White House outlines new strategy to fight COVID-19, including an initiative that allows Americans to get tested at a pharmacy and get free antiviral pills if they test positive https://t.co/g4ireXyVzQ pic.twitter.com/2f8xEiQ1tJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
U.S. coronavirus death toll hits 955,000
— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) March 2, 2022
U.S. government agencies start dropping mask requirements https://t.co/8zLGvi9ymW pic.twitter.com/QlPTv38m5H
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Here's the link https://t.co/ilHS4m8BqD
It's the comprehensive plan we've needed for some time, now needs to get executed (some important components rely on getting funded)— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 2, 2022
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Covid pushed global health institutions to their limits. Now, people are calling for ways to reinvent the World Health Organization https://t.co/NUXRjCiBSz
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 3, 2022
Too early for China to seek 'coexistence' with COVID – govt expert https://t.co/h0o1jIpIFL pic.twitter.com/ufw4WSMNuo
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Hong Kong has the highest deaths per capita in the world and still rising pic.twitter.com/PFPSmvLQc5
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 2, 2022
Hong Kong reported a record daily high of 56,827 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday and 144 deaths, as a worsening outbreak overwhelms healthcare facilities and sees authorities scramble to contain cases in the Asian financial centre. https://t.co/NzEtAXrJue
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
PHOTOS: Hong Kong has ramped up its testing capacity with the help of inflatable mobile laboratories, as the city grapples with tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases daily. https://t.co/f5TeSCFSoy
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 3, 2022
Hong Kong transport operators, supermarkets cut services as COVID cases surge https://t.co/IrR6xX7jsF pic.twitter.com/ocACuangDj
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Ah, nice touch. The government has nothing to do with this outrageous mess, it's a color revolution, outsiders making them look bad. Nothing to do with the total lack of preparation and poorly conceived rules.
Of course. https://t.co/DT2ODuSuw0
— ClaraFerreiraMarques (@ClaraDFMarques) March 3, 2022
Japan set to extend coronavirus limits, ease border rules https://t.co/z0dTewt0iz pic.twitter.com/Rhc6H9tlcc
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Japan is set to loosen border controls to allow more people to enter the country, especially students, while extending infection control measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus in several areas, including Tokyo…
Some 150,000 foreign students have been kept out of Japan since 2020, along with workers desperately needed by an ageing nation with a shrinking population, prompting warnings of labour shortages and damage to Japan’s international reputation.
While the number of new coronavirus cases has started to fall, hospitals remain under stress as they battle the Omicron variant of COVID-19. February was also the deadliest month of the pandemic so far, with 4,856 fatalities, a tally by national broadcaster NHK showed.
The central government has received requests from five prefectures, including Kyoto and Osaka in western Japan, to extend infection control measures set to expire on Sunday, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday.
Ten other prefectures, including Tokyo, are expected to seek an extension of two to three weeks of measures that include shorter business hours for restaurants and limits on alcohol sales, local media reported…
Western Australia state reopens two years into the pandemic https://t.co/orvXeYR1ke
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 2, 2022
New Zealand police will review hours of cellphone footage taken by themselves, the media and the public to identify lawbreakers. Meanwhile, crews began the cleanup of Parliament’s grounds after a protest there against coronavirus vaccine mandates. https://t.co/Grx9UeElyY
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 3, 2022
New Zealand's Ardern faces down frustration over pandemic curbs https://t.co/tIKVJQXtwH pic.twitter.com/TXCZ69n743
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sought to cool simmering resentment over the slow unlocking of the country’s pandemic restrictions on Thursday, a day after police cleared a weeks-long Canada-style protest outside parliament…
In a special session of parliament to discuss the protest, the most violent in decades in the normally peaceful city, Ardern promised things would change, but gave no timeframe for easing curbs…
A one-time poster child for tackling the coronavirus, New Zealand’s swift response to the pandemic and its geographic isolation kept the country largely COVID-19 free until the end of last year, winning Ardern strong support. Total deaths stand at just 56.
However, anger over vaccine mandates for people working in sectors such as health and education and strict border closures have put pressure on the government to now soften its stance in line with much of the rest of the world…
The country of 5 million has a high COVID vaccination rate, with more than 95% of the eligible population double vaccinated. More than 70% of people have had a booster dose.
COVID-19 cases were restricted to fewer than 15,000 in total by end-2021 through a strict elimination approach, but the arrival of the Omicron variant has seen cases top 20,000 a day, reaching a cumulative total of nearly 150,000 on Thursday.
