Nearly 26 million people affected by Turkey-Syria quake: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland — Almost 26 million people have been affected by the deadly earthquake that ravaged Turkey and Syria this week, the WHO said Saturday, warning that dozens of hospitals had been damaged.

As the death toll from the quake rose above 25,000, the UN health agency launched a flash appeal Saturday asking for $42.8 million to help it address the immediate, towering health needs.

The World Health Organization, which has already released $16 million from its emergency fund, had previously said up to 23 million people could be impacted.

But on Saturday, that rose to nearly 26 million, with 15 million affected in Turkey and nearly 11 million in war-torn Syria.

Among them, more than five million people were considered to be particularly vulnerable, including close to 350,000 elderly people and over 1.4 million children.

WHO estimated that in Turkey, where more than 4,000 buildings have collapsed in the quake, 15 hospitals had suffered partial or heavy damage.

In Syria, where the health care system had already been ravaged by 12 years of civil war, at least 20 health facilities across the hard-hit northwest, including four hospitals, had sustained damage.

This is making it all the more difficult to help the tens of thousands of people who have been injured in the disaster.

And while emergency medical services have been overwhelmed with trauma patients, essential health services have been severely disrupted, WHO warned.

The UN agency said there was a dire need for immediate trauma care, post-trauma rehabilitative care, essential medicines, prevention and control to prevent disease outbreaks and access to mental health support.

"WHO's goal is to save lives in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, to minimise its downstream health consequences, including mental health, and to rapidly restore essential health services across all earthquake-affected populations."

The agency added that it had flown 37 metric tonnes of trauma and emergency surgery supplies to Turkey on Thursday, while 35 metric tonnes had arrived in Syria on Friday.

"These life-saving supplies will be used to treat and care for 100,000 people as well as for 120,000 urgent surgical interventions in both countries," it said.

A third flight carrying a similar load was scheduled to reach Syria on Monday.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who arrived in Aleppo on Saturday, tweeted that he was "heartbroken to see the conditions survivors are facing ... freezing weather and extremely limited access to shelter, food, water, heat and medical care".

Agence France-Presse

From Hollywood to Detroit, pandemic-weary companies cautious on Omicron

Pandemic-weary corporations struggled to assess the impact of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus on Monday, with industries from Hollywood movie studios to airlines and autos awaiting more details to help determine how it might affect their operations and profits.

The World Health Organization warned on Monday the Omicron variant carries a very high global risk of infection surges. Spooked investors wiped roughly $2 trillion off global stocks on Friday, but markets regained some ground on Monday.

Countries have swiftly imposed bans on travel from southern Africa, where the variant was first uncovered. Japan and Israel went even further, announcing bans on all foreign visitors.

Some airlines said they were not heavily changing schedules, but industry sources said big carriers moved swiftly to protect their hubs by curbing passenger travel from southern Africa.

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary saw no reason to cancel flights although he was worried about some countries potentially shutting air travel. Lufthansa, Germany's flagship airline, said its flights were still well booked.

US President Joe Biden met with chief executives of major retailers and other companies on Monday to discuss how to move goods to shelves as the US holiday shopping season begins in the shadow of Omicron.

Before the meeting, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon cited improvement in the supply chain, noting the retailer had seen a 26% increase in shipping containers going through U.S. ports over the past four weeks.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday it was too soon to tell if Omicron will have any impact on global supply chains.

The prospect of a fast-spreading variant has raised fears of a return of the sort of restrictions that shut down a swathe of industries in 2020.

In Hollywood, where production on film and television shows returned to pre-pandemic levels this summer thanks to stringent health and safety precautions, the studios were waiting to learn more about this latest mutation of the coronavirus.

"With COVID, it keeps shape shifting. It's like mercury -- we can't get our hands around it," said Dr. Neal Baer, a physician who was a longtime producer of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

"It's going to take a couple of weeks for us to know, one, how well vaccinations protect us, two, whether you need a booster and whether a booster helps or three, whether the vaccine needs to be modified to make it effective against this mutation."

Movie theater attendance has been returning in fits and starts since the summer, but a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners said variants remain a concern -- especially after the pullback in attendance that accompanied the Delta variant.

In the United States, auto plants were closed for two months last year. Even after automakers restarted operations, they have curtailed production schedules due to semiconductor chip shortages and other supply-chain constraints. Automakers said it was too soon to predict the impact of Omicron.

"This is new," Nissan Motor Co's US spokeswoman Lloryn love-Carter said. "We're monitoring of course, but we still have a lot of pretty strict COVID protocols in place."

General Motors Co, the largest US automaker, said it was watching closely and its COVID-19 safety protocols remain in place at its plants.

