South Korea wants to check citizens for coronavirus and seasonal flu in one test
South Korea is developing a testing kit that can detect seasonal flu and Covid-19 at the same time, according to the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) As symptoms of Covid-19 and seasonal flu are similar it’s important to detect the difference for...
India overtakes Brazil as country with second-highest number of Covid-19 cases
India has surpassed Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases after reporting a fresh daily high of 90,802 new infections on Monday. India’s total number of cases now stands at 4,204,613, according to the Indian Ministry of Health and Family...
UK records its highest Covid-19 daily case number since May
The United Kingdom has recorded 2,988 new Covid-19 cases in a 24-hour period — the highest daily number since May, according to government figures published on Sunday. The UK’s total number of recorded cases now stands at 347,152. In addition, two Covid-19 patients have died,...
California wildfires: Gender reveal party blamed for fire
Officials have blamed a gender reveal party for one of several wildfires raging in the US state of California. A “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” at the event sparked the El Dorado fire, which has now spread over 7,000 acres. It is one of more than two...
Coronavirus: India overtakes Brazil in Covid-19 cases
India has recorded more than 90,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking its total above that of Brazil. The country now has the second-largest number of confirmed cases in the world, 4,204,613. It has reported 71,642 deaths, the third-highest in the...
India reports almost 79,000 new Covid-19 cases, more than 1,000 new deaths in a day
India’s health ministry recorded another 78,903 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the country’s total number of cases to 3,770,069. The ministry also reported 1,045 new deaths from the virus, bringing India’s death toll to 66,333. On Wednesday, India also recorded 801,282 active Covid-19 cases as...
There’s a legitimate way to end coronavirus vaccine trials early, Fauci says
A Covid-19 vaccine could be available earlier than expected if ongoing clinical trials produce overwhelmingly positive results, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, in an interview Tuesday with KHN. Although two ongoing clinical trials of 30,000 volunteers are expected to conclude...
More than 25,000 coronavirus cases in 37 states reported at colleges and universities
Schools are reopening — and the virus is spreading across US college campuses. At least 37 states are reporting positive Covid-19 cases at colleges or universities, making a total of more than 25,000 cases among students and campus staff. The states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,...
Belarus protests: Students held as marches mark new term
Belarus police have detained a number of students as they marked the start of the academic year with protests against long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. Columns of students from universities in the capital Minsk marched along Independence Avenue and gathered in Victory Square. Mr Lukashenko, who...
Amazon fires: Are they worse this year than before?
Preserving the Amazon rainforest is of global importance in the fight against climate change, but it is under threat from forest fires, mostly started to clear land for agriculture. Early numbers from this year’s fire season show an increase, leading to concern from scientists. President...
Beirut explosion: Macron ready to host Lebanon aid conference
French President Emmanuel Macron says the next six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon, as it struggles with an economic crisis and the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut a month ago. Mr Macron is offering to host an aid conference in mid-October...
Heart of Belgian city mayor found entombed in fountain
An ornate fountain in Verviers, eastern Belgium, has given up an object it held for more than a century: the heart of the city’s first mayor. The organ, sealed in a jar of alcohol inside a small zinc casket, was found during renovation of the...
Are you immune to Covid-19 for three months after recovering? It’s unclear
It’s the question everyone wants answered: How long are we protected from catching Covid-19 after we’ve recovered from the novel coronavirus — and what does that really mean? Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its quarantine guidelines online to say...
New Zealand records seven new locally transmitted cases as latest outbreak continues
Seven new locally transmitted coronavirus cases have been recorded in New Zealand, as the country attempts to contain a new outbreak after weeks of being virus free. According to Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s Director-General of Health, six of the new cases were related to a...
Belarus election: Exiled leader calls weekend of ‘peaceful rallies’
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called for peaceful rallies across the country, after she was forced to leave for Lithuania in the wake of a disputed election. “Don’t stay on the sidelines,” she said, proposing a broad council to work on the transfer of...
