Tag: Virus

Malaysia emergency to end as parliament sits after virus shutdown

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s government will not extend a controversial coronavirus state of emergency beyond August 1, a minister said Monday, as parliament convened after a months-long suspension that sparked widespread anger. The king in January declared the country’s first nationwide state of emergency in more than half a century to fight Covid-19, following the advice of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. It allowed the government to rule by decree and suspend parliament, prompting […]

Continue Reading →

China reports 76 virus cases, highest daily rise since January

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Monday reported 76 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily rise since January, including 40 domestic transmissions prompting authorities to test millions in eastern Jiangsu province. Beijing has a zero-risk approach to the virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. It locks down cities and mass tests whenever small clusters appear. Tens of thousands of people are under lockdown in Jiangsu’s provincial capital Nanjing […]

Continue Reading →

Two Australian cities eye end of virus lockdowns

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Coronavirus lockdowns are likely to be lifted in two major Australian cities this week, authorities said Monday, as outbreaks of the Delta variant were brought under control. Around half of Australia’s 25 million largely unvaccinated residents are currently under stay-at-home orders. But while the largest city Sydney struggled to bring its outbreak to heel, the states of Victoria and South Australia reported progress. South Australia premier Steven Marshall said Monday that […]

Continue Reading →

Virus-wracked Indonesia to loosen Covid-19 curbs

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Virus-wracked Indonesia said Sunday that small businesses and some shopping malls could reopen despite warnings that loosening curbs could spark another devastating Covid-19 wave, even as it moved to extend a web of restrictions launched this month. President Joko Widodo said measures imposed in early July would continue until August 2 as the highly infectious Delta variant tears across the Southeast Asian archipelago, which has been overtaking battered India and Brazil […]

Continue Reading →

India monsoon death toll climbs to 159, dozens still missing

by Nivrita Ganguly, with Subhash Sharma in Taliye and Glenda Kwek in New Delhi MUMBAI, India (AFP) — The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India climbed to 159, officials said Sunday, with rescuers searching for dozens more missing. The country’s western coast has been inundated by torrential rains since Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department warning of further downpours over the next few days. Flooding and landslides are […]

Continue Reading →

PHL detects 55 more Delta cases bringing total to 119; new Alpha, Beta infections also rise

Total Beta variant cases at 2,019, while total Alpha cases reach 1,773   (Eagle News) – The Philippines detected 55 more Delta variant cases in the country, bringing the total Delta variant infections to 119. This was announced by the Department of Health today, Sunday, July 25, after the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) of the University of the Philippines, as well as the UP National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) detected more variant cases. In fact, […]

Continue Reading →

AstraZeneca searching for vaccines for virus-hit Southeast Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Drugmaker AstraZeneca said Saturday it was scouring its supply chain to find more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for Southeast Asia, which is facing its most serious outbreak yet of the virus. The statement from the Anglo-Swedish company — which produces its vaccine in Thailand for use domestically and in neighbouring countries — comes in the wake of a supply shortage which has sparked heavy criticism of Thai Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s […]

Continue Reading →

Hanoi goes into lockdown as virus cases soar

  HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam locked down eight million people in Hanoi on Saturday, the latest attempt to curb a serious coronavirus outbreak that has already forced a third of the country to stay home. Authorities reported more than 7,000 new infections across the nation on Friday — the third record number of daily infections in a week. The centre of the normally bustling capital was empty and shops were shuttered as the lockdown […]

Continue Reading →

As cases soar, Spaniards keep their masks firmly on

  by Marie Giffard with Rosa Sulleiro in Barcelona Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — It’s over 35 degrees Celsius and although masks are no longer obligatory in the streets of Spain, masks are everywhere in Madrid as people fear soaring Covid cases. Unlike people in many other European countries who have dropped their masks, Spaniards have largely opted to hang onto the face coverings that have become part of the daily lives of […]

Continue Reading →

PHL finds 17 more new Delta cases bringing total Delta variant cases to 64

Nine of 12 new local Delta cases found in Metro Manila, 3 in CALABARZON   (Eagle News) — At least 17 more Delta variant cases were detected by the Department of Health, 12 of which are local cases, bringing to 64 the total Delta variant cases as of Saturday, July 24. Nine of the local cases have addresses in Metro Manila, the DOH said. The Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health of […]

Continue Reading →

Due to rising Delta cases in US, Americans ask, “Do vaccinated people need to go back to masking?”

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — With the Delta variant pushing US Covid cases back up, fully vaccinated people are wondering whether they need to start masking indoors again. Covid vaccines remain extremely effective against the worst outcomes of the disease — hospitalization and death — and breakthrough infections remain uncommon. But experts told AFP that one size doesn’t fit all, and people should consider factors like community transmission, […]

Continue Reading →

Pandemic-hit Tokyo Olympics open in low-key ceremony without fans

The Tokyo Olympics were declared open in an eerily empty stadium on Friday after defying a year’s pandemic delay and lingering coronavirus threats that will make them perhaps the most unusual Games in history. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito made the announcement against the backdrop of thousands of vacant seats at Tokyo’s 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium, after Covid-19 forced organisers to ban spectators at all but a handful of venues. “I declare open the Games of Tokyo,” said […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 86 87 88 89 90 … 384