The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave the green light to updated Covid-19 vaccine booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. The updated vaccines are each approved for people 12 and older and are authorized under emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years old. As part of …
Read More »Covid-19 pandemic is over – WHO
COVID-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday, a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities. “Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended …
Read More »Bolsonaro’s home raided in Brazil vaccine records probe: Sources
Brazilian police on Wednesday raided former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home and arrested two personal aides as part of an investigation into falsified COVID-19 vaccination records, two sources familiar with the matter said. The investigation may answer questions about how Bolsonaro, a strident coronavirus skeptic who vowed never to get the …
Read More »Mexican president, with COVID, expected to resume activities this week
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador may return to normal activities as soon as this week as his COVID-19 symptoms improve, a top government official said Wednesday. Lopez Obrador on Sunday said he had tested positive for the virus, his third known infection, and would take a few days off. …
Read More »India to have 2.9 million more people than China by mid-2023, UN estimates
India is on its way to becoming the world’s most populous nation, overtaking China with almost 3 million more people in the middle of this year, data released on Wednesday by the United Nations showed. India’s population is estimated at 1,428.6 million, or 1.4286 billion, against 1.4257 billion for China …
Read More »Oil slides lower as supply-cut led price rally continues to fade
Oil fell for a second day as bullish impetus from OPEC+ production cuts faded against a weaker-than-expected demand picture. West Texas Intermediate dropped below $80.50 per barrel after weakening 2 percent on Monday, the biggest daily fall in four weeks. US shale production is seen higher in May, while there …
Read More »Study: COVID-19 Infection Spreads Through Households Via Common Surfaces, Hands
COVID-19 can spread through households via the virus on hands and surfaces, according to the results of a study by Imperial College London. The study results are the first to show that the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on individuals’ hands and frequently touched household surfaces is linked to the risk of …
Read More »India records 10,158 new COVID-19 cases, omicron variant fueling spike
India reported 10,158 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as coronavirus cases steadily increase in the south-Asian country. Health ministry data showed daily infections climb past the 10,000 mark, reaching a nearly eight-month high, up from 7,830 cases the previous day. There are currently 44,998 active cases from 229,958 COVID-19 tests. …
Read More »China CDC urges WHO to take ‘scientific, fair’ position in tracing COVID-19 origins
The head of China’s Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to return to a “scientific, fair” position in tracing the origin of COVID-19. At a news conference, Shen Hongbing warned the WHO against politicizing the source of the virus, which was …
Read More »Biden signs bill declassifying US intel on Covid origin
A newly enacted law will still allow for redactions to keep most highly classified information under wraps US President Joe Biden has signed a bill that directs the federal government to declassify material related to the genesis of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the White House suggesting “potential links” between the …
Read More »Beijing responds to FBI’s Covid origin claim
China’s Foreign Ministry told the US to “stop politicizing” the issue China has warned the US against making “politicized” claims about the origins of Covid-19. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing was responding after FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed that the virus “most likely” came from a Chinese government laboratory. Speaking …
Read More »FBI makes claim over ‘most likely’ Covid origin
The head of the bureau accused Beijing of attempting to “thwart” investigations into the source of the global pandemic FBI Director Christopher Wray has claimed Covid-19 “most likely” originated due to a leak from a Chinese government laboratory, citing a bureau assessment. The assertion follows reports regarding a classified briefing …
Read More »Biden national security adviser: No ‘definitive answer’ on COVID origins despite lab leak report
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that there is still no “definitive answer” from the intelligence community to how COVID-19 originated, despite reporting that the Department of Energy has concluded the pandemic most likely came from a laboratory leak rather than emerging naturally. The Wall Street Journal …
Read More »Singapore health ministry records first death tied to COVID-19 vaccine
Singapore recorded its first fatality linked to the COVID-19 vaccine after the Ministry of Health announced that the death of a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man in 2021 was likely due to the jab. The man’s death 21 days after his Covid-19 vaccination was a medical misadventure, MOH said in a statement …
Read More »Will bird flu spark the next pandemic?
A dramatic series of outbreaks is leading to concerns that a mutation could eventually hit humans and make COVID-19 seem mild. It is a bloody trail: Avian flu has killed 15 million domestic birds and led to the culling of an unprecedented 193 million more since October 2021. The rampant …
Read More »WHO: COVID pandemic remains an emergency, but not for much longer
The COVID-19 pandemic may be approaching an ”inflection point” where increased immunity levels may limit the impact of the virus on morbidity and mortality, the World Health Organization said Monday. The 170,000 COVID-19-related deaths reported globally within the last eight weeks meant that the pandemic remains a public health emergency …
Read More »Large scale COVID-19 outbreak in China unlikely in near term: Expert
The possibility of a large scale rebound of COVID-19 in China over the next two or three months is very small as 80 percent of the population has already been infected, the chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. The mass movement of …
Read More »China reports nearly 60,000 COVID-related deaths in a month
China’s health authorities on Saturday reported almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths in just over a month, the first major death toll released by the government since the loosening of its virus restrictions in early December. China recorded 59,938 COVID-related deaths between December 8, 2022 and January 12 this year, Jiao Yahui, …
Read More »Global economy faces tougher year in 2023, IMF’s Georgieva warns
For much of the global economy, 2023 is going to be a tough year as the main engines of global growth – the United States, Europe, and China – all experience weakening activity, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday. The new year is going to be …
Read More »2022 in review: a hinge of history?
Future historians may come to regard 2022 as a hinge in history, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. Major war returned to Europe, with the attendant threats of nuclear strikes, the door closed firmly shut on the U.S. policy of strategic engagement with China, and …
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