Covid-19

Italian urged to take fourth COVID-19 dose

Italian Health Undersecretary Pierpaolo Sileri on Wednesday made an appeal for those eligible for a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to get it straight away, amid a sharp upswing in contagion…

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UPDATED: Adapted, two-strain vaccines to lift COVID protection – EU official

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - Adapted versions of established mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that address two variants in one shot will soon offer people better protection than vaccines that are now available, a…

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WHO says COVID-19 remains a global health emergency

The World Health Organization said that COVID-19 remains a global emergency, nearly 2-1/2 years after it was first declared. The Emergency Committee, made up of independent experts, said in a…

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Shanghai identifies new COVID Omicron subvariant

The city of Shanghai has discovered a COVID-19 case involving a new subvariant Omicron BA.5.2.1, an official told a briefing over the weekend, signalling the complications China faces to keep…

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Shanghai braces for more mass COVID testing amid fresh curbs across China

BEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) - Multiple Chinese cities are adopting fresh COVID-19 curbs, from business halts to lockdowns, to rein in new infections, with the commercial hub of Shanghai bracing for another…

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Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

July 11 (Reuters) - Multiple Chinese cities are adopting fresh COVID-19 curbs to rein in new infections, with the commercial hub of Shanghai bracing for another mass testing campaign after…

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UPDATED: EU backs second COVID booster for over-60s, before variant-adapted vaccines are ready

BRUSSELS/LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - European Union health agencies on Monday recommended a second COVID-19 booster for everyone over 60, as well as medically vulnerable people, amid a new rise in infections…

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People need to socialise, Health Superintendent says / Malta News Briefing – Sunday 10 July 2022

News Update Incorrect to confuse IVF testing with abortion - Grech on embryo testing vote The IVF law as amended provides the right balance for couples finding it difficult to…

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Italy lost more jobs than EU partners during COVID crisis – ISTAT

ROME, July 8 (Reuters) - Italy's labour market was hit harder than those of most of its European Union peers during the COVID-19 crisis of 2020 and 2021, widening the employment gap…

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Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

July 8 (Reuters) - China is reducing scrutiny of citizens' travel history for COVID-19 monitoring, requiring that a mandatory mobile app show the previous seven days of travel, down from 14. ASIA-PACIFIC…

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Italy’s COVID-19 incidence soars

Italy's COVID-19 incidence soared to 1,071 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants in the July 1-7 period, according to the latest weekly coronavirus monitoring report of the health ministry and the…

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Australia expands fourth COVID dose rollout amid fresh Omicron threat

SYDNEY, July 7 (Reuters) - Australia said on Thursday it would expand the rollout of the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines from next week as it battles a steady rise…

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World hunger rising as U.N. agencies warn of “looming catastrophe”

World hunger levels rose again last year after soaring in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Ukraine war and climate change threatening starvation and mass migration on an…

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Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5 make up 70% of COVID variants in U.S. – CDC

(Reuters) - The fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of Omicron are estimated to make up a combined 70.1% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of July 2, the U.S.…

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China fights COVID flare-ups on multiple fronts including Shanghai

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, July 6 (Reuters) - China is fighting COVID-19 flare-ups on multiple fronts across the country including an emerging cluster in Shanghai, spurring mass testing drives and fresh restrictions, as pressures mount…

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Cyprus brings back face masks a month after scrapping them

NICOSIA, July 6 (Reuters) - Cyprus ordered the reintroduction of face masks to combat COVID-19 on Wednesday, just over a month after scrapping the requirement, as infections spiked again. The…

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Italy daily COVID cases exceed 100,000 for first time since February

Italy reported 132,274 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, health ministry official figures showed, surpassing 100,000 for the first time since Feb. 8. Italy, whose death tally since the beginning of the…

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Hong Kong lawmaker who met China’s Xi tests positive for COVID

HONG KONG, July 4 (Reuters) - A Hong Kong lawmaker who met President Xi Jinping during a rare visit by the Chinese leader to the territory last week said he…

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Germany’s Scholz sees no COVID-related school closures, lockdowns

BERLIN, July 3 (Reuters) - Germany will not shut schools and non-essential businesses again if the COVID-19 infection rate rises again later this year but protective masks would play a bigger role,…

