Countries from the U.S. to South Africa to India were struggling to hold down rising rates of the coronavirus, as global deaths from COVID-19 surged past 600,000 in a sign of how far off the world remains from a return to normalcy. While the U.S. leads global infections, South Africa …
Read More »The six types of COVID-19 identified by scientists in ‘major’ breakthrough for treatment
Scientists have identified six distinct types of COVID-19 – each with a specific collection of symptoms – in a breakthrough that could help doctors predict which patients are most at risk. The different forms of the disease are believed to determine its severity among those infected – and whether they …
Read More »Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine ready to advance to final phase of testing
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday. The shots are poised to begin key final testing. “No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease …
Read More »WHO warns no return to normal life for ‘foreseeable future’
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the prospect of returning to normal life will not be possible for the “foreseeable future” as many countries have untimely eased restrictions in their fight against the new coronavirus pandemic. WHO’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus raised the alarm on Monday and …
Read More »Global COVID-19 cases exceed 13 million: Worldometer tally
The number of infections with the novel coronavirus has surpassed 13 million worldwide with the deaths exceeding 571,000 and recoveries over 7.58 million, according to Worldometer figures. According to the latest figures on Monday morning (+3:00 GMT), 13,069,861 people have so far been infected with the novel coronavirus globally, with …
Read More »Wuhan coronavirus lab will not be visited by WHO investigators
A coronavirus research lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid-19 first emerged, will not be visited by World Health Organisation investigators looking into the origins of the pandemic. WHO is sending a mission to Wuhan, in Hubei province, but has said investigators will be there only to “advance the …
Read More »WHO has expanded its coronavirus guidance to include the possibility in certain circumstances of airborne transmission.
The World Health Organization has expanded its coronavirus guidance to include the possibility in certain circumstances of airborne transmission, in which the virus could be spread through tiny droplets that linger in the air. The update came Thursday after an open letter signed by more than 200 scientists pressed the …
Read More »Kazakhstan mystery pneumonia likely to be coronavirus: WHO
China’s embassy has warned its citizens of strange pneumonia more deadly than coronavirus spreading in the former Soviet republic. A leading health chief thinks there could be issues around testing for COVID-19. An unexplained pneumonia outbreak in Kazakhstan is likely to be the novel coronavirus, a World Health Organization (WHO) …
Read More »Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases surge above a half-million
Africa now has more than a half-million confirmed coronavirus cases, while South Africa’s health minister declared Wednesday that “we have now reached the surge.” The continent-wide total is over 509,000, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after South Africa recorded another day of more than 10,000 …
Read More »China closes tourist spots in Inner Mongolia after bubonic plague case
Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have closed several tourist spots after a case of bubonic plague was confirmed this week. The case was discovered in Bayannur, located northwest of the capital Beijing. Five nearby grassland scenic points have now been closed, with visitors “strictly prohibited from entering …
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 »‘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 »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 »China says G4 swine flu virus not new; does not infect humans easily
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday that the so-called “G4” strain of swine flu virus is not new and does not infect or sicken humans and animals easily, rebuffing a study published earlier this week. That study, by a team of Chinese scientists and published by …
Read More »WHO says ‘we cannot let our guard down’ after China pigs study
The World Health Organization (WHO) will “read carefully” a Chinese study on a new flu virus found in pigs, a spokesman said on Tuesday, saying the findings underscored the importance of influenza surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to …
Read More »Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million; more than 500,000 deaths
Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed more than half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded …
Read More »Vaccine against COVID-19 not certain, maybe in a year: WHO
It is not certain that scientists will be able to create an effective vaccine against the coronavirus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, but it could take a year before one were to be invented, the head of the World Health Organisation said. Speaking by video-conference to deputies from the …
Read More »COVID-19 vaccine reaches phase-2 trials in China
An inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has entered phase-2 clinical trials in China, the Science and Technology Daily reported Saturday. The phase-2 trials, which further evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the vaccine in humans, are conducted …
Read More »Europeans working with US to restructure WHO, top official says
European governments are working with the United States on plans to overhaul the World Health Organization, a top health official for a European country said, signaling that Europe shares some of the concerns that led Washington to say it would quit. The European health official, who spoke on condition of …
Read More »WHO comments on Iraq requesting Covid-19 drug from Russia
World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Iraq, Adham Ismail, revealed today, that COVID-19’s Russian drug, which Baghdad is intending to import, is not approved by international health committees yet. Ismail said that, “the Russian treatment improves the mortality, but does not reduce the severity of the symptoms”, stressing that, “the …
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