Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation’s “Covid Zero” hopes showed no signs of easing. Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in April last year during the first wave of Covid-19 infections. While case numbers remain low by most international standards, they […]
by James PHEBY LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain has repeatedly trumpeted its mass vaccination program against Covid-19, hailing its early approval of jabs as a key part of the long struggle to return to normal life. But infection rates remain stubbornly high, contrasting sharply with its European neighbors and prompting fresh questions of the government. For two weeks, the number of new cases has wavered between 35,000 and 40,000 a day, and on Monday […]
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s second city, Saint Petersburg, announced Monday it would tighten restrictions to battle a surge in Covid-19 cases, introducing a health pass to regulate access to crowd events. From November 1, people will need to present a QR barcode to get into sports and cultural events where more than 40 people are gathering, the city’s deputy governor Boris Piotrovski said in a Telegram post. Only people who have been fully […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Colin Powell, a US war hero and the first Black secretary of state who saw his legacy tarnished when he made the case for war in Iraq in 2003, has died from complications from Covid-19. He was 84. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” the family said in a statement posted to social media on Monday. The retired four-star general and former […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A high level panel of US medical experts voted unanimously Friday to recommend authorizing a second shot of the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine. The decision will help end a sense of limbo for 15 million Americans who received the first dose but were worried whether it was enough to protect them, particularly after the rise of the Delta variant. The committee members, convened by the Food and Drug Administration […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An expert committee on Thursday recommended a booster dose of Moderna’s anti-Covid vaccine in the United States for certain at-risk groups, a month after making a similar decision for the Pfizer shot. The opinion submitted by the advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration — composed of researchers, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts — is not binding, but it is rare for the FDA not to follow it. After […]
by Andrew BEATTY SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Sydney will scrap all quarantine requirements for travellers from next month, officials said Friday, an abrupt step toward reopening Australia’s long-shuttered borders. In a surprise announcement, Premier Dominic Perrottet of New South Wales said that from November 1 vaccinated travellers would be allowed to enter the state without quarantine of any kind. “For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales, is open for business,” Perrottet […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Thursday reported a pandemic high for both new coronavirus infections and fatalities over 24 hours, with the country’s vaccination drive at a snail’s pace and few restrictions in place. Officials registered 31,299 new infections and 986 deaths from Covid-19 over 24 hours, bringing Russia’s total fatalities to 220,315 — the highest toll in Europe. The surging outbreak has come with just 31 percent of Russians fully inoculated, according to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — People who received Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine may benefit from a booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna, preliminary results of a US study published Wednesday showed. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was eagerly awaited in the United States because it looked at the possibility of “mixing” vaccines — using a different vaccine than the initial doses for the booster shot — which is not […]
KOROR, Palau (AFP) — The tiny Pacific nation of Palau has emerged as one of the world’s most vaccinated places with more than 99 percent of the eligible population fully protected against Covid-19, according to data released Thursday. In a population of about 18,000, almost 15,000 people have been fully vaccinated, according to the country’s ministry of health and human services. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that meant […]
by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization unveiled Wednesday a team of scientists it wants to investigate new pathogens and preventing future pandemics — plus reviving the stalled probe into Covid-19’s origins. The group of 26 experts will be charged with producing a new global framework for studies into the origins of emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential — and their remit includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease. […]
by Sonia Logre with Alexandria Sage ROME, Italy (AFP) — In one Rome hospital, the vast majority of Covid-19 patients in intensive care are unvaccinated — and many are urging Italian anti-vaxxers to get the jab. A 41-year-old patient at the ICC Casalpalocco Covid hospital, who gave his name as Francesco, said he was opposed to the vaccine but that if he could go back, he would get jabbed. “The vaccine doesn’t inspire confidence but […]
