[ad_1]
The Indian embassy in Moscow is also in touch with the Russian medical research institute that has developed the vaccine.
Coronavirus Global Updates: The world continued to fight the coronavirus pandemic as global infection cases stood at nearly 24 million infections with over 0.8 million deaths and 15.5 million recoveries. While a COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Australia’s University of Queensland has shown “positive” results against the novel coronavirus in preclinical tests, the University of Cambridge has confirmed plans to begin trials of a potential new vaccine “not only against COVID-19 but all coronaviruses”.
Japan has said the country faces a second wave of COVID-19 cases which is larger than the first, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected calls for a fresh lockdown as the country re-emerges as the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe. The head of the US Food and Drug Administration acknowledged errors in comments about blood plasma therapy and said he would never reverse an agency decision for political reasons.
Globally, there are 24,092,139 infections with over 824,192 deaths and 16,633,473 recoveries.
COVID-19 news from across the globe
Germany to end mandatory tests for travellers
Germany will end mandatory coronavirus tests for travellers returning from high-risk areas abroad and again focus its testing strategy on people with symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19 patients, the country’s health minister said Wednesday.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said that over the summer vacation period the number of virus tests performed in Germany nearly doubled to 9,00,000 per week in part to identify people who caught the virus during trips abroad.
People coming home from coronavirus risk areas were offered free tests at airports, train stations, and highway stops, allowing them to cut short the required two-week quarantine if their result came back negative.
French PM says will erase cost of virus recovery from debt pile by 2025
France will erase the 100 billion euro ($117.89 billion) cost of its economic recovery plan from its debt pile by 2025, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday. Castex said the recovery plan would focus on supporting companies and production rather than spurring demand.
“The recovery plan should not weigh on public finances, quite the contrary,” Castex told the Medef employers’ federation’s annual end-of-summer conference.
The French government will unveil details of the post-pandemic rescue plan to haul the 2.3 trillion euro economy out of its deepest slump since World War Two on September 3. The government has already said money will be pumped into creating jobs, especially for young people, and training for those who lost their jobs during an unprecedented recession.
Cambridge University kicks off vaccine race to fight all coronaviruses
The University of Cambridge on Wednesday confirmed plans to begin trials of a potential new vaccine not only against COVID-19 but all coronaviruses that may spill over from animals to humans in the future.
The new vaccine candidate, DIOS-CoVax2, uses banks of genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses, including those from bats, believed to be the natural hosts of many relatives of human coronaviruses.
A vaccine that clears all trials can then be delivered pain-free without a needle into the skin through a spring-powered jet injection.
“Our approach involves 3D computer modelling of the SARS-CoV-2 [Covid-19] virus’ structure. It uses information on the virus itself as well as its relatives ” SARS, MERS and other coronaviruses carried by animals that threaten to “spill-over’ to humans again to cause future human epidemics,” said Professor Jonathan Heeney, head of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge, and founder of DIOSynVax — a Cambridge spin-out company.
In this photo provided by the Michigan Executive Office of the Governor, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gets a flu shot during a news conference, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, at her office in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer urged residents to get the flu vaccine to ease the load on the health system if there is a surge of coronavirus cases during the fall and winter influenza season. (Office of the Governor via AP)
Australia records 24 deaths, highest single-day increase
Australia on Wednesday recorded 156 fresh COVID-19 cases and 24 new deaths, the highest single-day increase in the death toll, health officials told AP.
The country’s second most populous state of Victoria recorded 149 new coronavirus cases and all the latest fatalities, 21 of those linked to aged care outbreaks, taking the state’s death toll to 462, and the national death toll to 549.
The state’s worst single-day spike in COVID-19 deaths was 25, which was recorded last week.
Gaza reports first community coronavirus death
Gaza health officials have reported the first death from COVID-19 since authorities detected community transmission of the coronavirus earlier this week. A wider outbreak in the blockaded territory which is home to 2 million Palestinians could be catastrophic The health infrastructure has been strained by years of conflict between Israel and Hamas the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza.
