Health

TORONTO: A former US ambassador to Canada said groups in the US need to cease interfering in what many call an occupation in Canada’s capital as protesters opposed to vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions held rallies in cities across the country in a show of solidarity with a week-long demonstration in Ottawa. Under no circumstances should any group in the …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has made history by administering over 5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in just three consecutive days. The country reported less than 5,000 Covid-19 cases after a gap of over 20 days. As many as 30 more persons succumbed to the virus. The announcement regarding inoculations in Pakistan was made by federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special …

GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organisation met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday for talks on Covid-19, including on the stalled investigation into the pandemic’s origins. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visiting Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, posted a picture on Twitter of the pair sitting with officials in a meeting room. “Pleased to meet with …

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19 but was not experiencing severe symptoms. “After experiencing light symptoms, my wife and I tested positive for Covid-19. We have a mild infection thankfully, which we learned to be the Omicron variant,” the 67-year-old president said in a tweet. “We remain on duty. We will …

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said on Saturday that the spike in the cases of the Omicron-driven fifth wave of Covid-19 has slightly fallen. But at the same time, he made it clear that it cannot be called a declining trend, saying that the graph of cases has just straightened. “After a …

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Alzheimer’s-like changes seen in COVID-19 patients’ brains. People who die of severe COVID-19 have brain abnormalities that resemble changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease – accumulation of a protein …

A study in monkeys pitting the current Moderna COVID-19 booster against an Omicron-specific booster showed no significant differences in protection, suggesting an Omicron-specific booster may not be needed, US government researchers reported on Friday. The study involved monkeys vaccinated with two doses of Moderna’s vaccine who were dosed nine months later with either the conventional Moderna booster or one specifically …

NEW DELHI: India’s official death toll from Covid-19 passed 500,000 on Friday, although many experts believe the real figure is likely much higher. The daily update from the country’s federal health ministry showed the number of fatalities reaching 500,055, up 1,072 in the previous 24 hours. Total infections stood at 41.9 million, according to the statistics, second only to the …

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered four staff defections on Thursday as pressure intensified on the embattled leader over lockdown parties and his loose-lipped style of politics. One of the departures was linked to an inflammatory remark made by Johnson, attacking opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer over a notorious paedophile. “Being honest, I wouldn’t have said it and I’m …

ISLAMABAD: As many as 42 people succumbed to the Covid-19 disease over the last 24 hours — the country’s highest daily death toll since Oct 6, when 46 people died in a single day. Besides, as the country con­tinues to grapple with the fifth wave of Covid-19, driven by the Omicron variant of coronavirus, 98,333 patients are in quarantine — …