covid

China must be ‘more honest’ on COVID origins, envoy says

China must be more honest about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. ambassador to China said on Monday, after reports that the U.S. Energy Department concluded the pandemic…

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EU agrees coordinated approach in wake of changing COVID situation

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union Health Security Committee said on Tuesday EU member states agreed on a "coordinated approach" to the changing COVID-19 situation, adding that included implications for…

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Pandemic curbs linked to early start to Europe’s winter flu season

By Natalie Grover LONDON, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Pandemic restrictions that hampered the circulation of viruses other than COVID-19 could be behind the unseasonably early upsurge in respiratory infections in Europe this…

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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…

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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 warns against extra ‘layers’ of COVID curbs as outbreaks widen

BEIJING, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities should take a more targeted approach to tackle COVID outbreaks and rectify any extra "layers" of measures, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported…

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Fauci, face of U.S. COVID response, to step down from government posts

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official who became the face of America's COVID-19 pandemic response under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, announced on Monday he is…

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EU regulator begins review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s variant-adapted COVID shot

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a rolling review of a variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, it said on Tuesday. The so-called bivalent vaccine targets two strains of…

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EU estimates up to 80% of population has had COVID

The European Commission said that between 60% and 80% of the EU population was estimated to have been infected with COVID-19, as the bloc enters a post-emergency phase in which mass reporting of…

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Barbie debuts doll in likeness of British COVID-19 vaccine developer

British coronavirus vaccine developer Sarah Gilbert has many science accolades to her credit but now shares an honor with Beyonce, Marilyn Monroe and Eleanor Roosevelt: a Barbie doll in her…

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Olympic host Tokyo asks for more hospital beds as COVID-19 infections rise

Olympic host city Tokyo has asked hospitals to prepare more beds for COVID-19 patients as the Japanese capital grapples with a rise in infections, broadcaster TBS said on Tuesday. Daily infections in…

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Malta News Briefing – Sunday 18 July 2021

Headline Update (1910h) - Minister for the Elderly Michael Farrugia has tested positive to Covid-19. The minister announced the infection on his Facebook page. The minister said he will be…

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Malta: – Language schools lament ‘unwarranted’ and ‘disproportionate’ closure order

FELTOM and its member schools were unprepared and shocked by the Government’s unexpected and rigid decision to close down ELT schools. The sudden announcement of the closure of a specific…

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Israel urges vaccination for all teens, citing Delta variant

Israel recommended that all 12-15 year-olds be vaccinated against COVID-19, citing new outbreaks attributed to the more infectious Delta variant. Israel expanded vaccine eligibility to include adolescents last month but until…

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Mastercard drops branding from Copa America amid COVID concerns

Mastercard Inc has decided to temporarily remove its branding from the Copa America amid criticism over a last-minute decision to host the soccer tournament in Brazil, which is struggling with…

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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…

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Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 17 March 2021

Updated 0833 - Newspaper Review Malta Today leads with claims by Vince Muscat that lawyer David Gatt made contact between 2014 and 2015about a plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia.…

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237 new Covid-19 cases – Malta News Briefing – Saturday 27 February 2021

Updated 1311 - Low income persons to receive difference on increasing rents Low income persons, pensioners and persons receiving social benefits will receive up to a maximum difference of €10,000…

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Dutch PM says curfew needed despite legal order to drop it

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called on the country to respect a night-time curfew, saying it was still needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic despite a court ruling earlier on Tuesday that the…

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Von der Leyen defends delays in securing vaccinations, defends need to ensure European unity

The European Union has underestimated how hard it would be for pharmaceutical companies to manufacture coronavirus vaccines on a vast scale, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, adding…

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French Govt still hoping to avoid third lockdown

France's main COVID-19 indicators have reached two-month highs on average on Monday and the country's ski lifts will remain closed throughout February but the government is still hoping to avoid…

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Maltese Editorials’ Perspectives

The Times of Malta says that COVID has exposed the vulnerability of the country’s air connectivity, with airlines substantially reducing the routes they service. The Malta Independent says that the…

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EU parliament chief asks leaders for more money to unlock EU recovery package

European Parliament President David Sassoli asked EU leaders on Thursday to increase the bloc's next seven-year budget by 39 billion euros to revive stalled negotiations on a recovery package for the bloc's recession-torn…

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EU health agency warns of “true resurgence” of Covid-19

The European Union’s health agency has called on member states that are seeing an increase in cases of coronavirus to reinstate control measures, while it warned of a “true resurgence”…

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Malta-24 – News Briefing – Tuesday 7th July 2020

Updated 1508 - PM meeting with EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy PM Robert Abela is this afternoon meeting with Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for…

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Malta-24 – News Briefing – Thursday 1st July 2020

Updated 1233 - No new cases of coronavirus Malta is fast approaching Covid-free status, with three persons recovering during the past 24 hours. As there were no new cases during…

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UNICEF airlifts COVID-19 testing kits to Yemen to boost response as cases soar

A first batch of 10,000 COVID-19 tests arrived in Sana’a on a UNICEF-chartered plane today, to increase the COVID-19 testing capacity amid the rapid increase of cases in Yemen. An…

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More than a thousand new cases in the UK as non-essential retail outlets re-open in England

The United Kingdom's death toll from confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 38 to 41,736 as of 1600 GMT on June 14, according to government data released on Monday. There…

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Italy ends week with 72 deaths and 197 new cases

Italy reported 53 new COVID-19 deaths on Sunday against 72 a day earlier and 197 new cases, down from 270 the day before, the Civil Protection department said. The total death…

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European Commission approves a €5.3million COVID-19 R&D Fund for Malta

The European Commission has approves a €5.3million COVID-19 Research & Development Fund for Malta. The aim of this Fund will be to provide innovative and/or improved approaches with regards to…

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