Coronavirus

U.S. FDA advisers back COVID vaccines for children as young as 6 months

(Reuters) - Advisers to the U.S Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended the agency authorize COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc MRNA.O and Pfizer Inc PFE.N/BioNTech for millions of the youngest American children. The…

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Fauci, face of U.S. battle against COVID-19, tests positive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, a public health official who became the face of U.S. government efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the National Institutes…

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Canada to suspend vaccine mandates for domestic travel, civil service

OTTAWA, (Reuters) - Canada will suspend its requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for domestic travel and to work in the civil service from June 20, the federal government said, after provinces lifted most health…

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Catching omicron ‘does not protect you against future infection’

Catching omicron does not protect people from a future infection from the variant, Imperial College has found, as scientists said it explained why cases remain stubbornly high. Throughout the pandemic,…

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Need to wear facemask in Italy may remain for public transport, hospitals

Italian Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa said that the obligation to wear facemasks on public transport and in hospitals and care homes in order to prevent COVID-19 contagion could be extended…

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FDA staff say Pfizer COVID vaccines safe and effective for small children

(Reuters) - U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers said Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines were effective and safe for use in children aged 6 months to 4 years. The FDA reviewers said in briefing…

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Sanofi says its COVID-19 booster shot has potential against main variants

PARIS, June 13 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday an upgraded version of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate it is developing with GSK showed potential in two trials to protect against…

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Beijing tests millions, isolates thousands over COVID cluster at 24-hour bar

BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) - Authorities in China's capital Beijing on Monday raced to contain a COVID-19 outbreak traced to a raucous 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds, with…

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U.S. drops COVID testing for incoming international air travelers

The United States this weekend rescinded a 17-month-old requirement that people arriving in the country by air test negative for COVID-19, a move that follows intense lobbying by airlines and…

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Beijing’s bar-linked COVID outbreak is ‘ferocious’, official says

SHENZHEN, China, June 12 (Reuters) - A COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in China's capital Beijing is "ferocious", local government spokesman Xu Hejian said at a news conference on Sunday. Some…

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Italy’s COVID-19 incidence on the rise again

After several weeks of falls, Italy's COVID-19 incidence was on the rise again in the June 3-9 period, with 222 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants, the weekly coronavirus monitoring report…

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Pandemic’s origins obscured by lack of Chinese data – WHO panel

The World Health Organization said its latest investigation into the origins of COVID-19 was inconclusive, largely because data from China is missing, another blow to its years-long effort to determine…

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Cancer patients over-represented in long COVID group

Cancer patients account for an outsized proportion of people who end up with persistent, troublesome symptoms after recovering from COVID-19, a condition known as long COVID, U.S. researchers reported on…

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Parts of Shanghai return to lockdown, Beijing district shuts entertainment venues

BEIJING/Shanghai, June 9 (Reuters) - Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alert on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub started imposing new lockdown restrictions while the most populous…

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India reports highest coronavirus daily cases since March 2

India reported 7,240 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, its highest number of daily cases since March 2. India's financial capital Mumbai,…

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COVID vaccine rights waiver within reach, WTO chief says ahead of meeting

GENEVA, June 8 (Reuters) - An international agreement on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines is within reach ahead of a global trade meeting next week, the head of the World…

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Italy to end use of facemasks indoors on June 15

Italy will end a requirement to wear COVID-19 facemasks indoors on June 15, Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa told Rai State radio Wednesday."From June 15 I believe we will remove the…

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Moderna says Omicron-specific booster generates strong immune response

June 8 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine booster that targets both the original coronavirus strain and Omicron produced a better immune response against the variant than its original…

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Africa’s COVID deaths to fall by 94% in 2022, WHO analysis shows

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Reuters) - Deaths on the African continent from COVID-19 are expected to fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022 compared to last year, the World Health Organization…

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Rapid rise in Mumbai pushes India’s COVID numbers to month high