Trump visits brother in New York hospital
US President Donald Trump has said his younger brother is having a “tough time” as he visited him in a New York City hospital. Mr Trump wore a face mask as he entered New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Friday afternoon, staying for about 45 minutes. US...
Coronavirus: South Africa crime rate plummets during lockdown
Crime in South Africa dropped by up to 40% during the first three months of its lockdown, official figures show. The police minister said most types of crimes went down between April and June – including sexual assault and arson. He added that a controversial...
India reports more than 64,500 coronavirus cases
India recorded 64,553 new coronavirus cases and 1,007 deaths in the past 24 hours, the country’s Health Ministry announced Friday. The country has reported 2,461,190 Covid-19 cases since the outbreak began, according to the ministry, the third highest in the world after the United States and Brazil. The confirmed...
Belarus elections: Shocked by violence, people lose their fear
Seeing police brutality up close has shocked Belarusians, first during the street clashes with protesters and then as accounts spread of cruelty towards those taken to detention centres. A 25-year-old man died in custody after he was detained on Sunday. His mother said he had...
Cases surge in Europe amid concerns over a second Covid-19 wave
Coronavirus cases are spiking once again in multiple European countries as governments attempt to reopen nations while containing outbreaks. Here are some of the nations most affected. Spain Spain has recorded one of the highest increases in coronavirus cases in Europe, with 100.4 cases per...
Philippines to begin clinical trials of Russian vaccine in October
The Philippines plans to begin clinical trials for a Russian coronavirus vaccine later this year, according to the state-run Philippines News Agency (PNA). On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval of a vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, claiming it as a...
India records nearly 67,000 new Covid-19 cases in its highest single-day spike
India recorded 66,999 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry announced Thursday — its highest confirmed number of daily infections yet. The country has reported 2,396,637 Covid-19 cases since the outbreak began, according to the ministry, the third highest in the world after the...
Coronavirus in Europe: Infections surge in France, Germany and Spain
Germany has recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases in more than three months as European countries struggle to curb a surge in infections. More than 1,200 cases were reported in Germany in the past 24 hours. Officials said the rise was due, in...
Belarus election: Women form ‘solidarity chains’ to condemn crackdown
Women have formed human chains in Belarus to condemn a crackdown on protests over the disputed election. Many dressed in white and carried flowers as they called for an end to police brutality. Unrest erupted across the country after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared...
Hong Kong to launch voluntary universal coronavirus testing
Hong Kong will offer universal, voluntary coronavirus testing for all citizens, the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced Friday. Lam said she hoped the testing scheme would launch in two weeks time. “This is an entirely voluntary program to provide testing for those who want...
Japan has now identified more than 900 cases of Covid-19 for 10 days in a row
Japan’s Health Ministry recorded 1,490 Covid-19 infections on Thursday, the second-highest number of cases the country has identified in a single day during the pandemic and yet another worrying sign that its latest outbreak shows no signs of abating. Thursday marks the 10th straight day...
Key coronavirus model projects nearly 300,000 people could die in the US by December
Researchers behind an influential model at the University of Washington are now projecting that the US death toll could reach nearly 300,000 by December 1 — but that can be changed if consistent mask-wearing occurs. “America’s Covid-19 death toll is expected to reach nearly 300,000...
Christopher Steele: Ex-spy says more must be done to stop Russian interference
There must be an organised effort to prevent Russia from disrupting and distorting political life, former MI6 officer Christopher Steele has warned. Mr Steele was behind the so-called Trump-Russia dossier, which alleged collusion between Moscow and the US president’s 2016 election campaign. In an interview...
Beirut Blast: Captain says cargo was en route to Mozambique
The Russian captain of the ship whose impounded cargo of fertiliser is thought to have caused Tuesday’s gigantic explosion in Beirut has said that he’d stopped off in Beirut on the way to Mozambique. He said that the reason he had stopped off in Beirut’s...
Beirut blast: Frantic search for survivors of deadly explosion
Rescue workers in Lebanon are searching for more than a hundred people who are missing after a huge explosion devastated the port area of the capital Beirut on Tuesday. The blast killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others. The whole city...