Tag: Virus

Russia produces first batch of virus vaccine: ministry; Putin says one of his daughters inoculated

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine. Putin’s announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review.afety review. “The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research […]

DA asks public to make sure meat products they buy have NMIS approval as ban on Brazil poultry imposed

DA issues guidelines as precautionary measure against COVID-19   (Eagle News) — The Department of Agriculture has imposed a “temporary ban” on the importation of poultry meat from Brazil after several reports that said that SARS-COV-2 was detected on chicken wings imported from that country. It also asked all meat processing plants in the country and slaughterhouses to make sure that the meat products they process are free from COVID-19, and that all workers involved […]

New York museums, galleries to reopen from August 24

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York’s museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions will be allowed to reopen starting August 24, state governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday after a five-month shutdown due to the coronavirus. However, there will be mandatory face masks, timed ticketing with staggered entry and just 25 percent occupancy, he tweeted. The reopening does not include performing arts venues, which will remain shut until the end of the year. […]

South Korea tightens curbs in capital to control virus surge

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea tightened coronavirus measures on Saturday in Seoul and its surrounding areas as the country reported the highest number of new daily infections in more than five months. The stricter social distancing guidelines include restrictions on gatherings and activities including professional sports, which will be played behind closed doors in the capital area again. The move came as South Korea reported 166 new cases on Saturday, the highest […]

Malaysian economy shrinks most in more than 20 years

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s economy suffered its worst contraction in more than 20 years during the second quarter, hit by a collapse in global trade and tough curbs to contain the coronavirus, the central bank said Friday. The economy shrank 17.1 percent on-year in April-June — the first since the global financial crisis in 2009 and the deepest since the Asian financial turmoil 11 years before that — putting it on course […]

WHO urges countries to gamble on shared vaccine search

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The WHO on Thursday urged countries to invest billions of dollars in searching for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments — calling it a snip compared to the vast economic cost of the coronavirus crisis. The World Health Organization insisted it was a smarter bet than the trillions of dollars being thrown at handling the consequences of the global pandemic. The UN agency’s chief Tedros Adhanom […]

Pres. Duterte to get Sputnik V vaccine in May after FDA approval; 1k PHL volunteers eyed for Phase 3 clinical trial

  (Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte will only be able get vaccinated with the Russian-made “Sputnik V” vaccine against COVID-19 in May next year after this has passed clinical trials and had been approved for distribution by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Malacanang. But for the clinical trials that would start in October and will last until March next year, there will be about 1,000 Filipinos who will volunteer for this […]

Mexico surpasses 500,000 coronavirus cases: ministry

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico on Thursday surpassed half a million confirmed cases of COVID-19 after registering 7,371 new infections in 24 hours, authorities said. The country now has 505,293 cases overall, with 55,293 deaths, the Ministry of Health said. © Agence France-Presse

COVID-19 vaccine will be free for Americans: officials

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — If a COVID-19 vaccine is proven effective, the US will ensure it’s distributed for free to all Americans, officials said Thursday, underscoring there will be no shortcuts on safety. “We are not at all reducing the regulatory rigor with which we will evaluate and hopefully approve vaccines,” Paul Mango, a senior health department official, told reporters. Washington has invested more than $10 billion in six vaccine projects and signed contracts […]

European virus surge due to relaxed behavior: WHO expert

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — A combination of eased restrictions, less strict rule-following in summer and increased testing explains the rising number of COVID-19 cases seen around Europe, the European chapter of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. Nevertheless, deaths have not kept pace even as countries around Europe have seen an increase in cases. Richard Peabody, epidemiologist leading the High Threat Pathogens Team at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, insists “there is no […]

EU reserves 400 mln doses of potential J&J virus vaccine

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union said Thursday it had reserved up to 400 million doses of a potential new coronavirus vaccine being developed by US giant Johnson & Johnson. Preliminary talks concluded Friday for a first purchase of 200 million doses followed by an equal number later, a statement said. “The envisaged contract with Johnson & Johnson would provide for the possibility for all EU Member States to purchase the vaccine, as well […]

Buses and trains disinfected as North Korea ramps up virus measures

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Temperature checks, hand sanitizers, and face masks are being enforced across Pyongyang’s public transport system as North Korea intensifies its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. North Korea — whose crumbling health system would struggle to cope with a major outbreak — has long insisted it has not had cases of the disease. But it raised its state of emergency to the maximum level in July, saying it had discovered what […]