Germany to start Omicron-adapted COVID vaccinations next week

BERLIN: Germany can next week start using COVID-19 vaccines which have been adapted for the Omicron variant and got approval for use in the European Union on Thursday, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said. He said approval of the BA.1 vaccine was a quantum leap in the fight against the pandemic as vaccines were now available that work well against all previously known virus variants. “From next week, vaccinations can begin with the new doses. Now is the optimal time to close the gaps in vaccination for the autumn,” he said in a statement. On the other hand, Britain’s medicines regulator on Friday approved Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 12 and 17 years. Read more: Britain approves Novavax COVID vaccine for 12-17 year-olds The mRNA vaccines made by Moderna as well as the partnership between Pfizer-BioNTech are also cleared for use by this age group, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said. In the 12 through 17 year-old population, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine has been granted authorization in the U.S., India, the European Union, Australia, Japan, Thailand, and New Zealand, and is actively under review in other markets.

Comments

#Germany #start #Omicronadapted #COVID #vaccinations #week https://www.globalcourant.com/germany-to-start-omicron-adapted-covid-vaccinations-next-week/?feed_id=19101&_unique_id=63118263dc68c

Time for Covid reality check after 1 mn deaths this year: WHO

GENEVA: The World Health Organization’s Covid chief said Friday it was time for a reality check on the virus after the millionth death from the disease this year. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead Covid-19, said the toll was “heartbreaking” because the tests, treatments, vaccines and public health measures to control the disease were all available. “Given we’re in the third year of the pandemic, it’s… all the more so tragic given that we have the tools that can actually prevent these deaths,” she told a live interaction on the WHO’s social media channels. “A lot of us have become numb to the numbers. “We need a reality check. We really need to take stock of where we are. We should not be in a position with 14,000 or 15,000 people dying every week. We just shouldn’t.” Van Kerkhove insisted that the pandemic was not over, but it could be brought to an end while people continue to live their daily lives. “We just need to put a little extra thought into that, of being a bit more careful,” she said. “A lot of people are talking about living with Covid. But we need to live with this responsibly. “A million deaths this year is not living with Covid. Having 15,000 deaths per week is not living with Covid-19 responsibly.” Nearly 6.45 million deaths have been reported to the WHO since the virus was first detected in China in late 2019. More than 5.3 million new cases were reported to the UN health agency last week. “These are huge numbers, and that’s an underestimate,” said Van Kerkhove, with home testing not being reflected in surveillance data. “We do see this virus circulating really intensely around the world. “The virus is not going away, unfortunately.”

Comments

#Time #Covid #reality #check #deaths #year https://www.globalcourant.com/time-for-covid-reality-check-after-1-mn-deaths-this-year-who/?feed_id=16329&_unique_id=630961fcc54ee

Breaking News Live Updates - 23 August 2022: China Announces Plan to Issue Visas to Stranded Indian Students After 2 Years of Delay Due to Covid

FOR 23rd August 2022

By News18/ Updated: August 23, 2022, 05:55 IST

Minute-by-minute news updates of happenings from around the world, with special focus on India. From daily coronavirus news about the probable third wave, number of infections, vaccination, and reopening of places and activities to all developments in the fields of politics, education, business, entertainment and sports – everything you to need to know, as it happens, and all in one place. Get instant news about elections, governments and political parties; updates on school and college exam results and admissions; and information about developments in the stock market, start-up sector and buzz about cryptocurrencies. If movies, daily soaps, web series and music are your interests, read latest updates about film and TV celebrities, their work and their personal lives, along with a sprinkling of gossip. Get news about trends in showbiz and exclusive interviews with your favourite stars. Find...Read More

Read more

If movies, daily soaps, web series and music are your interests, read latest updates about film and TV celebrities, their work and their personal lives, along with a sprinkling of gossip. Get news about trends in showbiz and exclusive interviews with your favourite stars. Find out what celebrities are posting on Instagram and Twitter and get quick updates about their lives. Sports lovers can follow ball-by-ball commentary of cricket matches involving India, latest news about football, tennis, Formula One, badminton and various other Olympic sports. All-in-all, if it is news, then News18.com’s breaking news live updates page is your one-stop-shop.

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/breaking-news-live-updates-23-august-2022-china-announces-plan-to-issue-visas-to-stranded-indian-students-after-2-years-of-delay-due-to-covid/?feed_id=14544&_unique_id=63046664b15d1

CDC admits Covid response fell short, launches reorganization

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is reorganizing the agency, saying it didn't react quickly enough during the Covid pandemic, according an internal review of the agency's operations released on Wednesday.

Walensky laid out several organizational changes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will take over the coming months to correct missteps and failures that occurred during the last 2.5 years of the pandemic, according to a fact sheet.

"For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," Walensky said in a statement.  "My goal is a new, public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness."

