The programme will reach more than 189 million people DAKAR/NAIROBI, 8 December 2021 – UNICEF has received a new grant from the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid to help roll out COVID-19 vaccination in 12 countries in Eastern, Southern, West and Central Africa. The 18-month joint programme will help ensure that as vaccines arrive, countries are … Read more
In Galiwin’ku, a remote Aboriginal community in north-east Arnhem Land, for most of the pandemic COVID-19 has been very far away.There have been no recorded community COVID-19 cases in the whole of East Arnhem land in the Northern Territory.Like many COVID-free pockets of Australia, the vaccine rollout there was initially slow, hampered by misinformation and hesitancy.But … Read more
The UK has expanded its booster programme after the Omicron variant emerged. File photoLONDON: The UK government said late Wednesday it has ordered 114 million additional Covid-19 vaccine doses, from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, to bolster its jabs drive over the next two years.The orders — 60 million extra doses of the Moderna vaccine … Read more
Air travellers to U.S. to face tougher COVID-19 testingEU says combating variant is a ‘race against time’Japan expands travel ban to some foreign residentsWHO warns against blanket travel bans over OmicronWASHINGTON/PARIS, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Air travellers to the United States will face tougher COVID-19 testing rules to try to slow the spread of the … 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
“It’s certainly not good news. We don’t know yet how much of an impact this will have. It ought to redouble our efforts to use the tools that we have, which are vaccinations and boosters, and to be sure we’re getting those to the rest of the world, too, which the US is doing more … Read more
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakht-unkhwa Chief Secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash on Friday directed the officials of Health and other departments to expedite the coronavirus vaccination drive. An official handout said the chief secretary instructed the officials at a meeting in the Civil Secretariat about the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination campaign.Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, Secretary Health, Fahad Mohmand, Focal Person … Read more
South Australia has recorded another two new cases of COVID-19 — a man and a woman in their 20s who both acquired their infection interstate.Key points:The Premier says South Australia has reached 80 per cent double vaccination for people aged 16 and overThe state has also recorded two new cases of COVID-19Both were acquired interstateSeven people … Read more
COVID-19 is a disease that can cause a vast range of symptoms. Although most people with a SARS-CoV-2 infection will not experience any symptoms associated with the brain or nervous system, COVID-19 can cause seizures in rare cases.Many people may experience mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms for up to 2 weeks. The symptoms can vary from person … Read more
Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa have picked upBut many countries’ vaccination programmes face problemsSmall percentage of Africa’s population fully vaccinatedNAIROBI, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Many African nations are struggling with the logistics of accelerating their COVID-19 inoculation campaigns as deliveries of vaccines to the continent finally pick up, the head of Africa’s disease control … Read more
Victoria has recorded 1,254 new local COVID-19 cases and five deaths, as the state reaches its target of 90 per cent full vaccination for those aged 12 and over.Key points:Most of Victoria’s COVID restrictions lifted on Friday in anticipation of the state reaching the 90 per cent vaccination targetUnder new rules triggered on Friday, unvaccinated Victorians can … Read more
New Brunswick recorded 82 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest single-day jump in more than a month, and the provincial government has stopped reporting the vaccination status of new cases, people hospitalized and in intensive care with COVID-19. Instead, it provides only the vaccination rates per 100,000 among these groups on the COVID-19 dashboard. Department of Health officials did not … Read more
Carlton’s Liam Jones has announced his retirement from the AFL after reportedly refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.Key points:Jones says he decided to retire for “personal reasons”The Blues had been in “regular contact” with Jones during the off-season periodJones played 161 AFL matches across two clubs, the Blues and BulldogsThe Blues released a media statement … Read more
The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested three men for making fake Covid-19 vaccination entries in Sukkur’s New Pind. The suspects, identified as Faisal, Fazal, and Haider, were arrested during a raid by the Cyber Crime Circle Friday. They worked as gardener, watchman, and driver, respectively, at the basic health unit in the area. According to … Read more
A Supreme Court Justice has dismissed a bid by a regional New South Wales paramedic to be exempted from receiving COVID-19 vaccines.Key points:Supreme Court Justice Christine Adamson accepted the “thought processes” of Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant, who gave evidence during the caseJustice Adamson said it would be “of no comfort” for a patient under … Read more
The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT is calling on federal health authorities to pressure the territory government into changing how it measures the local coronavirus vaccination rollout.The government counts the number of “jabs in arms” whereas the federal government data uses the Australian Immunisation Register data, which is based on addresses registered with Medicare.Chief Minister Michael Gunner says the NT is … Read more
