by Stuart GRAHAM with Charlotte DURAND in London EDINBURGH, United Kingdom (AFP) — Scottish children began attending schools for the first time in five months on Tuesday as leaders across Britain try to kickstart a return to education despite coronavirus cases increasing again. Scotland’s devolved government has ordered pupils in different parts of the UK nation to return gradually through this week, with all classes set to have resumed fully by next Tuesday. In neighboring […]
Tag: Virus
New Zealand announces return of coronavirus after 102 days
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP )– New Zealand announced its first locally transmitted coronavirus infections in 102 days on Tuesday, prompting the country’s prime minister to issue a stay-at-home lockdown order for the country’s largest city. Jacinda Ardern said four cases had been detected in a single family in Auckland from an unknown source. “After 102 days, we have our first cases of COVID-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine facilities… While we have all worked […]
JUST IN: Russia has developed ‘first’ coronavirus vaccine: Putin
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia has developed the first vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against the coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday. “This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered” in Russia, he said during a televised video conference call with government ministers. “One of my daughters had this vaccine. I think in this sense she took part in the experiment,” Putin said. Russia has been pushing […]
Indonesia starts human trials of China-made virus vaccine
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia on Tuesday launched human trials of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine with some 1,600 volunteers slated to take part in the six-month study. The vaccine candidate, produced by Sinovac Biotech, is among just a few in the world to enter Phase 3 clinical trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval. The treatment, known as CoronaVac, is already being tested on 9,000 health workers in Brazil, […]
China promotes its ‘heroic’ battle against virus in new exhibition
by Patrick BAERT BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese workers raise their fists beside a red communist flag in a painting displayed at a Beijing museum, one of nearly 200 works put together for a propaganda exhibition that hails, not the Maoist past, but the “heroic deeds” of frontline medics fighting the coronavirus. Since the discovery of the deadly contagion in Wuhan at the end of last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to […]
Global coronavirus infections pass 20 million
PARIS, France (AFP) — More than 20 million coronavirus cases have been now been registered across the world, over half in the Americas, according to an AFP tally of official sources at 2215 GMT on Monday. At least 20,002,577 cases and 733,842 deaths have now been reported. More than four out of 10 coronavirus cases have been in the United States and Brazil, the two most affected countries in the world. While the US has […]
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas says he tested positive for coronavirus
MADRID, Spanish (AFP) — Spanish actor Antonio Banderas announced on his 60th birthday Monday that he was in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus but was feeling “relatively well”. “I am forced to celebrate my 60th birthday in quarantine after having tested positive for the COVID-19 disease,” Banderas, known for roles in such films as “The Mask of Zorro” and “Philadelphia”, said in a statement posted on social media which was accompanied with a […]
PHL total COVID-19 cases reach 136,638 with addition of a new record-high of almost 7k cases
(Eagle News) — The Philippines’ total COVID-19 cases continued to spike, reaching 136,638 cases, with the addition of a new record-high of almost 7,000 new cases on Monday, Aug. 10. With this number, the country continued to lead in number of cases in Southeast Asia, widening its margin with Indonesia which has the second highest number of cases at 127.083. The Philippines has 9,555 cases more than Indonesia. New cases added on Monday were […]
Lower House passes Bayanihan 2 bill, but solons feel P162-B in bill not enough to address COVID concerns
(Eagle News) – The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 6953, the so-called Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, also known as Bayanihan 2 that sought to give additional powers for government to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lower House overwhelmingly voted to approve the bill on Monday, Aug. 10, with 242 affirmative votes and only six negative votes. But lawmakers who explained their vote expressed apprehension that the P162 […]
Palace says up to IATF to decide on suggestion for 1 month of MECQ to arrest COVID-19 spike
(Eagle News) – Malacanang said that it would study suggestions to make the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) effective for one month in Metro Manila and other areas with high COVID-19 cases. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that this is up to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to decide. He noted how the effects of the MECQ in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal would be […]
PHL now has most COVID-19 tests done daily in Southeast Asia, says testing czar Dizon
Over 1.7 million COVID-19 tests done in PHL so far (Eagle News) – With more than 30,000 tests done daily, the Philippines is now the country in Southeast Asia with the most number of COVID-19 tests done per day compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, according to the country’s COVID-19 testing czar Vince Dizon. Dizon, who is also president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) cited recent figures from Our World in Data, […]
New Zealand reaches 100-day milestone without virus transmission
WELLINGTON, United States (AFP) — New Zealand marked 100 days on Sunday with no recorded cases of the coronavirus in the community but health officials warned there was no room for complacency. There are still 23 active cases but all were detected at the border when entering the country and are being held in managed isolation facilities. “Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we can’t afford […]