A Palestinian man wears a face mask as he locks a shop during a 48 hour lockdown imposed following the discovery of the first coronavirus cases in the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
The Health Ministry says the deceased was a 61-year-old man who had been put on life support and died during his transfer to a special isolation center. The ministry said nine new local cases were detected Wednesday raising the total to 15.
Berlin bans weekend protests against anti-virus measures
Authorities in Berlin on Wednesday banned several protests planned for the weekend against coronavirus pandemic measures. The protests have drawn support from the German far right.
Officials said that those protesting would likely have breached rules on social distancing designed to stop the spread of the virus. Germany has seen an upswing in infections in recent weeks and the government is considering whether to impose fresh restrictions again.
Authorities in the capital cited a rally against COVID-19 restrictions on Aug. 1 during which participants ignored mask-wearing and distancing rules and other conditions imposed on the protest.
A doctor holds a sign criticizing the government medical policy at the Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. Health officials in South Korea called on thousands of striking doctors to return to work as the country counted its 13th straight day of triple-digit daily jumps in coronavirus cases. The sign reads: “What is the local doctor shortage?” (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
‘Australian COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in animal trials’
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Australia’s University of Queensland has shown “positive” results against the novel coronavirus in preclinical tests, raising hopes for its potential effectiveness and manufacturability, the varsity said on Wednesday.
According to the yet-to-be published findings, the vaccine combined with the Seqirus MF59 adjuvant, provided protection against virus reproduction in hamster models, and reduced lung inflammation, following exposure to the virus.
Associate Professor Keith Chappell, who is the project co-leader, has reported to the International Society for Vaccines on the data from animal trials conducted by Viroclinics-DDL in the Netherlands, according to a statement.
“The neutralising immune response created by our molecular clamp vaccine in animal models was better than the average level of antibodies found in patients who have recovered from COVID-19,” Chappell said.
Pope says pandemic worsening social inequalities
Pope Francis says that the pandemic has both ”exposed and aggravated” social inequalities.
Pope Francis (Source: Reuters/File)
Francis said during his weekly audience Wednesday that disparities show up in the workplace, schools and government programs to address the economic impact of the pandemic.
He underlined that not everyone can work from home; school has been “abruptly interrupted” for some children, but continues for others; and while “some powerful nations can issue money to deal with the crisis,” that would mean ”mortgaging the future for others.”
A trainee reads a handbook on coronavirus prevention, at a training session for community health workers conducted by the national NGO “Health Link” in Gumbo, on the outskirts of Juba, South Sudan Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Atiki Lomodong)
Singapore reports 60 new COVID-19 cases
Singapore saw an increase in the daily count of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday recording 60 new cases, a day after the city-state reported its lowest single-day figure at 31 since March. With 60 new coronavirus cases reported on Wednesday, the national tally reached 56,495.
There were 10 imported cases, all of whom had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. There are also three new cases were in the community, comprising one Singaporean and two work pass holders (foreigners). The rest are foreign workers on work permits.
Singapore’s Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday warned that further waves of the deadly COVID-19 are possible as long as a vaccine remains out of reach.
Jakarta to open cinemas
Indonesian firemen spray disinfectant to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak at Margo City shopping mall (AP)
Jakarta plans to ease social-distancing measures further by reopening cinemas soon, despite a rising number of virus cases in Indonesia’s capital, Governor Anies Baswedan said Wednesday. Cinema operators must adhere to strict protocols, such as requiring face masks and only allowing customers between 12 and 60 years old. Total infections in the city of more than 10 million people jumped to nearly 35,000 as of Tuesday as Indonesia grapples with the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia.
