Tag: Virus

Pfizer/BioNTech ink vaccine deal with Brazil manufacturer

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Covid-19 vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech have joined forces with Brazilian pharmaceutical company Eurofarma to distribute doses in Latin America, the companies announced Thursday. Production will start next year and at full capacity will produce 100 million finished doses, the statement said. “Everyone — regardless of financial condition, race, religion or geography — deserves access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines,” Pfizer chief Albert Bourla said in the statement. “Our new […]

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New Australian virus cases soar over 1,000 for first time

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia on Thursday reported more than 1,000 new local coronavirus cases for the first time during the pandemic, as a Delta variant outbreak surged in Sydney. New South Wales state, which includes the country’s most populous city Sydney, announced a record 1,029 cases of Covid-19 for the previous 24 hours. An outbreak that began in the city in mid-June has reached over 15,000 cases and spread to smaller towns and cities, […]

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Virus jabs available on board S.Africa’s vaccine train

SPRINGS, South Africa (AFP) — A rundown South African railway station has been converted into an unlikely vaccination site where a shiny white train brings jabs to remote areas and boost sluggish uptake. One by one, people waiting in plastic chairs spaced out across a platform in the town of Springs, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Johannesburg, were called to board a vaccine center on rails — the “Transvaco”. “We want to try and […]

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WHO experts say urgent search for Covid origins ‘stalled’

by Natalie HANDEL PARIS, France (AFP) — The search for the origins of the Covid pandemic that has killed millions and crippled economies is at a standstill even as time is running out, scientists charged with the task by the UN warned Wednesday. An initial report by the team of independent, international experts sent to China by the World Health Organization in January concluded that it was most likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped from […]

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Latest gov’t procured Pfizer shipment arrives bringing to almost 5 million total Pfizer doses delivered to PHL

  (Eagle News) – Some 362,700 doses of Pfizer vaccines were delivered on Wednesday night, Aug. 26, bringing to almost 5 million the total number of Pfizer doses in the country. The latest batch of government-procured Pfizer vaccines will benefit Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and other areas with high COVID-19 cases. “From this shipment, both Cebu and Davao will receive 50,310 doses each while the remaining 262,080 doses will be brought to PharmaServ Express’ cold-chain […]

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Japan stops use of 1.63 million Moderna doses over contamination

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s Covid vaccine after reports of contamination in several lots, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said Thursday. Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had “received reports from several vaccination centres that foreign substances have been found inside unopened vials from specific lots.” “Upon consultation with the health ministry, we […]

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J&J says second dose of Covid vaccine boosts protection

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine boosted immunity beyond the first dose. In two clinical studies that have not yet been peer-reviewed, the additional shot evoked a nine-fold increase in antibodies to the coronavirus, the company said in a news release. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced plans for all Americans vaccinated with mRNA vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — to receive a third […]

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YouTube says it removed 1million ‘dangerous’ videos on Covid-19

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Wednesday it has removed more than one million videos with “dangerous coronavirus misinformation” since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement by the Google-owned video platform comes as social media platforms are under fire from political leaders for failing to stem the spread of false and harmful misinformation and disinformation about the virus and other topics. YouTube said in a blog post it relies on “expert consensus […]

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Vaccine protection of Pfizer, AstraZeneca wanes within 6 months: phone app study

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Protection from two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines wanes within less than six months, according to a study of phone app data Wednesday, suggesting that booster shots may be needed to ensure prolonged coverage. The latest finding comes as several countries are rolling out additional jabs for the fully vaccinated, a move slammed by the World Health Organization as millions in the world have yet to receive […]

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Mask wearing outdoors to be compulsory in US state

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Masks will have to be worn outside in Oregon, the state’s governor announced Tuesday, as the United States grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases. The mandate, which takes effect Friday, makes the northwestern state the first in the country to re-introduce a rule that was common during the darkest days of the pandemic. “The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of […]

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Ivory Coast says first Ebola patient since 1994 has recovered

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP) — A young Guinean woman who tested positive for the Ebola virus in Ivory Coast after arriving there two weeks ago has recovered from the disease, the Ivorian health ministry said Tuesday. “We performed on the patient two biological tests which were negative in an interval of 48 hours. She is therefore declared cured,” Serge Eholie, ministry spokesman and head of the country’s infectious diseases department told AFP. “We are lifting […]

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Israel to begin Covid booster shots for over 30s

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel on Tuesday lowered the age threshold to receive a third coronavirus booster dose to anyone aged 30 and above, as it continues to battle surging infections. Israel is among a handful of nations that has decided to administer a third vaccine dose, a policy criticized by the World Health Organization, which has called for more doses to be sent to poorer states. But Israel’s health ministry announced the lowered age […]

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