Romania’s centrist ruling coalition faced possible collapse on Thursday as a junior party withdrew support for the prime minister in a row over the sacking of its justice minister, threatening economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The dismissal of Stelian Ion deepened rifts in the centrist coalition formed between Prime …
Read More »Abu Dhabi removes quarantine for all vaccinated travellers
Abu Dhabi will remove the need to quarantine for all vaccinated travellers arriving from international destinations starting Sunday, said the Abu Dhabi government media office on Twitter on Thursday. A negative PCR test remains a requirement to travel to the United Arab Emirates’ capital, it said.
Read More »Facemasks and sanitizer as French kids go back to school
Twelve million French children headed back to school on Thursday, wearing facemasks, using sanitizer at the entrance and standing distanced from each other in the yard under strict government rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. “This is very different from usual ‘back-to-school’ days,” said Matthieu Seguin, deputy director …
Read More »Well-vaccinated countries should prioritise COVAX over booster shots – WHO’s Tedros
The World Health Organisation recommends against using spare doses of COVID-19 vaccine to give booster shots to countries’ fully-vaccinated populations since the priority is to ensure the global population is vaccinated, the agency’s head said. Speaking in Berlin at the opening of a new epidemic intelligence hub, Director-General Tedros Adhanom …
Read More »10,000 unvaccinated Greek health workers against COVID-19 face suspension: Union
Some 10,000 health workers in Greece faced being suspended as a deadline to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ran out on Wednesday, a union said. From September 1, inoculations become mandatory for health workers, and those who don’t comply will not be allowed to work. Protests broke out on Wednesday morning …
Read More »North Korea rejects offer of nearly 3 million Sinovac COVID-19 shots
North Korea has rejected roughly three million COVID-19 vaccine doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech, saying they should be sent to severely affected countries, the UNICEF said on Wednesday. The isolated country’s public ministry pointed to the limited global supply for vaccines and continuing virus surges elsewhere, according to the UN …
Read More »Iraq reported 7,309 new COVID-19 cases, 48 deaths.
Iraq recorded 7,309 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said today, Thursday. The daily epidemiological report on the COVID-19 situation stated that 48 COVID-19 deaths were registered today. On the other hand, 6,595 patients achieved full recovery. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Iraq, …
Read More »WHO monitoring new COVID-19 variant of interest ‘Mu’
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as “Mu”. “Mu”, known scientifically as B.1.621, was classified by WHO as a “variant of interest” on Monday. “The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” WHO …
Read More »Former CIA officer, COVID-19 conspiracy theorist dies after virus battle
Robert David Steele, a former CIA officer and a COVID-19 conspiracy theorist from the US, died after contracting the coronavirus, according to media reports. Steele died in a hospital after battling the virus for almost a month, The Independent said. He was hospitalized after having coronavirus symptoms, although he continued …
Read More »San Antonio Zoo in US will begin vaccinating animals against COVID-19
A zoo in the US state of Texas is set to vaccinate its animals against COVID-19, according to a press release. The San Antonio Zoo’s lions and tigers will be among the first animals to get their coronavirus vaccine doses in the coming weeks. “The first zoo animals to receive …
Read More »Oxygen supply shortages hit parts of US amid spike in COVID-19 cases
A potential shortage of medical-grade oxygen could hit parts of the US as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, according to local media reports citing US state health officials. A spike in COVID-19 cases, especially in Southern US states, has led to more demand for oxygen supply. Hospitals in the southern …
Read More »Moderna COVID-19 vaccine creates twice as many antibodies as Pfizer: Study
Moderna Inc.‘s COVID-19 vaccine generated more than double the antibodies of a similar shot made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in research directly comparing immune responses to the inoculations. A study of almost 2,500 workers at a major Belgium hospital system found antibody levels among individuals who hadn’t been …
Read More »New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
New Zealand reported its first recorded death linked to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the health ministry said on Monday after a woman suffered a rare heart muscle inflammation side effect. The report comes as the country battles an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus after nearly six months …
Read More »US judge orders hospital to treat COVID patient on ventilator with ivermectin
A US woman has won a court order for a hospital in Ohio to treat her husband, who is on a ventilator with COVID-19, with the antiparasitic medicine ivermectin, as demand surges for the unproven coronavirus treatment. The case is one of several nationwide where courts have sided with litigants …
Read More »US travelers dropped from EU safe list as Covid cases surge
The European Union recommended on Monday that Americans should be banned from nonessential travel to its member states after a rise in Covid-19 cases in the United States. Countries within the 27-nation bloc, which includes France, Italy and Germany, have been advised to reinstate coronavirus-related restrictions and halt the arrival …
Read More »Three dead as armed robbers in Brazil stage bank raids, taking hostages (Videos)
Armed robbers hit several banks in a small Brazilian city on Monday, using locals as human shields, leaving a trail of explosive devices, and shooting at police in an assault that killed at least three people, a senior state security official said. The brazen attack around midnight in Araçatuba, a …
Read More »Japan suspends Moderna Covid vaccine after another million doses found contaminated, bringing total to 2.6 million
Japanese officials have suspended the use of millions of doses of the Moderna Covid vaccine after foreign substances were found in a number of batches and two people died after receiving jabs from the affected lots. The Japanese government discovered the contamination over the weekend in a batch of the …
Read More »Iraq reports 65 deaths, 6,778 new coronavirus cases.
Iraq logged 6,778 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said today, Monday. The daily epidemiological report on the COVID-19 situation stated that 65 deaths were registered today. On the other hand, 8,193 patients achieved full recovery. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Iraq, 1,881,213 …
Read More »Scientists raise alarm on new, highly mutated COVID-19 variant C.1.2 in South Africa
Scientists have raised concern regarding a new potential COVID-19 variant of interest in South Africa due to its “concerning constellations of mutations.” The new variant, dubbed C.1.2, was first identified in May 2021 and has since spread across South Africa and into seven other countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, and …
Read More »WHO fears 236,000 more COVID-19 deaths in Europe by December 1
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday it feared another 236,000 COVID-19 deaths in Europe by December 1, expressing concern about stagnating vaccination rates and low uptake in poorer countries. “Last week, there was an 11 percent increase in the number of deaths in the region – one reliable projection …
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