Vaccine clinics and general practitioners have begun administering Covid-19 booster shots to the general population, with almost two million Australians set to be eligible for their third dose by Christmas.More than 170,000 severely immunocompromised Australians had already received third doses as a part of a limited early phase of eligibility, however from Monday, any Australian … Read more
Queensland has recorded no new community cases of COVID-19.The state has detected three new cases in hotel quarantine – two travellers from overseas and one from interstate.There is currently a small cluster in the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi, with 5,826 tests done in the past 24 hours. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state looked set to hit … Read more
The low rates of COVID-19 vaccination in regional Queensland are not due to a lack of resources, the Deputy Premier says, as the state records another day of zero new cases.Key points:The state is due to reopen on December 17 and only 55 per cent of central Queenslanders are vaccinatedSuspended health staff have a week to follow … Read more
Senior Victorian state government minister Martin Pakula has refuted reports the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party was refusing to cooperate with an anti-corruption investigation.The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission today resumes its public hearings as part of an investigation into allegations of corrupt conduct involving Victorian public officers, including members of Parliament.The probe centres … Read more
A healthcare worker at the Jackson Health Systems receives a Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine from … [+] Susana Flores Villamil, RN from Jackson Health Systems, at the Jackson Memorial Hospital on December 15, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Getty Images At least one in three U.S. employers are requiring their workers to … Read more
New cases of Covid-19 in Northland have come as no surprise to Kaipara’s mayor, who has been advocating for better services in areas next to the Auckland border. Four cases announced over the weekend are all from one household in the Kaiwaka area, which is “right on the border” with alert level 3 Auckland, Dr … Read more
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday announced that it will roll back all COVID-19 related restrictions from cities with at least 60 per cent vaccinated population. The decision was made in a meeting of the NCOC chaired by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar. According to the … Read more
Concerns are mounting in Germany about a rapidly growing and hard to predict fourth wave of Covid-19 this autumn, as the government is in transition and flatlining vaccination rates lag behind those in the rest of western Europe.An increasingly mobile population, a largely dismantled pop-up testing infrastructure and reduced staffing at hospitals have led some … Read more
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah has directed all the deputy commissioners and district health officers (DHOs) to launch a two-week Covid-19 vaccination outreach drive in their respective districts ‘on a pattern similar to the polio campaign’. In this respect, the officials have been told that they can engage the workforce of other … Read more
Akrotiri and Dhekelia Letter of proof from the overseas territory government showing you’ve been fully vaccinated under the UK overseas vaccine programme. Albania Vaccine certificate. Andorra EU DCC showing you’ve had a full course of an EMA approved vaccine. Angola Will be added to this list 4am Monday 1 November. If you arrive in England … Read more
The small West Coast town of Karamea is a place that attracts artists and people who want to get away from the world. It also has one of the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates of any area in the South Island – but the local district health board’s mobile clinic has only visited three times since … Read more
Sarai Tepou has worked as an independent midwife in south Auckland for a number of years and says the Government’s mandatory vaccination order for those in the profession is a step too far. Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins announced last week that high-risk workers in the healthcare sector would need to be fully vaccinated by … Read more
In the United States, the issue of whether “natural immunity” from prior infection is as good as vaccination is becoming politicised.Fortunately, the Office for National Statistics has released results from a sophisticated analysis of its Covid-19 infection survey that address this issue. Helped by test-and-trace data, it identified respondents’ “infection episodes” and used other data … Read more
A woman wearing a protective face mask walks along a deserted city bridge during a lockdown as the state of Victoria looks to curb the spread of a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne, Australia, July 16, 2021. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders//File Photo/File PhotoMELBOURNE, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Melbourne, the world’s most locked-down city that emerged from its latest … Read more
More than 18 months into the pandemic, New Zealand has announced its roadmap for a post-lockdown future – and says dropping restrictions hinges on the country hitting some of the world’s most ambitious vaccination rates.Prime minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday announced that 90% of eligible New Zealanders needed to be fully vaccinated across each District … Read more
Premier Peter Gutwein says 70 per cent of Tasmanians aged over 16 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of today.It marks a milestone on the same day Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the national double-dose vaccination rate had hit 70 per cent.Mr Gutwein told a press conference that about 85 per cent of Tasmanians … Read more
Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases as officials urge 400,000 people yet to be vaccinated to act immediately now that border controls on the virus are set to ease.Key points:The Premier says people have 12 days to get vaccinated to be fully protected when borders open to hotspotsShe says about 400,000 Queenslanders … Read more
