U.S. regulators authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12 and said they could begin receiving shots as soon as Thursday, widening the country’s inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized in the United …
Read More »Dozens of bodies wash up on the banks of Ganges River in India
At least 71 bodies have been pulled from the banks of the Ganges River in eastern India, as a second Covid-19 wave ravages the country and engulfs its healthcare system. Local authorities are investigating and a postmortem of the bodies was carried out, but “due to heavy decomposition, we were …
Read More »Brazil’s Amazonas state braces for another COVID surge
Health officials in the Brazilian Amazon, still reeling from health system collapse, fear a third wave is on the way. When Rosa Dos Anjos was admitted to a COVID-19 intensive care unit in the Amazonian capital of Manaus for 15 days in January, she thought her fortunes could not possibly …
Read More »Corona & the Anti-Vaxxers
Corona & the Anti-Vaxxers By | Rick McKee
Read More »Cyprus lifts 3rd lockdown, introduces Covid ‘safety pass’ for citizens to return to some form of normality
As the country emerges from its third partial lockdown, authorities in Cyprus have introduced a coronavirus “safety pass” system to afford at least some semblance of freedom of movement to its (vaccinated) citizens. Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou described the initiative as “a step towards returning to a more normal pace …
Read More »Iraq formally asks to buy $350 million Exxon oilfield share
Iraq has formally asked to buy U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil’s share in one of Iraq’s biggest oilfields, West Qurna 1, the head of the state-run oil operating company said on Monday. Iraq said last month that Exxon was seeking to sell its 32.7% stake in West Qurna 1 and that …
Read More »Florida releases genetically modified mosquitoes in hopes to reduce spread of disease
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been released for the first time in the United States, taking flight in the Florida Keys in a pilot program intended to reduce the spread of deadly diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika virus. After an odyssey spanning more than a decade to secure …
Read More »‘Black fungus’ complication adds to India’s COVID woes
The Indian government has told doctors to look out for signs of mucormycosis or “black fungus” in COVID-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection. The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said at the weekend that doctors treating COVID-19 patients, …
Read More »The deadly ‘black fungus’ maiming Covid patients
On Saturday morning, Dr. Akshay Nair, a Mumbai-based eye surgeon, was waiting to operate on a 25-year-old woman who had recovered from a bout of Covid-19 three weeks ago. Inside the surgery, an ear, nose, and throat specialist was already at work on the patient, a diabetic. He had inserted …
Read More »Iraq hits the milestone of one million COVID-19 recoveries
Iraq recorded 4,167 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said today, Sunday. The daily epidemiological report on the COVID-19 situation stated that 30 COVID-19 deaths were registered today. On the other hand, 6,743 patients achieved full recovery, bringing the total count of recovery cases to …
Read More »13 Million Iranians to Be Vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 22: President
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unveiled plans to vaccinate 13 million high-risk people eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by July 22. In comments at a meeting of the Administration’s Economic Coordination Headquarters on Sunday, the president said 13 million people in the priority groups will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by July …
Read More »Australia’s most populous state extends COVID restrictions in hunt for outbreak source
Australia’s most populous state recorded no new COVID-19 infections for a third straight day on Sunday but extended raised social distancing and mask-wearing rules by a week as the authorities hunted for the source of a small outbreak. After a Sydney couple tested positive to the coronavirus last week, ending …
Read More »Joe Biden Administration Reportedly Awarded Huge ‘No-Bid’ Shelter Contracts Amid Child Migrant Surge
The number of unaccompanied children encountered by US border authorities reached nearly 19,000 in March – the highest number on record in the third major surge of families and children arriving from Central America since 2014, with Republicans blaming the Biden Administration for reversing ex-President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The …
Read More »India’s daily COVID-19 deaths near record, calls for nationwide lockdown mount
India’s COVID-19 deaths rose by more than 4,000 for a second consecutive day on Sunday as calls for a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus mounted. India’s health ministry reported 4,092 fatalities over the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 242,362. New cases rose …
Read More »New Zealand to resume Australia “travel bubble” as Sydney COVID threat eases
New Zealand will lift its partial suspension of a “travel bubble” with Australia from midnight on Sunday as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney eased. New Zealand had blocked travel to and from New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, on Thursday after a couple in Sydney with no …
Read More »Pakistan imposes Eid lockdown as COVID cases soar
The government has imposed the most severe restrictions since a one-month lockdown in April last year. Pakistan on Saturday began a nine-day shutdown affecting travel and tourist hotspots in a bid to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Already battling the third wave …
Read More »Two lions test positive for Covid-19 at Indian safari park
Two lions at the Etawah Safari Park in the northern Indian state Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for Covid-19, according to officials at the park. The samples were sent for testing after both the lions were found to have high temperatures. Authorities added that the pair were in stable condition. …
Read More »EU agrees deal for up to 1.8bn extra Pfizer-BioNTech doses
The EU has concluded a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for up to 1.8 billion extra doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, according to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. “Happy to announce that the EU Commission has just approved a contract for guaranteed 900 million doses (+900 million options) with Pfizer-BioNTech …
Read More »COVID-19: Iraq reports over 4500 cases in 24 hours
Iraq registered, on Saturday 4608 new cases of Covid-19 to take its total to 1108558, the health ministry said. It reported 39 fatalities to take its coronavirus death toll to 15741. It also reported 6203 recoveries to take its total to 998626. The COVID-19 intensive care patients count to 517. …
Read More »EU sceptical on vaccine waiver, but ready to discuss proposal
The European Union is sceptical about the usefulness of waiving patent rights to COVID-19 vaccines as a way to fight the pandemic but is ready to discuss a concrete proposal, the chairman of EU leaders Charles Michel said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters before the second day of an EU …
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