08

Apr

COVID-19: Omicron symptoms less severe than Delta variant

People who contract the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are likely to experience less severe symptoms than those with Delta, a new study has found. The research concluded that those with…

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08

Apr

Failed COVID vaccine mandate means no further easing of curbs in Germany

BERLIN, April 8 (Reuters) - The failure of a draft bill mandating that the elderly be vaccinated against COVID-19 means there will probably be a new wave of infections in autumn and…

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08

Apr

Shanghai widens COVID testing as other Chinese cities impose curbs

SHANGHAI, April 8 (Reuters) - Shanghai on Friday announced a record 21,000 new cases and a third consecutive day of COVID testing as a lockdown of its 26 million people showed no sign of…

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07

Apr

Cyprus to lift COVID-19 travel conditions from April 18

NICOSIA, April 7 (Reuters) - Cyprus will lift COVID-19 conditions for travel to the island from April 18, authorities said on Thursday, ending two years of rules imposed by the pandemic. The…

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07

Apr

German parliament rejects mandatory vaccines in blow for Scholz

BERLIN, April 7 (Reuters) - Germany's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted against a law compelling anyone over 60 years of age to get a vaccination against COVID-19 in a defeat…

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07

Apr

French hospital system not in danger as current COVID-19 wave reached peak

PARIS, April 7 (Reuters) - The current COVID-19 wave hitting France has now reached its peak, which means the country's hospital system is not in danger, Health Minister Olivier Veran…

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06

Apr

Biden launches U.S. plan to help Americans struggling with long COVID

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - President Joe Biden tasked the U.S. health department with developing a national action plan to tackle the looming health crisis of long COVID, a complex, multi-symptom condition that leaves…

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06

Apr

‘COVID is not a cold’ – Germany U-turns on ending mandatory isolation

BERLIN, April 6 (Reuters) - Germany will not end mandatory isolation for most people who catch COVID-19, the health minister said on Wednesday, reversing course after concerns were raised that…

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06

Apr

Second booster shields elderly from COVID but protection wanes quickly –  Israeli study

April 6 (Reuters) - A fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine lowered rates of COVID-19 among the elderly but the protection against infection appeared short-lived, a large study in Israel has found. The second…

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05

Apr

Whole of Shanghai enters COVID lockdown despite lower symptomatic cases

Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centre's 26 million people, despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city, where latest…

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05

Apr

US health authority to consider need for additional vaccine boosters to counter new variants

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's expert advisers will discuss the timing of additional COVID-19 vaccine boosters and the people eligible for the extra shots in a meeting later this…

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04

Apr

Surging COVID cases force easyJet to cancel UK flights over staff shortages

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - A renewed surge of COVID-19 in Britain has forced airlines including easyJet < EZJ.L> to cancel hundreds of flights in recent days as staff sickness levels soar.  England…

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04

Apr

China sends military, doctors to Shanghai to test 26 million residents for COVID

SHANGHAI, April 4 (Reuters) - China has sent the military and thousands of healthcare workers into Shanghai to help carry out COVID-19 tests for all of its 26 million residents as cases continued to rise on Monday,…

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03

Apr

Omicron infects more small children, but less harmfully

Among children under age 5 who were ineligible for coronavirus vaccines, the Omicron variant caused 6- to 8-times more infections than the Delta variant, but severe COVID-19 was less common…

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03

Apr

Shanghai separates COVID-positive children from parents in virus fight

Esther Zhao thought she was doing the right thing when she brought her 2-1/2-year-old daughter to a Shanghai hospital with a fever on March 26. Three days later, Zhao was…

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03

Apr

China reports highest COVID new daily cases since February 2020

BEIJING, April 3 (Reuters) - China on Sunday reported a total of 13,287 new daily cases for April 2, the highest level since February 2020, with the majority in northeastern Jilin province…

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03

Apr

German man got COVID vaccine 87 times

A German man is under investigation after authorities discovered he'd received the coronavirus vaccine at least 87 times, the Freie Presse newspaper reported. The report comes as Germany battles a…

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03

Apr

WHO suspends UN supply of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine for COVID-19

 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said it has suspended supply through United Nations agencies of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, produced by India's Bharat Biotech, to allow the manufacturer to upgrade facilities and…

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02

Apr

Covid closures still affecting 400 million pupils – UNICEF

Schools in 23 countries, with 405 million pupils, are still partially or fully closed because of Covid, the United Nations Children's Fund says. The charity, Unicef, estimates 147 million children…

