Browsing: Health

World Health Organization (WHO) officials recommended that countries consider recommending masks for passengers on long-haul flights given the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the United States. WHO and Europe officials said at a press briefing that the XBB.1.5 sub-variant was detected in small but growing numbers in Europe. When traveling long distances, passengers should be advised to wear masks, according to Europe WHO’s senior emergency officer Catherine Smallwood. “This should be recommended to passengers arriving from anywhere where COVID-19 is widespread,” she said. The most transmissible Omicron sub-variant so far has been identified as XBB.1.5,…

With the beginning of the fourth year of the Coronavirus pandemic, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed his optimism for the end of the pandemic in 2023. During a press conference held today at WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, Dr. Ghebreyesus indicated that COVID-19 was on the decline for the majority of last year. He added that vaccination increased throughout the world, as many countries with low or middle incomes, which had been far behind in 2021, made sustained progress. With more than 25 countries already reporting the presence of a variant of COVID-19, COVID-19 remains…

According to a new report by Airfinity, the number of deaths from COVID infections in China has doubled as infections soar. There will be 584,000 COVID deaths in China by January 23, according to the report. As reported by an Australian publication, the number of people dying from COVID in China has increased to 9,000 each day. The news.com.au site report also states, “British-based research firm Airfinity has doubled its estimate of how many people are dying from Covid in China as the number of infections soars.” In November, Beijing lifted draconian zero-covid measures that had been in place for…

In Korea, a man died after being diagnosed with Naegleria fowleri, also known as a brain-eating amoeba. Naegleria fowleri has made headlines before. This summer, the death of a child in Nebraska in the US reintroduced Naegleria fowleri, a rare and deadly brain-eating amoeba. According to the Korea Times, South Korea has reported its first instance of Naegleria fowleri infection, also called the “brain-eating amoeba.” According to authorities, the 50-year-old Korean national died 10 days after showing symptoms of the rare but fatal infection after returning from Thailand. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reports that the man…

COVID-19 negative test reports will be required for passengers arriving from countries with a high number of cases, India’s health minister said. “We will identify the countries with the highest caseload in the next week,” Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. “People from there who come to India must upload their (COVID-19) RT-PCR reports.” The countries included in the mandate for a COVID-19 negative test report include travelers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, the health minister said. Passengers from those countries would be put under quarantine if they showed symptoms of COVID-19 or tested positive, Minister…

China’s top health officials estimate that almost 250 million people caught COVID-19 in the first 20 days of December, Bloomberg News and the Financial Times reported. It represents the largest COVID-19 outbreak to date, affecting roughly 18% of China’s 1.4 billion people. Several sources familiar with the matter or involved in the discussion said the figures were presented at an internal meeting of China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Wednesday. In its summary, the NHC discussed the treatment of patients affected by the ongoing outbreak. According to both reports, 37 million people were newly infected with COVID-19 across China on…

Over a million deaths could result from China’s sudden lifting of COVID-19 restrictions through 2023, according to the latest projections from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). It is estimated that about 322,000 deaths will be recorded in China by April 1, based on projections by the group. IHME Director Christopher Murray predicted that by then a third of China’s population would be infected. Since the lifting of COVID restrictions, no official COVID deaths have been reported by China’s national health authority. On Dec. 3, the last official death was reported. A total of 5,235 people have died…

Science presents actual facts and connects dots you might never have noticed before. Suppose, for instance, that traffic accidents are associated with people not getting vaccinated against COVID-19? A recent study published in The American Journal of Medicine explores the science behind such a link. Canadian researchers analyzed over 11 million COVID-19 vaccination records of individuals over the age of 18, from different social, economic, and health backgrounds. 16 percent (1,760,000) of those 11 million were not vaccinated. The researchers then examined records to identify unvaccinated individuals who might have diseases associated with traffic risks, such as dementia, diabetes, sleep…

The New Zealand Parliament passed a historic anti-smoking bill on Tuesday, banning the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009. As part of a government initiative to make the country “smoke-free” by 2025, the ban aims to prevent future generations from taking up smoking. By 2023, the number of retailers licensed to sell tobacco will be reduced from 6,000 to 600. A violation of the newly enacted law may result in a fine of up to NZ$150,000 (approximately $96,000). “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be better off by saving…

After authorities announced measures last week aimed at easing the impact of the country’s heavy Coronavirus curbs, COVID cases in China rose further, including in Beijing. As the latest in a string of dismal economic reports shows retail sales fell in October and factory output grew more slowly than expected, China is scrambling to limit the damage of its zero-COVID policy. Residents have expressed cautious optimism after Friday’s announcement that some of the stringent COVID policies would be loosened. However, worsening outbreaks are causing concerns, and some cities have halted or adjusted regular testing. In Guangzhou, a southern city of…