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Facemasks, and working from home for vunerable to remain in private sector in Italy

The mandatory use of COVID facemasks and remote working for the vunerable categories of Italian society are to remain in the private sector according to a draft revision of COVID…

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North Korea blames ‘alien things’ near border with South for COVID outbreak

North Korea claimed on Friday that the country's first COVID-19 outbreak began with patients touching "alien things" near the border with South Korea, apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for…

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France’s new wave of COVID infections expected to peak end-July -scientist

PARIS, June 30 (Reuters) - A new wave in France of COVID-19 infections fuelled by emerging variants of the disease should peak towards end-July, the French government's top scientific adviser Jean-Francois Delfraissy…

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Pfizer, Moderna to be ready with BA.1-specific COVID boosters

(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc said they will be ready with COVID-19 vaccines designed to combat the BA.1 Omicron variant that was dominant last winter earlier than those designed to target currently…

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Research reveals children’s screen time has increased by 90 minutes a day

Children aged between six and 10 increased their screen time by nearly an hour and a half every day during the pandemic, according to new research. Adults increased their time…

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Moderna booster candidate shows strong response against Omicron subvariants

June 22 (Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Wednesday its bivalent COVID-19 booster candidate showed strong neutralizing antibody response against the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The company plans to submit applications…

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France is facing a new COVID-19 wave – French vaccination chief

PARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - France is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by new variants of the disease, French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said on Wednesday, as daily new…

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Beijing declares initial COVID victory as bar-linked surge eases

BEIJING, June 16 (Reuters) - The city of Beijing on Thursday declared an initial victory in its latest battle with COVID-19 after testing millions of people and quarantining thousands in the past…

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Facemasks on public transport in Italy extended to September

The obligation to wear anti-COVID facemasks on public transport in Italy has been extended until September, a cabinet meeting decided. There may be a possible partial lifting of the obligation…

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U.S. FDA advisers back COVID vaccines for children as young as 6 months

(Reuters) - Advisers to the U.S Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended the agency authorize COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc MRNA.O and Pfizer Inc PFE.N/BioNTech for millions of the youngest American children. The…

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Fauci, face of U.S. battle against COVID-19, tests positive

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, a public health official who became the face of U.S. government efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the National Institutes…

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Need to wear facemask in Italy may remain for public transport, hospitals

Italian Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa said that the obligation to wear facemasks on public transport and in hospitals and care homes in order to prevent COVID-19 contagion could be extended…

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Sanofi says its COVID-19 booster shot has potential against main variants

PARIS, June 13 (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday an upgraded version of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate it is developing with GSK showed potential in two trials to protect against…

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Beijing tests millions, isolates thousands over COVID cluster at 24-hour bar

BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) - Authorities in China's capital Beijing on Monday raced to contain a COVID-19 outbreak traced to a raucous 24-hour bar known for cheap liquor and big crowds, with…

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U.S. drops COVID testing for incoming international air travelers

The United States this weekend rescinded a 17-month-old requirement that people arriving in the country by air test negative for COVID-19, a move that follows intense lobbying by airlines and…

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Beijing’s bar-linked COVID outbreak is ‘ferocious’, official says

SHENZHEN, China, June 12 (Reuters) - A COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in China's capital Beijing is "ferocious", local government spokesman Xu Hejian said at a news conference on Sunday. Some…

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Italy’s COVID-19 incidence on the rise again

After several weeks of falls, Italy's COVID-19 incidence was on the rise again in the June 3-9 period, with 222 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants, the weekly coronavirus monitoring report…

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Shanghai faces unexpected round of COVID testing for most residents

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, June 10 (Reuters) - China's commercial hub of Shanghai faces an unexpected round of mass COVID-19 testing for most residents this weekend - just 10 days after a city-wide lockdown was…

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Pandemic’s origins obscured by lack of Chinese data – WHO panel

The World Health Organization said its latest investigation into the origins of COVID-19 was inconclusive, largely because data from China is missing, another blow to its years-long effort to determine…

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Cancer patients over-represented in long COVID group

