Tag: Virus

England to lift virus restrictions as Israel raises vaccine fears

by Jitendra JOSHI LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday revealed plans to lift most of England’s coronavirus restrictions, including face masks and social distancing from July 19, urging personal responsibility rather than government edict. His announcement came as experts in Israel, which led the way in vaccination, expressed concern that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine widely used there might be less effective against the dangerous Delta variant. Data collated by AFP meanwhile […]

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Chinese city on Myanmar border locked down again over virus fears

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese city near the border with Myanmar has imposed a lockdown and started mass testing after three coronavirus cases were reported on Monday, with officials rushing to curb another outbreak. It is the second time in four months that Ruili, home to more than 210,000 people, has been locked down after the discovery of cases imported from Myanmar. Ruili is a major crossing point from Muse in neighbouring Myanmar, […]

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Iran fears ‘fifth wave’ of Covid linked to Delta variant

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — President Hassan Rouhani expressed fears Saturday that Iran will be hit by a new wave of Covid-19 due to an outbreak of the Delta variant in the Middle East’s hardest-hit country. “It is feared that we are on the way to a fifth wave throughout the country,” Rouhani told a meeting of Iran’s anti-virus taskforce, warning the public to be careful as “the Delta variant” had entered the country from the […]

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Saudi suspends UAE flights due to virus variant

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia has suspended flights to three countries, including the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, to protect against a coronavirus variant, the interior ministry said Saturday. The move comes seven weeks after the oil-rich kingdom permitted fully immunized citizens to travel abroad, after a ban on foreign trips that lasted more than a year. The UAE, and especially Dubai, is a key leisure destination for Saudis. Flights to and from the […]

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Queen to honor UK health workers for Covid service

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will award the UK’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) the country’s highest civilian honour in recognition of health workers’ service during the pandemic, the government announced Monday. The award of the George Cross, which is the civilian equivalent of Britain’s Victoria Cross for extraordinary military heroism, comes amid outcry from medical professionals over pay and working conditions in the NHS, which has been pushed close to breaking […]

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Russia virus cases soar again as Delta strain sparks resurgence

by Anna SMOLCHENKO MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Sunday counted more than 25,000 new daily infections after a week of record death tolls as the highly contagious Delta variant propels a global resurgence of the pandemic. The coronavirus has killed nearly four million people worldwide, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Moscow has so far ruled out a new lockdown, but Sunday’s 25,142 infections […]

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J&J’s says its Covid-19 vaccine effectively combats Delta variant

Washington, United States — ( AFP)Johnson and Johnson’s single-shot Covid-19 vaccine is effective against the highly contagious Delta variant, with an immune response lasting at least eight months, the company said Thursday. The antibodies and immune system cells in the blood of eight people vaccinated with the J&J jab effectively neutralized the Delta strain, which was first identified in India, researchers found. A second study with 20 vaccinated patients at Boston’s Beth Israel Medical Center […]

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Russia sets another Covid record as world battles Delta variant

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia reported its fifth record for daily Covid-19 deaths in a row on Saturday, as countries around the world rush to contain the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The variant has propelled a resurgence of the virus which has already killed nearly four million people, forcing numerous nations to reimpose restrictions well over a year after the pandemic first swept the world. Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown […]

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Indonesia rolls out tougher curbs as virus cases skyrocket

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia imposed a partial lockdown Saturday in the capital Jakarta, across the main island of Java and on Bali as the Southeast Asian nation grappled with an unprecedented wave of coronavirus infections. Mosques, restaurants and shopping malls were shuttered in virus hotspots around the Muslim-majority country, which recorded more than 25,000 new cases and 539 deaths on Friday, both new daily records. Indonesia’s daily caseload has more than quadrupled in […]

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PHL COVID deaths breach 25k as 90 fatalities are added, but percentage of active cases still at a low

New COVID recoveries added were 7,698, the highest this past week   (Eagle News) – The Philippines’ COVID-19 deaths breached 25,000 on Saturday, July 3, with the addition of 90 virus fatalities, even as the country continued to record low percentages of active COVID-19 cases. As of Saturday, July 3, the number of COVID-19 fatalities reached 25,063. The number of new fatalities reported on Saturday at 90 were still much lower than the previous day’s […]

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WHO warns against vaccine favoritism; says all COVID jabs it approved for EUL are “safe and effective”

WHO issues “Joint COVAX Statement on the Equal Recognition of Vaccines” amid some countries’ preference for Western-made jabs     (Eagle News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) called on all countries and regions to recognize the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines included in its emergency use listing (EUL) as these are all “safe and effective.”  WHO said failure by some countries to do so is “undermining confidence in life-saving vaccines.” In a statement, WHO called […]

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Myanmar orders 2 million to stay home as Covid-19 cases spike

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Myanmar authorities imposed stay-at-home-measures on the country’s second city Friday as coronavirus cases in the coup-wracked country surge, with many health workers striking to protest against the junta. Inhabitants of Mandalay, as well as two townships in the southern Bago region woke up to new restrictions banning more than one person leaving home for non-medical reasons. There was no timeframe given for the new rules, announced by the health and […]

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