Covid-19

UK police to issue first 20 fines over Downing Street lockdown parties

British police said on Tuesday that 20 fines would be issued over gatherings in Boris Johnson's offices and residence that broke coronavirus lockdown rules, sparking fresh calls for the prime minister…

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China’s COVID lockdowns dent oil demand, independent refiners resell crude

Anti-COVID lockdowns have dampened consumption of transportation fuels in China to a point where some independent refiners have resorted to trying to resell crude purchased for delivery over the next…

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COVID-19 and flu make for a dangerous combo, study finds

Having COVID-19 and influenza at the same time puts hospitalized adults at much greater risk of critical illness and death compared to having COVID-19 without the flu, researchers reported on…

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Singapore extends quarantine-free entry as Asia shifts to “living with COVID”

SINGAPORE, March 24 (Reuters) - Singapore said on Thursday it will lift quarantine requirements for all vaccinated travellers from next month, joining a string of countries in Asia moving more firmly toward a…

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France’s COVID-19 infections spike week-on-week following easing of restrictions

PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) - France reported an average of close to 90,000 new coronavirus infections over the last seven days, marking a 36% rise from one week ago when most COVID-19…

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Hong Kong lifts flight ban, to ease strict COVID measures from April

HONG KONG, March 21 (Reuters) - Hong Kong plans to relax some anti-COVID-19 measures next month, lifting a ban on flights from nine countries, reducing quarantine for arrivals from abroad and reopening…

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Risk of depression, anxiety tied to COVID-19 severity

People who have been bedridden for seven days or more with COVID-19 are at increased risk of anxiety and depression, an international study found. Researchers analysed data from Denmark, Estonia,…

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Neurological risks not higher after COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 vaccination did not increase risks for rare neurological conditions among more than 8 million people who had received at least one dose of a vaccine from AstraZeneca, Pfizer /BioNTech,…

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China reports first COVID deaths in more than a year

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Mainland China reported its first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday, according to a post on the National Health Commission's website that said two…

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COVID-19 pandemic is ‘far from over’ -WHO official

GENEVA, March 18 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Friday that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was a long way off, citing a rise in cases in its…

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Shanghai pushes ahead with mass COVID tests as new cases spike

SHANGHAI, March 18 (Reuters) - The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai is pushing ahead with a mass testing initiative as it tries to curb a new spike in COVID-19 infections, but some…

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Germany to lift most COVID restrictions

Germany will lift most restrictions to contain the coronavirus despite infections hitting a record in the country. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after talks with leaders of Germany's 16 states that…

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COVID-19 retreating in the Americas, says regional health agency

BRASILIA (Reuters) - COVID-19 infections and deaths are declining in most of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said, with the exception of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean…

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UPDATED: Italy to roll back COVID restrictions in the coming weeks

ROME, March 18 (Reuters) - The Italian government announced plans on Thursday to phase out its coronavirus restrictions more than two years after the disease first swept the country, even though cases are…

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WHO says global rise in COVID cases is ‘tip of the iceberg’

(Reuters) - Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said, warning…

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Pandemic sends 4.7 mln more people into extreme poverty in SE Asia – ADB

MANILA, March 16 (Reuters) - The pandemic added 4.7 million more people to Southeast Asia's most extreme poor in 2021, reversing gains made in fighting poverty, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said…

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New Zealand PM Ardern announces border reopening earlier than previously signalled

WELLINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday said New Zealand will reopen its borders much earlier than expected, with Australians allowed to travel there from April…

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UPDATED: Drugmakers condemn plan for COVID vaccine patent waiver

March 16 (Reuters) - Global drugmakers condemned on Wednesday an initiative by four World Trade Organization members to introduce an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines, saying it could undermine the industry's…

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Studies show one in four kids with COVID develop lingering problems

One in four children with COVID-19 symptoms develop "long COVID," according to data pooled from 21 earlier studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Among the 80,071 children…