"We continue to strongly encourage our employees to get vaccinated given the broad availability of safe and highly efficacious vaccines," GM spokeswoman Maria Raynal said in an email. "We will continue to review and adjust our protocols as new information regarding this variant becomes available."

Toyota Motor Corp said its US management team will meet on Tuesday to discuss the Omicron variant.

"Right now we're in the 'gathering info' mode," Toyota's U.S. spokesman Scott Vazin said. "Since most of our employees are based in plants, we've never stopped COVID protocols such as social distancing, health screenings, masking up." 

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit, additional reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles, Tim Hepher in Paris and Alex Alper in Washington; Editing by Peter Graff, Bill Berkrot and Sandra Maler)

-reuters-  

To fight COVID-19, Indian states turn to ivermectin against WHO advice

BENGALURU - At least two Indian states have said they plan to dose their populations with the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin to protect against severe COVID-19 infections as their hospitals are overrun with patients in critical condition.

The move by the coastal state of Goa and northern state of Uttarakhand come despite warnings from the World Health Organization and others against such measures.

"The current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive," WHO said in a statement in late March. "Until more data is available, WHO recommends that the drug only be used within clinical trials."

Merck, a manufacturer of the drug, has also said available data does not support using the drug as a COVID-19 treatment.

"We do not have enough data to support its use," said Anita Mathew, an infectious diseases expert in Mumbai.

The state of Goa, a major tourist haven, said earlier this week it plans to give ivermectin to all those older than 18, while the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand announced plans on Wednesday to distribute the tablets to any person over the age of two, except for pregnant and lactating women.

"An expert medical panel has recommended this," Uttarakhand's Chief Secretary Om Prakash told Reuters. "We are waiting for supplies to come in. Once they do we will distribute this drug."

Uttarakhand state in March and April played host to the Kumbh Mela, a weeks-long Hindu gathering that attracted millions of devotees from across the country. Images of the gathering showed scant evidence of any mask wearing or social distancing as throngs of people congregated for a holy dip in the river Ganges.

The state, ruled by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, has since early April seen its COVID-19 cases surge from under 300 a day to above 7,000 a day, and the death toll has also risen sharply.

Modi and other political leaders in India have faced sharp criticism for failing to stop big religious and political gatherings in many states, despite evidence from mid-February onward that India's case count was rising.

Despite India's overwhelming surge in cases, Modi has shied away from imposing a nationwide lockdown fearing the economic fallout and has left it to state governments, which experts say have acted too late.

Uttarakhand state currently has coronavirus-related social restrictions, including curbs on interstate travel.

Goa, which is also ruled by Modi's BJP, remains open to tourists and only imposed an extended 15-day lockdown this week, despite data showing more than one in three patients were testing positive for COVID-19 since mid-April. The state is reporting the highest positivity rates in the country.

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said an expert panel based in Europe had found the drug ivermectin reduced the time to recovery and risk of death, but regulators such as WHO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say there is little evidence of this.

The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research recommends doctors could use the drug for mild COVID-19 patients, but warns this is based on "low certainty of evidence."

Rane did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

-reuters-

Scientists call for new probe into COVID-19 origins - with or without China

SHANGHAI - A joint China-World Health Organization (WHO) study into COVID-19 has provided no credible answers about how the pandemic began, and more rigorous investigations are required - with or without Beijing's involvement, a group of international scientists and researchers said on Wednesday.

The joint study, released last week, said the likeliest transmission route for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, involved bats and other wildlife in China and southeast Asia. It all but ruled out the possibility it had leaked from a laboratory.

In an open letter, 24 scientists and researchers from Europe, the United States, Australia and Japan said the study was tainted by politics.

"Their starting point was, let's have as much compromise as is required to get some minimal cooperation from China," said Jamie Metzl, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, who drafted the letter.

The letter said the study's conclusions were based on unpublished Chinese research, while critical records and biological samples "remain inaccessible".

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus said last week China had withheld data.

Liang Wannian, China's senior COVID-19 expert, denied this and appeared to rule out any further joint investigations in China, saying the focus should shift to other countries.

Metzl said the world might have to "revert to Plan B" and conduct an investigation "in the most systematic way possible" without China's involvement.

China has rejected allegations that SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a research laboratory in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 was first identified.

The joint China-WHO study said the lab leak was "extremely unlikely", saying there was "no record" that any laboratory had kept SARS-CoV-2-related viruses. Tedros said more research was required to "reach more robust conclusions".

Metzl said China should disclose information that would allow the lab hypothesis to be disproved.

"China has databases of what viruses were being held... there are lab notes of the work that was being done," he said, "There are all kinds of scientists who are actually doing the work and we don't have access to any of those resources, or any of those people." 

(Reporting by David Stanway, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

-reuters-

Biden to hit reset on US fight against COVID-19

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Wednesday will immediately reset the nation's response to the COVID-19 crisis when he heads to the Oval Office after being sworn in to lead a country reeling from its worst public health crisis in more than a century.

