Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 three days before his first debate against Joe Biden, the former president’s fourth and last chief of staff has revealed in a new book.Mark Meadows also writes that though he knew each candidate was required “to test negative for the virus within seventy two hours of the start time … Read more
Patients who survive severe Covid are more than twice as likely to die over the following year than those who remain uninfected or experience milder virus symptoms, a study says.The research, published in Frontiers in Medicine, suggests that serious coronavirus infections may significantly damage long-term health, showing the importance of vaccination.The increased risk of dying … Read more
JUST as the world appeared to be limping back to life from the devastating effects of Covid-19 and its myriad strains, a new, perhaps more deadly, variant has thrown nations around the world into a state of panic. Described by the World Health Organisation as a “variant of concern”, the Omicron could prove more contagious … Read more
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded four more mortalities, all from Peshawar, due to coronavirus and 80 new cases on Tuesday as health department ordered acceleration of vaccination efforts to inoculate the target population. Health Secretary Mohammad Tahir Orakzai issued a notification regarding launching a special three-day drive from December 1 to December 3. It said that … Read more
SunLiveTe Ākau Ki Pāpāmoa School in Papamoa, Bay of Plenty, is closed after more students tested positive for Covid-19.All the people who work or learn at Te Ākau ki Pāpāmoa School are considered close contacts of Covid cases, after more students tested positive. All students and staff, including teachers and support staff, at the Pāpāmoa … Read more
Nov 30 (Reuters) – The Biden administration was blocked on Tuesday from enforcing two mandates requiring millions of American workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a key part of its strategy for controlling the spread of the coronavirus.U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe, Louisiana, temporarily blocked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) … Read more
Cases are rising in several Midwest states as temperatures cool and people head inside this winter, making the area the “current COVID hot spot,” according to Chicago’s top doctor. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady noted Tuesday that Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin “currently have the highest rates of COVID-19 in the country … Read more
Victoria has recorded 1,179 new COVID-19 infections and six deaths, taking the death toll in the current Delta outbreak to 518.The new cases were detected from 74,252 test results processed on Tuesday, and take the state’s number of active infections to 11,959.There are 299 COVID-19 patients in Victorian hospitals, with 43 active cases in intensive care and 18 patients on ventilators.The state’s … Read more
The South African drug maker Aspen Pharmacare announced on Tuesday that it was finalizing the first agreement to control production of a Covid-19 vaccine in Africa.The deal, with Johnson & Johnson, would allow Aspen to bottle and market the Johnson & Johnson vaccine across Africa under the brand name Aspenovax. Aspen would then have the … Read more
A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco.Getty ImagesOne of the most immediate effects at the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak early last year was an upheaval in the workforce.Now, almost two years later, data suggests only one cohort of older workers accelerated their retirement plans — those ages 70 and up.Consequently, there has likely … Read more
A COVID-19 patient connected to a ventilator tube in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Centre Cardiologique du Nord private hospital in Saint-Denis, near Paris, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic in France, May 4, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit TessierRegister now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.comRegisterPARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) – France has registered 47,177 new confirmed … Read more
Results are expected tomorrow on a number of Covid-19 samples being sequenced at the National Virus Reference Laboratory to see if any contain the Omicron variant of concern. The Government yesterday said that 11 positive tests were being further examined to see whether or not they were the new Omicron variant. Earlier, the Health Service … Read more
But doctors want to remind Americans that they’re already facing a pretty formidable coronavirus variant, and that’s Delta.Delta managed to take over the entire United States in a matter of weeks in early summer, changing the outlook for a country that was rolling out vaccines and hope with equal speed.”In late June, the seven-day moving … Read more
(CNN) — Governments are trying to buy time with a rash of new travel restrictions as they figure out the potential impact of Omicron.But the restrictions are being criticized by some officials and medical experts as ineffective and potentially damaging to global coronavirus tracking.”I think this is really an illusion of protection,” CNN medical analyst … Read more
Recent developments: What’s the latest? The scientists watching Ottawa’s wastewater for COVID-19 say the new omicron coronavirus variant hasn’t escaped their testing and they’re starting to collect data about how prevalent it may be in the community. Ottawa Public Health (OPH) confirmed two more positive cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the … Read more
Rich countries can’t say they weren’t warned.For almost as long as Covid-19 has been around, scientists, academics and campaigners have called on wealthy nations to share vaccines around the world — not only to protect people in those countries, but also to reduce the risk of new mutant variants emerging that could evade vaccines for everyone.Those sounding the alarm … Read more
