Live news about Coronavirus: WHO Wuhan interim report to “discard”; United Kingdom investigates new variant | World News

Live news about Coronavirus: WHO Wuhan interim report to “discard”; United Kingdom investigates new variant | World News

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06:43

Daniel Hurst

The Australian government played down fears that the vaccine’s launch could be interrupted by Italy’s decision to block exports to Australia, and signaled plans to expand the Howard Springs quarantine facility for returning travelers by May.

Progress in vaccination implementation in Australia – including the impact of the sudden block on a shipment of 250,000 doses of AstraZeneca to Australia – was high on the agenda for Scott Morrison’s meeting with state and territorial leaders on Friday:











06:35

Summary

Here are the main developments from the past few hours:

  • WHO will reject interim report on the origins of the virus – report. The Wall Street Journal reported that a World Health Organization team investigating Covid’s origins is planning to undo an interim report on its recent mission to China amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington over the investigation and an appeal by an international group. of scientists for a new survey.
  • Japan will extend Tokyo’s state of emergency. The Japanese government plans to extend the state of emergency to Tokyo and three neighboring city governments to fight Covid by March 21, two weeks longer than originally scheduled, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Friday.
  • New variant of coronavirus under investigation in the United Kingdom. Scientists have identified 16 cases of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK, Public Health England announced. The cases of the variant, called VUI-202102/04, were first identified on February 15. The variant, which is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom, was designated a “variant under investigation” on 24 February.
  • The survey shows the concern of UK parents about the effect of Covid on their children’s activity. More than two-thirds of UK parents believe their children became less active during the pandemic, new research has found, putting more pressure on schools before they reopen next week.
  • Calls are growing to prioritize Italy’s priests for vaccination against Covid. Requests are growing in Italy to prioritize the vaccination of priests against Covid-19, as the death toll among members of the clergy, many of whom have helped and comforted the sick since the beginning of the pandemic, is approaching 270.
  • Australia says Italy’s blockade of the AstraZeneca vaccine is frustrating, but not crucial. On Friday, the Australian government expressed frustration with Italy’s decision to block the shipment of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine, but stressed that this would not affect the implementation of Australia’s vaccination program.
  • China to develop vaccines against major infectious diseases. China promises to develop vaccines to address major infectious diseases, part of its flurry of efforts to increase the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector, the government said on Friday in its 2021-2025 development plan.
  • Vietnam will launch vaccines on Monday. Vietnam will launch its Covid vaccination campaign on Monday, the country’s health minister said, after the country received the first batch of 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine last month.
  • Papua New Guinea hospitals run out of funding as Covid’s cases increase. Papua New Guinea is struggling to control an increase in coronavirus cases across the archipelago, just as hospitals are closing their doors because they have run out of money. The country’s bustling capital, Port Moresby, is the epicenter of the latest outbreak.
  • Australian experts warn that Covid vaccines sold on the darknet could be fraud. Three major Covid-19 vaccines are being announced for sale on the darknet – the part of the internet that is not visible to search engines and that requires specialized software to access, revealed an analysis of 15 marketplaces.
  • Jacinda Ardern announces that the Covid blockade in Auckland will be lifted on Sunday. Auckland’s seven-day blockade is due to be lifted on Sunday morning, after no new cases of coronavirus were registered in the community on Friday.
  • ‘Fear of losing’, increasing the global acceptance of Covid Jab. International research shows that confidence in the vaccine is already increasing, although relatively few countries have launched public awareness campaigns, with the fear of missing an injection suggested as a factor.
  • South Korea has approved the Pfizer vaccine. South Korea’s Ministry of Medicines Safety said on Friday that it had granted final approval for the use of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.










06:08

South Korea approves Pfizer vaccine

South Korea’s Ministry of Medicines Safety said on Friday that it had granted final approval for the use of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

The announcement came after the ministry approved a separate batch of Pfizer vaccines shipped last month through the global Cobax vaccine sharing scheme, which is being used in the ongoing vaccination campaign. The ministry also approved the AstraZeneca vaccine.











05:53

Vietnam to launch vaccines on Monday

Vietnam will launch its Covid vaccination campaign on Monday, the country’s health minister said, after the country received the first batch of 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine last month.

The vaccinations will initially be conducted in 18 hospitals that treat patients with coronavirus and areas with the highest number of infections, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said in a statement on Friday.