As part of a first sweep of executive actions, Biden will order that all federal employees wear masks and make face coverings mandatory on federal property. He will establish a new White House office to coordinate the coronavirus response and halt the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, a process initiated by the outgoing president, Donald Trump.

The orders signal that Biden aims to fulfill his campaign promise to make COVID-19 relief a top priority and will mark a sharp divergence from the Trump administration's pandemic response, which critics say was ineffectual, uncoordinated and at least partly responsible for the death of more than 400,000 Americans.

He will begin work on his executive actions after a scaled-back inauguration ceremony unlike any other in US presidential history, with the National Mall covered in a "field of flags" instead of the typical crowds, who were not permitted because of the risk of contagion.

"We can overcome the deadly virus," Biden said in his inaugural address, which called for unity in a nation gripped by tense political divide.

Biden was also poised to nominate an acting US surgeon general as soon as Wednesday, a person familiar with the decision told MSNBC, following the resignation of Trump appointee Jerome Adams.

Biden's actions, particularly the mask mandate, are intended to set an example for state and local officials to rein in the virus, which has hobbled the US economy. The United States has reported nearly 200,000 new COVID-19 cases and 3,000 deaths per day on a seven-day rolling average, according to Reuters data. More than 123,000 Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

Scientists and public health experts have said face masks can help prevent the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, but the coverings have become a flashpoint in American life reflecting the nation's larger political divide.

Trump, who contracted COVID-19 last autumn, had eschewed their use at all but a handful of events and continued to hold crowded, largely maskless campaign rallies while Biden's campaign initially stuck to virtual events before expanding to other masked and socially distant gatherings.

There were few face masks as Trump departed Washington Wednesday morning. In remarks to the crowd at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump again painted his administration as a victim of the virus and listed a series of accomplishments such as tax cuts, deregulation and stock market gains before addressing COVID-19 deaths.

"We got hit. Nobody blames us for that. The whole world got it," he said of the pandemic's toll on the economy. He later touted the development of a vaccine as a "miracle" before paying his respects to people and families impacted by the virus.

-reuters-

World facing 'catastrophic moral failure' on vaccines: WHO chief

The world is on the brink of a "catastrophic moral failure" if rich countries hog Covid-19 vaccine doses while the poorest suffer, the head of the WHO said Monday.

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus denounced the "me-first" attitude of wealthy nations and also blasted vaccine manufacturers for chasing regulatory approval in rich countries rather than submitting their data to the WHO to green-light vaccine use globally.

In a speech in Geneva opening a WHO executive board meeting, he said the promise of worldwide equitable access to coronavirus vaccines was now at serious risk.

Tedros said 39 million doses of coronavirus vaccines had been administered so far in at least 49 higher income countries.

Meanwhile, "just 25 doses have been given in one lowest income country. Not 25 million; not 25,000; just 25," he said.

"I need to be blunt. The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure -- and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world's poorest countries."

He said even as some countries pronounced reassuring words on equitable access, they were prioritizing their own deals with manufacturers, driving up prices and trying to jump the queue.

He said 44 such deals were struck in 2020 and at least 12 have already been signed this year.

"The situation is compounded by the fact that most manufacturers have prioritized regulatory approval in rich countries where the profits are highest, rather than submitting full dossiers to WHO," Tedros said.

"Not only does this me-first approach leave the world's poorest and most vulnerable people at risk, it's also self defeating.

"Ultimately, these actions will only prolong the pandemic, prolong our pain, the restrictions needed to contain it, and human and economic suffering."

- 'Shot in the arm' -

The WHO has only approved emergency use validation for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and Tedros urged other manufacturers to come forward with their data for regulatory review.

Covax, the WHO co-led globally-pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort, has struck agreements with five manufacturers for two billion vaccine doses.

It aims to secure vaccines for 20 percent of the population in each participating country by the end of the year, with funding covered for the 92 lower- and lower-middle income economies involved.

"We aim to start deliveries in February," said Tedros.

He said the recent emergence of rapidly-spreading SARS-CoV-2 virus variants makes the swift and equitable roll-out of vaccines even more important.

"Vaccines are the shot in the arm we all need -- literally and figuratively," he said.

"There will be enough vaccine for everyone," Tedros insisted.

"But it's not right that younger, healthier adults in rich countries are vaccinated before health workers and older people in poorer countries."

The novel coronavirus has killed more than two million people since the outbreak emerged in China in late 2019. The pathogen is believed to have originated in an undetermined bat species.

Tedros said the pandemic showed that the health of humans, animals and the planet was intertwined.

"More than 70 percent of emerging diseases discovered in recent years are linked to animal-to-human transmission," he said.

