Vaccine

Published 21 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic Daily reporting of Covid figures will come to an end later, Public Health Wales has said. From Thursday, statistics will instead be given weekly at noon. Throughout the pandemic, PHW has provided daily figures for newly-infected people and those who died following a positive test. Many news outlets have already switched to collating the data on a weekly basis as the impact of the virus continues to ease. PHW said because community testing had ended, future reports would focus on broader trends such as people being treated in hospital, mortality, vaccinations and advice it provides to the health service. What do the coronavirus stats tell us? Covid in Wales: Exam help to continue Following the first cases of Covid in Wales more than two years ago, … [Read more...] about Covid: Wales’ daily reporting on cases comes to an end

Japan’s government has announced it will begin allowing small package tours from four countries later this month before gradually opening up to foreign tourism for the first time since it imposed tight border restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said the tours will be allowed from Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States as an experiment. Participants must be triple-vaccinated and the tours must have guides and fixed itineraries, the Japan Tourism Agency said. Each tour can have a maximum of four people, and a total of 50 participants are expected to join the experiment, the government agency said. Participants will enter Japan on a special visa, not a tourist visa, the agency said. The results will be used to compile coronavirus guidelines for tour operators, hotels and other related businesses, it said. READ MORE: Covid-19 in Japan: One of the world's most difficult countries to enter begins to ease border controls … [Read more...] about Japan to allow tourists into country, but only 50 to start

EXPLAINER: Britain is currently experiencing its biggest ever outbreak of monkeypox, with seven known cases. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Monday that a cluster of four cases had been reported in England and they were not linked to the three other cases . Six of these are in London, and one is in the North East, with patients either self-isolating at home or being treated in specialist infectious disease wards at Guy’s and St Thomas, St Mary’s Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital or the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. It is rare for the virus to be seen in Britain and most previous cases in the UK have been linked to travel to other parts of the world where it is more prevalent, particularly West Africa. READ MORE: Sexual health expert calls for accelerated effort to eliminate syphilis and HIV HIV tests to be dispensed through vending machines, in first for NZ China’s new virus: What you need to know Gonorrhea may be transmitted by … [Read more...] about Monkeypox: What is it, how does it spread and what are the symptoms?

The head of the World Health Organisation said China’s extreme approach to containing the coronavirus is unsustainable because of the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, but that it’s up to every country to decide what policy to pursue. At a media briefing on Tuesday (NZT Wednesday), WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described China’s “zero-Covid” strategy as “not sustainable” after similar remarks last week drew sharp criticism from China . “We know the virus better and we have better tools, including vaccines, so that’s why the handling of the virus should actually be different from what we used to do at the start of the pandemic,” Tedros said. He added that the virus had changed significantly since it was first identified in Wuhan in late 2019, when China largely stopped its spread with lockdowns. Tedros said the WHO had repeatedly advised Chinese officials about their recommended Covid containment strategies, but that “regarding their choice … [Read more...] about Covid-19: WHO says Omicron makes China’s ‘zero-Covid’ policy unsustainable

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are under renewed pressure as Netflix announced it cut 150 staff members due to a subscriber exodus. The streaming giant has seen memberships drop for the first time in ten years and expects millions to quit the platform in the current quarter, The Guardian reported. The blow to the company comes just weeks after Pearl , Meghan's first Netflix project, was axed alongside two others also in production. Harry's documentary Heart of Invictus is currently still due to go ahead as part of their multi-million dollar, multi-year deal. A Netflix source recently told Newsweek the series is one of a number of projects with the couple's Archewell Productions brand. However, no additional shows have yet been announced and with a new round of cuts at the streaming service, fresh on the back of previous ones, the couple will be under pressure to ensure their output is commercially viable. A Netflix spokesperson told The Guardian : "As we … [Read more...] about Meghan and Harry under fresh pressure as Netflix cuts continue

