London, UK | Xinhua | The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed Friday that the Delta variant sub-lineage (Delta AY.4.2) was designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI) on Oct. 20, 2021, and has been given the official name VUI-21OCT-01. The UKHSA said the designation was made on the basis that …
Read More »EXPERTS: US should abandon Cold War mindset, cooperate with China
New York, US | Xinhua | The old Cold War is the wrong way to frame what is happening now between China and the United States, and both sides should cooperate on climate and other issues, said an article published on The New York Times. “Governments that plunge into a …
Read More »CDC endorses COVID-19 booster shots, ‘mix and match’ dosing
Washington, US | XINHUA | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday officially endorsed booster shots for both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in certain populations, and allowed “mix and match” dosing for booster shots. The decision came a day after the U.S. …
Read More »BioNTech/Pfizer says booster vaccination increases COVID-19 protection to 95.6 pct
Berlin, Germany | Xinhua | A booster vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine of BioNTech and Pfizer increased protection to up to 95.6 percent, the companies announced on Thursday. A randomized, controlled phase III study of more than 10,000 people aged 16 years and older found that booster vaccinations with the Comirnaty …
Read More »U.S. high-profile doctors spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines: CNN
Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Some social-media influencers and high-profile doctors have been spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines recently as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc in the United States, CNN reported on Thursday. Dr. Rashid Buttar, a famous physician who has 88,000 followers on Twitter, shared all manner of misleading …
Read More »NATO countries bear primary responsibility for Afghan situation: Putin
Moscow, Russia| Xinhua | The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bears primary responsibility for the current situation in Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday at the plenary session of the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi. “While the participation of both China and Russia and other …
Read More »WHO urges vaccination for health workers as over 115,000 have died
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to prioritize vaccination for health workers in the light of its new paper estimating that 115,000 died of coronavirus between January 2020 and May 2021. Although data from 119 countries suggests that on average two in five health …
Read More »U.S. House votes to hold Trump’s former adviser in contempt of Congress
Washington, U.S | Xinhua | U.S. House voted Thursday to refer Steve Bannon, the onetime adviser to former President Donald Trump, to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, accusing him of contempt of Congress over his refusal to cooperate with the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The resolution was …
Read More »Trump creates new company in bid to regain social media presence
Washington, U.S | Xinhua | Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will launch a new media company with its own social media platform, nine months after he was barred from Twitter and Facebook. The new company, called Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) and chaired by Trump, will …
Read More »White House unveils plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11
Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The White House on Wednesday unveiled its plan to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11, pending the vaccine’s approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “In anticipation of the FDA’s independent advisory committee meeting on October 26 and the CDC’s …
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