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France’s COVID infections keep rising, hospitalizations up

French health authorities reported 18,853 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, a figure showing a week-on-week increase for the tenth consecutive time on the day France lifted most of the restrictions put in place to…

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India to start vaccinating 12- to 14-year-olds against COVID-19

BENGALURU, March 14 (Reuters) - India will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations to 12- to 14-year-olds from March 16, the country's health ministry said on Monday, as schools reopen across the country with…

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China records more local COVID cases so far this year than in whole of 2021

BEIJING, March 14 (Reuters) - China has reported more local symptomatic COVID-19 cases so far this year than it recorded in all of 2021, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant triggers outbreaks…

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China daily local COVID cases hit two-year high of over 1,500

SHANGHAI, March 12 (Reuters) - Mainland China reported more than 1,500 new local COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the most since the initial nationwide outbreak at the start of 2020, as the Omicron…

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98% of U.S. population can ditch masks as COVID eases -CDC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late on Thursday said some 98% of the U.S. population live in locations where COVID-19 levels are low enough that…

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Covid deaths probably three times higher than records say

More than 18 million people - three times higher than official records suggest - have probably died because of Covid, say researchers. Their report comes two years to the day…

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Almost a third of people report lingering symptom 6-12 months after COVID-19 -study

Almost a third of people report at least one ongoing symptom between 6 and 12 months after their coronavirus infection, a survey of 152,000 people in Denmark has found. The…

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Hong Kong residents urged not to panic ahead of COVID mass testing

HONG KONG, March 6 (Reuters) - Hong Kong reported 31,008 new COVID-19 cases and 153 deaths on Sunday as the city's chief secretary said residents should not worry about a looming mass…

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Sanctions on Russia will have little impact on Malta – PM /Malta News Briefing – Saturday 26 February 2022

Updated 1400 Former PM joins campaign trail Former PM Joseph Muscat joined Labour whip Glenn Bedingfield in Vittoriosa in campaigning on Saturday, but would not say whether he would be…

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Red blood cells damaged by COVID cause blood-vessel problems – study

Dysfunctional red blood cells contribute to the blood vessel injuries common in severe COVID-19, according to laboratory studies that also may suggest a way to treat the problem. Many patients…

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COVID vaccines may be getting worse at stopping new variants emerging – but they’re still lowering the risk

by Sarah L Caddy Clinical Research Fellow in Viral Immunology and Veterinary Surgeon, University of Cambridge The rise of the omicron variant has caused havoc around the world, just as…

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BOV ordered to pay €370 million on Deiulemar case / Malta News Briefing – Tuesday 8 February 2022

Updated 1745 Times of Malta says the Planning Authority has postponed a decision on a controversial application to build apartments and garages close to cliffs in Sannat. MaltaToday says that…

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WATCH: Police forced to step in as UK’s Labour leader confronted by protesters

The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, was bundled into a police car on Monday after being confronted by angry protesters, an incident which some lawmakers have linked…

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Easing COVID curbs could cause 2 mln deaths: China study

Restoring normal population mobility to "COVID-zero regions" like China will cause some two million deaths in a year, Chinese researchers say, as the country remains the only major economy sticking…

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PN goes to Court on PBS “political propoganda” / Malta News Briefing – Saturday 5 February 2022

Updated 1300 PN goes to Court on PBS "political propoganda" The Nationalist Party has taken legal action against PBS - and Minister Carmelo Abela, who bears responsibility for broadcasting for…

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Scientists on alert over rising cases caused by Omicron cousin

The highly transmissible Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus - the most common form of which is known as BA.1 - now accounts for nearly all of the coronavirus infections…

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PM Abela inaugurates the Central Link / Malta News Briefing – Sunday 30 January 2022

News Roundup New COVID-19 cases remained under 200 for the second day in succession on Sunday with 191 daily cases reported, just one up on Saturday. But two men died…

