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by Issam Ahmed with AFP bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was to begin leaving the company’s Michigan factory on Sunday, ready to be injected into the arms of millions of the most vulnerable Americans as the global death toll topped 1.6 million. Doses will be shipped out in boxes containing dry ice that are capable of staying at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit), the frigid temperature needed to preserve […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a record high for a second day in a row as the country struggles to tackle a third wave of infections. The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules. But a resurgence centred on the capital and surrounding area has prompted President Moon […]
by Issam Ahmed Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Friday piled pressure on the US drug regulator to quickly approve the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine as America readied to roll out mass immunizations. The Washington Post reported that the White House told the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Stephen Hahn to submit his resignation if the agency does not clear the vaccine by the end of the day. Hahn […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US said Friday it was purchasing 100 million more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, amid reports the government passed on the opportunity to secure more supply of the Pfizer jab. The agreement brings the total number of Moderna doses bought by the US to 200 million, enough to immunize 100 million people with the two-shot regimen. “Securing another 100 million doses from Moderna by June […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia’s homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials. “Today we announce a clinical trial programme to assess safety and immunogenicity of a combination of AZD1222, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Sputnik V, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research institute,” AstraZeneca said in a statement published on its website in English and Russian. The pharmaceutical company said […]
PHL clinical trial application of China firms Sinovac, Clover BioPharma also pass vaccine evaluation, ethics board review, says DOST (Eagle News) – The Philippines will start getting the COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac by the first quarter of next year, Malacanang said, even as the Department of Science and Technology announced that another China-based pharmaceutical firm, aside from Sinovac, had also passed evaluation for clinical trials in the country. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that Sinovac Pharmaceuticals […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The British government said Thursday that it would begin offering coronavirus tests for children aged 11-18 in the worst-affected parts of London and southeast England to try to cut a rise in infections. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was “particularly concerned” about a spike in cases in London, and parts of the counties of Kent and Essex that border the British capital. He told a news conference that […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday registered more than 3,000 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally — the highest daily toll since April. American authorities warned a spike in deaths was coming after millions traveled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month, ignoring pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the virus. As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday), […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British health officials on Wednesday warned that anyone with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid jab for the time being. The warning came after two members of the state-run National Health Service who were among the first to receive the vaccine on Tuesday suffered allergic reactions and needed treatment. NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said both people, who had a history of […]
by Agnes ANYA Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia held nationwide regional elections Wednesday with more than 100 million voters eligible to cast a ballot, despite warnings the poll would worsen the nation’s Covid-19 crisis. The archipelago of nearly 270 million — the world’s third-biggest democracy and fourth most populous nation — delayed the vote originally set for September as it struggled to contain soaring infection rates. From the capital Jakarta to […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israel received its first batch of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring the pandemic’s end was “in sight” and vowing to get the first jab. “This is a great celebration for Israel,” he said on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, as a fork-lift truck started unloading the cargo from a red and yellow DHL air freighter. The shipment was the first […]
by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Tuesday became the first Covid-19 vaccine makers to publish final-stage clinical trial data in a scientific journal, clearing a key hurdle in the global race to produce safe and effective drugs for the coronavirus. The study, published in the respected Lancet medical journal, confirmed that the vaccine works in an average of 70 percent of cases. It comes during a flurry of positive […]
