US President Donald Trump launched an all-out effort pressing state and local officials to reopen schools this fall, arguing that some are keeping schools closed not because of the risks from the coronavirus pandemic but for political reasons. “They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they …
Read More »‘I take full responsibility’, UK PM Johnson says about care home comments
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he took full responsibility for the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, denying that he was trying to blame care workers for the spread of COVID-19. Johnson has been criticized for saying some care homes did not follow procedures to stem the …
Read More »EU secures potential COVID-19 drugs from Roche, Germany’s Merck – source
The European Commission has struck deals with drugmakers Roche and Merck KGaA to secure supplies of experimental treatments for COVID-19, a Commission source told Reuters on Wednesday. The deals cover Roche’s arthritis medicine RoActemra and Merck’s multiple sclerosis drug Rebif – both seen as potential treatments for COVID-19 – and …
Read More »Violence at Belgrade protest over renewed lockdown measures
Protesters and police clashed violently in Belgrade on Tuesday evening amid anger over the return of strict lockdown measures to tackle coronavirus. Earlier on Tuesday, a weekend curfew was announced after a rise in Covid-19 cases in Serbia and across the western Balkans. A group of protesters stormed the parliament …
Read More »WHO acknowledges ‘evidence emerging’ of airborne spread of COVID-19
The World Health Organization on Tuesday acknowledged “evidence emerging” of the airborne spread of the novel coronavirus, after a group of scientists urged the global body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease passes between people. “We have been talking about the possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol …
Read More »Covid-19: 118 fatalities and 2426 cases in Iraq today
The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered today, Tuesday, 118 fatalities and 2426 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. In a statement received by AlghdeerTv, the Ministry stated that 11813 tests were performed today. The newly diagnosed cases were distributed as follows: Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 241 …
Read More »Brazil’s Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus
Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who has sought repeatedly to minimize the coronavirus as he urges the country back to work, has tested positive for covid-19, he told reporters on Tuesday. Bolsonaro, who has been an outlier among world leaders in his skepticism of both the coronavirus and preventive measures intended to …
Read More »Dubai hotels ready to welcome foreign visitors as emirate reopens
In Dubai’s Atlantis resort, at the head of a palm tree-shaped island, workers in face masks clean cushions, sofas, and king-size beds in luxury suites that have largely been vacant since the coronavirus pandemic. The resort and seven other hotels in the regional tourism hub contacted by Reuters are seeing …
Read More »‘At war time speed’, China leads COVID-19 vaccine race
China is forging ahead in the race to develop a vaccine to help control the COVID-19 pandemic, with Sinovac Biotech’s (SVA.O) experimental vaccine set to become the country’s second and the world’s third to enter final stage testing later this month. While a laggard in the global vaccine industry, China, …
Read More »New in Hajj: Bottled holy water, sterilized pebbles as Mecca reopens for limited pilgrims
Saudi Arabia has issued guidelines for about 1,000 pilgrims who will be allowed to perform the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca later this month, an experience that will be unlike any before because of the coronavirus pandemic. The pilgrims will only be able to drink holy water from the Zamzam well …
Read More »Coronavirus is NOT CHINESE, says famed British epidemiologist
One of the world’s leading epidemiologists thinks the coronavirus may not actually have originated in China, with samples of Covid-19 surfacing from Spain in early 2019. The coronavirus story keeps getting stranger… Dr. Tom Jefferson is a British epidemiologist working for the Cochrane Collaboration’s acute respiratory infections group. He also …
Read More »Oil down as U.S. virus spike stokes demand worries
Oil prices fell on Tuesday amid concerns that a surge in new coronavirus cases, especially in the United States, will hamper any recovery in fuel demand. Brent crude LCOc1 futures declined by 24 cents, or 0.56%, to $42.86, by 1236 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures fell …
Read More »Herd immunity is ‘unachievable’, says Spanish study
A nationwide antibody study in Spain has found that only 5.2 percent of the country’s population has been exposed to coronavirus, suggesting that herd immunity could be unachievable. The findings marked the conclusion of a three-month study into the prevalence of the virus, which involved testing almost 70,000 people across …
Read More »Novavax awarded $1.6 billion for coronavirus vaccine
The U.S. government has awarded Novavax Inc $1.6 billion to cover testing, commercialization, and manufacturing of a potential coronavirus vaccine in the United States, with the aim of delivering 100 million doses by January 2021. Novavax shares jumped 35% in premarket trade. The award is the biggest yet from “Operation …
Read More »EU foresees “deeper recession” in 2020 than previously expected
The eurozone economy will drop deeper into recession this year and rebound less steeply in 2021 than previously thought, the European Commission forecast on Tuesday, with France, Italy, and Spain struggling the most due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The downbeat assessment of Europe’s economy comes amid concern the U.S. recovery …
Read More »Covid-19: USA fatalities surpass 130000
According to Reuters DATA, The number of U.S. coronavirus fatalities exceeded 130,000 on Monday, following a surge of new cases that has put President Donald Trump’s handling of the crisis under the microscope and derailed efforts to restart the economy. “The overall rate of increase in U.S. deaths has been …
Read More »Covid-19: 94 recoveries and 1796 new cases in Iraq today
The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered today, Monday, 1796 new cases and 1724 recoveries in the past 24 hours. The ministry said in a statement received by AlghdeerTv, that 11519 tests were performed today, raising the total number of performed tests since the beginning of the outbreak in …
Read More »FDA head refuses to defend Trump claim that 99 percent of COVID-19 cases are ‘harmless’
On Sunday, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declined to criticize President Donald Trump’s unfounded claim that 99% of COVID-19 cases are “totally harmless.” As the United States neared 130,000 deaths from COVID-19 this Independence Day weekend, Trump asserted at a speech yesterday that the U.S. …
Read More »Iraq reports 1940 Covid-19 recoveries, 105 fatalities today
The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered today, Sunday, the highest number of Covid-19 recoveries, which reached 1940, as well as 2125 new cases and 105 fatalities. In a statement, the ministry indicated that 11711 tests were performed today, raising the total number of performed tests since the beginning …
Read More »Coronavirus: Spain imposes local lockdown in Galicia
Officials in Spain’s north-western region of Galicia have re-imposed restrictions on an area of 70,000 people following a Covid-19 outbreak. Only those traveling for work will be allowed to leave or enter the coastal district of A Marina from midnight on Sunday to Friday. The move comes a day after …
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