WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The number of US Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday surpassed the country’s toll of military fatalities in World War II, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University. As of the evening, the tracker showed that 405,400 people have died from the disease caused by the new coronavirus in the United States. The total number of combat and non-combat deaths in World War II was 405,399, according to the […]
Tag: Virus
NBA postpones another game, announces 11 new players test positive
LOS ANGELES. United States (AFP) — Memphis’ NBA game at the Portland Trail Blazers scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed with the Grizzles depleted by coronavirus contact tracing, the league said. The 16th such postponement of the season came on the day the league announced that of 502 players tested for Covid-19 since January 13, 11 new players had returned a confirmed positive test. The league’s coronavirus protocols require anyone who tests positive, or who […]
UK registers daily record of 1,820 coronavirus deaths: govt
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Wednesday announced 1,820 fatalities from Covid-19 in a 24-hour period, breaking the previous day’s record toll and taking its total death toll to 93,290. Recent weeks have seen the UK register the highest tallies of daily deaths since the pandemic began, as a virus variant believed to be more contagious has swept the country and threatened to overwhelm hospitals. © Agence France-Presse
Partial lockdown in Beijing as UK virus variant detected
BEIJING, China (AFP) — 1.6 million residents were banned from leaving Beijing on Wednesday as two Covid-19 cases linked to a new UK virus variant were found in the Chinese capital. China has lauded its response to the pandemic, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan just over a year ago but has been broadly brought to heel, officially killing fewer than 5,000 Chinese people. Authorities have been swift to stamp out local clusters […]
Netflix keeps growing in pandemic, tops 200 million subscribers
by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Netflix on Tuesday topped subscriber growth expectations in the past quarter, keeping ahead of new streaming rivals competing for viewers stuck in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. The streaming television leader added some 8.5 million paid subscribers in the quarter to reach 203 million, topping 200 million despite recent price hikes, its quarterly earning update showed. “Covid-19 has accelerated that big shift […]
Partial lockdown in Beijing over Covid-19 outbreak
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A partial lockdown was imposed on the Chinese capital Wednesday, with 1.6 million residents banned from leaving Beijing, after a handful of cases were detected. Seven cases were reported in the city on Wednesday, including six in southern Daxing district. All 1.6 million residents of Daxing must not leave Beijing unless they have received special permission from the authorities and tested negative for Covid-19 in the past three days, the […]
UK coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries: WHO
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The UK coronavirus strain has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago. With the global death toll now well past two million, and new variants of the virus causing deep concern, countries across the world are grappling with how to slow infections until vaccines become widely available. The South African strain, which like the UK one is believed […]
UN seeks $76 million in emergency aid for Madagascar
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The United Nations said Tuesday that $76 million was urgently needed to help over one million people in southern Madagascar facing potentially life-threating shortages of food, water and health assistance. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA issued its so-called flash appeal after the impoverished island country in eastern Africa saw its agricultural season ruined by the worst drought in a decade. At the same time, the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic […]
Immune system ‘remembers’ coronavirus for at least 6 months: study
by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — People may be able to fight off reinfection for at least six months after they recover from Covid-19 thanks to cells that can “remember” the virus, according to research published Monday. Researchers in the United States and Switzerland studied dozens of people who had recovered from Covid-19 and found that while their antibodies may fade over time, they maintained levels of specific memory B cells. These cells can […]
Oldest city in the Americas under threat from squatters
by Carlos MANDUJANO Agence France-Presse CARAL, Peru (AFP) — Having survived for 5,000 years, the oldest archeological site in the Americas is under threat from squatters claiming the coronavirus pandemic has left them with no other option but to occupy the sacred city. The situation has become so bad that archeologist Ruth Shady, who discovered the Caral site in Peru, has been threatened with death if she doesn’t abandon investigating its treasures. Archeologists told an […]
Serbia starts vaccination with Chinese-made Sinopharm
BELGRADE, Serbia (AFP) — Serbia launched on Tuesday a mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign and became the first European country to use the Chinese-made Sinopharm jab. “It is the only way to return to normal life,” said Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar, the first who received the vaccine. “These are all very safe vaccines,” Loncar said as the state-run RTS television carried his vaccination live at the virology institute in Belgrade. There is no reason for concern […]
Israel extends Covid lockdown despite vaccination drive
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — The Israeli government decided Tuesday to extend the country’s coronavirus lockdown to the end of the month after a spike in infections, despite an intensive vaccination campaign. Israel began its third lockdown in late December and tightened it on January 8, with officials saying at the time it would be lifted after two weeks if the daily caseload decreased sufficiently. Since the rollout of vaccinations one month ago, the Jewish state […]