European Medicines Agency Executive Director, Emer Cooke, appears on screen during a videoconference in Brussels, Belgium March 16, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool/file photoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.comRegisterNov 30 (Reuters) – The EU drug regulator said on Tuesday it could approve vaccines adapted to target the Omicron variant of the coronavirus within three to … Read more
The Ombudsman for Children has said that any new Covid-19 measures around children socialising must be appropriate and proportionate as the last 18 months have already been extremely stressful for them. He comments come as the Cabinet is to consider a proposal that would advise parents to reduce their children’s social interaction outside school. However, … Read more
A general view showing the Central Business District, in Hong Kong, China, September 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tyrone SiuRegister now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.comRegisterHONG KONG, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s zero-COVID policy is driving foreign talent out of the financial hub and putting off newcomers even as some firms offer pay packages not seen … Read more
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has said that no case of Omicron Covid-19 variant has been detected in Pakistan so far, it was reported on Tuesday. Talking to a private news channel, Sultan said: “We cannot control the Omicron variant from coming to Pakistan, but we can control its impact … Read more
Moderna CEO comments on Omicron jolt marketsHong Kong bans non-resident arrivals from more countriesSingapore: 2 travellers to Sydney with Omicron transited ChangiBiden says variant is ’cause for concern, not a cause for panic’HONG KONG/SYDNEY, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Drugmaker Moderna’s CEO (MRNA.O) set off fresh alarm bells in financial markets on Tuesday after he warned … Read more
Novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has not gone anywhere yet, occasion Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center Former Executive Director Seemi Jamali said on Monday. Covid should not be considered a myth, as portrayed on the social media, Jamali said and warned against lowering guards against the pandemic. She was speaking at a seminar organised by the Arts … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The national tally of active Covid-19 cases reached 13,738 on Monday as 176 more people tested positive for the virus, while 9 more people died from the disease during the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said in its daily update. All deceased breathed their last in hospitals, the NCOC … Read more
ISLAMABAD: An audit report on Covid-19 expenditures has pointed out irregularities of up to Rs5.24 billion in purchases of sugar, ghee and wheat flour by the Utility Stores Corporation (USC), including procurement of unfit ghee and edible oil worth Rs1.40bn. The report on “expenditures incurred on Covid-19 by federal government” released by the finance ministry … Read more
There are two more active cases of Covid-19 in the Nelson region, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday. It follows the announcement that there was an active case in the region on Monday – the first since 2020. Both of the new cases were known contacts of the first case.BRADEN FASTIER / STUFFPeople queue … Read more
DESPITE a palpable sense of the world going back to ‘normal’, the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant has begun to threaten global health and economies once again. Dubbed the Omicron variant, the new mutation of the virus was first detected in South Africa and is said to have an “unprecedented number of spike mutations”. … Read more
A Central Otago cafe once voted the most popular in the region will close its doors because the owners and most of the staff are not vaccinated against Covid-19. Tarras Country Cafe owners Emily and Peter Todd said they had chosen to close the doors on Thursday before the Government’s traffic light system came into … Read more
Queues have formed at testing sites in Nelson after a person in the community tested positive for Covid-19. The positive case was announced on Monday afternoon, followed a few hours later by locations of interest from November 19 onwards. Nelson Marlborough Medical Officer of Health Dr Stephen Bridgman said on Monday that the case, household … Read more
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky gives her opening statement during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on “Next Steps: The Road Ahead for the COVID-19 Response” on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 4, 2021.Elizabeth Frantz | ReutersThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday strengthened its recommendation … Read more
Is the new coronavirus variant omicron worse than other COVID-19 variants? Experts remain unsure about what to expect. What is the omicron variant? Over the weekend, researchers announced the discovery of a new coronavirus variant with the scientific name B.1.1.529. The World Health Organization warned of a new COVID-19 variant of concern, naming it after … Read more
Covid: All UK adults to be offered booster jab BBC NewsUK’s minimum gap for Covid booster jabs to be halved to three months The GuardianJCVI advice on COVID-19 booster vaccines for those aged 18 to 39 and a second dose for ages 12 to 15 GOV.UKCovid booster rollout could be rapidly expanded to tackle Omicron The GuardianThe definition of … Read more
At schools, a church and a branch of KFC, public health officials have been scrambling to track people infected by Omicron, in a stiff new test of the UK’s widely criticised £37bn test-and-trace programme.On Monday, new cases of the Covid “variant of concern” emerged in two London locations, bringing the running UK total to 11, … Read more
DAKAR/BEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) – China will deliver another 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa and encourage Chinese companies to invest no less than $10 billion in the continent over the next three years, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.The country has already supplied nearly 200 doses to Africa, where vaccination rates have … Read more
