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by Danny KEMP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Europe’s drug regulator launched a rolling review of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, putting it on course to be the first non-Western jab used across the 27-nation EU. Russia quickly said it was ready to provide jabs for 50 million Europeans as soon as the shot gets the green light from the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA). Moscow has pushed Europe to follow the lead […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — California will set aside nearly half of its next batch of vaccines for people living in its most disadvantaged zip codes, as concern grows over a yawning gap in the pandemic’s impact on rich and poor, Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday. The policy comes as data shows low-income and minority groups in the nation’s most populous state are far more severely hit by Covid-19, and also substantially less likely […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — France placed the northern Pas-de-Calais region under weekend lockdown over the spread of Covid-19, the third area to be singled out for tighter restrictions as the government battles to avoid a third national lockdown. Announcing the measure, Prime Minister Jean Castex said that with more than 400 confirmed cases per 100,000 people the Pas-de-Calais had nearly twice the national average. The lockdown will start at 8:00 am on Saturday and end […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The pandemic has had a “substantial” impact on childhood cancer care worldwide, with a marked rise in the number of patients abandoning treatment altogether, new research showed Thursday. Covid-19 has placed huge pressure on hospitals and healthcare systems, particularly in developing nations, as most medical facilities have been inundated with Covid patients. A global assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on paediatric cancer care showed that care was affected at more […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany will soon authorize the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, the same day Belgium authorized its rollout to seniors. The countries — both criticized for the slow pace of their inoculation drives — had previously said there was insufficient data about the effect of the vaccine on older age groups. But both Merkel and the Belgian health minister said recent studies […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Seven NBA players have tested positive for Covid-19 among the 456 players tested by the league in the past week, the NBA announced Wednesday. The league does not identify players results, but any player who tests positive is isolated or quarantined until they are cleared under NBA health and safety guidelines. Protocols also require those identified as having been in close contact to an infected person to quarantine. The […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday unveiled plans to gradually ease virus curbs in Europe’s top economy, caving to pressure from regional leaders and the public for more freedom after months of shutdowns. Declaring a “new phase” in the pandemic, Merkel said more socializing between households would be allowed from Monday. Book shops, flower stores and garden centers will also reopen nationwide. Further reopenings will be closely tied to local infection […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech said Wednesday its domestically developed vaccine, criticized for being rolled out before final trials, was found in interim late-stage data to have almost 81 percent efficacy in preventing Covid-19 infection. Questions had been raised by Indian medical experts about the effectiveness of Bharat Biotech’s “Covaxin” after officials authorized it for emergency use in January even though its Phase 3 trials — the last stage before […]
by Johannes LEDEL STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — A man attacked eight people Wednesday with a “sharp weapon,” seriously injuring two in the Swedish city of Vetlanda, police said, adding they were investigating a potential “terror motive”. The assailant was taken to hospital after being shot in the leg by police as he was taken into custody following the mid-afternoon attack in the southern city of 13,000 inhabitants. Speaking to AFP, police said the man in […]
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil registered a record of Covid-19 deaths for the second straight day Wednesday, with 1,910 lives lost to the pandemic. With a surge in cases currently pushing health systems to the limit in many areas, Brazil has recorded a total of 259,271 deaths, according to the health ministry — the second-highest death toll worldwide, after the United States. “For the first time since the pandemic began, we are seeing a deterioration […]
by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — The AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine appears to be more than 80 percent effective at preventing severe illness among elderly, at-risk individuals after a single dose, according to preliminary research published Wednesday. The results, which have yet to be peer-reviewed, added to the growing body of evidence that the vaccine — which several countries have advised against giving to over-65s — is both safe and effective in older people. Researchers […]
by Louise DEWAST with AFP Africa bureaus ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Millions of coronavirus shots from the global Covax scheme has arrived in Nigeria, Angola and Kenya, as African countries ramp up their vaccine rollouts. Richer countries have surged ahead with vaccinations but many poorer countries are still awaiting deliveries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that the crisis cannot end unless everyone can inoculate their populations. The Covax facility, run by the […]