"One year into the greatest crisis of our time, there is no question that we still face unprecedented danger."

Agence France-Presse

COVID-19 vaccines offer hope as world leaders plan for future

PARIS - France is expected to loosen its coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday as the boss of a major airline said proof of vaccination will likely become the only way people can fly in a post-pandemic world.

Hopes over COVID-19 vaccines have given a boost to virus-weary citizens across the globe, but the disease remains rampant and world leaders are urging people to be patient. 

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the country -- currently under lockdown -- to announce a reworking of the rules following a drop in nationwide infections.

Macron's televised speech comes a day after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said thanks to a major vaccine breakthrough, "the escape route is in sight" from the coronavirus crisis.

Johnson said that although the "scientific cavalry" was arriving, he warned "Christmas cannot be normal and there's a long road to spring."

The world is still engulfed in the unprecedented health crisis, which has shattered economies, infected almost 58.9 million people and left nearly 1.4 million dead.

AstraZeneca and Oxford University on Monday said their drug had proved on average 70 percent effective at stopping the virus after trying it on 23,000 people, days after tests of 2 other drugs suggested they were more than 90 percent effective.

While World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the latest batch of results as light at the end of the "long dark tunnel," he cautioned the world had to ensure drugs were distributed fairly.

"Every government rightly wants to do everything it can to protect its people," Tedros said. "But there is now a real risk that the poorest and most vulnerable will be trampled in the stampede for vaccines."

QANTAS VACCINE RULE

Australia's Qantas announced that international travelers will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to fly, becoming the first airline to suggest such rules could become common across the industry.

CEO Alan Joyce said the Australian flag carrier would implement the measure once a vaccine was made available to the public.

"Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see what happens with COVID-19 in the market but certainly, for international visitors coming out (to Australia) and people leaving the country, we think that is a necessity," he told Channel Nine.

Joyce predicted the rule would likely become standard practice around the world as governments and airlines consider the introduction of electronic vaccination passports.

Meanwhile, Australia's Victoria state announced Tuesday its last coronavirus patient had been cleared of COVID-19 -- a major milestone for what had been the epicenter of the country's second wave.

An outbreak in Melbourne, Victoria's capital, sent Australia's second-biggest city into a strict months-long lockdown, with residents subject to a curfew and mandatory mask rules.

Authorities have now reversed the toughest of the restrictions and other states have begun reopening their borders to Victoria, with New South Wales the first to do so Monday.

 'SELFISH DEAF EARS'

The United States -- by far the worst-hit nation -- celebrates Thanksgiving on Thursday, and many Americans plan to spend the holiday with extended family despite authorities warning they risk exacerbating the disease raging across the country.

Nearly 258,000 people have died nationwide and the caseload is edging towards 12.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

Stopping short of issuing an outright ban, the US government's health protection agency has for the first time called on Americans not to travel for the annual holiday, which sees families get together over turkey, yams and cranberry sauce.

Last weekend was the busiest since the start of the pandemic with more than 3 million people passing through US airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for security checks.

"Our pleas for help have fallen on selfish deaf ears," tweeted Cleavon Gilman, an emergency doctor in Arizona, where he said hospitals were "overwhelmed" with COVID-19 patients.

 SPORTING CHEER

Football fans in England can look forward to cheering on their Premier League teams from next month, but only a highly limited number of supporters will get through the turnstiles. 

A maximum of 4,000 people will be allowed to watch games in areas of the country under the least stringent rules.

"Clubs, leagues and the Sports Ground Safety Authority have worked hard to put in procedures to make stadiums safe places and we hope this is the first step on the road back to normality," said the Football Supporters' Association.

Agence France-Presse

WHO fears spike in deaths after global COVID-19 surge

As ICUs see more patients, deaths may follow

GENEVA/ZURICH - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned against any complacency in the coronavirus death rate, saying with the increasing number of cases, mortality would also rise.

New cases are hitting 100,000 daily in Europe. Nearly 20,000 infections were reported in Britain, while Italy, Switzerland and Russia were among nations with record case numbers.

While deaths globally have fallen to around 5,000 per day from April's peak exceeding 7,500, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said caseloads were rising in intensive care units.

"Mortality increases always lag behind increasing cases by a couple of weeks," Swaminathan said during a WHO social media event. "We shouldn't be complacent that death rates are coming down."

More than 38 million people have been reported infected globally and 1.1 million have died.

Despite the global push for a COVID-19 vaccine, with dozens in clinical trials and hopes for initial inoculations this year, Swaminathan reiterated that speedy, mass shots were unlikely.

Two candidates, from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca's U.S. trial, are paused on safety concerns, while manufacturing billions of doses of an eventual successful vaccine will be a colossal challenge demanding hard decisions about who gets inoculated first.

