covid

Chinese government delcares a “decisive victory” in the battle against COVID-19

Leave a Comment / covid / By Christopher Nial

In what could well be an ironic “storm before the lull” sort of statement, the Chinese government has declared a “decisive victory” in the battle against COVID-19, even as the figures show otherwise. Furthermore, the government is claiming it has wrought “a miracle in the history of human civilization” in successfully steering China through the …

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Clinical trials show promising results for sleeping sickness drug; The latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / Democratic Republic of Congo, Featured, infectious diseases, News, Newsletter, sars-cov-2 / By chris

A new drug that can treat human African trypanosomiasis—commonly known as sleeping sickness—with just one dose has shown promise in a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea. www.science.org/content/article/news-at-a-glance-snags-emissions-monitoring-negotiations-biodiversity-sleeping-sickness? The rare disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly. Left untreated, it is deadly. …

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Omicron sub-variant now sweeping India; The latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, infectious diseases, News, respiratory, sars-cov-2 / By chris

An Omicron sub-variant that is spreading rapidly in India and has been detected in several European countries may be more effective than other coronavirus strains at overcoming immunity provided by prior infection and vaccines. BA.2.75, which has been nicknamed Centaurus, appeared to have mutated in a way that could indicate “major immune escape”, said the …

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China reiterates commitment to “zero-COVID”; The latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, infectious diseases, News, sars-cov-2 / By chris

Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to zero-COVID, declaring “persistence is victory”, as Shanghai and Beijing were hit with new lockdowns, shutdowns, and mass testing drives just a week after the cities celebrated the easing of restrictions. (www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/xi-jinping-says-persistence-is-victory-as-covid-restrictions-return-to-shanghai-and-beijing) In response to China’s worst outbreak of the pandemic, Shanghai spent months under an arduous and strict citywide …

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China COVID-19 cases double in a day; the latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, infectious diseases, News, sars-cov-2 / By chris

China reported nearly 3,400 daily COVID-19 cases on Sunday, double the previous day, forcing lockdowns in virus hotspots as the country contends with its gravest outbreak in two years www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/13/china-battles-worst-covid-outbreak-for-two-years-as-cases-double-in-24-hours? A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several north-eastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of …

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COVID-19 sourced to a market in Wuhan? The latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, infectious diseases, News / By chris

Scientists released a pair of extensive studies on Saturday that point to a market in Wuhan, China, as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. Analysing data from a variety of sources, they concluded that the coronavirus was very likely present in live mammals sold in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in late 2019 and suggested …

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5.5 million fatalities attributed to COVID-19; the latest health stories from around the world

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, infectious diseases, News / By chris

Virtually two years since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a pandemic, COVID-19 has already accounted for close on 350 million cases and more than 5.5 million fatalities. The “good” news is that the faster it spreads these days, the lower its deaths. The Omicron variant appears to be a more benevolent avatar though …

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EU putting weight behind Ethiopia’s Tedros for a second term in WHO DG role

Leave a Comment / Featured, infectious diseases, News, sars-cov-2 / By chris

Tedros 2.0? German government sources told Reuters on 23 September that Berlin would officially nominate Tedros as the Director General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the second time around and was seeking support from other European Union (EU) member states. At least 17 EU states have said they would also submit his …

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Pandemic preparedness: better late than never

Leave a Comment / covid, Featured, respiratory / By chris

Billion-dollar plan Almost as if to make up for the lost Trump year during the pandemic, the White House has put together an ambitious new plan with a $65.3 billion price tag that could transform the way the United States responds to pandemics by vastly accelerating vaccine development, testing, and production. But is the plan big enough? Announced on 03 September, the scheme hopes to launch with …

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