Covid-19 origins report postponed, likely due next week: WHO
March 16, 2021
GENEVA (AFP) - An international expert team that visited China to investigate the origins of Covid-19 has postponed publishing its report, which will now likely appear next week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday (March 16).
"The report is simply not ready," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters.
From Straits Times.
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GENEVA (AFP) - An international expert team that visited China to investigate the origins of Covid-19 has postponed publishing its report, which will now likely appear next week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday (March 16).
"The report is simply not ready," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters.
From Straits Times.
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Manila orders anyone below 18 to stay indoors amid virus surge
March 16, 2021
MANILA: The Philippine capital Manila will widen a ban on minors leaving their residences to include youths of up to 18 years old for two weeks starting on Wednesday, tightening coronavirus restrictions in a bid to tackle a new surge of infections.
Only those aged 18-65 years old will be allowed out of their homes, the Metro Manila Development Authority said in a statement, citing an agreement among mayors.
From Bangkokpost.
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MANILA: The Philippine capital Manila will widen a ban on minors leaving their residences to include youths of up to 18 years old for two weeks starting on Wednesday, tightening coronavirus restrictions in a bid to tackle a new surge of infections.
Only those aged 18-65 years old will be allowed out of their homes, the Metro Manila Development Authority said in a statement, citing an agreement among mayors.
From Bangkokpost.
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Dogs successfully trained to detect asymptomatic cases
March 16, 2021
A research team at Chulalongkorn University has successfully trained six sniffer dogs to detect people infected with Covid-19 who do not show symptoms.
The trained dogs were ready to be sent to airports to support Covid-19 screening there.
From Bangkokpost.
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A research team at Chulalongkorn University has successfully trained six sniffer dogs to detect people infected with Covid-19 who do not show symptoms.
The trained dogs were ready to be sent to airports to support Covid-19 screening there.
From Bangkokpost.
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Scientists unlock secret of why hummingbirds hum
March 16, 2021
Hummingbirds might be instantly recognisable from their eponymous sound, but the cause of the characteristic has long been a mystery.
Now researchers say they have cracked the conundrum, finally taking the “hmm?” out of hummingbirds.
From The Guardian.
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Hummingbirds might be instantly recognisable from their eponymous sound, but the cause of the characteristic has long been a mystery.
Now researchers say they have cracked the conundrum, finally taking the “hmm?” out of hummingbirds.
From The Guardian.
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Covid: Does Tanzania have a hidden epidemic?
March 13, 2021
There are no publicly available records for recent deaths in Tanzania, and no information has been released on the impact of coronavirus since May last year, when 500 cases and 20 deaths were reported up to that point.
The authorities have insisted there is little to worry about, and have taken tough action against those they accuse of spreading "false information".
When we contacted Deputy Health Minister Godwin Mollel, he sent us interviews he had previously given, in which he said that releasing data publicly could be "counterproductive" as it could spread fear.
From BBC News.
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There are no publicly available records for recent deaths in Tanzania, and no information has been released on the impact of coronavirus since May last year, when 500 cases and 20 deaths were reported up to that point.
The authorities have insisted there is little to worry about, and have taken tough action against those they accuse of spreading "false information".
When we contacted Deputy Health Minister Godwin Mollel, he sent us interviews he had previously given, in which he said that releasing data publicly could be "counterproductive" as it could spread fear.
From BBC News.
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New COVID-19 measures in place for Istanbul public spaces
March 12, 2021
Amid rising pandemic figures across Turkey, citizens in the country's culture and commercial capital, Istanbul, will have to show their coronavirus tracking Life Fits Into Home (HES) code to enter most public spaces and all state buildings from March 15 onward, Istanbul Governorate said Thursday.
According to the statement released by the Istanbul Governor's office, the Provincial Public Health Council had taken the step in addition to previous decisions regarding the HES code, in order to better control the spread of COVID-19 during normalization period.
From DailySabah.
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Amid rising pandemic figures across Turkey, citizens in the country's culture and commercial capital, Istanbul, will have to show their coronavirus tracking Life Fits Into Home (HES) code to enter most public spaces and all state buildings from March 15 onward, Istanbul Governorate said Thursday.
According to the statement released by the Istanbul Governor's office, the Provincial Public Health Council had taken the step in addition to previous decisions regarding the HES code, in order to better control the spread of COVID-19 during normalization period.
From DailySabah.
