TOKYO: A Japanese advisory panel is set to approve the expansion of tougher measures against Covid-19 to 18 additional regions today, putting more than 70 per cent of the country under restrictions. The western prefectures of Osaka and Kyoto are among the areas covered by the measures, taken in response […]
Healthcare
NEW YORK: Merck & Co’s antiviral pill will be evaluated in a large British trial as a possible treatment for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, amid the worldwide spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The pill, molnupiravir, has been approved by Britain for use in people with mild to […]
NEW DELHI: India’s Covid-19 infections, led by the Omicron variant, may see a sharp rise in the coming weeks, some top experts said, noting that the variant was already in community transmission and hospitals were seeing more patients despite a decline in cases in major cities. India reported 306,064 new […]
NUKU’ALOFA: The Tonga volcanic eruption unleashed explosive forces that dwarfed the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, Nasa scientists have said, as survivors on Monday described how the devastating Pacific blast “messed up our brains”. The Nasa Earth Observatory said the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano spewed debris as high as […]
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to end most Covid-19 measures introduced to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in England as he looks to live with the virus and fully reopen the economy after an apparent peak in cases. Britain was the first country to […]
Having limited the spread of the coronavirus through tough restrictions earlier in the pandemic, Australia is now suffering record caseloads from the Omicron variant. Australia has likely neared the peak of its Omicron wave, authorities said on Saturday, but warned daily infections will linger near record levels for “the next […]
SYDNEY: Australia has likely neared the peak of its Omicron wave, authorities said today, but warned daily infections will linger near record levels for “the next few weeks” after more than 100,000 cases were reported for a fourth straight day. Having limited the spread of the coronavirus through tough restrictions […]
BEIJING: The southern Chinese city of Zhuhai suspended public bus routes today after announcing it had detected at least seven cases of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant there and warning residents not to leave the city. The coastal city of Zhuhai, which borders the gambling hub Macau, said late […]
JAKARTA: A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Java island today, the United States Geological Survey said, as buildings were reported shaking in the capital Jakarta. The quake hit to the island’s southwest and at a depth of 37 kilometres (23 miles) at 0905 GMT, the USGS said. No tsunami warning […]
Spain, the Netherlands and other countries are introducing new rules on wearing masks. Italy, Spain and other European countries are re-instating or stiffening mask mandates as their hospitals struggle with mounting numbers of Covid-19 patients. Other nations, like the Netherlands, are considering introducing masking rules. In Italy’s case, the use […]