CDE News - World News

Top English medic hopeful new variant of concern will not escape vaccines

A new coronavirus variant of concern known as B.1.617.2, first identified in India, appears to be less likely to be vaccine resistant than other variants, English Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on…

Read More Here

AstraZeneca reaches vaccine shipping milestone as EU sues again

AstraZeneca Plc has delivered 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to European Union countries, according to EU supply data, a milestone the company had originally been expected to hit in January. The…

Read More Here

U.S. authorizes Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15

U.S. regulators have authorized Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12, widening the country's inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly. "Today is an important…

Read More Here

UK to set out plans for COVID passports, if any, later this month

Britain's government will set out what role, if any, certification and social distancing will have in the country's COVID-19 recovery, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. "We'll be saying more later this month…

Read More Here

Pandemic plateauing with deaths and cases declining – WHO

The World Health Organization said on Monday the world was seeing a plateauing in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with declines in most regions including the Americas and Europe, the…

Read More Here

Blame game in Spain after street parties break out as restrictions ease

The Spanish government and opposition blamed each other on Monday after crowds of mostly maskless youths partied in the streets of Madrid and Barcelona when a state of emergency imposed to…

Read More Here

English data shows single dose of AZ vaccine gives 80% lower risk of death

Data from the rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine shows one dose of the shot results in 80% less risk of death from the disease, Public Health England said on Monday.…

Read More Here

Johnson reveals which COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted on 17 May in England

People in England will be able to enjoy a pint or a meal indoors, hug their loved ones and return to cinemas. The news came as the UK's COVID alert level was lowered…

Read More Here

G7 should invest $1 trillion per year for sustainable COVID recovery

G7 countries should invest $10 trillion to stoke an investment-driven recovery that puts COVID-19 vaccines in arms and triggers a sweeping energy transformation to slow climate change, according to a…

Read More Here

GAVI in talks with China’s Sinopharm, other vaccine makers for COVAX doses

The GAVI Vaccine Alliance is in talks with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers including China's state-owned Sinopharm to expand the COVAX pipeline and secure doses for distribution, a GAVI spokeswoman said on…

Read More Here

Germany to lift prioritisation for J&J COVID-19 vaccine

Germany is to make Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine available to all adults, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Monday, adding that they will be able to receive the shot…

Read More Here

Poland to shorten gap between COVID vaccine doses

Poland will shorten the gap between doses for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 jabs, the minister responsible for Poland's vaccination programme said on Monday. The gap between doses for the…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Norway should exclude J&J, AstraZeneca from COVID vaccination scheme, says commission

Norway should exclude the COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson from its inoculation programme due to a risk of rare but harmful side-effects, a government-appointed commission said…

Read More Here

France to reopen outdoor bars and dining on May 19

The reopening of outdoor bars and restaurants will go ahead on May 19, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday, as the number of COVID cases in intensive care eases.…

Read More Here

UPDATED: UK PM Johnson to announce COVID lockdown easing

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a press conference later on Monday about plans to lift parts of the COVID-19 lockdown, junior minister Nadine Dorries said. "It does look…

Read More Here

Australia’s New South Wales reports zero COVID-19 cases

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state reported zero COVID-19 cases for a fourth straight day on Monday, but concerns about new infections remained as the missing link in a case…

Read More Here

EU has not ordered AstraZeneca vaccines beyond June – Commissioner

The European Union has not made any new orders for AstraZeneca vaccines beyond June when their contract ends, European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Sunday, after the EU…

Read More Here

Greece reopens beaches after lockdown hoping to lure back tourists

With widely spaced sun loungers and regular disinfections, Greece reopened its organised beaches on Saturday as the popular Mediterranean holiday destination eases COVID-19 curbs in preparation for the return of…

Read More Here

EU regulator to test insurers for prolonged COVID economic hit

European Union insurers will be stress tested for the impact of a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic scenario which could affect the value of their investments and business volumes. The European Insurance…