"Most people agree, it's starting with health care workers, and front-line workers, but even there, you need to define which of them are at highest risk, and then the elderly, and so on," Swaminathan said.

"A healthy young person might have to wait until 2022."

The WHO has said letting infection spread in hopes of achieving "herd immunity" is unethical and would cause unnecessary deaths. It urges hand-washing, social distancing, masks and -- when unavoidable, limited and targeted restrictions on movements -- to control disease spread.

"People talk about herd immunity. We should only talk about it in the context of a vaccine," Swaminathan said. "You need to vaccinate at least 70 percent of people … to really break transmission." 

-reuters-

WHO delivers Europe death warning as infections hit new high

COPENHAGEN - Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during autumn, the World Health Organization warned on Monday as the number of daily infections around the world hit a record high.

Israel is among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday when people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. 

The announcement sparked anger.

"It's unfair!" said Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress.

"They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" 

The World Health Organization reported 307,930 new cases worldwide on Sunday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic in China late last year, as global cases rapidly topped 29 million.

"It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality," WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told AFP in an interview.

"COVID-19 has brought to light the weaknesses and strengths of European society. It has bluntly revealed the reality of our health systems."

Kluge also said the pandemic had disrupted services for noncommunicable diseases, including monitoring of diabetes, hypertension and cancer screening in 68 percent of the member states.

WHO Europe's 53 members started a two-day online meeting Monday focusing on their virus response as the global death toll crossed 925,000.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the meeting by video-link: "We are by no means out of the woods."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, watching cases rise, echoed the WHO chief's words exactly and called for vigilance.

In France, the cities of Marseille and Bordeaux announced a series of measures to limit public gatherings as Covid-19 infections soar.

MILLIONS BACK TO SCHOOL

The latest surge has sparked alarm across Europe, and revived the debate over how best to fight the rise in infections. England has limited social gatherings to no more than six people from Monday. 

On the other hand, millions of schoolchildren in other affected countries have returned to their classrooms for the first time in months. 

Italian children were among the first in Europe to see their schools closed, and some 5.6 million returned for the first time in six months on Monday.

Although officials said thousands of extra classrooms had been set up, there were concerns over a lack of surgical masks for teachers and a shortage of single-seat benches. 

Some southern Italian regions postponed their reopening, worried they were not properly prepared.

A Vatican spokesman meanwhile said Pope Francis was being "constantly monitored" after having met with a cardinal who later tested positive.

While Europe battles with rising infections, other parts of the world are tentatively easing restrictions. 

Saudi Arabia announced it would partially lift a six-month suspension of international flights this week. South Korea said it would ease rules in and around the capital Seoul after cases declined.

The United States eased its warning against travel to China, acknowledging that the nation had made progress against Covid-19 despite Washington's frequent criticism of its pandemic role. 

VACCINE TRIALS RESUME

There was also good news in Britain where regulators allowed clinical trials to resume on one of the most advanced experimental vaccines.

The need for a vaccine was underlined by a study from the country's Institute for Employment Studies showing how coronavirus may cost one million jobs in Britain this year.

Researchers on the joint AstraZeneca-Oxford University project, who hope to finish tests by the end of the year, had "voluntarily paused" the trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness.

WHO's Kluge nonetheless urged the public not to put all their hopes on a single drug.

"I hear the whole time: 'the vaccine is going to be the end of the pandemic'. Of course not," he said. The end of the pandemic would come when communities learn to live with the disease, he stressed.

And if that wasn't tough enough, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board warned far too little is being done to prepare for future, possibly even more damaging pandemics.

The independent body set up by the WHO and World Bank, decried that the crisis had revealed how little the world had focused on preparing for such disasters, despite ample warning.

France on Monday cancelled Paris's biggest contemporary art fair FIAC Paris's biggest contemporary art fair, due to he held at the end of next month, because of the pandemic.

Agence France-Presse

WHO wants to review Russian vaccine safety data

GENEVA - The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review, after Russia announced Tuesday it had approved a vaccine.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the new coronavirus.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine," the United Nations health agency's spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva at an online press briefing.

"Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data."

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the country's defense ministry.

A total of 165 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, according to the latest WHO overview produced on July 31.

Of those, 139 are still in pre-clinical evaluation, while the other 26 are in the various phases of being tested on humans, of which 6 are the furthest ahead, having reached Phase 3 of clinical evaluation.

The Gamaleya candidate being produced in Russia, which is among the 26 being tested on humans, is listed as being in Phase 1.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund that finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses.

'STAMP OF QUALITY'

"Every country has national regulatory agencies that approve the use of vaccines or medicines on its territory," Jasarevic explained.

"WHO has in place a process of pre-qualification for vaccines but also for medicines. Manufacturers ask to have the WHO pre-qualification because it is a sort of stamp of quality.

