Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | Africa is being hit by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the Omicron variant, after recording the fastest weekly surge in new cases since May 2020, said an official of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. “Africa is now officially in the …
Read More »Omicron variant can partially escape immunity induced by Pfizer vaccine: Study
The Omicron coronavirus variant partly escapes the protection offered by the Pfizer vaccine Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | A laboratory research has suggested that the Omicron variant can partially escape antibody immunity induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The research, led by Professor Alex Sigal from the Africa Health …
Read More »Booster shot provides protection against Omicron: Pfizer
New York, U.S. | Xinhua | A booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine would provide enough protection against the Omicron variant while two doses may not be sufficient, said COVID-19 vaccine developers Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE on Wednesday. Three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine would generate sufficient serum antibodies to …
Read More »Omicron variant may change course of COVID-19 pandemic: WHO chief
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Certain features of the Omicron variant, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. With the Omicron variant now present …
Read More »Zimbabwe to ban unvaccinated from public transport as Omicron wrecks havoc
Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | The Zimbabwean government on Tuesday expressed deep concern at the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country driven by the omicron variant, and plans to bar the unvaccinated from boarding public transport. “Cabinet notes with concern that there has been a sharp increase in the …
Read More »Netherlands reports 13 cases of Omicron variant
Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern The Hague, Netherlands | Xinhua | The Dutch health authority said Sunday that it has found 13 cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant among passengers on flights from South Africa. The cases were identified among 61 passengers who tested positive for coronavirus, the National Institute …
Read More »U.S. to restrict travel from southern Africa amid emergence of new COVID variant
Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | U.S. President Joe Biden announced Friday that the United States will impose travel restrictions on eight African countries as a new variant of the coronavirus has been detected on the continent. Per advice from his chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, Biden said that starting Monday, his …
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