PESHAWAR: Covid-19 vaccination is increasing after government’s decision of linking it with getting admission in educational institutions and land registration and transfer documents. Prof Khalid Mahmood at Lady Reading Hospital told this scribe that all the vaccines currently used had efficacy in the range of 79 to 96 per cent in preventing the infectious disease. … Read more
If the Australian international border is reopened while highly transmissible Covid-19 variants are circulating overseas or locally, large and disruptive outbreaks will still be possible after 80% of people aged 16 years are fully vaccinated, modelling published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday says.It comes after the New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, … Read more
New vaccine certificates for international travel will be available from Tuesday morning, as the federal government prepares for the further easing of international border restrictions.Key points:The certificates are proof to border authorities around the world that the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19The certificates can be requested and downloaded through the MyGov websiteThey have QR … Read more
The city of Chicago is stepping up its efforts to boost COVID vaccination numbers before the end of the year, and numerous local organizations are hosting vaccine drives in the coming week. The drives are part of a new initiative called “Project Chicago 77,” which is aiming to ensure that at least 77% of Chicago … Read more
Watch: Kiwis have smashed the government’s ‘Super Saturday’ goal of 100,000 vaccine doses today – and Auckland should hit the 90 per cent first-dose target in the next five days.Finally we can say it, Aotearoa.Hooray for high numbers.On Saturday almost 130,000 Kiwis joined Team Jabbed when they took a wee needle in the arm and … Read more
Queensland has recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, as the state turns to a novel way to increase vaccination rates.Treasurer Cameron Dick held this morning’s press conference at a Bunnings warehouse in Logan, south of Brisbane.Pop-up vaccination clinics will be available for the first time today at 33 Bunnings stores across the state, … Read more
SYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) – The tiny Pacific nation of Palau has the world’s highest percentage of people vaccinated against COVID-19, the Red Cross said on Thursday, urging the country’s laggard neighbours to follow its example and step up incoluation efforts.Fully 99% of Palau’s population over 12 has had both shots of vaccine for the … Read more
When oh when can we travel? I don’t have a crystal ball, so can’t answer some of these, but I’ll do my best. I feel your pain, South Aussie desperate to go to NSW! I am in Vic and my wedding dress is stuck in Qld! I’m hoping I can see it at Christmas time, along with … Read more
A new app is out in Alberta for restaurants and businesses to scan patrons’ proof of COVID-19 vaccine QR code. Click here for Tuesday’s daily COVID-19 numbersAt the beginning of the month, the province announced vaccinated Albertans would be able to sign up for a unique QR code to use as proof of immunization. At the time, … Read more
Sep 21, 2021; Haven, WI, USA; Former Chicago Bulls NBA basketball player Michael Jordan watches the action from the 11th hole during the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, in Haven, Wis. on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Mike De Sisti-USA TODAY SportsOct 12 (Reuters) – Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan said he is … Read more
Just hours after vowing to defy coronavirus vaccination requirements, the licensee of a notorious “freedom” pub in the NSW Hunter Valley has been fined for breaching public health orders.Key points:The Caledonian Hotel in Singleton pledged to not enforce vaccination requirements on patronsThe licensee and an employee have been issued PINS under NSW public health ordersThe pub gained notoriety for … Read more
What do the health experts have to say about the lockdown ending in NSW?Epidemiologist Tony Blakley said in about 10 to 21 days, the government should assess how fast cases are increasing. If the data suggests cases will soon surge to about 4,000 a day or more (at which point over 2,000 would be on hospital on … Read more
Here are some of the stories we will be following today, Friday, October 10, 2021. Pakistan has seen a steady decline in its coronavirus cases. In the last 24 hours, nearly 750 new cases were reported, while 19 people succumbed to the deadly virus. Sindh has made it mandatory for students above or of the … Read more
Public Health has made it easier for New Brunswickers to access their proof of COVID-19 vaccination online. Instead of having to attend a regional health authority vaccination clinic to obtain a registration code to create a MyHealthNB account and securely access their COVID-19 information, people can simply type “IR,” followed by one of their vaccination dates for the … Read more
The Tasmanian Premier has warned that the island state will not reopen its borders to all of the country until it reaches a 90 per cent vaccination rate against COVID-19.Key points:Premier Peter Gutwein says Tasmania could record nearly 15,000 COVID cases within six months if it reopened its borders when it reached 80pc vaccinatedState-specific modelling for … Read more
Victoria has recorded 867 new cases of COVID-19 and four further deaths, ahead of a slight easing of restrictions.The cases were detected from 49,450 test results, and it brings the number of active infections in the state to 9,261.The Department of Health has also added 140 new infections to the total reported yesterday, and 9 to … Read more
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has again urged Queenslanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and signalled revised modelling due this week would determine the state’s path to reopening to people from New South Wales and Victoria.Ms Palaszczuk has come under pressure to commit to a plan to reopen the state’s borders as Queensland recorded another day with no … Read more