Healthcare

WHO says quarantine can be shortened in places with high COVID cases

The World Health Organization said countries struggling with surging COVID-19 infections may shorten the recommended quarantine duration of 14 days in some situations. The U.N. agency said its new guidelines…

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Canada police set to end siege of capital by protesters fighting COVID measures

OTTAWA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Canadian police are poised to clear out on Friday hundreds of truck drivers from Ottawa who have staged a three-week-long protest against pandemic restrictions that has crippled…

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Israel eases Covid restrictions

Israel dropped a "Green Pass" policy requiring proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-19 or a negative test to enter some public venues, further rolling back restrictions as a wave of…

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Photo Story: Hong Kong hospitals overwhelmed with Covid cases

Patients showing Covid-19 symptoms lie on beds outside the Accident and Emergency Department at Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong's coronavirus battle intensified on Thursday as authorities…

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Moderna eyes COVID booster by August, not clear yet if Omicron-specific needed

BRUSSELS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - An Omicron-specific booster could be ready by August, the CEO of U.S. biotech firm Moderna MRNA.O told Reuters, but the firm is still gathering clinical data to determine whether…

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Germany joins other European countries in easing Covid-19 curbs

Germany will ease COVID-19 restrictions as a wave of infections from the Omicron coronavirus variant seems to have passed its peak, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, but he warned that the…

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Fauci says time to start ‘inching’ back toward normality

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that it is time for the United States to start inching back towards normality, despite remaining risks from COVID-19. In…

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Vietnam to fully reopen borders from mid-March

HANOI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday finalised a plan to fully reopen its borders to foreign tourists from next month, as it looks to accelerate its economic recovery and revive…

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Singapore to expand quarantine-free travel programme after Omicron freeze

SINGAPORE, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Singapore will expand its quarantine-free travel programme to Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this month, its health ministry said on Wednesday,…

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Swiss government decides to lift nearly all COVID-19 restrictions

ZURICH, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Switzerland will lift almost all its coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the government said on Wednesday, as fears waned that a spike in infections fuelled by the Omicron variant…

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Disney World to drop mask mandate for vaccinated guests

Disney World plans to make masks optional for fully vaccinated guests from Thursday, an update on its website showed, reversing a policy introduced in mid-2021. The easing of the mask…

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Austria to lift most COVID-19 restrictions by March 5

VIENNA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Austria will lift most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions by March 5, including scrapping an earlier closing time of midnight for bars and restaurants and allowing night…

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Scotland to offer COVID vaccines to all 5-11 year olds

LONDON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Scotland will offer COVID-19 vaccines to all 5-11 year olds, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday, accepting advice received from British vaccine advisers. The Joint Committee…

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U.S. CDC eases warnings for cruises as new COVID infections fall

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eased its warnings for cruise ships by a notch from the highest level, seven weeks after it advised Americans against going…

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Canada to ease travel requirements as COVID cases decline

OTTAWA, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Canada will ease entry for fully vaccinated international travelers starting on Feb. 28 as COVID-19 cases decline, allowing a rapid antigen test for travelers instead of a…

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mRNA vaccine booster protection declines within months, report shows

Protection provided by booster shots of the mRNA vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer starts waning quickly, according to data published in Friday's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the…

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Previous COVID-19 less protective against Omicron variant

The immune response to COVID-19 helps protect against reinfection, but that protection is weaker against Omicron than it was against earlier variants of the coronavirus, according to new data. A…

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Major Chinese industrial city steps up COVID control; Bosch affected

A major Chinese high-tech industry centre limited some highway access on Tuesday after detecting new COVID-19 cases, while epidemic control measures, including mass testing, affected the local operations of overseas firms such as…

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Djokovic prepared to miss Grand Slams if COVID jab made mandatory

Novak Djokovic is prepared to miss the French Open and Wimbledon if COVID-19 vaccination becomes mandatory at the Grand Slams but he is not against inoculation, the world number one…

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Germans pin hopes on Novavax moving the needle among anti-vaxxers

BERLIN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Benedikt Richter, a 40-year-old teacher in the southwest German city of Kaiserslautern, long held out against getting vaccinated against COVID-19. He felt uneasy about the…

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Hong Kong “overwhelmed” as COVID infections hit record

HONG KONG, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The latest wave of COVID-19 infections has "overwhelmed" Hong Kong, the city's leader said on Monday as daily cases surged by some 20 times…

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Duchess of Cornwall tests positive for Covid-19,

LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Camilla, the wife of British heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, has tested positive for coronavirus. "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for COVID-19…

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New Zealand’s Ardern labels anti-vaccine mandate protests ‘imported’

WELLINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she felt demonstrations against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate now entering their second week were an "imported"…

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Germany’s COVID case numbers drop as country waits for opening

BERLIN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Coronavirus case numbers have slightly dropped in Germany, as the government plans to loosen coronavirus restrictions in Europe's biggest economy. Germany reported 76,465 new daily…

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Sweden recommends fourth COVID-19 jab for the elderly

STOCKHOLM, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Sweden's Health Agency recommended on Monday that people aged 80 or above should receive a second booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine, the fourth jab in…

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Covid-pass protesters en route for Brussels rally

Hundreds of cars, campervans and trucks are on their way to a protest against Covid regulations in Brussels today where Belgian officials have already banned a demonstration following a weekend…

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mRNA vaccine side effects no worse in cancer patients

COVID-19 vaccines using mRNA technology do not produce any extra short-term side effects in cancer patients, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed 1,753 recipients of two doses of the Pfizer…

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Sicily back to yellow Covid zone from orange Monday

Sicily will revert to being a low-to-moderate COVID risk yellow zone from its current moderate risk orange status on Monday, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said in a decree. Piedmont, Val…