The central objectives of the reorganization are focused on sharing scientific data faster and making it easier for the public to understand health guidance, according to the briefing document. Walensky launched the review in April after the massive winter surge of infections from the omicron variant upended the nation's public health response.

The CDC repeatedly faced criticism during the pandemic for confusing public health recommendations and releasing data too slowly through retrospective reports that were outpaced by the rapid spread of the virus. Public health experts were often frustrated that briefings on the pandemic relied on data from other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Israel.

Walensky is appointing an executive to lead a team that will implement changes. The CDC will also create a new executive council that reports directly to Walensky to determine the agency's key priorities backed up by budget decisions.

The agency's science and laboratory sciences divisions, which play crucial roles in investigating and tracking public health threats such as Covid, will also report to the CDC director.

The CDC is also creating an equity office to make sure agency's workforce reflects the U.S. population and better communicates public health guidance across all groups.

CNBC Health & Science

Read CNBC's latest global health coverage:

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/cdc-admits-covid-response-fell-short-launches-reorganization/?feed_id=12316&_unique_id=62fd845c52300

Breaking News Live Updates - 17 August 2022: India Reports 9,062 Fresh Covid Cases, 15,220 Recoveries in Last 24 Hours

FOR 17th August 2022

By News18/ Updated: August 17, 2022, 05:55 IST

Minute-by-minute news updates of happenings from around the world, with special focus on India. From daily coronavirus news about the probable third wave, number of infections, vaccination, and reopening of places and activities to all developments in the fields of politics, education, business, entertainment and sports – everything you to need to know, as it happens, and all in one place.

Get instant news about elections, governments and political parties; updates on school and college exam results and admissions; and information about developments in the stock market, start-up sector and buzz about cryptocurrencies.

If movies, daily soaps, web series and music are your interests, read latest updates about film and TV celebrities, their work and their personal lives, along with a sprinkling of gossip. Get news about trends in showbiz and exclusive interviews with your favourite stars. Find...Read More

Read more

If movies, daily soaps, web series and music are your interests, read latest updates about film and TV celebrities, their work and their personal lives, along with a sprinkling of gossip. Get news about trends in showbiz and exclusive interviews with your favourite stars. Find out what celebrities are posting on Instagram and Twitter and get quick updates about their lives.

Sports lovers can follow ball-by-ball commentary of cricket matches involving India, latest news about football, tennis, Formula One, badminton and various other Olympic sports.

All-in-all, if it is news, then News18.com’s breaking news live updates page is your one-stop-shop.

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/breaking-news-live-updates-17-august-2022-india-reports-9062-fresh-covid-cases-15220-recoveries-in-last-24-hours/?feed_id=11945&_unique_id=62fc7672eeb4e

Kim Jong-un's sister warns South Korea of 'retaliation' over Covid

North Korea's Kim Yo-jong blames Seoul's propaganda leaflets for the country's Covid outbreak even as Pyongyang declares "shining victory" against the disease.

"It is very worrisome that South Korea is sending leaflets, money, sloppy brochures and items into our region," says Kim Yo-jong. (Reuters Archive)

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has accused the South of causing a Covid outbreak in the country and warned of "retaliation", as Pyongyang declared "victory" over its outbreak.

Despite a ban that took effect in 2021, South Korean activists have for years flown balloons containing propaganda leaflets and US dollars over the border, which Pyongyang has long protested against.

On Thursday, Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, blamed these activities for the country's Covid outbreak, saying they were a "crime against humanity", the official Korea Central News Agency reported.

She said that many countries –– and the World Health Organization –– have acknowledged "the danger of spreading an infectious disease through contacting contaminated objects", according to the report.

"It is very worrisome that South Korea is sending leaflets, money, sloppy brochures and items into our region," she said.

Yo-jong warned that Pyongyang was considering "a strong retaliatory response", adding that if the balloons continued, "we will respond by eradicating not only the virus but also the South Korean authorities".

South Korea's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs expressed regret.

"We express strong regrets over North Korea repeatedly making groundless claims over the route of the Covid and making very disrespectful and threatening remarks," the ministry said in a statement.

'Shining victory' against Covid

North Korea has previously said that "alien things" near the border with the South caused the Covid outbreak in the isolated country, a claim that Seoul has rejected.

Seoul last month said there have been "no officially verified cases of Covid infections via post or materials".

Yo-jong's comments come as her brother declared a "shining victory" in the battle against Covid-19 after officials reported no new cases of the virus for nearly two weeks.

North Korea has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poorly equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid-19 treatment drugs or vaccines, experts say.

Even Kim Jong-un apparently suffered from Covid, according to Yo-jong's comments.

Kim "was suffering from high fever during the days of this quarantine war, but he could not lie down for a moment as he was thinking about the people he was responsible for", his sister said.