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01

Apr

UPDATED: Italy exits Coronavirus state of emergency after two years

ROME, April 1 (Reuters) - Italy on Friday began to phase out its COVID-19 restrictions, ending a state of emergency public authorities declared more than two years ago that allowed it to…

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31

Mar

COVID spending helps UK economy to grow in late 2021

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Britain's economy grew more quickly than previously thought in late 2021 but the increase was largely due to COVID-related activity in the health sector, which masked the…

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31

Mar

U.S. CDC scraps COVID warning for cruise travel after 2 years

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed its COVID-19 notice against cruise travel, around two years after introducing a warning scale showing the level of coronavirus transmission risk on cruise ships. The…

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31

Mar

Shanghai urges COVID lockdown patience as case numbers drop for first time in 2 weeks

SHANGHAI, March 31 (Reuters) - Shanghai authorities on Thursday appealed to residents to keep cooperating with tight curbs imposed to stop COVID-19 spreading, saying they recognised their frustrations as China's most populous…

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31

Mar

Biden gets second booster shot, pushes for more COVID funding

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve for a second COVID-19 booster shot on Wednesday as his administration rolled out efforts to help Americans live with the coronavirus,…

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31

Mar

WHO lays out plan to emerge from emergency phase of pandemic

 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization released an updated plan for COVID-19, laying out key strategies that, if implemented in 2022, would allow the world to end the emergency phase of the…

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30

Mar

BioNTech to expand trial programme for more anti-Omicron vaccine options

FRANKFURT, March 30 (Reuters) - BioNTech expanded an ongoing clinical trial programme to develop new vaccines and patterns of administration for better protection against the dominant Omicron coronavirus variant. The enlargement of its trial programme with…

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30

Mar

COVID cases in Asia surpass 100 million – Reuters tally

March 30 (Reuters) - Coronavirus infections in Asia passed 100 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region records a resurgence in cases, dominated by the BA.2 Omicron sub-variant.…

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30

Mar

Shanghai expands COVID lockdown as new daily caseload surges by a third

SHANGHAI, March 30 (Reuters) - Authorities began locking down some western areas of Shanghai two days ahead of schedule, as new COVID-19 cases in China's most populous city jumped by a third…

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29

Mar

Experimental COVID drug may be preventive and therapeutic

An experimental drug designed to be sprayed into the nose has shown the potential to both prevent infection and treat COVID-19, at least for some variants of the coronavirus, according…

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29

Mar

COVID-19 and flu make for a dangerous combo, study finds

Having COVID-19 and influenza at the same time puts hospitalized adults at much greater risk of critical illness and death compared to having COVID-19 without the flu, researchers reported on…

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29

Mar

UK study to test Pfizer’s COVID pill in hospitalised patients

Pfizer's oral COVID-19 therapy will be evaluated as a potential treatment for patients hospitalised with the illness in a major British trial, scientists said on Monday, as cases rise in…

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28

Mar

China’s Shanghai launches two-phase lockdown as COVID surges

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's financial hub of Shanghai launched a two-stage lockdown of its 26 million people on Monday, closing bridges and tunnels, and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to…

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27

Mar

Italian study shows ventilation can cut school COVID cases by 82%

An Italian study published on Tuesday suggests that efficient ventilation systems can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in schools by more than 80%. An experiment overseen by the Hume foundation…

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25

Mar

China COVID cases fall, govt inspecting Shanghai, other outbreaks

BEIJING, March 25 (Reuters) - China reported 1,366 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 24, the country's national health authority said on Friday, down from 2,054 a day earlier, though the number of…

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25

Mar

German health minister urges people at risk to get second COVID booster

BERLIN, March 25 (Reuters) - Germany's health minister on Friday urged people over age 60 with risk factors such as high blood pressure or a weak heart to get a second booster…

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25

Mar

Australia to roll out fourth COVID vaccine shot ahead of winter

SYDNEY, March 25 (Reuters) - Australia will roll out a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines to its most vulnerable population starting next month, authorities said on Friday, as the country looks to limit fresh…

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24

Mar

European drugs regulator recommends AstraZeneca’s COVID drug

March 24 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency on Thursday authorised the use of AstraZeneca Plc's antibody drug for preventing COVID-19 infections in adults and adolescents over 12 years of age.  The treatment…

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24

Mar

Singapore extends quarantine-free entry as Asia shifts to “living with COVID”