MUMBAI, June 2 (Reuters) - India's health ministry reported 3,712 new coronavirus infections for the past twenty four hours on Thursday, the highest in nearly a month, driven up by…

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WHO says COVID in N.Korea likely ‘getting worse, not better’

The World Health Organization has cast doubts on North Korea's claims of progress in the fight against a COVID-19 outbreak, saying it believes the situation is getting worse, not better,…

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Moderna delays COVID vaccine deliveries to EU by several months

June 2 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Thursday it has agreed to push back some COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the European Union by several months to later in 2022 or early…

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Omicron sub-variant fuels Portugal’s COVID-19 surge

LISBON, June 2 (Reuters) - An Omicron sub-variant has fuelled a surge in COVID-19 cases in Portugal that now has the world's second-highest infection rate, potentially threatening the tourism sector's recovery. Portugal…

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Japan study shows women more likely to get skin rash from Moderna shot

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - A study in Japan found that women were significantly more likely than men to develop rash-like side effects after a first dose of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine. The…

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Shanghai lifts lockdown, but residents wary COVID curbs can return

SHANGHAI, June 1 (Reuters) - Shanghai sprung back to life on Wednesday after two months of bitter isolation under a ruthless COVID-19 lockdown, with people driving cars again or cramming into trains…

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Swiss regulator weighing new COVID booster recommendation for children

Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Tuesday it is reviewing an application from pharmaceutical company Pfizer for a new dosage recommendation for a COVID-19 booster shot for children. The regulator…

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Covid-19: Italy removes all vaccine requirements for travel

Italian health authorities said that they will no longer require confirmation of coronavirus vaccine, recent recovery, or a negative test to enter the country. When the obligation to display a…

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Shanghai city to lift lockdown restrictions on June 1

SHANGHAI, May 30 (Reuters) - Shanghai authorities will lift the city's two-month long lockdown from midnight on Wednesday, allowing private cars including taxis back on to the roads and people to freely move in and out…

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Some in Beijing back to work, Shanghai inches closer to ending COVID lockdown

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 30 (Reuters) - Streets in Beijing were busier on Monday as residents in two districts were allowed to return to work, while Shanghai inched closer towards lifting its two-month old…

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North Korea lifts COVID lockdown amid ‘stable’ virus situation

SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - North Korea has lifted movement restrictions imposed in the capital Pyongyang after its first admission of COVID-19 outbreak weeks ago, media reported, as the isolated country says the virus situation is now under…

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Psychiatric cases in Italy up 30% due to COVID

Psychiatric cases in Italy have risen by 30% due to COVID while the number of mental health professionals is set to fall by 1,000 over the next two years, 10…

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Shanghai takes further steps towards reopening, Beijing eases COVID curbs

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 29 (Reuters) - Shanghai announced on Sunday further steps towards returning to more normal life and lifting a two-month COVID-19 lockdown this week, while Beijing reopened parts of its public…

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Breakthrough infections may be less contagious

Fully vaccinated individuals who get infected with the coronavirus spread the infection to fewer people and are contagious for less time compared to people who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated,…

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Vaccine protection wanes faster for cancer patients

COVID-19 vaccines are effective in most cancer patients, but less so than in the general population and the efficacy wanes more quickly, according to a large study. When the Delta…

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Shanghai takes baby steps towards ending COVID lockdown

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 27 (Reuters) - Shanghai took more gradual steps on Friday towards lifting its COVID-19 lockdown while Beijing was investigating cases where its strict curbs were affecting other medical treatments as…

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China lockdowns, war risk derailing global jobs recovery -ILO

BERLIN, May 23 (Reuters) - The global job market is at risk of doing a U-turn on its path towards recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels as lockdowns in China and the war in…

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Pfizer/BioNTech say 3 COVID shots generate good response in under-5s

May 23 (Reuters) - Drugmakers Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech said on Monday that three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response in children under the age of five in their…

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Beijing urges millions to keep working from home amid COVID outbreak menace