Cancer patients account for an outsized proportion of people who end up with persistent, troublesome symptoms after recovering from COVID-19, a condition known as long COVID, U.S. researchers reported on…

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Parts of Shanghai return to lockdown, Beijing district shuts entertainment venues

BEIJING/Shanghai, June 9 (Reuters) - Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alert on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub started imposing new lockdown restrictions while the most populous…

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India reports highest coronavirus daily cases since March 2

India reported 7,240 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, its highest number of daily cases since March 2. India's financial capital Mumbai,…

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COVID vaccine rights waiver within reach, WTO chief says ahead of meeting

GENEVA, June 8 (Reuters) - An international agreement on waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines is within reach ahead of a global trade meeting next week, the head of the World…

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Italy to end use of facemasks indoors on June 15

Italy will end a requirement to wear COVID-19 facemasks indoors on June 15, Health Undersecretary Andrea Costa told Rai State radio Wednesday."From June 15 I believe we will remove the…

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Africa’s COVID deaths to fall by 94% in 2022, WHO analysis shows

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 (Reuters) - Deaths on the African continent from COVID-19 are expected to fall by nearly 94 percent in 2022 compared to last year, the World Health Organization…

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Omicron sub-variant fuels Portugal’s COVID-19 surge

LISBON, June 2 (Reuters) - An Omicron sub-variant has fuelled a surge in COVID-19 cases in Portugal that now has the world's second-highest infection rate, potentially threatening the tourism sector's recovery. Portugal…

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Japan study shows women more likely to get skin rash from Moderna shot

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - A study in Japan found that women were significantly more likely than men to develop rash-like side effects after a first dose of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine. The…

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Some in Beijing back to work, Shanghai inches closer to ending COVID lockdown

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 30 (Reuters) - Streets in Beijing were busier on Monday as residents in two districts were allowed to return to work, while Shanghai inched closer towards lifting its two-month old…

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North Korea lifts COVID lockdown amid ‘stable’ virus situation

SEOUL, May 30 (Reuters) - North Korea has lifted movement restrictions imposed in the capital Pyongyang after its first admission of COVID-19 outbreak weeks ago, media reported, as the isolated country says the virus situation is now under…

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Shanghai takes further steps towards reopening, Beijing eases COVID curbs

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 29 (Reuters) - Shanghai announced on Sunday further steps towards returning to more normal life and lifting a two-month COVID-19 lockdown this week, while Beijing reopened parts of its public…

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Breakthrough infections may be less contagious

Fully vaccinated individuals who get infected with the coronavirus spread the infection to fewer people and are contagious for less time compared to people who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated,…

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Shanghai takes baby steps towards ending COVID lockdown

SHANGHAI/BEIJING, May 27 (Reuters) - Shanghai took more gradual steps on Friday towards lifting its COVID-19 lockdown while Beijing was investigating cases where its strict curbs were affecting other medical treatments as…

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Pfizer/BioNTech say 3 COVID shots generate good response in under-5s

May 23 (Reuters) - Drugmakers Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech said on Monday that three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response in children under the age of five in their…

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AstraZeneca says EU regulator approves COVID shot as booster

May 23 (Reuters) - Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, has been approved in the European Union by the bloc's drugs regulator as a third-dose booster in adults following…

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North Korea’s fever cases under 200,000 for 2nd day amid silence on aid offer

North Korea's daily fever cases stayed below 200,000 for a second day in a row, state media said on Monday, as Pyongyang remained silent on South Korean and U.S. offers…

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Post-infection vaccination may reduce long COVID

Vaccination after infection with SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to a reduction in the burden of long COVID symptoms, a new study suggests. Researchers tracked 6,729 volunteers ages 18 to 69, who…

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Shanghai inches towards COVID lockdown exit, Beijing on edge as new infections keep appearing

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Shanghai cautiously pushed ahead on Saturday with plans to restore part of its transport network in a major step towards exiting a weeks-long COVID-19 lockdown, while Beijing…

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North Korea hails ‘good results’ on COVID as fever cases pass 2 million

SEOUL, May 20 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it was achieving "good results" in its fight against its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, as the number of people with fever symptoms…

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