Hong Kong to accept online registration for mass testing
All Hong Kong ID card holders, including permanent and non-permanent residents, can register online for the government’s city-wide voluntary coronavirus testing program from Aug. 29, according to the government’s website. Medical staff will take nasal and throat swabs at community testing centers in all 18 districts. Participants will be notified of negative results by SMS, while the Health Department will call those who test positive to arrange for isolation and treatment.
Japan could impose stricter norms; South Korea dismisses rumours of tighter curbs
Japan is considering how to make social-distancing rules more binding as it confronts a wave of coronavirus cases larger than the one that prompted a state of emergency in April-May, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.
South Korea, meanwhile, dismissed rumors that anti-virus measures will be raised to the strictest level today. Yoon Tae-ho, a senior health ministry official, said in a briefing that the government will monitor the situation this week before deciding whether to strengthen social-distancing measures to Level 3, from Level 2 currently.
Workers and volunteers disinfect as a precaution against the coronavirus on a street in Goyang, South Korea (AP)
Meanwhile, Health officials in South Korea called on thousands of striking doctors to return to work as the country counted its 13th straight day of triple digit jumps in coronavirus cases.
Health Minister Park Neunghoo cited the growing virus crisis while issuing back to work orders for doctors in Seoul area, who had joined physicians in other parts of the country for a three-day strike starting Wednesday to protest government plans to boost the number of medical students. Doctors groups say such measures would worsen what’s already a cut-throat market.
Mask rules tightened for English schools
English children over the ages of 11 will now be required to wear face masks in schools in high-risk areas, the latest U-turn by the UK government over its coronavirus policy. From Sept. 1, staff and pupils in secondary schools in areas under possible local lockdowns must wear masks when moving around the building and in communal areas, but not in classrooms. In less risky areas, face masks will not be obligatory but schools will have the discretion to make it a requirement.
Third-grader Abel Morán makes his way to class on the first day of school at Avon Elementary School, Tuesday (AP)
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro’s son Flavio tests positive for Covid-19
The eldest son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he’s tested positive for coronavirus and is in isolation with no symptoms. Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro is the fourth member of President Jair Bolsonaro’s direct family infected by the coronavirus. The president, first lady Michelle Bolsonaro and Jair Renan Bolsonaro, another son, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Flavio Bolsonaro announced Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation despite having no symptoms. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
N Korean leader calls for readiness against virus
In a rare display of urgency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held his third high-level political conference in as many weeks, where he raised alarm about the nation’s coronavirus response and a typhoon forecast to hit the country early Thursday. During an enlarged meeting of the Politburo of the ruling Workers’ Party on Tuesday,
Kim lamented unspecified “defects” and “shortcomings” in the country’s’ anti-virus campaign and urged that they be corrected swiftly, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. The North has yet to confirm a single-case of COVID-19, but outsiders have widely doubted its virus-free claim.
Other news from across the globe
- Median weekly incomes in New Zealand fell 7.6% in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, Statistics NZ said Wednesday, the first decline since the data series began in 1988.
- KFC is temporarily suspending its long-time tagline that its food is “Finger Lickin’ Good,” deeming it “the most inappropriate slogan for 2020” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- The former president of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said he had tested positive for COVID-19, as the tourist-dependent island nation reports a pick-up in cases since re-opening its borders last month.
Doctors hold signs criticizing the government medical policy at a hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The sign reads: “Public medical doctor increase? What matters is the conditions.” (AP)
- South Korea issued return-to-work orders to trainee and fellow doctors in the Seoul area who launched a three-day strike Wednesday to protest a government plan to increase the number of doctors and establish a public medical school.
- Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister who helped lead the 2004 Orange Revolution, has been moved to intensive care after contracting the coronavirus.
- Australian researchers hope to start human trials of a coronavirus antibody therapy in early 2021, while a large-scale trial of a vaccine could begin by the end of this year, scientists said on Wednesday.
A woman wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus stands in the front gate of the Zojyoji temple in Tokyo (AP)
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
[ad_2]
Source link