SYDNEY, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Australia recorded its highest ever number of COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, as the outbreak continued to push up the hospitalization rates to record levels. A total of 74 COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the country’s three worst-hit states, including 36 from New South Wales (NSW), a record high number … Read more
SUVA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Fiji has recorded seven new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 24 since confirmation of the third wave of the pandemic. Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said on Thursday that five of the new deaths confirmed overnight were fully vaccinated but had pre-existing medical … Read more
TOKYO: Japan’s parliament enacted a record supplementary budget worth over $300 billion on Monday as part of the measures to bolster the world’s third largest economy, as the pandemic threat drags on. The extra budget, larger than the total annual GDP of countries such as Colombia, Vietnam and Finland, will fund part of the massive virus … Read more
LONDON – Stock markets and oil prices plunged Friday over fears of a new coronavirus variant that scientists warn could be more infectious than Delta and more resistant to vaccines, potentially dealing a heavy blow to the global economic recovery. Haven investments the yen and Swiss franc rallied but the dollar floundered. US crude oil … Read more
THE HAGUE – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday announced Western Europe’s first partial lockdown of the winter, with three weeks of Covid curbs on restaurants, shops and sporting events. Protesters set off fireworks in The Hague after Rutte unveiled the “annoying and far-reaching” measures following a record spike of infections to more than … Read more
Abu Dhabi Researchers are producing a technology that could allow masks to filter particular viruses, such as Covid-19 and the flu. Associate professor at Khalifa University, Dr Ammar Nayfeh and a team of academics and doctors are currently developing the new mask consuming nanotechnology. “The idea is to create specific fibres with certain bonds that … Read more
VIENNA – Austrian capital Vienna said Thursday it would tighten coronavirus restrictions to only allow those vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 to enter restaurants, go to hairdressers and attend bigger gatherings. The new rules come as the daily surge in cases nationwide hit a record high for 2021, at almost 8,600 infections. “The situation in all … Read more
GENEVA – Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to moderately and severely immunocompromised people. After four days of talks last week, the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended that such people should receive a third dose of a … Read more
REYKJAVIK – Iceland on Friday suspended the Moderna anti-Covid vaccine, citing the slight increased risks of cardiac inflammation, going further than its Nordic neighbors which simply limited use of the jabs. “As the supply of Pfizer vaccine is sufficient in the territory … the chief epidemiologist has decided not to use the Moderna vaccine in … Read more
BERLIN – Schools across Germany should maintain regular operations in 2021-2022 despite ongoing exposures to COVID-19 and its Delta variant, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Lander (KMK) said on Friday. It would take time to cope with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the KMK said, but … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced on Thursday that so long as the cases and hospitalization rates remain stable or decline, indoor masking requirements will be lifted on Oct. 15 in certain, limited settings. This includes places where stable cohorts of fully vaccinated individuals gather, and where other safety measures are … Read more
LONDON – Another 39,851 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,006,660, according to official figures released Wednesday. The country also recorded another 143 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 137,295. These figures only include the … Read more
OTTAWA – Canada’s federal bureaucrats, police, and soldiers, as well as domestic air and rail travelers will soon need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, officials announced Wednesday. The mandatory vaccine policy proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a recent election campaign covers an estimated 300,000 government employees. Some medical exemptions will be allowed, but … Read more
Pakistan has reported new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the daily tally has reached 1,664 while the positivity rate stands at 3.21%. 1,664 new coronavirus infections have appeared after 51,796 tests were taken over a period of 24 hours across the country, stated the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation … Read more
Punjab health authorities to boost the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the province. Punjab has decided to constrict restrictions to accomplish the aims set for Covid-19 inoculation in the province. Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Imran Sikandar Baloch stated that the wedding halls and marquees will particularly be reviewed on September 28 for amenability on … Read more
Pakistan has recorded a drop in its daily COVID-19 cases, as the country reported 1,757 new infections during the last 24 hours, stated the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) data. According to the data issued by NCOC, as many as 48,732 coronavirus tests were led in the last 24 hours across the country, of … Read more
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has extended the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for incoming passengers till October 31. A ban on travel to Pakistan from Category C countries will continue in place with the exclusion of passengers having a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the aviation regulator, stated the notification. However, the countries that are … Read more
The United States to re-open for air travelers from China, India, Britain, and many other European countries who have established COVID-19 vaccines in early November stated the White House. The White House plans to allow non-U.S. citizen travelers from countries who have been banned from the United States since early 2020 as it transfers to … Read more
