spain to impose quarantine on travelers from India

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain said Tuesday it will impose a 10-day quarantine on all travelers arriving from India in response to the emergence of a fast-spreading coronavirus variant in the country. The measure, which will take effect on Wednesday, will apply to people who travelled via third countries since there are no direct flights between India and Spain, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said. “This is a measure which our country has already adopted […]

US says, vaccinated people can go mask-free outdoors most of the time

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 no longer need to mask up outdoors when there is no crowd, President Joe Biden said Tuesday, before celebrating by taking his first short walk at the White House without the face covering. Biden told the nation in televised remarks from the leafy North Lawn that “stunning progress” has been made in getting vaccines administered and that stringent mask recommendations can now be […]

Bodies pile up as Covid overwhelms India

by AFP bureaux NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Bodies of Covid victims lay burning Tuesday in funeral pyres cramming New Delhi’s sidewalks and car parks amid an explosion of new cases, as foreign aid began arriving to surging hotspot India in efforts to keep the pandemic at bay. While rising vaccinations in the United States have allowed the country that was once the worst hit by coronavirus to relax its mask-wearing in some locations, India […]

One dose of Covid vaccine cuts household spread by up to 50%: UK study

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — One dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines reduces the chances of someone infected with coronavirus from spreading it to other household members by up to 50 percent, according to a English study published Wednesday. The Public Health England (PHE) research found that those who became infected three weeks after receiving their first jab were between 38 and 49 percent less likely to pass the virus on to their household […]

Indian Covid variant found in at least 17 countries: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said Tuesday that a variant of Covid-19 feared to be contributing to a surge in coronavirus cases in India has been found in over a dozen countries. The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first found in India had as of Tuesday been detected in over 1,200 sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database “from at least 17 countries”. “Most sequences were uploaded from […]

Moderna applies for EUA with FDA; EUA issued to 6 vaccines so far, the latest is for India’s Covaxin

  (Eagle News) — The COVID-19 vaccine Moderna has already applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Zuellig Pharmaceuticals filed the application for EUA, on behalf of Moderna. The application came more than a month before the scheduled arrival of the initial doses of Moderna vaccines. The first batch of Moderna vaccines are expected to arrive on June 15. In an earlier interview, FDA director general Eric Domingo said […]

Maskless Thai PM fined as coronavirus cases spike

by Aidan JONES BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand’s prime minister was fined for not wearing a mask Monday after new Covid-19 restrictions came into force to try to halt the country’s spiralling outbreak. Wearing masks is now compulsory in public spaces in 49 provinces and the capital, Bangkok — where the latest outbreak has been traced back to a nightlife district. Some locations are backing up that requirement with a 20,000 baht ($640) fine. After […]

French primary schools reopen as Covid 3rd wave eases

by Romain FONSEGRIVES PARIS, France (AFP) — Millions of French children returned to the classroom on Monday as primary schools reopened after a three-week shutdown ordered to combat a severe third wave of Covid-19 infections. Kindergartens also reopened as President Emmanuel Macron’s government began easing restrictions imposed when France entered its third nationwide lockdown on April 3. Secondary schools will reopen in a week’s time and restrictions on people travelling beyond a 10-kilometre (six-mile) radius […]

More than 500 Venezuelan healthcare workers have died during pandemic: NGO

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — More than 500 health workers have died in Venezuela since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a nongovernmental organization said Monday. “The number of deaths in the health sector with criteria for Covid-19 is accelerating. Information is received of 14 new deaths to reach 513,” Medicos Unidos de Venezuela said on Twitter. Since the first cases were reported in March 2020, health care unions and NGOs have decried precarious conditions in […]