Coronavirus

Airline group IATA slams COVID restrictions on travellers from China

BERLIN, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The head of the world's biggest airline trade body criticised travel restrictions against travellers from China in a statement published on Wednesday, arguing that such…

Read More Here

China pledges ‘final victory’ over COVID as outbreak raises global alarm

Virus spreading fast in China after policy U-turn Several countries have imposed travel restrictions EU meets on Weds to discuss China travel policy WHO holds talks with Chinese scientists, seeks…

Read More Here

Most EU countries back COVID pre-departure testing for flights from China

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Most European Union countries favour introducing pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said, as Beijing plans to lift travel restrictions on its citizens…

Read More Here

Update – China media plays down COVID severity as WHO seeks detail on variants

BEIJING/HONG KONG/GENEVA, Jan 3 (Reuters) - State media in China played down the severity of a surge of COVID-19 infections ahead of a briefing on Tuesday by its scientists to the World…

Read More Here

EU to discuss coordinated response to China COVID situation on Wednesday

BRUSSELS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - European Union government health officials will hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response to the surge in COVID-19 infections in China, the Swedish EU…

Read More Here

Morocco to ban arrivals from China over COVID surge

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, whatever their nationality, from Jan. 3 to avert any new wave of coronavirus infections, the foreign ministry…

Read More Here

Some in China return to regular activity after COVID infections

By Josh Arslan and Martin Quin Pollard BEIJING/WUHAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Some people in China's key cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan braved the cold and a spike in…

Read More Here

France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID

PARIS (Reuters) - France on Sunday urged European Union peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID after Paris decided to do so amid an outbreak sweeping the country. Only Italy…

Read More Here

Australia to require negative COVID tests for travellers from China

SYDNEY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Australia said on Sunday that travellers from China will have to provide negative COVID-19 test results from Jan. 5, joining a growing number of nations that have implemented…

Read More Here

France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID

PARIS (Reuters) - France on Sunday urged European Union peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID after Paris decided to do so amid an outbreak sweeping the country. Only Italy…

Read More Here

Canada to impose mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China

By David Shepardson Dec 31 (Reuters) - Air travelers to Canada from China must test negative for COVID-19 no more than two days before departure, Ottawa said on Saturday, joining other nations…

Read More Here

Over 40% of U.S. COVID cases caused by Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 – CDC

By Raghav Mahobe and Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) - Over 40% of COVID-19 cases in the United States are now caused by the highly contagious Omicron XBB.1.5, data from the U.S.…

Read More Here

FACTBOX: Authorities around the world imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China

(Reuters) - Authorities around the world are imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China as COVID-19 cases in the country surge following its relaxation of "zero-COVID" rules. They cite…

Read More Here

EU urges more checks for COVID variants given surge in China

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union should consider immediately scaling up genomic sequencing of COVID-19 infections and monitoring of waste water, including from airports, to detect any new variants given…

Read More Here

WHO urges China to share specific data regularly on COVID situation

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization once again urged China's health officials to regularly share specific and real-time information on the COVID-19 situation in the country, as it continues to…

Read More Here

France to impose mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China

PARIS, Dec 30 (Reuters) - France will require that travellers arriving from China provide a negative COVID-19 test result less than 48 hours old before departure, the health ministry said in a…

Read More Here

UK to require COVID-19 negative tests for arrivals from China – reports

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Passengers arriving in Britain from China will require a negative test for COVID-19 after a surge in infections in China, British media outlets reported. The Times and The Telegraph reported on…

Read More Here

Face masks, remote working if COVID worsens says Italy’s health ministry

ANSA - The health ministry on Friday published a circular recommending face masks and remote working if the COVID-19 situation worsens amid the feared spread of new cases from China…

Read More Here

EU urges more checks for COVID variants given surge in China

BRUSSELS, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The European Union should consider immediately scaling up genomic sequencing of COVID-19 infections and monitoring of waste water, including from airports, to detect any new variants given…

Read More Here

World Health Organization needs more information on China COVID situation – Tedros

ZURICH (Reuters) - The World Health Organization needs more information to assess the latest surge in infections in China, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. COVID infections have risen across…

Read More Here

Spain to require travellers from China test negative for COVID or be fully vaccinated

MADRID, Dec 30 (Reuters) - People travelling from China to Spain will be required to test negative for COVID-19 or prove they have been fully vaccinated against the disease, Health Minister Carolina…

Read More Here

COVID travel curbs against Chinese visitors ‘discriminatory’ -state media

BEIJING, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Chinese state-media said COVID-19 testing requirements imposed by several places around the world in response to a surging wave of infections were "discriminatory", in the clearest pushback…

Read More Here

Italy urges EU peers to test China arrivals for COVID, but many say ‘no’

Italy wants all of EU to test China travelers for Covid Others reluctant or wait for EU joint decision EU health committee agrees no concrete steps EU committee to continue…