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Saudi Arabia to reopen international flights on May 17
March 12, 2021
DUBAI: International flights will resume on May 17 after they have been earlier suspended due to coronavirus travel restrictions, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said in a circular.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed the date in a statement it sent out to local airports, that all international flights and airports will resume regular operations in May instead of March 31, as earlier announced in January.
From Arab News.
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DUBAI: International flights will resume on May 17 after they have been earlier suspended due to coronavirus travel restrictions, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said in a circular.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed the date in a statement it sent out to local airports, that all international flights and airports will resume regular operations in May instead of March 31, as earlier announced in January.
From Arab News.
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Latin America's police dogs turn noses to Covid
March 12, 2021
Their highly superior sense of smell has long been used to sniff out drugs, weapons and dead bodies. Now Latin America's crime-fighting police dogs are being trained to detect Covid-19.
In El Salvador, police are using artificial aromas similar to the sweat of a person infected with the coronavirus to train dogs.
"It's not so easy, because the Covid-19 strains seem to be changing a lot," said Wilber Alarcon, a canine handler from the Central American nation's anti-narcotics police.
From JakartaPost.
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Their highly superior sense of smell has long been used to sniff out drugs, weapons and dead bodies. Now Latin America's crime-fighting police dogs are being trained to detect Covid-19.
In El Salvador, police are using artificial aromas similar to the sweat of a person infected with the coronavirus to train dogs.
"It's not so easy, because the Covid-19 strains seem to be changing a lot," said Wilber Alarcon, a canine handler from the Central American nation's anti-narcotics police.
From JakartaPost.
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Poetry competition launched to raise awareness of diabetes in Malay community
March 12, 2021
SINGAPORE - It was seeing one of his closest friends go through a lot of stress and health complications, and almost losing a leg to diabetes, that jolted Mr Suraidi Sipan into seeing how seriously the disease has affected the Malay community.
Mr Suraidi, president of Malay literary association Asas '50, realised it was an issue that needed to be addressed.
Diabetes Singapore (DS) has now partnered with Asas '50 to organise a Malay poetry competition to raise awareness about the disease.
From Straits Times.
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SINGAPORE - It was seeing one of his closest friends go through a lot of stress and health complications, and almost losing a leg to diabetes, that jolted Mr Suraidi Sipan into seeing how seriously the disease has affected the Malay community.
Mr Suraidi, president of Malay literary association Asas '50, realised it was an issue that needed to be addressed.
Diabetes Singapore (DS) has now partnered with Asas '50 to organise a Malay poetry competition to raise awareness about the disease.
From Straits Times.
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UK advises citizens to quit Myanmar, UN warns of 'crimes against humanity'
March 12, 2021
YANGON: Britain on Friday advised its citizens to flee Myanmar, as a UN expert warned the junta is likely committing "crimes against humanity" in its attempt to stay in power.
The military authorities are cracking down with increasing severity on daily protests against their Feb 1 coup, with at least 70 people killed according to the UN's top rights expert on the country.
From BangkokPost.
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YANGON: Britain on Friday advised its citizens to flee Myanmar, as a UN expert warned the junta is likely committing "crimes against humanity" in its attempt to stay in power.
The military authorities are cracking down with increasing severity on daily protests against their Feb 1 coup, with at least 70 people killed according to the UN's top rights expert on the country.
From BangkokPost.
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Oxford study indicates AstraZeneca effective against Brazil variant, source says
March 6, 2021
The data indicates that the vaccine will not need to be modified in order to protect against the variant, which is believed to have originated in the Amazonian city of Manaus, said the source, who requested anonymity as the results have not yet been made public.
The source did not provide the exact efficacy of the vaccine against the variant. They said the full results of the study should be released soon, possibly in March.
From The Daily Star.
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The data indicates that the vaccine will not need to be modified in order to protect against the variant, which is believed to have originated in the Amazonian city of Manaus, said the source, who requested anonymity as the results have not yet been made public.
The source did not provide the exact efficacy of the vaccine against the variant. They said the full results of the study should be released soon, possibly in March.
From The Daily Star.
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WHO chief: waive Covid vaccine patents to put world on 'war footing'
March 6, 2021
The normal rules of business that protect the profits of vaccine manufacturers will have to be set aside if that is what it takes to ensure everybody is immunised against the coronavirus, according to the director general of the World Health Organization.
