by Jonah MANDEL Agence France-Presse GOLAN HEIGHTS, Undefined (AFP) — From biblical plague to modern day protein, one Israeli firm wants to make locusts a sustainable food choice in the Holy Land and beyond. As for whether or not the insects are kosher, the answer is not so simple. At Hargol Foodtech’s farm in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a rectangular enclosure that once served as a chicken coop is filled with thousands of locusts, a […]
Health
Brazilian Amazon fires surge in July
by Joshua Howat Berger Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — The number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon last month rose 28 percent from July 2019, satellite data showed Saturday, fueling fears the world’s biggest rainforest will again be devastated by fires this year. Brazil’s national space agency, INPE, identified 6,803 fires in the Amazon region in July 2020, up from 5,318 the year before. The figure is all the more troubling […]
Russia vows ‘promising’ virus vaccines in September
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Wednesday that it plans to begin production of two “promising” coronavirus vaccines in September and October as Moscow races to develop a formula before Western countries. At a meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova singled out two vaccines under development by a research institute in Moscow and a lab in Siberia. “Today there are two vaccines that are the most promising,” Golikova said. […]
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine worked well in monkeys: study
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US biotech firm Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response and prevented the coronavirus from replicating in the noses and lungs of monkeys, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine said Tuesday. The fact that the vaccine prevented the virus from replicating in the nose is seen as particularly crucial in preventing it from being transmitted onward to others. The same outcome did not occur when […]
Israeli firm developing 30-second coronavirus breath test
by Jonah Mandel Agence France-Presse MISGAV, Israel (AFP) — An Israeli company is developing a coronavirus breathalyser test that gives results in 30 seconds, billing it as a “front line” tool that can help restore a sense of normality during the pandemic. NanoScent, the firm making the test kits, said an extensive trial in Israel for the presence of live virus delivered results with 85 percent accuracy, and the product could receive regulatory approval within […]
Much maligned elsewhere, bats get star treatment in central France
by Maxime MAMET Agence France-Presse BOURGES, France (AFP) — At a museum in central France, researchers tenderly feed insects and kitten milk formula to tiny orphaned bats — creatures widely reviled for their role in human disease outbreaks, most recently COVID-19. The pandemic has triggered bat-killing sprees in communities from India and Peru to Cuba and Rwanda, but the mission of the team at the Bourges natural history museum is to protect the misunderstood winged mammals. […]
Dexamethasone trial results confirm COVID-19 benefits but also risks
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The keenly-awaited full results from a UK trial of the steroid dexamethasone were published Friday, confirming its life-saving benefits for COVID-19 patients on ventilators but suggesting it may cause harm if given too early. A total of 2,104 hospitalized patients were assigned to receive six milligram daily doses of the medicine for up to 10 days, and 4,321 to receive usual care, with the rate of deaths compared after 28 […]
Actor Michael V says he is COVID-19 positive, asks public to heed gov’t protocols
(Eagle News) — Philippine actor Michael V, known for his character “Bitoy” and various impersonations of popular personalities, said that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The comedian said that his COVID-19 test results released on Saturday, July 18. He said that he had experienced flu-like symptoms and lost his sense of smell, but did not experience high fever. He then had a swab test for COVID-19 a few days later after experiencing COVID-19 […]
Vaccine studies offer new hope as WHO warns on Africa
by James Pheby with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Two studies offered new hope of a potential vaccine for the novel coronavirus on Monday, as the World Health Organization warned about a possible acceleration of the disease in Africa. Seven months after COVID-19 was first identified in China and has since killed more than 600,000 people worldwide and battered economies, there is growing alarm over fresh outbreaks of the […]
Breakthrough’ treatment slashes virus death risk: study
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — An aerosol-based treatment could drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus patients dying from the disease or requiring intensive care, according to preliminary results released Monday by a British biotech firm. In a randomized trial of 100 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, those who received an inhaled formula of the protein interferon beta were at 79 percent lower risk of developing severe disease […]
Vaccination levels falling during pandemic, UN warns
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse The number of children worldwide getting life-saving vaccinations has declined this year largely because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization and UNICEF warned on Wednesday. The first four months of 2020 saw a “substantial drop” in the completion of the three-dose jab that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough — the first decline in 28 years. “Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the […]
Millions face new virus curbs, but hope rises for US vaccine
by Qasim Nauman, with AFP Bureaus Agence France Presse Millions of people faced new coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday as infections surge, but in one sign of hope, an American firm said it would soon start final-stage human trials for a possible vaccine. Countries around the world re-imposed lockdowns and curbs to contain new outbreaks, as global cases surged past 13.2 million with more than 576,000 deaths. Parts of the Asia-Pacific region, which had been […]