Health

China’s Suzhou Abogen Biosciences said its COVID-19 vaccine candidate using the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology and targeting the Omicron variant has obtained clinical trial approval in the United Arab Emirates. With Friday’s announcement, Abogen joins Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna in trialing candidates modified specifically against Omicron, a highly transmissible variant with increased resistance to antibodies elicited by existing shots. Mainland China …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates discussed Pakistan’s commitment to polio eradication, and the Covid-19 situation in the country in a telephone call, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Gates appreciated the army for supporting the country’s polio …

Africa is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases largely driven by a doubling in cases reported in South Africa, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. “This week new COVID-19 cases and deaths on the continent increased for the first time after a decline of more than two months for cases and one month for deaths,” Benido Impouma, director for …

Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Thursday it asked US regulators to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 6, which would make it the first shot against the coronavirus available for those under 5-years-old. The COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) is authorized for children 5 and older. But their trial results for 2- to 4-year-olds …

PESHAWAR: A two-day anti-polio drive will kick off in Bannu and North Waziristan districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. A polio case had been reported on North Waziristan which was confirmed by the national polio laboratory on April 22. According to the emergency operation centre, the poliovirus case was reported in KP province after 21 months. Earlier, the NEOC …

A Finnish research team from the University of Helsinki found the optimal dietary combination to meet nutritional needs and also minimise global warming potential, with the help of computer modelling. The study found that if people replace meat and dairy products with future foods such as making lab-made meat, vegetable-based protein and steaks out of bovine cells, it could significantly …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephonic conversation with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), on Tuesday. The ongoing public health and social sector programmes supported by the Foundation in Pakistan were discussed, including polio eradication and its support towards improving immunisation, nutrition and financial inclusion services in Pakistan. While noting that only one …

ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR: After Pakistan recently reported its first case of the wild poliovirus after a gap of 15 months, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday vowed to provide and utilise all available resources to eradicate the crippling disease from Pakistan permanently. He was presiding over a high-level meeting on the eradication of polio from sensitive districts of the country. …

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has visited Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) today and inspected different faculties of the hospital in Lahore. During his visit, PM Sharif followed the PKLI regulations and sought recommendations from the physicians to bring improvements to the hospital. He said that he had visited the hospital in March 2018. He questioned PKLI staffers whether …

An experimental treatment from Shionogi & Co Ltd has shown rapid clearance of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new data, the Japanese drug maker said on Sunday. The pill, S-217622, “demonstrated rapid clearance of the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus”, Shionogi said in a statement, citing Phase-2b results from the Phase II/III clinical trial of the drug. The company has …