Writing in the Guardian, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the world needs to be “on a war footing”. Before a key meeting of the World Trade Organization next week on the anniversary of the declaration of the pandemic, he supports a patent waiver that would allow countries to make and sell cheap copies of vaccines that were invented elsewhere.
From The Guardian.
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The normal rules of business that protect the profits of vaccine manufacturers will have to be set aside if that is what it takes to ensure everybody is immunised against the coronavirus, according to the director general of the World Health Organization.
Writing in the Guardian, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the world needs to be “on a war footing”. Before a key meeting of the World Trade Organization next week on the anniversary of the declaration of the pandemic, he supports a patent waiver that would allow countries to make and sell cheap copies of vaccines that were invented elsewhere.
From The Guardian.
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Keys to fixing political, Rohingya crises lie within Myanmar itself: Vivian Balakrishnan
March 6, 2021
SINGAPORE - The keys to reconciliation, and the solution to both the political and humanitarian problems roiling Myanmar, lie within the country itself and in the hands of its people, said Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday (March 5).
He also called it "the height of national shame for the armed forces of any country to turn its arms against its own people".
From Straits Times.
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SINGAPORE - The keys to reconciliation, and the solution to both the political and humanitarian problems roiling Myanmar, lie within the country itself and in the hands of its people, said Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Friday (March 5).
He also called it "the height of national shame for the armed forces of any country to turn its arms against its own people".
From Straits Times.
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Indonesian president calls for hate campaign against foreign products
March 6, 2021
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on his cabinet ministers and other government officials to push a "hate foreign products" campaign to support the country's small-and-medium enterprises.
In a speech to open a national meeting of government officials dealing with trade affairs on Thursday, the president said, "Calls for loving Indonesian products must continuously be echoed."
From Bangkokpost.
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JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called on his cabinet ministers and other government officials to push a "hate foreign products" campaign to support the country's small-and-medium enterprises.
In a speech to open a national meeting of government officials dealing with trade affairs on Thursday, the president said, "Calls for loving Indonesian products must continuously be echoed."
From Bangkokpost.
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WHO urges for more research into 'Long COVID-19'
February 25, 2021
Health authorities across the world need to prioritize understanding the consequences of long-term coronavirus infections to help those suffering from worrying symptoms after many months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.
"It's a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance. It should be for every health authority," Hans Kluge, regional director for WHO Europe, told a press conference.
From DailySabah.
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Health authorities across the world need to prioritize understanding the consequences of long-term coronavirus infections to help those suffering from worrying symptoms after many months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.
"It's a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance. It should be for every health authority," Hans Kluge, regional director for WHO Europe, told a press conference.
From DailySabah.
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Covid: masks and tests not compulsory at English schools, says minister
February 25, 2021
It will not be compulsory for school pupils to take Covid tests twice a week, nor wear face coverings in class, the schools minister Nick Gibb has confirmed.
But Gibb said he hoped most students would wear masks and volunteer to take tests twice a week in school, before being given home testing kits.
From The Guardian.
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It will not be compulsory for school pupils to take Covid tests twice a week, nor wear face coverings in class, the schools minister Nick Gibb has confirmed.
But Gibb said he hoped most students would wear masks and volunteer to take tests twice a week in school, before being given home testing kits.
From The Guardian.
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Traumatized and tired, nurses are quitting due to the pandemic
February 25, 2021
(CNN) - Nursing was more than a career to Rachel Ellsworth. She says she was "called" to the work.
For 10 of her 12 years in nursing, Ellsworth was an indefatigable intensive care nurse. The work energized her, and she felt privileged to witness some of the most important moments of people's lives, when their worlds shifted for better or worse. Though she did all she could to save them, she also found purpose in giving her patients a "peaceful, dignified death" when it was time.
From CNN.
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(CNN) - Nursing was more than a career to Rachel Ellsworth. She says she was "called" to the work.
For 10 of her 12 years in nursing, Ellsworth was an indefatigable intensive care nurse. The work energized her, and she felt privileged to witness some of the most important moments of people's lives, when their worlds shifted for better or worse. Though she did all she could to save them, she also found purpose in giving her patients a "peaceful, dignified death" when it was time.
From CNN.
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Bangkok Poll: Majority want vaccination against Covid-19
February 25, 2021
More than two-thirds of people polled want to be inoculated against Covid-19 when vaccines are available, but the rest do not, according to an opinion survey by Bangkok University, or Bangkok Poll.