SINGAPORE, March 24 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Thursday it will lift quarantine requirements for all vaccinated travellers from next month, joining a string of countries in Asia moving more firmly toward a…

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23

Mar

Moderna to seek regulatory approval for COVID shot for very young children

March 23 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc MRNA.O said on Wednesday it will ask regulators to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 6 years old based on data showing it generated a similar…

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23

Mar

South Korea’s total COVID cases top 10 million as crematoria, funeral homes overwhelmed

SEOUL, March 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's total coronavirus infections topped 10 million, or nearly 20% of its population, authorities said on Wednesday, as surging severe cases and deaths increasingly put a…

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23

Mar

China’s Shanghai denies lockdown rumours as daily COVID infections near 1,000

SHANGHAI, March 23 (Reuters) - Authorities in the Chinese city of Shanghai have denied rumours of a city-wide lockdown after a sixth straight increase in daily asymptomatic coronavirus cases pushed its count…

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22

Mar

Research dispels myth that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility, but misinformation persists

by Julian Daniel Sunday Willett PhD Candidate, Quantitative Life Sciences, McGill University Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and fertility has propagated online despite the vaccines’ clear safety profile. Fortunately, those considering having kids…

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22

Mar

Most unvaccinated children lack antibodies after COVID, study shows

Most children and adolescents do not have COVID-19 antibodies in their blood after recovering from a SARS-CoV-2 infection, new data has confirmed. Starting in October 2020, researchers in Texas recruited…

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22

Mar

AstraZeneca’s antibody therapy prevents COVID-19, study shows

Trial data from AstraZeneca on Friday raised the prospect of a new treatment to prevent COVID-19 beyond vaccines, giving hope in particular for people who respond poorly to immunisation shots.…

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21

Mar

AstraZeneca COVID drug neutralizes Omicron sub-variants in study

March 21 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca said its antibody-based cocktail to prevent and treat COVID-19 was shown to retain neutralising activity against Omicron coronavirus variants, including the highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant, in an independent…

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21

Mar

Parents up in arms against an Ontario school board’s move to keep masks on

As students in Canada's most populous province return to mask-free classes after two years on Monday, one Ontario school board is facing backlash for defying the province's decision to drop…

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21

Mar

France’s COVID-19 infections spike week-on-week following easing of restrictions

PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) - France reported an average of close to 90,000 new coronavirus infections over the last seven days, marking a 36% rise from one week ago when most COVID-19…

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21

Mar

Hong Kong lifts flight ban, to ease strict COVID measures from April

HONG KONG, March 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong plans to relax some anti-COVID-19 measures next month, lifting a ban on flights from nine countries, reducing quarantine for arrivals from abroad and reopening…

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20

Mar

Risk of depression, anxiety tied to COVID-19 severity

People who have been bedridden for seven days or more with COVID-19 are at increased risk of anxiety and depression, an international study found. Researchers analysed data from Denmark, Estonia,…

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20

Mar

Neurological risks not higher after COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 vaccination did not increase risks for rare neurological conditions among more than 8 million people who had received at least one dose of a vaccine from AstraZeneca, Pfizer /BioNTech,…

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20

Mar

China reports first COVID deaths in more than a year

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Mainland China reported its first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday, according to a post on the National Health Commission's website that said two…

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19

Mar

China reports first COVID deaths in more than a year

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, March 19 (Reuters) - Mainland China reported its first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday, according to a post on the National Health Commission's website that said two…

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19

Mar

Italy bows to memory of Covid-19 victims

Italy bows to the memory of its almost 160,000 COVID-19 victims, President Sergio Mattarella said on the national day of remembrance for the victims of the coronavirus epidemic on Friday.…

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18

Mar

COVID-19 pandemic is ‘far from over’ -WHO official

GENEVA, March 18 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Friday that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was a long way off, citing a rise in cases in its…

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18

Mar

Shanghai pushes ahead with mass COVID tests as new cases spike

SHANGHAI, March 18 (Reuters) - The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai is pushing ahead with a mass testing initiative as it tries to curb a new spike in COVID-19 infections, but some…

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18

Mar

Germany to lift most COVID restrictions

Germany will lift most restrictions to contain the coronavirus despite infections hitting a record in the country. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after talks with leaders of Germany's 16 states that…

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18

Mar

Moderna seeks FDA authorization for second COVID booster for all adults

Moderna Inc MRNA.O on late Thursday sought emergency use authorization from U.S. health regulators for a second COVID-19 booster shot, as a surge in cases in some parts of the world fuels…

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