The government says restrictions that have frayed the public’s patience are set to stay in place until at least mid-March, when the Omicron surge is expected to peak…
Russian capital Moscow will no longer require locals to use QR codes to prove they are vaccinated or immune to COVID-19 and is dropping all restrictionsat entertainment and sport venues, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Thursday. https://t.co/UGtJvftdmQ
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
New data shows at least 30% more coronavirus deaths have occurred in the most deprived areas of England since the turn of the year.https://t.co/zCRLcprIZW
— Taj Ali (@Taj_Ali1) March 2, 2022
Mexico reported 304 more fatalities from COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll since the pandemic began to 318,835, according to health ministry data. https://t.co/N4cjMIL325
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
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A World Health Organization (WHO) panel on Wednesday backed the use of Merck & Co Inc's COVID-19 antiviral pill for high-risk patients. https://t.co/N98dfHjpaC
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
… The expert panel conditionally recommended the pill, molnupiravir, for patients with non-severe disease who are at high risk of hospitalisation, such as the immunocompromised, the unvaccinated, older people and those with chronic diseases.
The recommendation was based on new data from six clinical trials involving 4,796 patients.
Since molnupiravir’s U.S. authorization in December, demand for the pill among COVID-19 patients has taken a hit from comparatively low efficacy and potential safety issues for certain groups…
The panel said that young and healthy patients, including children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not be given molnupiravir due to potential risks such as defects in a developing fetus, as shown in animal studies.
The WHO guidelines, published in the British Medical Journal, said no recommendation on molnupiravir’s use has been made for patients with severe or critical illness as there was no trial data for the group.
The panel also updated its guidance for the use of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc’s (REGN.O) COVID-19 antibody cocktail. It now recommends the drug only for people who are not infected with Omicron as new preclinical data has shown it is not effective against the variant…
Pfizer’s new COVID-19 pill can take months to make. Company officials say they plan to expand production this year.
Why does it take so long? @thpmurphy explains: https://t.co/MqPgaWxmIi pic.twitter.com/8NNuynIkL5
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 2, 2022
This is how the coronavirus steals the sense of smell: The virus doesn't infect nerve cells that detect odors. Instead, it attacks nearby supporting cells https://t.co/8wqpirkbqD pic.twitter.com/XzLgpYnMJX
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) March 3, 2022
How Covid directly infects the male genital tract https://t.co/Kb6XgxrVlq whole body PET in non-human primates explains mechanism of erectile dysfunction @HopeLab_NU @NUFeinbergMed @NorthwesternU pic.twitter.com/9Cmd5B2HP0
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 2, 2022
Why omicron is more infectious than other coronavirus variants: I thought this was a well-written summary just out in @ScienceNews a bit technical for a lay person possibly but even a non-scientist can get the drift https://t.co/jLmcizC3oO
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) March 2, 2022
COVID-19-related restrictions on people's movements and interactions may be linked to a sharp decline in cases of mosquito-borne dengue fever in 2020, offering new insight into how it might be controlled, according to a study. https://t.co/Vm7NjM7dfJ
— Reuters Health (@Reuters_Health) March 3, 2022
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Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4 https://t.co/ET9YkICHn1 pic.twitter.com/oW8ajreUru
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Wow – Sen. Tim Kaine has long covid.
“I tell people it feels like all my nerves have had like five cups of coffee." It's a “24/7” tingling sensation, he says.
Introduces legislation to study it: https://t.co/dmyOXdcrY5
— Elena Schneider (@ec_schneider) March 2, 2022
'Inventing Anna' Sorokin sues over COVID boosters while in ICE custody https://t.co/YqciNTLsIv pic.twitter.com/2DWD6kGQkJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 3, 2022
Anna Sorokin, a German woman convicted of posing as a wealthy heiress to scam banks, hotels and New York socialites, has sued federal immigration authorities for refusing to provide COVID-19 booster shots to her and other detainees facing deportation.
Sorokin, who is the subject of Netflix’s new drama, “Inventing Anna,” and three other detainees represented by the American Civil Liberties Union filed the complaint in Washington, D.C. federal court on Tuesday. They say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is violating the constitutional rights of medically vulnerable detainees by ignoring their requests for booster shots…
According to Tuesday’s complaint, Sorokin tested positive for COVID-19 in January, a month after her written request for a booster shot was ignored, and suffered from a high fever, persistent cough and other symptoms. Sorokin has a chronic kidney infection and other medical issues, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking to represent a nationwide class of detainees who are 55 or older or who have medical conditions that place them at higher risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19…
ICE has said that tens of thousands of its detainees have received COVID-19 vaccines, but Tuesday’s lawsuit says the agency has not adopted any policy regarding booster doses…
Shit like this is getting people killed pic.twitter.com/fa2beyYni5
— Frankie Huang 黄碧赤? (@ourobororoboruo) March 2, 2022
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Wednesday / Thursday, March 2-3Post + Comments (60)