Tag: coronavirus

US refuses to accept WHO’s findings on COVID-19 in China
10Feb By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

US refuses to accept WHO’s findings on COVID-19 in China

The United States has refused to accept the latest findings by the World Health Organization which said that there is no evidence of coronavirus circulation in any animal species in China and said it will independently verify the results using its own intelligence.“We look forward, again, to seeing the report, to seeing the underlying data, to using what we may have within our own reach based on our own intelligence and analysis to corroborate what the WHO has found and to reach our own conclusions,” said Ned Price, US State Department Spokesperson, on Tuesday.He further said, “Clearly, the Chinese, at least heretofore, has not offered the requisite transparency that we need and that, just as importantly, the international community needs so that we can prevent these sorts of pandemics fro
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China: People scramble to get shots of unproven vaccine
18Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
Business, China

China: People scramble to get shots of unproven vaccine

After a spate of quality scandals in its coronavirus vaccine, China is again in the spotlight for making its unproven vaccine candidate widely available to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness.As per media reports, even though China’s vaccine candidates have not formally been proved safe or effective, officials have been injecting them into thousands of people across the country, ostensibly under an emergency-use policy. Government officials and top pharmaceutical executives speak proudly of being inoculated.Ethan Zhang, a resident of Beijing, took a flight to Yiwu in eastern China just to get a shot of the vaccine. He needed to get back to work. Work was in Ivory Coast, however, and since January the global coronavirus outbreak had stranded the 26-year-old translator in mainland Chi
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China rejects US’ allegation that coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab
4Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

China rejects US’ allegation that coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab

Refuting US’ allegations that the novel coronavirus was leaked from Wuhan Lab in China, Beijing on Monday said that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit China in January to investigate the origin of the coronavirus.Beijing is yet to confirm the visit by the WHO team and remained silent about granting permission for it to visit Wuhan city in central China."I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan."China attaches high importance to cooperation with th
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India set to authorise first set of Covid-19 vaccines, to vaccinate around 300 million
21Dec By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

India set to authorise first set of Covid-19 vaccines, to vaccinate around 300 million

Indian Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has announced that India is about to authorise the first set of Covid-19 vaccines and that there is a need for an expeditious vaccination drive to cover all the target populations estimated to be around 300 million (30 crore).He made the announcement while chairing the 22nd meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on Covid-19 through a video-conference as India crossed the one crore infection mark.He was virtually joined by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State Health & Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Member (Health) NITI Aayog Vinod K. Paul, Advisers to the Prime Minister Amarjeet Sinha and Bhaskar Khulbe.Reiterating...
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China plans to use possible COVID-19 vaccine as political tool
17Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China plans to use possible COVID-19 vaccine as political tool

In a recent announcement, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by China will become a 'global public good'.Chinese officials have begun to use a possible vaccine for the pandemic as a political tool and are thus promising early access to the vaccine to poor and developing countries.It is now clear that China's global health work is all an attempt by Beijing to control the narrative surrounding the origins and handling of the coronavirus.China has received a lot of criticism from other nations for its inefficient handling of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to the virus spreading to other parts of the world, as well as for withholding critical information regarding the virus from the world-leading to greater devastation.China has been accused of silen...
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China tells airline crew to wear diapers on risky covid flights
10Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China tells airline crew to wear diapers on risky covid flights

In a 38-page list of guidelines, China's aviation regulator has recommended its cabin crew on charter flights to high-risk Covid-19 destinations to wear disposable diapers and avoid using the bathroom to reduce the risk of infection.The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the recommendation applies for charter flights to and from countries and regions where infections exceed 500 in every one million people.The diaper advice is in a section on personal protective equipment, which also recommends the cabin crew to wear medical protective masks, double-layer disposable medical rubber gloves, goggles, disposable caps, disposable protective clothing, and disposable shoe covers.Other advice for the flights includes dividing the cabin into "clean area, buffer zone, passenger sitting area ...
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J&K Govt evacuates 8.85 lakh stranded J&K residents amid covid-19
24Nov By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

J&K Govt evacuates 8.85 lakh stranded J&K residents amid covid-19

The Jammu and Kashmir government has evacuated over 8 lakh of its residents, stranded in other parts of the country due to the coronavirus induced lockdown.As per the official data, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has evacuated a total of 8,85,859 residents from across India.The J&K administration received 155 special trains at Jammu and Udhampur railway stations from different states and UTs, so far, with about 1,40,292 passengers while about 7,45,567 persons from other states and Union Territories including 948 from abroad have been evacuated by the government through Lakhanpur, till date.As per the detailed breakup of the figures, about 6,479 stranded passengers have entered through Lakhanpur from November 14 to November 15, while 134 trains have reached Jammu with a total of 1...
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‘Great discoveries’ made during my watch: US President Trump on Moderna vaccine
17Nov By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

‘Great discoveries’ made during my watch: US President Trump on Moderna vaccine

Within minutes of US pharma giant announcing that its vaccine has shown nearly 95 per cent effectiveness to protect against COVID-19, US President Donald Trump said historians must remember that it was under his leadership such “great discoveries” were made.“Another Vaccine just announced. This time by Moderna, 95 per cent effective. For those great “historians”, please remember that these great discoveries, which will end the China Plague, all took place on my watch!” Trump tweeted.After Moderna made the announcement the White House credited US President Trump for the progress of the vaccine which has been shown effective for the treatment of coronavirus.While thanking Trump, White House Press Secretary McEnany lauded his administration’s Operation Warp Speed, under which the advancement
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China’s COVID-19 vaccine trials suspended in Brazil after ‘severe incident’
11Nov By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

China’s COVID-19 vaccine trials suspended in Brazil after ‘severe incident’

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa has suspended clinical trials of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in the country following a "severe incident".On Monday, Anvisa said it had "ruled to interrupt the clinical trial of the CoronaVac vaccine after a serious adverse incident". It did not reveal what had happened, nor where it had taken place.It also did not give an indication of how long the suspension of the large late-stage trial of China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine might last in Brazil.President Jair Bolsonaro hailed the suspension as a “victory” and said that their government would buy whatever coronavirus vaccine is certified by Anvisa.Writing on Facebook, the president said the halt of the CoronaVac trial was "another victory for Jair Bolsonaro".The vaccine, developed by Chinese firm Si
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Discontent among Chinese people rises amid CCP’s draconian COVID-19 measures
5Nov By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

Discontent among Chinese people rises amid CCP’s draconian COVID-19 measures

A researcher at the Human Rights Watch has said that the citizens of China are “discontent” with President Xi Jinping’s measures to control coronavirus have pushed the country further into a surveillance state.Yaqiu Wang said that though the Chinese people are “proud” of the measures taken by Beijing to control the outbreak in the country, but there are signs people are fatigued and discontent with Xi’s extortions.“I am seeing more citizens criticising surveillance techniques… Many now view the methods as too much and unnecessary… I’ve seen posts to Chinese social media complaining about the facial recognition outside their compound,” Wang said.“Although we are seeing, slowly, an increased awareness and discontent with the state’s methods,” she added.As per media reports, apps were created
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