New COVID-19 variant detected in southern AfricaExperts say likely it’s more contagiousPrompts global alarm, travel restrictionsS.Africa braces for more cases, pressure on hospitalsVaccines likely to still offer good protectionJOHANNESBURG, Nov 29 (Reuters) – South Africa’s daily COVID-19 infection rate could triple to more than 10,000 by the end of this week as the new Omicron … Read more
‘I’ve got COVID and I’m feeling pretty rubbish,’ the Oscar winner said Keira Knightley and her family is in quarantine after contracting COVID-19, the acress revealed recently.Speaking during an interview with The Telegraph’s Stella magazine, the two-time Academy winner said, “I’ve got COVID and I’m feeling pretty rubbish.” She went on to say that her daughters … Read more
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 18, 2020 in New York City. The Dow fell more than 1,200 points today as COVID-19 fears continue to roil world markets.Spencer Platt | Getty ImagesMarkets don’t know much about the new Covid virus variant omicron, and markets don’t like uncertainty. … Read more
Doctor Immanuel Hardtmann holds a syringe with the vaccine Moderna in a temporary vaccination center inside the Excursion boat Alexander von Humboldt on the first day of the #HierWirdGeimpft (Get Vaccinated Here) Covid-19 vaccination campaign on September 13, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.Carsten Koall | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesModerna CEO Stephane Bancel on Monday … Read more
Parents know that winter is the season of sickness. Your kid will have approximately infinite colds. You, too, will have approximately infinite colds. Last winter, COVID precautions kept sickness at bay. But this year, school is in session, day-care colds are spreading fast, and the only cohort of people in America not yet eligible for … Read more
SEOUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) – South Korea said on Monday it has shelved plans to further relax COVID-19 restrictions due to the strain on its healthcare system from rising hospitalisation and death rates, as well as the threat posed by the new Omicron variant.President Moon Jae-in said the crisis had deepened and called for a … Read more
The Scottish government has announced that six cases of Covid Omicron have been identified in Scotland, and in England, masks are set to become mandatory on public transport and in shops. In an attempt to reduce transmission, the government is looking to accelarate the booster rollout to under-40s.The World Health Organization has said the new … Read more
The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk where Covid-19 surges could have “severe consequences” in some areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.The UN agency, in technical advice to its 194 member states, urged them to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and “ensure mitigation plans are in … Read more
Covid: JCVI scientists to announce decision on booster rollout BBC NewsG7 ministers meet as new Covid strain spreads around the globe Daily TimesOmicron variant: G7 to hold emergency Covid meeting as Japan closes its borders The GuardianNew UK Covid measures to be announced to tackle Omicron spread The GuardianCovid: Third case of Omicron variant detected in the UK BBC NewsView … Read more
A fence is seen in front of the Swiss Federal Palace, Bundeshaus, in Bern, Switzerland, November 28, 2021. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/file photoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.comRegisterZURICH, Nov 29 (Reuters) – The first probable case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Switzerland, the government said late on Sunday, as the … Read more
Nursing unions in 28 countries have filed a formal appeal with the United Nations over the refusal of the UK, EU and others to temporarily waive patents for Covid vaccines, saying this has cost huge numbers of lives in developing nations.The letter, sent on Monday on behalf of unions representing more than 2.5 million healthcare … Read more
Volunteers in protective suits handle garbage outside an apartment building at College of Arts and Information Engineering of Dalian Polytechnic University in university town of Zhuanghe on November 15, 2021 in Dalian, Liaoning Province of China. More than 60 students in university town of Zhuanghe city have been diagnosed as COVID-19 cases, as of Sunday … Read more
The Omicron variant has been generating anxiety across the world since being declared a COVID-19 variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) over the weekend.While scientists do not know a lot about this strain yet — and it may be less severe than Delta — it is believed to be more transmissible than previous variants.It … Read more
There are 182 new cases of Covid-19 in the Delta community outbreak, as the Government is set to outline how the move into the traffic light system will work. The Ministry of Health gave the update in a statement on Monday afternoon, ahead of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holding a post-Cabinet press conference at 4pm. … Read more
Health Minister Greg Hunt has asked the government’s expert immunisation panel to review the time frame for COVID-19 booster shots, after the detection of the Omicron “variant of concern” in Australia.Key points:The government’s expert immunisation panel will review its advice on the timing for booster shotsThe Health Minister says the country has enough vaccine stocks to … Read more
SINGAPORE — Shares in Asia-Pacific fell in Monday morning trade as investors monitor developments surrounding the recently discovered omicron Covid variant.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 declined 1.17% in early trade while the Topix index shed 1.35%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 1.37%.Shares in Australia slipped in morning trade as the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.69%.MSCI’s broadest index … Read more
A trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesStock futures moved higher in overnight trading Sunday following Friday’s big sell-off as investors monitor the latest developments related to the Covid omicron variant.Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 215 … Read more