Tag: Virus

Melbourne police fire to disperse violent anti-vaccine protest

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Melbourne riot police used pepper spray, foam baton rounds and rubber ball grenades to disperse a violent protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for construction workers Tuesday. More than 1,000 demonstrators wearing work boots and hi-vis jackets rampaged through the centre of Australia’s second-largest city, lighting flares, throwing bottles, attacking police cars and chanting their opposition to vaccines and lockdown restrictions. Melbourne has been in strict lockdown for seven weeks, as the […]

Shock in Germany after cashier shot dead in mask row

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France Presse FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Germany reacted with shock and outrage on Tuesday after a 20-year-old petrol station worker was shot dead by a customer angry about being asked to put on a mask while buying beer. The killing on Saturday evening in the western town of Idar-Oberstein is believed to be the first in Germany linked to the government’s coronavirus rules. The row started when the cashier, a student, […]

Alert level system pilot implementation in NCR could be extended for another two weeks – NTF spokesperson

Over 100 areas under granular lockdown in Metro Manila   (Eagle News) – The pilot implementation of alert levels in Metro Manila could be extended for another two weeks as officials observe over a hundred areas placed under granular lockdown in the capital region, according to the spokesperson of the National Task Force Against COVID-19. NTF Spokesperson Ret. Major Gen. Restituto Padilla said that the extension of the pilot implementation of the alert level in […]

Interview with Dr. Ted Herbosa, NTF Special Adviser, on pilot implementation of face-to-face classes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2kFeIV5kZI   (Eagle News) — The NET25 primetime news program, “Mata ng Agila” interviews Dr. Ted Herbosa, National Task Force against COVID-19 special adviser, on the possibility of having children vaccinated after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to allow the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes in areas where there are low COVID-19 cases. In the interview on Monday, Sept. 20, Herbosa said that they are still waiting for the decision of the National Immunization Technical Advisory […]

Pfizer says its Covid jab safe for children aged 5-11

by Michelle FITZPATRICK FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday said trial results showed their coronavirus vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly. The vaccine would be administered at a lower dosage than for people over 12, they said. “In participants five to 11 years of age, the vaccine was safe, well tolerated and showed robust neutralising […]

US to end travel bans for vaccinated passengers

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States announced Monday it will lift Covid travel bans on all air passengers in November if they are fully vaccinated and undergo testing and contact tracing. The unprecedented restrictions had kept relatives, friends and business travelers around the world separated for many months as the pandemic grinds on. Jeffrey Zients, coronavirus response coordinator for President Joe Biden, told reporters the new “consistent approach” would take […]

Over 41 million Filipinos already vaccinated, with 24 percent of target population receiving full dose

Over 66 percent in NCR already fully vaccinated, says Palace   (Eagle News) – Over 41 million Filipinos have already been vaccinated in the country, with those given full doses reaching over 18.5 million of the country’s population. Those who have been fully vaccinated (18,560,409) have reached 24.06 percent of the targeted population nationwide, while those who got only the first dose (22,853,606) have reached 29.63 percent of the target population. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque […]

Trudeau future on the line as Canadians vote in pandemic election

  by Michel COMTE / with Genevieve NORMAND in Montreal Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian elections headed for a photo finish Monday with liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, who is seeking a third term, threatened by a strong challenge from rookie conservative leader Erin O’Toole. Trudeau called the snap election hoping to parlay a smooth Covid-19 vaccine rollout — among the best in the world — into a new mandate to steer […]

Auckland extends Covid-19 lockdown

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand’s largest city Auckland will remain in a Covid-19 lockdown for at least another two weeks, although some restrictions will be eased, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday. Ardern said the city of two million would move down to level three on New Zealand’s four-tier coronavirus response system by late Tuesday, even as authorities remain committed to eliminating a Delta-variant outbreak. “We’re moving now because the advice we have […]

Spanish police wrong-footed as 25,000 party at Madrid uni

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Around 25,000 people joined a massive outdoor drinking party marking the start of term at a Madrid university without observing safety precautions, police said Saturday, admitting they were caught off-guard. Spanish media said it was the biggest such gathering since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic when large public gatherings were halted to stop the spread of the virus. “There were thousands of people on the grounds of Complutense University, about […]

Virus lockdown end in sight for Australia’s second-largest city

Australia’s second-largest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown in late October if vaccine targets are met under an official roadmap released Sunday. About five million people in Melbourne have been under stay-at-home orders since August 5, the sixth lockdown they have endured so far during the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials in Victoria state, which includes Melbourne, announced those orders would be lifted when 70 percent of over-16s are fully vaccinated. They projected that target would be […]

Biden to host Covid-19 summit on Wednesday: White House

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit with world leaders on the coronavirus pandemic next Wednesday, a day after he addresses the United Nations General Assembly, the White House said Friday. “This meeting is about expanding and enhancing our shared efforts to defeat Covid-19” and will seek to “align on a common vision” against the virus, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. The summit will […]