"To get this, there is a review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data that are gathered through the clinical trials. WHO will do this for any candidate vaccine."

The pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilization of funding and research to rush through a vaccine that can protect billions of people worldwide.

"We are encouraged by the speed by which several candidate vaccines have been developing and as we have been always saying, we hope some of these vaccines will prove to be safe and efficient," said Jasarevic.

"Accelerating progress does not mean compromising on safety," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Vaccine against COVID-19 not certain, maybe in a year: WHO

BRUSSELS - It is not certain that scientists will be able to create an effective vaccine against the coronavirus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, but it could take a year before one were to be invented, the head of the World Health Organization said.

Speaking by video-conference to deputies from the European Parliament's health committee, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that if such a vaccine became a reality, it should become a public good available to all.

"It would be very difficult to say for sure that we will have a vaccine," Tedros said. "We never had a vaccine for a coronavirus. So this will be, when discovered, hoping that it will be discovered, it will be the first one," he said.

He said the WHO had already more than 100 candidates for a vaccine of which one was at an advanced stage of development.

"Hoping that there will be a vaccine, the estimate is we may have a vaccine within one year. If accelerated, it could be even less than that, but by a couple of months. That's what scientists are saying," he said.

-reuters-

Health officials praise Laos after coronavirus-free declaration

BANGKOK - International health organizations on Thursday praised Laos' early response and countrywide networks for containing the novel coronavirus after the Southeast Asian nation declared itself free of the virus earlier this month.

But they said the country with a border with China, which is tackling a new outbreak, must remain vigilant.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith declared Laos free of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 on June 10 after the last of the country's 19 cases recovered and 59 days with no new infections. The country has suffered no fatalities.

Howard Sobel, acting World Health Organization representative in Laos, issued a statement on Thursday commending Thongloun, the COVID-19 Task Force and the Emergency Operations Center.

He also thanked "frontline health staff for their tireless efforts (including weekends and holidays) to enhance early warning and early detection systems, contact tracing, and prepare the Lao health system, borders and quarantine centers to respond to COVID-19."

He warned imported cases remain a threat.

"The measures put in place for these initial wins, must remain and continue to be strengthened," he said.

The low number of cases in Communist-run Laos had prompted skepticism, but a representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Laos said there were few unofficial reports of illnesses or deaths on social media or in villages.

"It's difficult to hide, so yes, I believe it," said Ludovic Arnout, the IFRC's Asia Pacific Coordinator for Water, Sanitation, Health and Care, based in Laos.

He praised the government's community information campaign that reached remote areas.

He also credited awareness among Lao people, who willingly embraced the cancellation of April's annual Laos New Year water festival and accepted wearing face masks to prevent spread of disease.

"The masks were widely used quite quickly," he said. 

-reuters-

Gru and Minions urge handwashing, fun at home in new coronavirus public service announcement

(Reuters) - Gru and the popular yellow Minions from the animated “Despicable Me” movie franchise are urging people to keep their distance to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus in a new public service announcement unveiled on Wednesday.

Illumination, the animation studio behind “Despicable Me,” developed the PSA with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Foundation.

The PSA is voiced by actor Steve Carell as Gru and will be translated into multiple languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese and Arabic, among others.

In the minute-long PSA, Gru urges people to wash their hands regularly and keep physical distance, find fun things to do at home such as dancing and cooking a new dish, and to be kind to others.

“At this challenging time, we must find all ways possible to provide hope to people while sharing advice that can protect our health,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a statement.

Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Tom Brown

Spraying disinfectants can be 'harmful', says WHO

GENEVA - Spraying disinfectant on the streets, as practiced in some countries, does not eliminate the new coronavirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday.

In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective. 

"Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is... not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris," explains the WHO.

"Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens." 

The WHO said that streets and pavements are not considered as "reservoirs of infection" of COVID-19, adding that spraying disinfectants, even outside, can be "dangerous for human health". 

The document also stresses that spraying individuals with disinfectants is "not recommended under any circumstances".

"This could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread the virus through droplets or contact," said the document. 

Spraying chlorine or other toxic chemicals on people can cause eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm and gastrointestinal effects, it adds. 

The organization is also warning against the systematic spraying and fumigating of disinfectants on to surfaces in indoor spaces, citing a study that has shown it to be ineffective outside direct spraying areas. 

"If disinfectants are to be applied, this should be done with a cloth or wipe that has been soaked in disinfectant," it says.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide since its appearance in late December in China, can attach itself to surfaces and objects. 

However, no precise information is currently available for the period during which the viruses remain infectious on the various surfaces. 

Studies have shown that the virus can stay on several types of surfaces for several days. However, these maximum durations are only theoretical because they are recorded under laboratory conditions and should be "interpreted with caution" in the real-world environment.

