Asia

South Korea mulls use of COVID-19 self-test kits amid fourth wave fears

Editorial Bureau April 13, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea’s health authorities said on Tuesday they would mull the use of coronavirus self-test kits in spite of their relatively low accuracy. The new mayor of Seoul had urged for their approval. The government had been reluctant to allow self-test kits,

World

Bill Gates says world should return to normalcy by end-2022 due to vaccines-Polish media

Editorial Bureau March 25, 2021

WARSAW (POLAND) – The world should be making a return to normalcy by the end of 2022 because of COVID-19 vaccines, said Bill Gates in an interview for Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and television broadcaster TVN24. “This is an incredible tragedy,” the Microsoft co-founder said on the pandemic, adding that the only good news was […]

Asia

Sources say Pfizer wants to make vaccine in India depending on faster clearance

Editorial Bureau March 10, 2021

NEW DELHI (DELHI) – Pfizer Inc has told the Indian government it wants to make its coronavirus vaccine locally if there is an assurance of faster regulatory clearance and freedom on pricing and exports, told two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The US company pulled an application last month seeking emergency approval for […]

UK

UK COVID cases will see a surge again even with vaccines, medical officer says

Editorial Bureau March 9, 2021

LONDON (UK) – Britain will see a rebound in coronavirus cases at some point and can’t restrict deaths from COVID-19 down to zero even the vaccine rollout is successful successful vaccine rollout, England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Tuesday. Whitty said that taking caution in re-opening the economy would affect the size and […]

Europe

Cyprus to allow Brits with COVID vaccine from May 1

Editorial Bureau March 5, 2021

NICOSIA (CYPRUS) – Cyprus will allow British tourists who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 into the country without restrictions from May 1, its tourism minister said on Thursday. British visitors are the largest market for Cyprus’s tourism industry, which has suffered from the coronavirus pandemic. Arrivals and earnings from the sector, which

UK

Single-shot COVID vaccine could be weeks away in UK – The Telegraph

Editorial Bureau February 28, 2021

LONDON (UK) – A single-shot vaccine to fight COVID-19 in Britain could be weeks away, with regulators likely to start the approval process this week, according to a report by the Telegraph. According to the report, a senior government source said the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) formal process was “very likely” to […]

Asia

India’s health workers hesitate to take homegrown COVID-19 vaccine

Editorial Bureau February 25, 2021

NEW DELHI (INDIA) – India has been witnessing a few hassles to convince its health and front-line workers to take a homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, which was controversially given approval without late-stage efficacy data, government data showed on Thursday, a few days before a wider roll-out. A lack of confidence in a homegrown vaccine country could […]

Europe

Czech government urges tougher COVID measures to tackle virus surge

Editorial Bureau February 25, 2021

PRAGUE (THE CZECH REPUBLIC) – The Czech government will meet on Thursday to come to a decision about tougher lockdown restrictions to tackle one of the world’s fastest spreads of COVID-19. Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday hospitals faced “catastrophe” if they fail to take any action. His minority government met late into the […]

UK

UK urges for conflict zone ceasefires for rolling out vaccines

Editorial Bureau February 17, 2021

LONDON (UK) – Britain will on Wednesday urge for a United Nations resolution, which will help in negotiating ceasefires so that people living in conflict zones can be inoculated against COVID-19. It said member states have a moral obligation to protect the vulnerable. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair a virtual meeting of the UN […]

UK

UK might provide two doses of COVID vaccine to all adults by Sept, says task force

Editorial Bureau February 17, 2021

LONDON (UK) – The United Kingdom could provide two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults by August or September, by making use of its portfolio approach for buying from several different producers, the interim head of the country’s vaccine taskforce told Sky News on Tuesday. Britain has provided COVID vaccine shots to 15.6 million […]