By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) – Public health experts advising Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on Tuesday for the swift imposition of a state of emergency in the Tokyo area as daily COVID-19 cases hit a record and some citizens accused the government of dragging its feet. The government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary […]
Coronavirus pandemic Experts have raised concerns over India’s emergency approval of a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine before the completion of trials. On Sunday, Delhi approved the vaccine – known as Covaxin – as well as the global AstraZeneca Oxford jab, which is also being manufactured in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi touted the approval as a […]
By Krishna N. Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India on Sunday granted emergency approval to Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN but faced questions from industry experts and opposition lawmakers after taking the step without publishing efficacy data for the homegrown coronavirus vaccine. The news, announced by the drugs controller general of India (DCGI), was hailed by Prime Minister […]
By Alistair Smout, Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Wednesday became the first country to approve the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, hoping that rapid action will help it stem a record surge of infections driven by a highly contagious form of the virus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, which has ordered […]
Coronavirus pandemic Six cases of the more contagious variant of Covid-19 first identified in the UK have been confirmed in India. The six individuals who returned from the UK are being kept in isolation, officials said on Tuesday. India joined a list of other countries last week in suspending flights to and from the UK. […]
Coronavirus pandemic Spain is to set up a registry of people who refuse to be vaccinated against coronavirus and share it with other European Union nations, the health minister has said. Salvador Illa said the list would not be made accessible to the public or to employers. He said the way to defeat the virus […]
By Isla Binnie, Giselda Vagnoni MADRID/ROME (Reuters) -Europe launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive on Sunday with pensioners and medics lining up to get the first shots to see off a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide. “Thank God,” 96-year-old Araceli Hidalgo said as she became the first person in […]
By Reuters Staff MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s president Vladimir Putin will receive the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a Russian state TV channel on Sunday. “He said he will be vaccinated, he made this decision and was waiting until all formalities are completed,” the spokesman was quoted as saying […]
Coronavirus pandemic Spain has confirmed four cases of the more contagious coronavirus variant recently identified in the UK – the latest European country to do so. The infections – all in Madrid – were linked to recent UK travel, the regional deputy health chief said. France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy have also reported cases […]
By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Friday said political and business leaders must not allow market forces and patent laws to take priority over making Covid 19 vaccines available to all, condemning nationalism and “the virus of radical individualism”. In a sign of the times, Francis delivered […]
