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by Raphaelle LOGEROT Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – Alban Nikolai Herbst’s Berlin apartment is covered in dust, his precious record collection included, thanks to a coal-powered stove he still uses to heat his home like thousands across the city. Germany’s new government is set to extinguish the at-home heat source from a bygone era as part of its ambitious climate plans, as it looks to cut harmful emissions linked to climate change. But Herbst […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer announced Friday that it wants to test a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the under-fives, as the low dosage such small children can handle may not offer the same protection that older children enjoy from just two shots. The company does not expect the change to affect its plans to file for emergency use authorization in the United States in the first half of next year. […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The Moderna Covid jab carries a slight risk of usually non-serious heart problems a study of the entire population of Denmark found Friday. Incidences of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) after mRNA jabs from Pfizer and Moderna had been noted in vaccine safety reports and small-scale studies. These reports led France, Denmark and other countries to advise against the jab for […]
by Daniel Silva with AFP bureaus MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Europe stepped up vaccinations of children aged five to 11 against Covid-19 Wednesday, as the EU’s health agency warned immunization alone would not stop the rapid rise of the Omicron variant. Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Spain were among those opening up their inoculation drives to younger kids, with other nations still weighing their approach. South Africa — where Omicron was first detected — and […]
by Agence France Presse bureaus GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization warned Tuesday Omicron was spreading at an unprecedented rate and urged countries to act, as drug maker Pfizer said its coronavirus pill was effective against the variant. Dutch primary schools will close early as Europe battles a fresh wave of infections and hospital admissions, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a major parliamentary test seeking to impose fresh Covid curbs. […]
by Anne CHAON Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – Shrouded by acrid smoke, a young Afghan crouches sorting waste he has pulled from the trash bins of Istanbul, anxious that Turkey will soon strip him of even this subsistence. “I start at eight in the morning and finish at eight at night,” said Issam Raffur, who has spent four of his 20 years in Turkey. “It is very hard and poorly paid, but I have […]
by Issam AHMED with Claire DOYEN in Johannesburg WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer said Tuesday that clinical trials confirmed its Covid pill — a new type of treatment that should withstand the mutations seen with Omicron — drastically reduced hospitalizations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent. The announcement came as a real-world study from South Africa showed two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 70 percent effective in stopping severe illness […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization said Thursday it remained unclear whether additional Covid-19 vaccine doses are needed to protect against the new Omicron variant, and urged wealthy countries to avoid hoarding the jabs. The UN health agency’s vaccine advisors warned that a rush to stockpile more jabs, especially without clear evidence they are needed, would only exacerbate the already glaringly inequal vaccine access around the globe. “As we head into whatever the […]
“Evushield” to be used only for those who have a weakened immune system or those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Wednesday authorized the use of synthetic antibodies developed by AstraZeneca to prevent Covid-19 infections in people who react badly to vaccines. It was the first time the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization for such a purely preventative treatment. The FDA […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Wednesday authorized the use of synthetic antibodies developed by AstraZeneca to prevent Covid-19 infections in people who react badly to vaccines. It was the first time the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization for such a purely preventative treatment. The FDA warned the drug Evusheld is “not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom Covid-19 vaccination is recommended” and can only be authorized […]
by Sebastien ASH FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Two doses of the BioNTech and Pfizer coronavirus vaccine may not be enough to protect against the Omicron strain, the companies warned Wednesday, but they stressed it was “still effective” after a third jab. The companies’ news was called reassuring by experts, and came as the first independent data from labs around the world emerged, suggesting that the new variant is better at evading vaccine-trained immunity […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Countries considering introducing vaccine mandates in the fight against Covid-19 must ensure they respect human rights, the UN rights chief said Wednesday, stressing that forced vaccination was never acceptable. Speaking to a Human Rights Council seminar via video message, Michelle Bachelet warned there were significant rights considerations that needed to be taken into account before making vaccination compulsory. Any “vaccine mandates must comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality […]