The survey, "Thai people and vaccination against Covid-19", was conducted recently with pollsters questioning 1,258 people throughout the country.
From Bangkokpost.
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More than two-thirds of people polled want to be inoculated against Covid-19 when vaccines are available, but the rest do not, according to an opinion survey by Bangkok University, or Bangkok Poll.
The survey, "Thai people and vaccination against Covid-19", was conducted recently with pollsters questioning 1,258 people throughout the country.
From Bangkokpost.
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Philippine soldiers ordered to get virus vaccine
February 25, 2021
Philippine soldiers will be required to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the military said Thursday, as the country prepares to receive its first doses and begin inoculations.
Pressure is mounting on President Rodrigo Duterte's government to kickstart the delayed vaccine rollout, amid accusations its officials have bungled the procurement and delivery of jabs.
From Jakarta Post.
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Philippine soldiers will be required to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, the military said Thursday, as the country prepares to receive its first doses and begin inoculations.
Pressure is mounting on President Rodrigo Duterte's government to kickstart the delayed vaccine rollout, amid accusations its officials have bungled the procurement and delivery of jabs.
From Jakarta Post.
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One in two South Africans has had Covid-19: estimates
February 18, 2021
Around half of South Africa's population is thought to have contracted Covid-19, studies and statisticians say, suggesting the virus has claimed tens of thousands more lives than officially recorded.
The country worst hit by coronavirus in Africa has registered more than 140,000 excess natural deaths since May 2020, according to the South African Medical Research Council.
From The Jakarta Post.
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Around half of South Africa's population is thought to have contracted Covid-19, studies and statisticians say, suggesting the virus has claimed tens of thousands more lives than officially recorded.
The country worst hit by coronavirus in Africa has registered more than 140,000 excess natural deaths since May 2020, according to the South African Medical Research Council.
From The Jakarta Post.
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Innate immunity protects children from severe Covid-19 symptoms: Research
February 18, 2021
SYDNEY (XINHUA) - A new study has found children tend to develop mild Covid-19 symptoms because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus.
In a research paper published in Nature Communications, researchers led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia, revealed the immune mechanisms that protect children from severe Covid-19 illness.
From Straits Times.
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SYDNEY (XINHUA) - A new study has found children tend to develop mild Covid-19 symptoms because their innate immune system is quick to attack the virus.
In a research paper published in Nature Communications, researchers led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) in Australia, revealed the immune mechanisms that protect children from severe Covid-19 illness.
From Straits Times.
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Thai-developed vaccine set to proceed to human trials
February 18, 2021
Thailand's second domestically developed vaccine will soon undergo human trials, officials said on Thursday, adding that the plan was to produce up to 5 million doses by the end of the year.
The mRNA vaccine, developed by Chulalongkorn University, had success in trials in mice and monkeys and is due to be tested on humans in late April or early May, Kiat Ruxrungtham of the Chula Vaccine Research Center said.
From Bangkok Post.
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Thailand's second domestically developed vaccine will soon undergo human trials, officials said on Thursday, adding that the plan was to produce up to 5 million doses by the end of the year.
The mRNA vaccine, developed by Chulalongkorn University, had success in trials in mice and monkeys and is due to be tested on humans in late April or early May, Kiat Ruxrungtham of the Chula Vaccine Research Center said.
From Bangkok Post.
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New satellite images show Chinese troops have dismantled camps on disputed India border
February 18, 2021
(CNN) - China has withdrawn troops, dismantled infrastructure and vacated camps along its disputed border with India, according to new satellite images -- just a week after both countries agreed to a mutual disengagement.
Satellite images taken on January 30 by US-based Maxar Technologies showed a number of Chinese deployments along Pangong Tso, a strategically important lake that runs across the two nuclear powers' de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In new images taken on Tuesday, dozens of vehicles and building structures had been removed, leaving empty land.
From CNN.
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(CNN) - China has withdrawn troops, dismantled infrastructure and vacated camps along its disputed border with India, according to new satellite images -- just a week after both countries agreed to a mutual disengagement.
Satellite images taken on January 30 by US-based Maxar Technologies showed a number of Chinese deployments along Pangong Tso, a strategically important lake that runs across the two nuclear powers' de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In new images taken on Tuesday, dozens of vehicles and building structures had been removed, leaving empty land.
From CNN.
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