Tag: Virus

N. Korea insists it is free of coronavirus

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea remains totally free of the coronavirus, a senior health official in Pyongyang has insisted, despite mounting skepticism overseas as confirmed global infections near one million. The already isolated, nuclear-armed North quickly shut down its borders in January after the virus was first detected in neighboring China, and imposed strict containment measures. Pak Myong Su, director of the anti-epidemic department of the North’s Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, insisted that […]

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P5,000 – P8,000 monthly assistance for 18M poor families to be given in cash directly to beneficiaries, says Palace

DSWD given full control and supervision of funds   (Eagle News) – Malacanang said on Thursday, April 2, that some P5,000 to P8,000 monthly “cash assistance” would be given directly to the 18 million poor families in the country who have already been identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). In a virtual press briefing, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that President Rodrigo Duterte had decided to give the assistance package to […]

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WHO troubled by ‘near-exponential’ growth of pandemic

by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said Wednesday it was deeply concerned about the near-exponential escalation of the new coronavirus pandemic, with the number of deaths doubling in a week. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged citizens around the globe to stand together to fight COVID-19, as he braced for the millionth confirmed case. “As we enter the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am deeply […]

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In Cuba, medical students provide door-to-door virus care

by Katell ABIVEN HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Student doctors in Cuba are trudging from house to house trying to identify cases of the coronavirus pandemic to stop it from spreading in the Caribbean island nation. “How many people live here? Have you been in contact with foreigners? Do you know the health rules to follow?” they ask. Some 28,000 students repeat the same questions dozens of times a day, all across the country. In the […]

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Coronavirus having little impact on climate: UN agency

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Though factories have shut, planes have been grounded and cars left in the garage, the coronavirus pandemic is having very little impact on climate change, the World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday. Any reductions in pollution and carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be temporary, said Lars Peter Riishojgaard, from the infrastructure department of the WMO, a United Nations agency based in Geneva. “It does not mean much for climate,” he told […]

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France reports record 509 more coronavirus deaths, toll tops 4,000

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of deaths from COVID-19 since the coronavirus epidemic began, saying 509 more people had died in the hospital to bring the toll to 4,032. There are now 24,639 people hospitalized in France with COVID-19, with 6,017 of them in intensive care, health official Jerome Salomon told reporters in his daily update. The death toll on Tuesday had risen by 499. The French figures […]

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Australia enlists particle accelerator in coronavirus fight

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian scientists are using the largest particle accelerator in the southern hemisphere to help fast-track the hunt for a vaccine against COVID-19, researchers said Tuesday. The Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne uses intense X-rays emitted by electrons coursing through the accelerator to examine key proteins in the virus, program director Andrew Peele told AFP. Acting as a kind of microscope, the accelerator lets the researchers construct atomic-level 3-D maps of the proteins […]

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Six-week-old newborn dies of coronavirus in US: state governor

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A six-week-old infant has died of complications relating to COVID-19, the governor of the US state of Connecticut said Wednesday, in one of the youngest recorded deaths from the virus. Governor Ned Lamont tweeted that the newborn was “brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week and could not be revived.” “Testing confirmed last night that the newborn was COVID-19 positive,” Lamont said. “This is absolutely heartbreaking. We believe […]

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US intel: China hid outbreak extent, lawmakers warn citing report

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has accused China of lying about the extent of its deadly coronavirus outbreak, according to American lawmakers who on Wednesday cited an intelligence report presented to the White House. Republicans in Congress, pointing to a report by Bloomberg citing US intelligence officials, expressed outrage that Beijing apparently misled the international community on China’s infections and deaths that began in late 2019 in the city of Wuhan. China’s […]

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One Turkish doctor dies, over 600 health workers infected

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — A Turkish doctor died and more than 600 healthcare workers have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the health minister announced on Wednesday, without disguising his grief over the worsening situation. “The number of our doctor friends, nurses or other healthcare personnel affected by the novel coronavirus is high. This figure, which I reluctantly announce, is 601,” Minister Fahrettin Koca told a news conference, with a voice on the verge of […]

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NBA Lakers, Nets symptom free after 14-day isolations

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers have completed 14-day home isolations without any players showing symptoms of coronavirus, the NBA clubs said on Wednesday. The clubs intend to continue to follow safety guidelines set by health and government officials regarding social distance and sheltering in place. Nets general manager Sean Marks, the first New Zealand-born player in the NBA, said the four Nets players who had tested positive […]

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