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Palestinian authorities step up COVID measures as hospitals fill up

GAZA/RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian authorities have ramped up COVID-19 testing and vaccinations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and warned that public indifference to their calls…

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Large U.S. banks to drop mask mandate in U.S. offices; NYSE follows suit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange is withdrawing its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people effective immediately, a source said, after several large U.S. banks also dropped…

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13

Feb

Omicron’s route into cells helps explain symptom profile

The Omicron variant's method of infecting cells is different from the mechanism most often used by earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants, which could help explain Omicron's milder symptom profile, a study published…

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New or persistent health problems follow COVID-19 in seniors

Older adults infected with SARS-CoV-2 before vaccines were available were at higher-than-average risk for needing medical care for a persistent or new problem in the months afterward, according to a…

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U.S. COVID vaccine for children under 5 delayed by at least 2 months

A U.S. decision on Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for infants and children 6 months through 4 years of age has been postponed for at least two months after the…

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France to ease travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers

PARIS (Reuters) - France will ease some restrictions on foreign travellers from Saturday to reflect an improving pandemic situation, no longer requiring that those with a European vaccination certificate undertake…

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Belgium further eases coronavirus restrictions

Belgium announced further easing of coronavirus restrictions to allow nightclubs to reopen and drop the requirement for primary school pupils to wear masks, as cases of the Omicron variant fell…

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Australians told to get COVID boosters to be considered fully vaccinated

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian residents will need to receive booster shots to be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19, although authorities said foreign travellers will continue to need only…

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Russia’s daily COVID-19 case tally tops 200,000 for first time

MOSCOW, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Russia's daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 200,000 for the first time since the pandemic began as the Omicron coronavirus variant continued to spread, authorities said on…

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WHO chief scientist: pandemic has not ended as more variants expected

CAPE TOWN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, said on Friday that the world was not yet at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic…

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Germany to lift some restrictions next week, court rejects petitions against targeted vaccine mandate

BERLIN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Germany is approaching the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and will next week start easing some restrictions with a view to lifting more measures in…

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EU regulator reviewing menstrual disorder cases after mRNA COVID shots

Feb 11 (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency's safety committee said on Friday it was reviewing reports of heavy menstrual bleeding and absence of menstruation after COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech…

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Novavax says COVID-19 shot 80% effective in adolescent study

Novavax Inc said its two-dose vaccine was 80% effective against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial testing the shot in teens aged 12 to 17 years. The trial involved 2,247 adolescents…

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Italy takes another step towards normality

Italy takes a big step towards normality on Friday following an improvement in COVID-19 contagion figures, with the end of the obligation to wear facemasks outdoors and the reopening of…

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Omicron hit to UK economy less sharp than feared in December

LONDON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Britain's economy shrank by a less-than-expected 0.2% in December when the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 prompted many Britons to work from…

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Netherlands aims to drop most COVID measures this month

The Dutch government said it aims to drop most of its coronavirus restrictions by the end of the month, as record levels of infections in recent weeks have only had…

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Concern as UK’s Queen Elizabeth recently met son Charles who has tested positive for COVID

Britain's Prince Charles, who has tested positive for COVID-19, recently met his mother Queen Elizabeth, but the 95-year-old monarch is not showing any symptoms, a royal source said. Prince Charles,…

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AstraZeneca says COVID vaccine demand high in Latam, Middle East, Asia

FRANKFURT, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Astrazeneca said global interest in government purchase agreements for its COVID-19 vaccine was driven by strong demand in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia,…

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COVAX cuts North Korea’s COVID vaccine allotment after no deliveries accepted

SEOUL, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The COVAX global COVID-19 vaccine-sharing programme has scaled back the number of doses allocated for North Korea, international aid organisations said, as the country has…

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Germany’s COVID-19 wave flattens as regions ease curbs

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Germany's daily rise in the number of coronavirus infections is slowing, data from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Thursday, indicating that a fourth wave…

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Early ‘lab-grown’ Covid virus found in sample lends weight to Wuhan theory

An early version of Covid-19 that appears to have been grown in a laboratory has been discovered in samples from a Chinese biotechnology firm. The finding lends weight to claims…

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UK’s Prince Charles tests positive for COVID-19 for a second time

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said on Thursday, the second time that the heir-to-the-throne has contracted the disease. "This morning…

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Risk of new heart problems much higher after COVID recovery

Long after recovery from COVID-19, people face significantly higher risks for new heart problems, a large study has found. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs compared rates of…

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COVID infections, deaths on the rise in Middle East

Middle Eastern countries have seen a rise in coronavirus infections in the last six weeks because of low vaccination rates, officials at the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said. Reported…

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EU pushes for COVID vaccinations in Africa as supply ‘no longer’ a problem

LYON/DAKAR, (Reuters) - Top European Union officials said low absorption of COVID-19 vaccines in African countries had become the main problem in the global vaccine rollout following a recent increase…

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New York eases COVID-19 rules, Massachusetts to drop school mask mandate

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The governors of New York and Massachusetts announced that they would end certain mask mandates in their states, joining a growing list of U.S. state leaders…

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Hong Kong’s daily COVID-19 infections surge to record

HONG KONG, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's daily COVID-19 infections nearly doubled to a record 1,161 cases on Wednesday, authorities said, as the global financial hub battles a rapid…

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Discovery of Omicron in New York deer raises concern over possible new variants

The discovery of the Omicron variant in white-tailed deer in New York has raised concerns that the species, numbering 30 million in the United States, could become hosts of a…

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Russia’s daily coronavirus cases hit new record high

MOSCOW, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Russia reported 183,103 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a record daily high, as the Omicron variant continued to spread. Russia also confirmed 669 deaths in the…

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