The United States on Wednesday authorised Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill for high-risk people aged 12 and up, as a surge of cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant threatened holiday plans and Americans struggled to find tests. Paxlovid, which comprises two types of tablet, was granted an emergency use authorisation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) […]
Thirteen million people in a major Chinese city were under strict stay-at-home orders starting Thursday to stop the spread of Covid-19, as authorities scramble to keep their zero-case strategy six weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics. Xi’an — home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors — sharply tightened travel restrictions and told residents to stay home, […]
Two studies from Britain published Wednesday showed Covid infections with Omicron are less likely to result in hospitalisation compared to the Delta variant, the latest research confirming a trend first identified in South Africa. The preliminary studies — one paper from Scotland and the other from England — were cautiously welcomed by experts, who nonetheless stressed that […]
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to take up disputes over the Biden administration’s nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses and a separate vaccine requirement for healthcare workers. The brief court order said the court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 7 in the two cases. The court delayed action on emergency requests […]
Top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that attending large gatherings of over 40 people is not considered safe for vaccinated people, even those who got a booster dose. “There are many of these parties that have 30, 40, 50 people in which you do not know the vaccination status of individuals. […]
California will require healthcare workers and workers in “high-risk congregate settings” to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster by Feb. 1, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday, as part of the state’s response to the highly transmissible Omnicron variant. The mandate follows a Sept. 30 mandate for the state’s healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated. Workers […]
A New York City neighborhood is fully turned on for Christmas, drawing throngs to its annual light show, even as the Omicron variant puts a damper on celebrations. Residents in Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights vie to outdo each other with colorful displays of snowmen, nativity scenes, reindeer, nutcrackers, candy canes and light-studded trees and bushes. For […]
The World Health Organization chief warned Wednesday that the rush in wealthy countries to roll out additional Covid-19 vaccine doses was deepening the global inequity in access to jabs and thereby prolonging the pandemic. The UN health agency has long warned about the glaring inequity in access to Covid vaccines, which has left many vulnerable people in poorer nations without […]
U.S. President Joe Biden said he received another COVID-19 test on Wednesday, five days after exposure to the virus from a member of his staff, but has not received the results yet. Biden tested negative for the virus three days after he was exposed. The president made the comments to reporters after public remarks during […]
France started vaccinating children from the age of five on Wednesday as governments scramble to contain fresh virus surges driven by the Omicron variant. French health workers began administering Pfizer-BioNTech jabs to children aged between five and 11 in the government’s latest step to combat a fresh wave of cases. The move came just two […]