TAIPEI: Taiwan’s government today granted emergency use authorisation for AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine, with shots expected to be administered as soon as within seven days of arrival. In December, Taiwan said it had agreed to buy almost 20 million vaccine doses, including 10 million from AstraZeneca and 4.76 million doses […]
Healthcare
THE HAGUE: The Dutch government asked appeals judges today to overturn a court order scrapping a coronavirus curfew, comparing the pandemic to waters overwhelming the low-lying country’s famed dykes. The hearing came on a crunch day for the Netherlands’ anti-Covid measures with the senate set to vote on a fast-track […]
TOKYO: Japan confirmed a new variant of Covid-19, and an infection cluster emerged at a Tokyo immigration facility, presenting new challenges as the country tries to overcome a third wave of the pandemic. The new variant has been found in 91 cases in the Kanto area of eastern Japan and […]
SYDNEY: Australia’s second-most populous city could be placed under a five-day snap lockdown, local media reported today, potentially limiting crowds at the Australian Open major tennis tournament. A fresh Covid-19 cluster linked to a quarantine hotel in Melbourne, capital of Victoria state, reached 13 cases as of Thursday midnight as […]
Mexico’s vaccination drive has gotten off to a slow start, and officials in Latin America’s second-largest economy are hoping to source millions of doses from China to boost their efforts amid global vaccines shortages and delays. Mexico has authorized emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac and CanSino COVID-19 vaccines, Mexico’s […]
BANGKOK: Thailand today reported 157 new coronavirus cases, taking its total infections to 23,903. One additional death was reported, taking fatalities to 80 recorded overall, the coronavirus taskforce said. Thailand’s daily cases so far this week are among the lowest numbers reported since its latest and biggest outbreak emerged in […]
China has decided to provide 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to COVAX to meet the urgent needs of developing countries, at the request of the WHO, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. China on Wednesday said it would provide 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the global COVAX […]
SYDNEY: Australia’s second-most populous city reintroduced coronavirus restrictions from today after an Australian Open hotel quarantine worker tested positive to Covid-19, sending more than 500 tennis players and officials into isolation. Melbourne returned to mandatory masks indoors and a cap on gatherings to 15 people after the state’s run of […]
SYDNEY: New Zealand, Vietnam and Taiwan rank the top three in a Covid Performance Index of almost 100 countries for their successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with Britain and America near the bottom of the pile. The Lowy Institute said its index published today excludes China, where the first […]
SYDNEY: Coronavirus-induced border restrictions separating Australia’s three most populous states were set to be eased, authorities said today, as the country recorded its 11th straight day of zero Covid-19 cases. Australian states imposed quarantine and hard border restrictions for travellers from New South Wales (NSW) state after an outbreak in […]