Kim Jong Un has lashed out at his own officials as Covid-19 continues to sweep through North korea. The hermit nation reported more than 232,000 new cases and six deaths as Omicron explodes in the unvaccinated nation . Pyongyang has referred to the illness as a ‘fever’ and likely lacks the testing capabilities to sequence tests and confirm they are caused by the coronavirus. The closed country has admitted it has seen 62 deaths and 1.7 million cases since late April, around 700,00 of whom remain in quarantine. North Korea has previously rejected international offers of vaccine aid but analysts view its unusual reporting of cases as being akin to an appeal for help. The dictator has directly criticised his own health authorities over the handling of the initial outbreak, according to state news. He is reported to have told a meeting of senior party officials that ‘immaturity in the state capacity for coping with the crisis’ are to blame, accusing them of a … [Read more...] about Kim Jong-Un blames Covid outbreak on ‘slack and immature’ officials

North Korea has carried out yet another missile test as it continues to lash out at its neighbours and the West. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed it detected three rockets crashing into the sea of its east coast. Japan’s defense ministry said it believes the weapon used is a ballistic missile. Its the 16th similar test ordered by Kim Jong Un so far this year, an alarming rise linked to its increasing diplomatic isolation. Nuclear talks with the US initiated by Donald Trump have stalled and Pyongyang is desperate to have sanctions lifted. Kim previously declared a pause in testing while the possibility of economic relief in return for giving up nukes was explored. But with negotiations in limbo and neither side likely to budge, the hermit state is spiraling towards reviving full atomic exercises. Analysts in Washington and Seoul believe North Korea is on the brink of carrying out its first nuclear test since 2017. Remote land in the north east of … [Read more...] about North Korea fires powerful missile into the sea in latest weapons test

Spiralling numbers of Covid cases have led to a major medical mobilisation in North Korea. State media has confirmed 15 more deaths and says hundreds of thousands of patients are struggling with ‘high fevers.’ Yesterday, Kim Jong-un conceded the outbreak was a ‘great disaster’. The admission follows contentious claims North Korea had been ‘coronavirus-free’ during the last two years. A fever has reportedly spread through the country ‘explosively’ since April, but little has been disclosed on the exact number of positive cases. The confirmed number of fatalities in North Korea stands at 42. And according to the Korean Central News Agency, the number of people with ‘high fevers’ has now reached 820,620. The numbers of positive Covid-19 cases may have not been revealed due to the fact health chiefs lack enough testing kits, experts say. A humanitarian crisis could soon loom for North Korea if case numbers continue to accelerate at such a high rate. The … [Read more...] about North Korea confirms 15 new Covid deaths as fever cases ‘explode’

Despite his loving personality, poor Roderick is no stranger to being bullied by older dogs. One-year-old Roderick has been placed on the RSPCA's 'extra-special animals' list after being taken into their Tameside and Glossop branch. The American bulldog crossbreed needs a "special family" with experience with large breeds and who can give him the exercise he needs. A RSPCA statement reads: "This is Roderick who is, as you can see, a pretty big boy. "The other dog he lives with doesn't get on with poor Roderick and we have been asked to find him a caring, forever family to call his own. Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories. His new owners need experience with large breeds He wants to be the only dog in the home "Roderick is a lovely natured boy but, because of his past experience living with another dog, we are looking for a home where he can be an only dog, and no cats as we can't guarantee … [Read more...] about Puppy who loves everyone he meets ends up homeless after being bullied

Published 23 November 2020 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing More than a dozen schools and a college campus in a rural area of west Wales are closed from Monday due to Covid-19. Seven schools in the Cardigan area and six schools in north Pembrokeshire have shut as well as Coleg Ceredigion's Cardigan campus. Ceredigion council said it has become "increasingly concerned" about the spread of the virus in the area. Council leader Ellen ap Gwynn blamed "super-spreader events" such as "parties" and "pub crawls". The Cardigan schools - one secondary and six primaries - have closed for two weeks. The schools in Pembrokeshire - one secondary and five primaries close to the Ceredigion border - will remain shut on Tuesday. Teaching at Coleg Ceredigion in Cardigan will take place online for the next two weeks, the college said in a statement. In a letter, Ceredigion … [Read more...] about Covid: Thirteen Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire schools close