Agence France-Presse

Facebook, YouTube remove 'Plandemic' video with 'unsubstantiated' coronavirus claims

Facebook Inc and YouTube, the video service of Alphabet Inc's Google, said on Thursday that they were removing a video that made medically unsubstantiated claims relating to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The 26-minute video dubbed "Plandemic" went viral this week across social media platforms. It features Judy Mikovits, an activist among people who contend that many common vaccines are dangerous.

Mikovits says in the video that wearing masks activates the coronavirus within people, without providing evidence, and criticizes orders to stay away from beaches.

"Suggesting that wearing a mask can make you sick could lead to imminent harm, so we're removing the video," Facebook said.

Mikovits could not be reached for comment, while producers of the video did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the video, Mikovits also describes the coronavirus as a conspiracy among people trying to profit from vaccines and raises concerns about vaccines. She says anyone who has ever received a flu vaccine had a coronavirus injected into them, without providing substantiation.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, emerged in late 2019 and there is no known vaccine and or cure for it. Vaccines are available for seasonal flu, which is caused by a separate virus.

YouTube said it was working to keep the video off its service in accordance with its rules against "content that includes medically unsubstantiated diagnostic advice" about the coronavirus and the related respiratory illness COVID-19.

But late on Thursday, slightly edited copies of the original video remained available on YouTube.

Twitter Inc said it had blocked users from using the hashtags #PlagueOfCorruption and #Plandemicmovie, but said that content in a shorter clip posted on its service did not violate its policy against COVID-19 misinformation.

The companies have been under pressure from the World Health Organization and other health authorities around the world to police harmful content and misinformation about the pandemic.


While the companies have dedicated workers to address the challenge, misinformation continues to flow, including from groups growing frustrated with business closures and stay-at-home orders and taking to social media to argue against them.

-reuters-

WHO seeks invite to China's probe into virus origins

GENEVA, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said Friday it hoped China would invite it to take part in its investigations into the animal origins of the novel coronavirus.

"WHO would be keen to work with international partners and at the invitation of the Chinese government to participate in investigation around the animal origins," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email.

He said the UN health agency understood there were a number of investigations underway in China "to better understand the source of the outbreak", but added that "WHO is not currently involved in the studies in China."

Scientists believe the killer virus jumped from animals to humans, emerging in China late last year, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat.

But US President Donald Trump has fuelled speculation and rumors -- generally rejected by experts -- that the virus may have emerged in a top-secret Chinese lab.

WHO has also faced scathing criticism from Trump, who earlier this month suspended Washington's funding after accusing the WHO of downplaying the seriousness of the outbreak and of kowtowing to China.

The UN health agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did travel with a team to China in late January, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to learn more about the response.

This paved the way, Tedros explained earlier this week, for an international team of scientists to travel there in February to investigate the situation, including experts from China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, Singapore and the United States of America.

But as investigations into the origins of the virus have picked up pace in China, the WHO has not been involved.

The ongoing investigations are believed to be looking at "human cases with symptom onset in and around Wuhan in late 2019, environmental sampling from markets and farms in areas where the first human cases were identified, and detailed records on the source and type of wildlife species and farmed animals sold in these markets," Jasarevic said.

He stressed that the results from the virus origin studies were "essential to preventing further zoonotic introductions of the virus that causes COVID-19 into the human population."

"WHO continues to collaborate with animal health and human health experts, countries and other partners to identify gaps and research priorities for the control of COVID-19, including the eventual identification of the source of the virus in China," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Taiwan pushes WHO participation in rare ministerial call with US

TAIPEI - In a rare teleconference between health ministers, Taiwan has thanked the United States for its support in pushing for the island's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the coronavirus pandemic and despite China's objections.

In turn the United States thanked Taiwan for sharing its medical best practices. Taiwan has limited the coronavirus outbreak to just 429 confirmed cases and six deaths.

Taiwan's lack of membership at the WHO, due to China's objections which considers the island merely one of its provinces, has infuriated Taipei, which says its exclusion has created a glaring gap in global fight against coronavirus.


In a teleconference late Monday, Taiwan Health Minister Chen Shih-chung thanked US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar "for the strong support extended by the United States for Taiwan's participation in the WHO", Taiwan's Health Ministry said in a statement.

"Minister Chen told Secretary Azar that he hopes the US will continue to support for Taiwan's full participation in the World Health Assembly as observer and WHO meetings, mechanisms, and activities," the statement added.

The World Health Assembly is the WHO's decision-making body.

Taiwan attended it as an observer from 2009-2016 when Taipei-Beijing relations warmed, but China blocked further participation after the election of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who China views as a separatist, charges she rejects.

Taiwan's Health Ministry said that Azar reaffirmed "the continued and concrete support from the US of expanding Taiwan's participation in the WHO and global health arena".

