Healthcare

Drug price group slashes suggested price of Pfizer COVID treatment by 80%

Dec 20 (Reuters) - An influential drug pricing research group has cut its suggested price range for Pfizer Inc's PFE.NCOVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid by more than 80%, partly to reflect the decreased disease…

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COVID-19 still Spain’s leading cause of deaths this year

MADRID, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The number of deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic fell by almost a third in Spain in the first half of this year from a…

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China officially reports first COVID deaths in weeks as virus wave swells

By Liz Lee and Martin Quin Pollard BEIJING, Dec 19 (Reuters) - China officially reported on Monday its first COVID-related deaths since the government began dismantling strict anti-virus controls earlier…

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Medical staff in China’s hospitals say COVID-19 ripping through their ranks

By Farah Master and Julie Zhu HONG KONG (Reuters) - A growing number of China's doctors and nurses are catching COVID-19 and some have been asked to keep working, as…

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New COVID model predicts over 1 million deaths in China through 2023

CHICAGO (Reuters) - China's abrupt lifting of stringent COVID-19 restrictions could result in an explosion of cases and over a million deaths through 2023, according to new projections from the…

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China pushes vaccines as retreat from ‘zero-COVID’ turns messy

Beijing urges inoculations for elderly WHO calls for vaccine drive as virus spreads Economic summit starts amid more dire data By Brenda Goh and Albee Zhang BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 15 (Reuters)…

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China stops publishing asymptomatic COVID cases, reports no deaths

BEIJING, Dec 14 (Reuters) - China's National Health Commission (NHC) will as of Wednesday stop reporting new asymptomatic COVID-19 infections, as many people without symptoms no longer participate in testing,…

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Vaccine alliance CEO says ‘tough’ time to end COVID-19 emergency

GENEVA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The head of the GAVI global vaccine alliance suggested on Monday it was too early to call an end to the COVID-19 emergency, saying the pandemic could…

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EU watchdog warns on waning effectiveness of antibody COVID drugs

(Reuters) - The European Union's health regulator raised concerns over the decreasing effectiveness of COVID-19 antibody therapies to treat patients as emerging virus variants are challenging treatment approaches. The World…

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China’s capital swings from anger over zero-COVID to coping with infections

BEIJING, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Beijing's COVID-19 gloom deepened on Sunday with many shops and other businesses closed, and an expert warned of many thousands of new coronavirus cases as…

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‘It’s dead out here’: China’s slow exit from zero-COVID

Beijing eased curbs in major policy shift on Wednesday Change came after historic protests last month HSBC CEO hails new rules as "meaningful progress" Analysts say virus spike will hurt…

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French health authority advises against use of Valneva’s COVID-19 vaccine

By Jean-Stéphane Brosse and Tassilo Hummel PARIS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - France's Haute Autorite de Sante public health body advised the government not to use Valneva's VLA2001 COVID-19 vaccine as…

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‘Too many positives!’: As China rows back ‘zero-COVID’ policy, virus fears spread

Biggest relaxation of curbs since pandemic began Cities urge citizens to stay vigilant Analysts say China ill-prepared for big spike in cases By Bernard Orr and Ella Cao BEIJING, Dec…

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EY sees other Big Four firms mirroring its proposed split

Splitting EY into separate accounting and consultancy businesses will help pay rising technology bills and "inevitably" be copied by rival "Big Four" firms, a top EY official told a Reuters…

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Pfizer applies for FDA authorization for Omicron vaccine booster in kids under 5

Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Monday they have submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization of their…

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WHO estimates 90% of world have some resistance to Covid

The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of the world population now has some resistance to Covid-19, but warned that a troubling new variant could still emerge. Gaps in vigilance…

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China’s Xi told EU less lethal Omicron opens way for fewer COVID restrictions

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping blamed mass protests in Chinese cities on youth frustrated by years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said the now dominant Omicron variant of…

