MELBOURNE: New Zealand today reported seven new cases of the coronavirus as a lockdown in the country’s biggest city, Auckland, was extended yesterday in response to the country’s first coronavirus outbreak in months. Six of the seven new cases have been linked to the cluster responsible for all the previous […]
Healthcare
SHANGHAI: Alibaba-owned supermarket chain Freshippo said today it has shut 21 off its Shenzhen stores and was requiring all its employees in the city to undergo tests for the novel coronavirus after three cases were found at one of its outlets there. Freshippo said two brand promoters and one staff […]
LOS ANGELES: California became the first US state to surpass 600,000 cases of Covid-19 yesterday and the Midwest saw several record one-day rises as some states struggled to contain the pandemic even as a few welcomed students back to school campuses. California went over 603,000 novel coronavirus cases yesterday, according […]
Pupils across Britain were unable to sit summer exams as planned due to the Covid-19 lockdown and instead have received a moderated grade based on an assessment by their school or teacher. LONDON: The British government faced criticism on Thursday after education officials downgraded more than a third of […]
OTTAWA: Canada is planning for a “reasonable worst case scenario” in which new waves of the coronavirus would intermittently swamp the public health system and send the death toll soaring, officials said on Friday (Aug 14). Under the scenario, there would be a large peak later this year followed by […]
NEW YORK: The United States is tying payments for COVID-19 vaccines to timing milestones for production and approval, according to public documents and a Trump administration official, putting pressure on drugmakers including Moderna to meet ambitious targets. In a deal with Moderna announced this week, federal agencies negotiated a sliding […]
SHANGHAI: Chinese shoppers on Friday (Aug 14) expressed dismay at news that traces of the coronavirus had been found on imported frozen food, with some saying they would avoid the products. Two cities in China on Thursday found the virus in frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil and shrimp from […]
WELLINGTON: New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first Covid-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country plunged back into lockdown today. The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions on […]
SEOUL: South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual joint military drills this week but without mobilising US-based troops after scaling back the programme due to COVID-19 concerns, South Korean media reported on Wednesday (Aug 12). The allies have been discussing how to adjust the exercises, which […]
SYDNEY: Australia recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic today and the biggest daily rise in infections in three days, denting hopes that a second wave gripping the state of Victoria may be stabilising. Victoria reported 21 deaths — two more than the previous deadliest days earlier this week […]