Read More Here

COVID-19 antibodies still detectable at 12 months

Some COVID-19 survivors infected early in the pandemic still have detectable antibodies against the virus a year later, according to a new study. U.S. doctors collected blood samples from 250…

Read More Here

Italy plans to lift quarantine restrictions for some travellers from mid-May

Italy plans to lift quarantine restrictions for travellers arriving from European countries, Britain and Israel as early as mid-May in a bid to revive the tourism industry, Foreign Minister Luigi…

Read More Here

AstraZeneca weighs seeking full, not emergency, U.S. approval for COVID-19 shot

AstraZeneca Plc may skip asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency-use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine and instead pursue the more time-intensive application for a full-fledged license to…

Read More Here

COVID-19 nasal swab test complications extremely rare

Severe complications associated with nasal swab tests for COVID-19 are very rare, a new study found. Researchers in Finland looked at six months of hospital emergency department data in a…

Read More Here

Argentina pushes back mid-term elections as COVID-19 rages

The Argentine government has agreed with opposition parties to postpone primary and mid-term elections due to take place from August for five weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Interior…

Read More Here

Greece tiptoes to the official start of the tourism season

Museums in Greece will reopen to visitors next week, a day before the official start of the tourism season on May 15, authorities announced. Venues such as Athens' Acropolis museum,…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU sceptical on vaccine patent waiver, Pope Francis backs waiver

The European Union is sceptical about the usefulness of waiving patent rights to COVID-19 vaccines as a way to fight the pandemic, but is ready to discuss a concrete proposal,…

Read More Here

Hungary’s Orban: EU should approve vaccines shown to be effective elsewhere

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would propose to European Union leaders that the bloc authorise all vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective elsewhere and…

Read More Here

New Zealand to resume Australia “travel bubble” as Sydney COVID threat eases

New Zealand will lift its partial suspension of a "travel bubble" with Australia from midnight on Sunday as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney eased. New Zealand had blocked…

Read More Here

U.S.-bound air travellers can use some self-administered COVID-19 tests

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that U.S.-bound international air travelers can meet COVID-19 entry requirements using certain self-administered tests. In January, the CDC mandated that…

Read More Here

Outgoing British vaccine task force chief says Britain free of coronavirus by August

The new coronavirus will no longer be circulating in Britain by August, the government’s departing vaccine taskforce chief Clive Dix told the Daily Telegraph. "Sometime in August, we will have…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Indian states impose stricter lockdowns as COVID deaths hit record high

India on Saturday reported its highest ever single-day COVID-19 death toll, as cases continued to rise and states imposed stricter lockdowns. India's health ministry reported 4,187 fatalities over the past…

Read More Here

Britain, Germany in role reversal on AstraZeneca vaccine risks

LONDON/BERLIN, May 7 (Reuters) - Britain restricted the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday while Germany said it would give the shot to anyone who wants it, in a…

Read More Here

Unused COVID shots piling up in Japan amid slow rollout

Unused COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are set to reach tens of millions of doses, as the country is poised to approve two more shots in coming weeks and the pace…

Read More Here

U.S. schools turn focus to mental health of students reeling from pandemic

As COVID-19 upended education during the past year, Pennsylvania middle school teacher Jennifer Lundberg often began her English lessons gauging the mental wellbeing of her students. Sometimes, she would turn…

Read More Here

Update: EU regulator reviews reports of rare nerve disorder after AstraZeneca shot

May 7 (Reuters) - Europe's medicines regulator is reviewing reports of a rare nerve-degenerating disorder in people who received AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots, raising fresh questions about potential side-effects of the…

Read More Here

Saudi to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all workers

All public and private sector workers wishing to attend a workplace in Saudi Arabia will be required to have taken a COVID-19 vaccination, the human resources ministry said on Friday,…

Read More Here

Global COVID-19 death toll more than double official estimates – IHME

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health…

Read More Here

Gandhi warns ‘explosive’ COVID wave threatens India and the world

India's main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi warned on Friday that unless the deadly second COVID-19 wave sweeping the country was brought under control it would decimate India as well as…

