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 testing interim data from COVID-19 trial on HIV drugs
The World Health Organization is looking at interim data from its large multi-country trial of the combination of HIV drugs Lopinavir and Ritonavir to treat COVID-19 patients, the UN agency’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Thursday. Her comments come after the WHO on Wednesday stopped testing of the malaria …
Read More »WHO in talks with Saudi Arabia on delaying Hajj ritual due to pandemic
World Health Organization (WHO) is talking with Saudi Arabia about delaying the Hajj ritual due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. World Health Organization revealed on Wed. that the body is in direct talks with Saudi Arabia to delay Hajj rituals and emphasized that if the Hajj pilgrimage is held, it …
Read More »Up to 12 infected in Congo’s new Ebola outbreak: WHO
Up to 12 people have been found infected with Ebola in a new outbreak of the deadly disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. A week ago, authorities reported six infections in the northwestern city of Mbandaka, saying they appeared to be …
Read More »WHO advises to wear masks in public areas
The World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its advice on face masks, saying they should be worn in public to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The global body said new information showed they could provide “a barrier for potentially infectious droplets”. Some countries around the world already recommend or …
Read More »WHO seeks good ties with U.S. despite Trump’s exit move
World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised on Monday the United States’ “immense” contribution to global health and urged a continuation of good ties despite President Donald Trump’s move to quit the U.N. body. Trump said on Friday he would cut ties with the WHO, accusing it of …
Read More »Four dead after new Ebola outbreak in Congo
Four people have died from Ebola in a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s health ministry confirmed on Monday. It comes as Health Minister Eteni Longondo confirmed a new case of the deadly virus in the western province of Equateur, over 1,000km (620 miles) away from …
Read More »Trump threatens to halt WHO funding, review U.S. membership
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to permanently halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) if it did not commit to improvements within 30 days, and to reconsider his country’s membership of the agency. Trump suspended U.S. contributions to the WHO last month, accusing it of promoting Chinese …
Read More »WHO Warns Scientists, Media on Claim that Tobacco Reduces Risk of COVID-19
A preliminary study by French researchers had claimed, smokers might be 80 percent less likely to infect COVID-19 than non-smokers of the same age and sex. The conclusion has arrived at a study done on 482 patients in a Paris hospital from 28 February 28 to 9 April, where it …
Read More »Don’t issue virus ‘immunity passports’, WHO says
Governments should not issue so-called “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” as a way of easing lockdowns, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. It said there was “no evidence” that people who had developed antibodies after recovering from the virus were protected against a second infection. Such a move could actually …
Read More »African nations to get ventilators from Ma foundation, stress need for WHO help
African nations that lack ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients will receive some from the Jack Ma Foundation, an African Union official said on Thursday, as Nigeria stressed Africa’s dependence on a properly-funded World Health Organization (WHO)to help it fight the pandemic. Africa’s 54 countries have so far reported fewer than …
Read More »WHO chief says ‘virus will be with us for a long time’
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that there were “worrying upward trends” in early epidemics in parts of Africa and Central and South America, while also warning that opening up global travel needed to be managed carefully. “Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics …
Read More »WHO warns lifting of coronavirus lockdowns must be gradual
The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections. Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for …
Read More »WHO says no evidence antibody tests can determine immunity
The World Health Organization has warned there is no evidence to suggest the presence of antibodies in the blood can determine whether someone has immunity to the coronavirus. Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s executive director for health emergencies, said Friday there was no indication so far that a large proportion …
Read More »Trump’s WHO funding freeze sparks global outcry as virus toll mounts
US President Donald Trump has been heavily criticized for halting funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Philanthropist Bill Gates, a major funder of the WHO, said it was “as dangerous as it sounds”. President Trump said on Tuesday that the body had “failed in …
Read More »WHO denies being ‘China-centric’ after Trump comment
World Health Organization officials on Wednesday denied that the body was “China-centric” and said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would put contributions on hold. The United States is the top donor to the Geneva-based …
Read More »WHO slams French doctors’ proposal to test cure in Africa
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned controversial comments made by French doctors about testing a COVID-19 potential treatment first in Africa, calling the remarks a “hangover from a colonial mentality.” “To be honest, I was so appalled. And it was a time when I said when we …
Read More »Google releases location data to show if coronavirus lockdowns working in 131 countries
Alphabet Inc’s Google on Thursday published reports for 131 countries showing whether visits to shops, parks, and workplaces dropped in March when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to rein in the spread of the novel coronavirus. Google’s analysis of location data from billions of users’ phones is the largest public …
Read More »Spain deaths surpass China, as third of our planet in lockdown
Spain joined Italy on Wednesday in seeing its death toll from the coronavirus epidemic surpass that of China, as more than a billion Indians joined a lockdown that has confined a third of humanity. Markets rebounded after Washington vowed to spend $2 trillion to fend off a US economic collapse, …
Read More »Dolphins, fish swim in Venice’s clear canals as Italians sit in quarantine
Italians took to social media to show the upsurge in marine life as Venice’s canals are clear of boats amid the coronavirus outbreak. As nonessential businesses in Italy come to a halt, the canals of Venice were cleared of the usual boat traffic, allowing Italians to see dolphins, fish, and …
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