Read More Here

UPDATE – Europe seeks joint stance on China travellers amid COVID worries

BRUSSELS/PARIS, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Top health officials from the European Union were holding talks on Thursday to try to coordinate very different views on how to respond to China's decision to…

Read More Here

UK not planning COVID testing for travellers from China

Dec 29 (Reuters) - Britain has no plans to bring back COVID-19 testing for those coming into the country, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, in contrast to a growing list of…

Read More Here

COVID pressures China’s hospitals, funeral homes; countries mandate tests

Hospitals, funeral parlours report surge in COVID infections India, Italy, Japan, Taiwan mandate tests for China travellers By Martin Quin Pollard CHENGDU, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Chinese hospitals and funeral homes were…

Read More Here

Italy imposes mandatory Covid tests for travellers from China

By Emilio Parodi MILAN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Italy has ordered COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for all travellers coming from China, where cases are surging, the health minister said on Wednesday.…

Read More Here

China to drop COVID tests for inbound travellers from Jan 8

Dec 28 (Reuters) - China will drop a requirement for inbound travellers to take COVID-19 PCR tests starting from Jan 8, 2023, customs authorities said on Wednesday. PCR checks for…

Read More Here

Chinese hospitals ‘extremely busy’ as COVID spreads unchecked

Hospitals report surge in COVID infections China reports three new COVID deaths for Tuesday Some countries consider travel rules for Chinese visitors By Martin Quin Pollard CHENGDU, Dec 28 (Reuters)…

Read More Here

China to scrap COVID quarantine rule for inbound travellers

BEIJING, Dec 26 (Reuters) - China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine starting from Jan. 8, the National Health Commission said on Monday in a major step towards easing curbs on its borders, which…

Read More Here

China’s Zhejiang has 1 mln daily COVID cases, expected to double

By Bernard Orr and Roxanne Liu BEIJING, Dec 25 (Reuters) - China's Zhejiang, a big industrial province near Shanghai, is battling around a million new daily COVID-19 infections, a number expected to…

Read More Here

India makes COVID test mandatory for arrivals from some countries, including China

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travelers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, the health minister said on Saturday.…

Read More Here

Shanghai asks residents to stay in on Christmas as China COVID surges

SHANGHAI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Shanghai authorities urged residents to stay at home this weekend, seeking a toned-down Christmas in the nation's most populous city as COVID-19 rages nationwide after tough curbs…

Read More Here

China COVID deaths probably running above 5,000 per day – UK research firm Airfinity

BEIJING (Reuters) - More than 5,000 people are probably dying each day from COVID-19 in China, health data firm Airfinity estimated, offering a dramatic contrast to official data from Beijing…

Read More Here

India to test random 2% of international travellers for COVID

MUMBAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - India will start randomly testing 2% of all international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, the country's health minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, told parliament on…

Read More Here

WHO says China may be struggling to keep a tally of COVID cases

By Manas Mishra and Nandhini Srinivasan (Reuters) - China may be struggling to keep a tally of COVID-19 infections as the country experiences a big spike in cases, a senior…

Read More Here

Shanghai hospital readies for ‘tragic battle’ with COVID

Shanghai hospital estimates 5.43 mln positives in city Several cities distributing free anti-fever drugs No COVID deaths for 2nd consecutive day, China says First mRNA vaccines to arrive in China…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

Streets deserted in China’s cities as new COVID surge looms

BEIJING (Reuters) -Streets in major Chinese cities were eerily quiet on Sunday as people stayed home to protect themselves from a surge in COVID-19 cases that has hit urban centres…

Read More Here

In COVID-hit Beijing, funeral homes with sick workers struggle to keep up

By Ryan Woo and Winni Zhou BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Funeral homes across China's COVID-hit capital Beijing, a city of 22 million, scrambled on Saturday to keep up with…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

White House pushes flu, COVID vaccines as cases rise -COVID response coordinator

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The White House COVID response coordinator urged Americans to get their flu vaccines and updated COVID-19 boosters on Thursday, saying there has been a significant rise in…

Read More Here

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)…

Read More Here

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,…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

‘Please protect yourself’: China wrestles with COVID surge

By Eduardo Baptista and Josh Ye BEIJING/HONG KONG, Dec 12 (Reuters) - People queued outside fever clinics at China's hospitals for COVID-19 checks on Monday, a new sign of the rapid spread…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

Italian President Mattarella tests positive for COVID

ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella, 81, has tested positive for COVID-19 but has few symptoms beyond a slight fever, his office said in a statement on Saturday. Mattarella…

Read More Here

China to allow German expats to use German COVID-19 vaccines

BEIJING, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Chinese foreign ministry said China and Germany had reached an agreement on providing "German vaccines" to German nationals in China, after the German Chancellor recently said…

Read More Here

‘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…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here

‘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…

Read More Here

Britain’s health regulator backs COVID vaccine for infants from six months

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's health regulator on Tuesday authorised a COVID-19 vaccine for infants as young as six months, opening the door for vaccinating the country's youngest children once the UK's…

Read More Here

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…

Read More Here