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Chinese cities ease COVID curbs as virus keeps spreading

By Martin Quin Pollard and David Kirton BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Some communities in Chinese cities where COVID-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine…

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Blank sheets of paper become symbol of defiance in China protests

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Chinese protesters have turned to blank sheets of paper to express their anger over COVID-19 restrictions in a rare, widespread outpouring of public dissent that…

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Fauci does not exclude possibility of Covid lab leak

Anthony Fauci, the retiring top official in the United States response to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Sunday he has “a completely open mind” about the origins of the respiratory virus.…

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China reports third consecutive daily record for new COVID cases

BEIJING, Nov 26 (Reuters) - China reported 35,183 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 25, of which 3,474 were symptomatic and 31,709 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Saturday, setting a…

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China reports 24,473 new COVID cases; some Beijing businesses shut

SHANGHAI, Nov 19 (Reuters) - China reported a slight decline in new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as numerous cities across the country battled outbreaks and restaurants and many other businesses…

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EU agency says COVID pandemic led to surge in superbug infections

(Reuters) - Infections from some antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs have more than doubled in health care facilities in Europe, an EU agency said, providing further evidence of the wider…

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Moderna’s Omicron shots shows better immune response than original COVID vaccine

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Monday its Omicron-tailored vaccines produced a better immune response against the BA.4/5 subvariants in a mid-to-late stage study, when given as a…

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Chinese cities including Beijing report record COVID cases

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Beijing and several other major cities in China reported record COVID-19 infections on Monday, putting authorities under more pressure to quell outbreaks quickly while also…

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German health minister warns of winter COVID wave

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is headed towards a surge in COVID-19 cases this winter, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said as he criticised four states' plans to relax isolation rules for…

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China shortens quarantines as it eases some of its COVID rules

BEIJING, Nov 11 (Reuters) - China on Friday eased some of its heavy-handed COVID rules, including shortening quarantines by two days for close contacts of infected people and for inbound…

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Study finds repeat COVID is riskier than first infection

(Reuters) - The risk of death, hospitalization and serious health issues from COVID-19 jumps significantly with reinfection compared with a first bout with the virus, regardless of vaccination status, a…

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China’s COVID curbs intensify as cases surge to highest since Shanghai lockdown

BEIJING, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities stepped up COVID lockdowns and other curbs to contain outbreaks as the number of cases soared to its highest since millions of people…

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CanSino rolls out inhalable COVID vaccine in Tianjin, Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing residents can start making appointments for an inhalable COVID booster made by CanSino Biologics, media reported on Thursday, while those in Tianjin city can now get…

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British man who had COVID for 411 days is cured

A British man who had COVID for 411 days is thought to have had the virus longer than anybody else in the world and survived. The patient, who has a…

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Pfizer/BioNTech Omicron booster shows strong response after a month

Nov 4 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech said on Friday their Omicron-tailored shot targeting the BA.4/5 subvariants produced a strong antibody response in humans…

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China COVID cases surge to 6-month high as tensions in affected cities build

BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - China on Friday reported the highest daily count of new local COVID cases in six months as outbreaks widened, pushing policymakers to walk an even…

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Pfizer, BioNTech start COVID-flu combination vaccine study

Nov 3 (Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech have started an early-stage study to evaluate a combination vaccine targeting COVID-19 and influenza, the companies said…

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China COVID cases highest since Aug, Beijing vows to stay the course

BEIJING, Nov 3 (Reuters) - China's COVID-19 cases hit their highest in two and a half months on Thursday after the health authority stuck by its strict containment policy, dampening…

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Pfizer boosts COVID vaccine sales forecast by $2 billion to $34 billion

Pfizer Inc on Tuesday raised its forecast for annual sales of its COVID-19 vaccine by $2 billion to $34 billion on demand for Omicron-targeted boosters, helping allay some investor worries…

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Chinese cities clamp down on COVID as cases rise before winter season

BEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Officials in Chinese cities and provinces across the country are pulling no punches in stamping out sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks as winter nears, quickly closing venues…

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No surge expected in global COVID cases this winter – IHME report

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million average daily cases by February next year from the current 16.7 million daily driven…

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EU regulator recommends adding heavy periods to side effects of mRNA COVID shots

Oct 28 (Reuters) - A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee on Friday recommended adding heavy menstrual bleeding to the list of side effect of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna…

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China rolls out first inhalable COVID vaccine

SHANGHAI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - In what is believed to be a world first, China's commerical capital of Shanghai this week introduced a new type of COVID-19 vaccine that is…

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Chinese cities double down on curbs as COVID outbreaks widen

Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xining among cities tightening COVID measures BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19…

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Global COVID cases predicted will increase in coming months, but at a slower pace

(Reuters) - Daily global COVID-19 infections are projected to rise slowly to about 18.7 million by February from the current 16.7 million average daily cases, driven by the northern hemisphere's…

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New Omicron strain likely to cause increase in COVID-19 cases, says EU health agency

A new Omicron strain that has been detected in at least five countries in the EU or EEA is likely to become dominant in the region later this year and…

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Scientists in furious row over ‘lab-made Covid’ claims

A study claiming Covid was made in a lab has ignited a furious row, as the researchers behind it have been accused of "fixing" their results by other scientists. A…

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Swiss to destroy 9 million expired Moderna COVID-19 jabs

ZURICH, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Switzerland will destroy 9 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that have reached their expiry date, with another 5.1 million vaccine jabs set to meet…

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Chinese capital steps up COVID measures as cases quadruple

BEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) - China's capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop COVID, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case…

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WHO says COVID-19 is still a global health emergency

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization said that COVID-19 remains a global emergency, nearly three years after it was first declared as one. The WHO's emergency committee first made the…

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Moderna signs deal on variant-adapted COVID shots for world’s poorest

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc has agreed to provide its new variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine to the global scheme aiming to deliver shots to the world's poorest people. The…

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Long COVID at 12 months persists at 18 months, study shows

(Reuters) - Most patients with COVID-19 who have lingering symptoms at 12 months are likely to still have symptoms at 18 months, new data suggest. The findings are drawn from…

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Pfizer says updated booster protects against circulating COVID variants

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech said on Thursday that their Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster generated a strong immune response against the currently circulating BA.5…

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Europeans face big mental health issues despite COVID easing – survey

(Reuters) - The number of Europeans reporting "bad" or "very bad" mental health soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, even beyond the end of lockdowns, new polling showed. European Union agency…

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COVID rebound after Pfizer treatment likely due to robust immune response, study finds

(Reuters) - A rebound of COVID-19 symptoms in some patients after taking Pfizer's PFE.N antiviral Paxlovid may be related to a robust immune response rather than a weak one, U.S.…

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COVID wave looms in Europe as booster campaign makes slow start

A new COVID-19 wave appears to be brewing in Europe as cooler weather arrives, with public health experts warning that vaccine fatigue and confusion over types of available vaccines will…

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France’s 8th wave of COVID seen gaining in intensity

France has entered an eighth wave of the COVID-19 virus, as the winter season approaches, said a leading French health official. "Yes, we are in this eighth wave," said Brigitte…

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Prominent Chinese commentator urges COVID experts to ‘speak out’

BEIJING, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Prominent Chinese commentator Hu Xijin said on Sunday that as China ponders its COVID-19 policies, epidemic experts need to speak out and China ought to…

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COVID raises risk of long-term brain injury, large U.S. study finds

CHICAGO, (Reuters) - People who had COVID-19 are at higher risk for a host of brain injuries a year later compared with people who were never infected by the coronavirus,…

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First signs of new COVID-19 wave seen in colder countries

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are creeping up in Northern Europe where the colder and wetter weather is first being felt across the bloc. Latest data from Belgium, the U.K. and…

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