Health

SHANGHAI: A senior Chinese expert said the United States should be the priority in the next phase of investigations into the origin of COVID-19 after a study showed the disease could have been circulating there as early as December 2019, state media said on Thursday. The study, published this week by the US National Institutes for Health (NIH), showed that …

TOKYO: Japan will decide this month on whether to allow domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, the government’s chief spokesman said on Wednesday, after experts signed off on a plan to allow crowds of up to 10,000 people at events. The final call on attendance at the Games will be made taking into account coronavirus infection conditions and the prevalence …

German biotech CureVac said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study’s main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union. The disappointing efficacy of the shot known as CVnCoV emerged from an interim analysis based on 134 COVID-19 cases in the …

Britain is looking at easing travel restrictions, including allowing those who are double vaccinated against Covid-19 to enjoy a foreign holiday without intrusive red tape, a step that indicates vaccine passports are firmly back on the agenda. Countries in the European Union (EU) last week agreed to an easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid …

cISLAMABAD: An initial assessment carried out by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has revealed that most universities in Pakistan are not well-equipped to offer education through online mode as of the total 205 universities only 40 had well-established learning management system. The universities in Pakistan have been compelled to adopt an online mode of education to protect their faculty members, …

LONDON: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ COVID-19 antibody cocktail reduces deaths in hospitalised patients who have not mounted their own antibody response, a large British study published on Wednesday found. The therapy, REGEN-COV, has been granted emergency use authorisation for people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in the United States, but results from the RECOVERY trial provide the clearest evidence of its effectiveness among hospitalised …

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Tuesday announced an increase of 30 per cent in the health allocation for financial year 2021-22 while setting aside Rs24.73 billion to combat coronavirus pandemic and separately earmarking Rs.1.5bn for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines. In his budget speech, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah declared the health sector as the priority of his …

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan on Wednesday said that a Covid-19 vaccine shortage being reported at some vaccination centres was a temporary issue, adding that the situation is expected to improve after June 20. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Sultan said that a shortage of vaccines had been reported at some busy …

KARACHI: A serious shortage of Covid-19 vaccines halted the vaccination process at the Expo Centre facility on Tuesday morning, forcing many people to return home without vaccination. Sources said the vaccine shortage at the Expo Centre had a ripple effect on other vaccination centres as their stocks were directed towards the mega vaccination centre. They also said that shortage of …

ISLAMABAD: While around one million people have been declared Covid-19 positive through lab tests, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) lacks a clear policy regarding vaccination of those who have contracted the virus. On the other hand, as the demand for the Pfizer vaccine increased, the government has decided to administer the vaccine only to immuno-compromised persons. Moreover, the …