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 23 (Reuters) - Beijing authorities extended work-from-home guidance for many of its 22 million residents to stem a persistent COVID-19 outbreak, while Shanghai deployed more testing and curbs to hold…

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AstraZeneca says EU regulator approves COVID shot as booster

May 23 (Reuters) - Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, has been approved in the European Union by the bloc's drugs regulator as a third-dose booster in adults following…

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North Korea’s fever cases under 200,000 for 2nd day amid silence on aid offer

North Korea's daily fever cases stayed below 200,000 for a second day in a row, state media said on Monday, as Pyongyang remained silent on South Korean and U.S. offers…

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Post-infection vaccination may reduce long COVID

Vaccination after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to a reduction in the burden of long COVID symptoms, a new study suggests. Researchers tracked 6,729 volunteers ages 18 to 69, who…

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China’s international schools hit by exodus of teachers dejected by COVID curbs

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) - After teaching for three years at an international school in Shanghai, Michael is preparing to break his contract and leave, worn down by stringent measures against the coronavirus. Following…

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Desktop “air curtains” may deflect virus particles

When people cannot maintain a safe distance to avoid the spread of COVID-19, a newly designed desktop "air curtain" can block aerosols in exhaled air, researchers found. Air-curtains - artificially…

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Belgium to ease almost all coronavirus rules

Wearing face masks in public transport and completing travel forms upon arrival to Belgium will no longer be mandatory as of Monday, the Belgian government announced. Meeting online in the…

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Shanghai inches towards COVID lockdown exit, Beijing on edge as new infections keep appearing

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Shanghai cautiously pushed ahead on Saturday with plans to restore part of its transport network in a major step towards exiting a weeks-long COVID-19 lockdown, while Beijing…

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North Korea hails ‘good results’ on COVID as fever cases pass 2 million

SEOUL, May 20 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it was achieving "good results" in its fight against its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, as the number of people with fever symptoms…

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Shanghai detects new infections after five days of ‘zero COVID’

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) - Shanghai reported new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas for the first time after five days of no infections, prompting stricter curbs in a district, but plans to…

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U.S. CDC backs COVID boosters for children 5 to 11

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the COVID-19 vaccine booster for children ages 5 to 11 after an advisory panel voted to back them, at least…

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World in no better place to fight pandemics than before COVID – review panel

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - The world is no better prepared for a new pandemic threat than it was when coronavirus emerged in 2019, and may actually be in a…

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FACTBOX-Shanghai provides roadmap out of lockdown

May 16 (Reuters) - Shanghai authorities on Monday provided their clearest timetable yet on lifting the city's lockdown that has been in place for over six weeks, saying they plan to fully…

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Italy and Spain continue to demand masks on planes as EU drops mask mandate

The EU today ended its bloc-wide mask mandate for flights, meaning airlines are free to issue their own rules for most destinations. However, Italy and Spain are both standing firm…

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North Korea’s Kim orders military to stabilise supply of COVID-19 drugs

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed…

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Locked-down Shanghai to start gradually reopening malls, other businesses

SHANGHAI, May 15 (Reuters) - The Chinese financial and manufacturing hub of Shanghai will gradually begin reopening businesses such as shopping malls and hair salons from Monday after weeks in a strict…

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North Korea reports more deaths, says taking ‘swift measures’ against COVID outbreak

SEOUL, May 15 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Sunday a total of 42 people had died as the country began its fourth day under a nationwide lockdown aimed at stopping the…

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tests positive for COVID

May 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tested positive for COVID-19 with moderate symptoms, her office said in a statement on Saturday. She will not be in parliament for…

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Roundup on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

May 13 (Reuters) - Streets in Beijing were quiet on Friday as residents heeded the advice of authorities to work from home to stop the spread of COVID-19, while officials in locked-down…

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North Korea reports first COVID-19 death as fever ‘explosively spreads

At least one person confirmed to have COVID-19 has died in North Korea and hundreds of thousands have shown fever symptoms, state media said on Friday, offering hints at the…

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