The Delta variant of the coronavirus is as contagious as chickenpox, probably causes more severe disease than past strains, and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases, according to a leaked US government document. The internal slide presentation produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stresses that […]
virus
WHO urges action to suppress Covid before deadlier variants emerge
The Delta variant of Covid-19 is a warning to the world to suppress the virus quickly before it mutates again into something even worse, the WHO said Friday. The highly-transmissible variant, first detected in India, has now surfaced in 132 countries and territories, the World Health Organization said. “Delta is a warning: it’s a warning […]
AstraZeneca says Covid vaccine sales top $1.0 bn
British pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said Thursday that its Covid jab generated $1.2 billion (1.0 billion euros) in sales in the first half of the year as global vaccination programmes accelerated. Sales more than tripled to $894 million in the three months to June, from $275 million in the three months to March, it said in […]
4 billion anti-Covid shots injected worldwide
More than four billion doses of anti-Covid vaccines have been administered around the world, eight months after the vaccination drive started, according to an AFP count Thursday. Global injections have slowed slightly: the fourth billion dose was reached in 30 days, while it took only 26 days to reach the previous one. The first and […]
Blinken meets WHO chief, supports probe into Covid origins
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in Kuwait on Wednesday where he pledged his support to the UN agency’s investigation in China into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. “The U.S. supports the @WHO plans for additional studies into COVID-19 origins, including in (the […]
Covax expecting 250 mn donated doses in 6-8 weeks: WHO
Covax is expecting to receive 250 million donated Covid-19 vaccine doses over the next six to eight weeks, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The influx of doses is a major boost for the scheme, which is aimed at ensuring poorer countries can access jabs and has so far delivered 152 million vaccine doses to […]
US tells vaccinated people in high Covid risk areas to mask again
People vaccinated against Covid-19 in high-risk parts of the United States should resume wearing masks indoors, the top health authority said Tuesday, a major reversal in guidance that underscored the country’s struggle to suppress the Delta variant. President Joe Biden said the announcement showed that America needs to “do better” on vaccinations, adding that a […]
UN calls for Covid-closed schools to reopen ASAP
Schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic must reopen as soon as possible, the United Nations insisted Tuesday, estimating that the education of more than 600 million children was at stake. “This cannot go on,” James Elder, spokesman for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told reporters in Geneva. While acknowledging the difficult choices that governments […]
Sri Lanka-India international postponed over Covid-19 case
Sri Lanka on Tuesday postponed the second Twenty20 international against India just hours before its start, after an Indian player tested positive for coronavirus. All-rounder Krunal Pandya was found positive during a routine check, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. “The medical teams have identified eight members as close contacts,” the board said. “The […]
World Bank to finance extra Covid jabs for poorer nations
A new World Bank financing mechanism will allow developing countries to purchase Covid-19 vaccines collectively through the Covax facility, it was announced Monday. Covax was set up to ensure 92 developing territories could access coronavirus vaccines to fight the pandemic, with the cost covered by donors. The new mechanism will allow those countries to buy […]