05:35

Calls increase to prioritize Italy’s priests for vaccination against Covid

Calls are growing in Italy to prioritize the vaccination of priests against Covid-19 as the death toll among members of the clergy, many of whom have helped and comforted the sick since the beginning of the pandemic, is approaching 270.

Dozens of dioceses, religious groups and priests have expressed support in recent weeks for the call for priests to be prioritized by Reggio Calabria Archbishop Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini, who in January told an interviewer that the Church continued to lose clergy to the disease:











05:16

‘Fear of losing’ increases global acceptance of Covid Jab

Philip Oltermann

Around the world, governments are evaluating how they can convince a large enough number of people to get the Covid-19 vaccine to obtain collective immunity.

But international research shows that confidence in the vaccine is already increasing, although relatively few countries have launched public awareness campaigns, with the fear of missing a suggested injection as a factor.

In the Imperial College London survey, the proportion of respondents who “strongly agreed” to have a vaccine if it was offered to them increased by eight percentage points or more in nine of the 14 countries surveyed between November and mid-February.

Confidence in the vaccine is exceptionally high in the United Kingdom, which has seen not only one of the most effective immunization launches in the world, but also a more proactive public information campaign than in other countries. Up to 70% of respondents expressed their desire to receive an injection in the most emphatic way possible:











04:49

Ardern announces that Covid’s Auckland lockout will be lifted on Sunday

Elle Hunt

Auckland’s seven-day blockade is due to be lifted on Sunday morning, after no new cases of coronavirus were registered in the community on Friday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Auckland will move from alert level three to level two at 6 am on Sunday, while the rest of the country will drop to level one.

The decision to downgrade Auckland to level one would be made before the following weekend:











04:38

Mardi Gras protest march to go ahead in Sydney after Covid’s last-minute exemption

Sydney’s LGBTIQ + rights protesters will march along Oxford Street while the city’s Mardi Gras will be held elsewhere after New South Wales Health granted organizers an exemption from collection restrictions.

The exemption means a legal fight between the NSW police, who tried to stop Saturday’s march, and the protesters will no longer move on.

The activist group Pride in Protest decided at the last minute to request an exemption from public health orders, approaching NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday afternoon.

Just before the court hearing began at midday on Friday, the group announced that it had secured the exemption after agreeing to better contact tracking processes.

“This is a huge victory not only for the right to protest, but for the queer community to say that the fight against transphobia and homophobia cannot wait,” the group said in a statement:











04:12

Australian experts warn that Covid vaccines sold on the darknet are probably scams

Melissa Davey

Three major Covid-19 vaccines are being announced for sale on the darknet – the part of the internet that is not visible to search engines and that requires specialized software to be accessed, revealed an analysis of 15 marketplaces.

Researchers at the global security company Kaspersky found ads for the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, as well as vendors advertising unverified vaccines:











03:33

Papua New Guinea hospitals run out of funding with Covid’s rise in cases

Papua New Guinea is struggling to control an increase in coronavirus cases across the archipelago, just as hospitals are closing their doors because they have run out of money.

The country’s bustling capital, Port Moresby, is the epicenter of the latest outbreak.

The city recorded only five cases in January and 124 in February. But 108 cases were confirmed in the first four days of March, as transmission in the community accelerates.

PNG reported only 1,492 confirmed cases for the entire pandemic, but the actual number of cases is believed to be much higher.

Less than 48,000 tests have been carried out across the country for nearly 9 million people since the pandemic began, and in many remote parts of the country, there is no testing capability at all. PNG has not yet started a vaccination program.

Health officials are also concerned about an increase in cases in the huge western province of PNG, which links the country to Indonesia and has a maritime border with Australia.

Travel between PNG and the Australian islands in the Torres Strait is generally unrestricted, but has been suspended due to the pandemic:

Updated











03:08

California will begin sending 40% of all vaccine doses to the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the state to try to inoculate those most at risk from coronavirus and open the state’s economy more quickly, said Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday. fair at the last I shake the rules of the state.

AP: The doses will be distributed among 400 CEPs, where there are about 8 million people eligible for vaccines, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, state secretary for health and human services. Many of the neighborhoods are in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley, which have the highest rates of infection.

Areas are considered more vulnerable based on metrics such as family income, education level and access to health care. Newsom said that not only is this the right thing to do, but it is also instrumental in opening up the state’s economy more.

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