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Airport pushes for easing of travel restrictions / Malta News Briefing – Thursday 27 January 2022

Updated 1311 MIA pushes for easing of travel restrictions The Malta International Airport has welcomed the authorities' decision but expressed disappointment at the fact that travel rules have remained among…

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Pfizer and BioNTech launch trial of Omicron-targeted COVID vaccine

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which…

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Omicron survives longer on plastic, skin than prior variants

The Omicron variant can survive longer than earlier versions of the coronavirus on plastic surfaces and human skin, Japanese researchers found in laboratory tests. Its high "environmental stability" - its…

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New York judge strikes down state mask mandate

A New York judge struck down the state's mask mandate on Monday, one week before it was due to expire, ruling the governor overstepped her authority in imposing a rule that needed to…

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EU regulator set to rule on Pfizer COVID pill by end-Jan

The European Union's drug regulator is set to decide whether to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 pill at the end of this month, before doing a final review of Merck's similar but less effective drug in February, a…

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Seven more people die while positive with Covid-19 / Malta News Briefing – Sunday 23 January 2022

News Update Seven more people die of Covid Seven people died and 273 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday. Those who died while positive with the virus are two…

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With Omicron, global economy spots chance to push past COVID

With Omicron, global economy spots chance to push past COVIDGovernments worldwide are easing quarantine rules, reviewing coronavirus curbs and dialling back pandemic-era emergency support as they bid to launch their…

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Israeli study shows 4th shot of COVID-19 vaccine less effective on Omicron

A fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies to even higher levels than the third jab but it is not enough to prevent Omicron infections, according to a preliminary study in Israel.…

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More than half of European population will get Omicron within two months – WHO

More than half of the European population are expected to be infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant within the next six to eight weeks, the World Health Organization's top Europe official said on Tuesday (January…

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Novak Djokovic: the legal problem of having one rule for some, another for everyone else

by Joshua Jowitt - Lecturer of Law, University of Newcastle Since the start of the pandemic, anyone wishing to enter Australia has had to contend with one of the strictest…

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Poland’s total COVID-19 death toll passes 100,000

Poland's total number of coronavirus-related deaths surpassed 100,000 on Tuesday, the health minister said, as the country grapples with a fourth wave of the pandemic. The number of deaths per…

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Premier League reports second straight weekly fall in COVID-19 cases

The Premier League said on Monday it had reported 72 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week, the second straight week in which there has been a fall in…

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Tennis-Covid19: Nadal calls Djokovic controversy ‘a circus’

Rafa Nadal called Novak Djokovic's COVID-19 vaccination controversy in Australia "a circus" and joked that he would prefer that the world number one tennis player didn't play at the upcoming…

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South Africa study suggests Omicron could displace Delta

Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron could displace the Delta variant of the coronavirus because infection with the new variant boosts immunity to the older one. The study…

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Booster shots required for entry to restaurants and other activities from Jan 17/ Malta News Briefing – Thursday 23 December 2021

Updated 1223 - Resignations a sign of a culture change PM Robert Abela said that the recent resignations from the Cabinet and the Labour parliamentary group hurt, even on a…

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Travel ban on southern Africa ‘inefficient’ but EU states oppose lifting – top official

Brussels is pushing to lift an "inefficient" travel ban on southern African states over the Omicron variant, but European Union nations are reluctant to drop it, the EU's commissioner for…

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Political activist claims local doctor selling vaccine passports / Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 8 December 2021

Mid-Day Briefing Political activist claims local doctor selling vaccine passports A British political activist has alleged on Twitter that people in Malta are buying vaccine passports from a doctor for…

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Malta bans flights from South African countries as new variant causes concern / Malta News Briefing – Friday 26 November 2021

Updated 1745 Times of Malta says that Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg has deflected criticism of newly completed road projects not being immune to flooding, chalking up yesterday’s flooded roads to…

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