Source: AFP

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/kim-jong-uns-sister-warns-south-korea-of-retaliation-over-covid/?feed_id=9299&_unique_id=62f47b68086d3

North Korea reports no new fever cases for first time since Covid outbreak

North Korea said earlier this month it was on a path to "finally defuse" its first publicly declared coronavirus crisis even as Asian neighbours experience a resurgence in infections driven by Omicron subvariants.

The official KCNA news agency says 99.99% of its 4.77 million fever patients since late April have fully recovered, but because of an apparent lack of testing, it has not released any figures on people who tested positive for the virus. (Getty Images)

North Korea has not reported any fever cases for the first time in more than two months since it confirmed its first Covid-19 infections in May.

"There were no new fever patients reported" over a 24-hour period from Thursday evening, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Saturday, marking the first time the isolated country had reported no new cases since it began tallying numbers in May.

While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the start of the pandemic, experts have said that massive Omicron outbreaks in neighbouring countries meant it was only a matter of time before Covid snuck in.

North Korea has recorded nearly 4.8 million infections since late April, KCNA said, adding "99.994 percent" of them had fully recovered with just 204 patients under treatment.

Apparently due to a lack of testing capacity, North Korea refers to "fever patients" rather than "Covid patients" in case reports.

READ MORE:North Korea claims close to end of Covid crisis amid fresh surge in Asia

Zero cases

The country has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poorly-equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid-19 treatment drugs or mass testing ability, experts say.

Pyongyang announced its first coronavirus cases on May 12 and activated a "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system", with leader Kim Jong Un putting himself front and centre of the government's response.

North Korea has not vaccinated any of its roughly 25 million people, having rejected jabs offered by the World Health Organisation.

The North said in late May it started seeing "progress" in controlling the outbreak but experts have cast doubts on the claim, citing the country's crumbling health infrastructure and unvaccinated population.

There have been widespread outside doubts about the accuracy of North Korean statistics as its reported fatalities are too low and its daily fever cases have been plummeting too fast recently.

There were three reported cases on Friday and 11 on Thursday — from a peak of about 400,000 a day in May.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said last month he assumed the situation in North Korea was "getting worse not better", though he acknowledged Pyongyang had provided very limited information.

South Korea previously offered to send vaccines and other medical aid to the North to help it deal with its coronavirus outbreak. Pyongyang has not officially responded.

READ MORE: North Korea's Kim blasts officials for failing to deal with Covid

Source: AP

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/north-korea-reports-no-new-fever-cases-for-first-time-since-covid-outbreak/?feed_id=4215&_unique_id=62e4ed492b0af

Covid is still causing havoc around the world

Covid is still causing havoc around the world
Source https://www.globalcourant.com/covid-is-still-causing-havoc-around-the-world/?feed_id=2974&_unique_id=62e1876e423df

COVID positivity rate sees slight decline after nearing 3% in Pakistan

Citizens wearing face masks amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus, wait in a queue in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 19, 2021. — AFP/File

• Pakistan reports 532 COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours.
• Country's positivity ratio stands at 2.74%.
• COVID-19 claims three more lives overnight.

---

The COVID-19 positivity ratio in Pakistan has witnessed a slight decline after nearing 3% for several days, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data showed Sunday morning.

Pakistan reported 532 COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, which placed the country's coronavirus positivity ratio at 2.74%. The new infections were detected after diagnostic testing on 19,402 samples.

Moreover, the virus claimed the lives of three more people overnight, pushing the country's COVID-19 death toll to 30,467.

Meanwhile, 179 coronavirus patients are being treated in critical care units of different medical facilities across the country.

What is COVID BA.5 variant and why is it reinfecting so many people?

BA5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally.

According to the World Health Organisation’s most recent report, it was behind 52% of cases sequenced in late June, up from 37% in one week. In the United States, it is estimated to be causing around 65% of infections.

Rising case numbers

BA5 is not new. First identified in January, it has been tracked by the WHO since April.

It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has been dominant worldwide since the end of 2021 and has already caused spikes in case rates – even with reduced testing – in countries including South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and Australia.

Coronavirus cases worldwide have now been rising for four weeks in a row, WHO data showed.

Why is it spreading

Like its closely related sibling, BA4, BA5 is particularly good at evading the immune protection afforded either by vaccination or prior infection.

For this reason, “BA5 has a growth advantage over the other sublineages of Omicron that are circulating,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a news briefing on Tuesday.

For many people, this means that they are getting re-infected, often even a short time after having COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said the WHO is assessing reports of re-infections.

“We have ample evidence that people who’ve been infected with Omicron are getting infected with BA5. No question about it,” said Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/covid-positivity-rate-sees-slight-decline-after-nearing-3-in-pakistan/?feed_id=1174&_unique_id=62dcde9df1119