World Health Organization (WHO) calls for stronger China collaboration on COVID-19 origins
The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that he had discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of COVID-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing’s relations with the West.
He previously pressed China to be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the virus.
In a tweet, Ghebreyesus said he was Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang where they discussed COVID-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on VaccinEquity this year to vaccinate 70% of all populations. He referred to the WHO campaign for fair access to vaccines around the world.
“We also discussed the need for stronger collaboration on COVID-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence,” he added.
Global news reported that last year, WHO established the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) and called on China to supply raw data to help any new investigation. China declined, citing patient privacy rules.
“China has consistently denied allegations that the virus was leaked from a specialist laboratory in the city of Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first identified at the end of 2019,” the article stated.
A mysterious coronavirus variant has been found in New York City wastewater
A team of researchers in New York City was searching for the coronavirus in the city’s wastewater when they discovered a “viral fragments with a unique collection of mutations” for a coronavirus variant.
According to deseret.com this variant has never been discovered and is a potential sign of a new undetected COVID-19 variant that hasn’t made its way through New York City or the country yet.
“Researchers said there’s no evidence that the lineage could become a risk to humans since it’s been circulating for at least one year, according to The New York Times. The New York City researchers published their recent findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications,” the article said.
Researches are still unsure where this potential variant came from and suspect the lineages may be coming from people who are infected with the coronavirus but aren’t captured by genetic sequencing.
The lineages could be coming from animals infected with COVID-19, including rats.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid approved by TheMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Nuvaxovid, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, has today been given regulatory approval by the MHRA. Nuvaxovid becomes the fifth COVID-19 vaccine authorised by the UK’s independent medicines regulator.
The vaccine has been approved after meeting the required safety, quality and effectiveness standards.
Stated in a press release, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said it is great to see our world renowned medicines regulator approve another COVID-19 vaccine.
“I want the UK to be the best place in the world to conduct clinical trials. It’s a testament to the country’s first-rate research and development capabilities for vaccines with tens of thousands of people taking part in clinical trials here in the UK, contributing to the invaluable research that shows our vaccines are safe and effective.”
He stated the next step will be for the independent Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination to consider its use as part of the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme
Barbados: COVID outbreak at Dodds prison
Barbados officials at the Dodds Prison have confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 50 inmates and staffers testing positive for the virus.
According to radiojamaicanewsonline Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams said operations at the correctional facility have not been significantly affected.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Mr. Abrahams said the testing of prison officers who reported for duty earlier in the day resulted in the discovery of five cases that do not seem connected to a previous cluster. He said a staff member who works in the prison’s kitchen had tested positive for COVID-19 which resulted in the testing of all the associated inmates and employees between January 29 and 31.
From that number, 18 male inmates tested positive on their first test, and a further 26 received positive results from their second tests on Tuesday.
Johnson & Johnson temporarily halts COVID-19 vaccine production
According to the New York Times, Johnson & Johnson secretly shut down the only factory producing useable amounts of their COVID-19 vaccine late last year, citing persons familiar with the decision.
According to the New York Times, the suspension is just temporary, and the Leiden factory is anticipated to resume production in a few months.
J&J presently has millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in stock, and it continues to provide medication material to all of its fill-and-finish facilities, including Aspen, the firm stated in an email.
“We continue to fulfill our contractual obligations in relation to the COVAX Facility and the African Union,” J&J added.
Australia to reopen borders to vaccinated travellers after two years of COVID-19
On Monday, Australia announced that it will reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors this month, putting an end to two years of agony for the tourism industry, restarting migration, and pumping billions of dollars into the world’s 13th largest economy.
The action basically puts an end to Australia’s final major response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which it has ascribed to low mortality and infection rates. Stop-start lockdowns, the second basic approach, was retired for good in December.
Through recent months, the nation has made moves to loosen border restrictions, such as allowing skilled migrants in and establishing quarantine-free travel arrangements – “travel bubbles” – with select countries such as New Zealand.
However, the reopening, which will take effect on February 21, will be the first time since March 2020 that individuals will be able to travelto Australia from anywhere in the world as long as they are vaccinated.
Russia to ease COVID-19 restrictions despite hitting record cases
Despite reporting a record daily number of cases as the Omicron form spreads throughout the nation, Russia will loosen some of its COVID-19 restrictions starting on Sunday, according to the consumer health watchdog.
Since January, the number of daily infections has been on the rise. The highly transmissible Omicron variety, on the other hand, has not resulted in a large rise in mortality, and the Kremlin has recently downplayed fears of fresh lockdowns.
China bringing in more spectators for Olympics with COVID-19 ‘under control’
An official from the Beijing organizers said on Tuesday that the COVID-19 situation is under control within the “closed-loop” bubble, which separates all event personnel from the general public, and that China will invite more spectators to the Winter Olympics.
Due to fears about the spread of the epidemic, China did not sell tickets to the general public, instead selecting a number of spectators from certain categories of individuals who are supposed to follow tight COVID prevention guidelines.
Due to an increase in coronavirus infections, the Tokyo Summer Games were held without spectators.
Omicron appears to be a blessing in disguise. More transmissible yet far less deadly. Exposure to it also protects against the earlier more deadly variants. Best policy now would be to follow the example of the UK and Denmark by lifting all Covid protocols and restrictions, allowing the variant to rip rapidly through the community. In the words of a Ugandan doctor “Omicron is the vaccine we failed to make”.