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JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel signed Monday an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer enabling the Jewish state to obtain millions more doses of vaccines, a government statement said. Nearly five million Israelis, or over half the population, has received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to statistics published by Israel’s health ministry. “We have signed an agreement with Pfizer to acquire millions (more) doses of the vaccine which will allow us to continue our […]
KINSHASA, DR Congo (AFP) — The DR Congo on Monday launched a vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the capital Kinshasa, with top officials and foreign envoys stressing the safety of the AstraZeneca jab. “There are more advantages than disadvantages to getting vaccinated,” Health Minister Eteni Longondo said at a launch ceremony, becoming among the first to receive a shot at Kinshasa University’s medical school. The European Union’s ambassador to the DRC, Jean-Marc Chataigner, and UN […]
by Glenda Kwek, with Nivrita Ganguly in Mumbai and Nishant Saxena in Lucknow NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Ajay Singh Yadav only managed a final video call with Raj Karan before his close friend became the latest of an alarming number of young Indians, including children, falling victim to the new coronavirus wave sweeping the country. Some doctors say the reason that under-45s are now vulnerable is that they go to work and eat out […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization’s emergency committee said Monday it was against international travellers being required to have proof of vaccination, partly on grounds such a measure would deepen inequities. “Do not require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry, given the limited (although growing) evidence about the performance of vaccines in reducing transmission and the persistent inequity in the global vaccine distribution,” the committee said in a statement summarising its […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) –India said Monday it will open its Covid-19 vaccination drive to all adults from May 1, as the vast nation battles a massive spike in infections that has overwhelmed its healthcare system. “In a meeting chaired by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, an important decision of allowing vaccination to everyone above the age of 18 from 1st May has been taken,” the health ministry said in a statement. © Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippines has lifted a suspension on the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people under 60, an official said Monday, arguing “the benefits outweigh the risk” as the country battles record infections. Several countries suspended use of the drug after it was linked to rare but serious blood clotting. Most have subsequently resumed after the European Medicines Agency, emphasised the benefits of the jab, judging it “safe and effective”. Philippine Health Undersecretary […]
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece said Monday that travellers from the EU and five other countries who are fully vaccinated or have a recent negative Covid test will no longer have to quarantine on arrival. Visitors from the EU, Britain, the United States, Israel, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates will not be subjected to a week-long quarantine, the civil aviation authority said in a statement. Travellers must present proof they are fully vaccinated or […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A decision on whether to end a US pause in vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 shot is likely by Friday, top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday. A government-convened expert panel has been assessing the vaccine’s possible links to a clotting disorder seen in a half-dozen relatively young women, none with previously known clotting disorders. Meantime, the European Medicines Agency said Friday it expected to rule […]
SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Fiji ordered two of its largest cities into lockdown Monday after the Pacific island nation recorded its first case of Covid-19 community transmission in 12 months. Health authorities said the case was a 53 year-old woman who was a close contact of a soldier who contracted the virus at a quarantine facility in Nadi. “To aid rapid contact tracing and reduce the likelihood of further transmission, we are announcing a lockdown […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Emotions ran high Monday as excited passengers set off on the first flights to take advantage of a quarantine-free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand, allowing families split by the pandemic to finally reunite. “(I’ll) yell, scream cry, hug, kiss, (feel) happy — all of these emotions at once,” Denise O’Donoghue, 63, told AFP at Sydney airport as she prepared to board her flight. The arrangement means that for the […]
by AFP bureaus PARIS, France (AFP) — The global Covid-19 death toll passed three million on Saturday as the pandemic speeds up despite vaccination campaigns, leading countries like India to impose new lockdowns to fight spiralling infection numbers. It is the latest grim milestone since the novel coronavirus first surfaced in central China in December 2019 and went on to infect more than 139 million people, leaving billions more under crippling lockdowns and ravaging the […]
TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — Canadian health authorities said Saturday the country has recorded a second case of rare but serious blood clotting linked to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, but still recommend the shot for use. The patient, who lives in the western province of Alberta and received a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine supplied by the Serum Institute of India, “has received treatment and is recovering,” Canadian health authorities wrote on Twitter. Canada reported its […]