Read More Here

WHO warns of new Covid wave in Africa

The World Health Organization on Thursday warned of a new wave of Covid-19 infections in Africa due to delayed vaccine supplies, a slow rollout and new variants. The African bureau…

Read More Here

Third wave of pandemic “appears to be broken” – German health minister

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be broken, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday, as social distancing measures and an accelerating vaccination campaign help lower…

Read More Here

Serbia tries new tactic to boost its vaccination process

Serbians gathered at a major mall in Belgrade hoping to be among the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine and with it a shopping voucher, in the latest initiative by…

Read More Here

Tunisia announces one-week COVID-19 lockdown from Sunday

Tunisia will impose a COVID-19 lockdown for one week from Sunday, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said on Friday, ahead of next week’s Eid al-Fitr holiday when families and friends traditionally…

Read More Here

Pandemic in Sweden could ebb away in summer, Health Agency says

The third wave of COVID-19 infections in Sweden could ebb away during the summer if citizens continue to follow social distancing recommendations and the vaccination programme proceeds as planned, the…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Public Health England says Indian coronavirus variant of concern

Public Health England said on Friday that coronavirus variant B.1.617.2, which was first identified in India, would be classified as a variant of concern due to evidence it was more…

Read More Here

Australia to reopen door to India, local COVID-19 cluster appears contained

Australia will lift a ban on its citizens returning from COVID-ravaged India next week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as state officials reported that an outbreak in…

Read More Here

UPDATED: UK advises under-40s to take alternative to AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot

Britain's panel of vaccine advisers on Friday said that people under 40 should be offered an alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot where possible, due to a small risk from rare…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Germany says production capacity, not patents, key to upping vaccine output

The main challenge to raising production of COVID-19 vaccines is how to quickly and effectively transfer technology, Germany's health minister said Friday, reiterating Berlin's opposition to a U.S. proposal to…

Read More Here

Poland detects first cases of Brazilian coronavirus variant

Poland has detected its first three cases of the Brazilian variant of the coronavirus, the health minister revealed, as the European nation starts to emerge from a third wave of…

Read More Here

UK regulator says some evidence AstraZeneca clots occur more in women than men

Britain's medicine regulator on Thursday said there was some evidence that uncommon blood clots linked to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine occurred more in women than in men, adding that the difference…

Read More Here

Bees in the Netherlands trained to detect COVID-19 infections

Dutch researchers have trained bees, which have an unusually keen sense of smell, to identify samples infected with COVID-19, a finding they said could cut waiting times for test results…

Read More Here

Germany to allow AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for all adults

BERLIN, May 6 (Reuters) - Germany will allow AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to adults of all ages and aims to offer 12-18 year olds a vaccine by the…

Read More Here

Early data shows Moderna booster increases antibodies against COVID-19 variants

Moderna Inc said early human trial data shows that a third dose of either its current COVID-19 shot or an experimental new vaccine candidate increases immunity against variants of COVID-19…

Read More Here

British study shows vaccines protect unvaccinated household members too

Compared to an unvaccinated COVID-19 patient, a vaccinated person who nevertheless becomes infected with the coronavirus has a much lower risk of transmitting the virus to household members, a large…

Read More Here

Thailand says foreigners to get COVID-19 vaccines amid access concern

Thailand confirmed on Thursday that it plans to include 3 million foreigners living in the country in its mass vaccination programme to protect the entire population, amid concerns over the…

Read More Here

WHO experts say Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine effective but some data lacking

The COVID-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech is efficacious in preventing COVID-19 in adults under 60, but some quality data on the risk of serious adverse effects is lacking,…

Read More Here

Experts warn vaccine IP waiver could take months for WTO to negotiate

Now that the U.S. President Joe Biden has backed a proposed waiver for COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property rights, the next stop is for the World Trade Organization to hammer out…

Read More Here

Novavax vaccine shows 51% efficacy against South African variant, study finds

Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine had efficacy of 51% against infections caused by the South African variant among people who were HIV negative, and 43% in a group that included people…

Read More Here