The WHO and China both say Taiwan has been given the access to and information it needs from the body during the pandemic, but Taiwan says that has been limited.

Azar, in a tweet, said he had thanked Chen for Taiwan's "efforts to share their best practices and resources with the US" "Now, more than ever, global health partnership is crucial and I appreciate Taiwan's contributions."

Direct, public interactions between ministerial-level officials from Taiwan and the United States are unusual as the two do not have official diplomatic ties.

The United States, like most countries, only has formal relations with Beijing, though it is Taiwan's strongest backer on the international stage.

Earlier this month Taiwan and the United States discussed how to get "closer coordination" between the island and the WHO during the coronavirus outbreak, drawing a rebuke from China for "political manipulation" of the epidemic.

US President Donald Trump signed a new law last month requiring increased support for Taiwan's international role. China threatened unspecified retaliation in response.

Taiwan has been far more successful than many of its neighbors keeping the virus in check thanks to early and stringent steps to control its spread.

-reuters-

'One World' celebrity special for coronavirus draws 21 million Americans

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Almost 21 million Americans watched the “One World: Together At Home” global special on Saturday in support of frontline workers battling the coronavirus pandemic, according to Nielsen data released on Monday.

Nielsen said that the two-hour concert, which featured appearances and performances from their homes by multiple celebrities including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, the Rolling Stones, Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce, was aired on 26 U.S. television networks.

The event, the biggest celebrity effort during the coronavirus outbreak, was viewed by an estimated 20.7 million viewers in the United States, Nielsen said. Audiences in other nations and on streaming platforms were not available.

The concert, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and nonprofit Global Citizen, raised some $127 million from corporations and philanthropists for the work of the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Members of the public were not asked to donate but were encouraged to practice social distancing and handshaking and to show their appreciation for healthcare, grocery, delivery, transport and other workers.

Saturday’s two hour broadcast special was preceded by a six-hour streaming event which featured musicians and other celebrities from as far apart as Asia and the Middle East.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Christopher Cushing

TikTok promotes good vibes to beat lockdown blues: official

MANILA - TikTok is encouraging users to promote positivity on the dance video platform during the COVID-19 lockdown, as frontliners in scrub suits go viral, its Philippines head said Thursday.

Users are uploading more videos focused on safety and positivity after the enhanced community quarantine was imposed, said TikTok Philippines' User, Content and Community Operations manager Emmanuel John Castro.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) are among agencies that tapped TikTok to reach a wider audience, he said. 

"We make sure that these videos are shown in the Philippines because these promotes positivity we’ve always been craving for as Filipinos," Castro said.



"We try to promote the right kind of information out there because TikTok has been like a big platform of users for different ages," he said.

Millions in Luzon have turned to social media platforms and the internet for entertainment during the lockdown of Luzon, which was extended until April 30. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Scientist warns of infections through breathing as US coronavirus toll mounts

A top US scientist warned Friday that the new coronavirus can be spread through normal breathing, fueling recommendations that everyone wear masks as several nations posted record death tolls.

With half of humanity under lockdown orders, governments have been racing to find ways to flatten the rise of the virus, which has infected more than one million people around the world.

Anthony Fauci, the veteran US expert who is leading the government's scientific response, backed recent scholarship that found SARS-CoV-2 can be suspended in the ultrafine mist let out when people exhale.

Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told Fox News that the guidance on masks would be changed "because of some recent information that the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak, as opposed to coughing and sneezing."

The World Health Organization has been more cautious, saying the airborne threat was only known to occur during certain medical treatments, and the United States until now has only advised sick people and their caretakers to cover their faces.

But Vice President Mike Pence said authorities will issue new nationwide advice in the coming days and several local leaders have already gone ahead.

Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, the coronavirus epicenter of the United States, has recommended that everyone in the nation's largest city wear masks when going outside -- advice backed Friday by the governor of Pennsylvania. 

"The only way we can cut the growth of this virus is to act as if we all have it," Governor Tom Wolf told reporters.

But with the United States and Europe facing severe shortfalls in protective gear, Fauci and local leaders urged people to save clinical masks for health professionals and patients.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a national address ordered all people to wear masks when going to markets and banned anyone under 20 from going outside.

- Rising tolls but hope in Europe -

More than 53,000 people have died from COVID-19 since it was first detected late last year in China, and the United States, Spain and Britain all reported their highest daily death tolls.

The United States on Thursday recorded 1,169 COVID-19 fatalities, the highest in one day in any country, according to a tracker at Johns Hopkins University. 

Worse may be coming as a quarter of global infections are in the United States, where President Donald Trump has warned of a "very, very painful" first two weeks of April.

Europe reached the dark milestone of 40,000 dead, with Spain on Friday reporting more than 900 deaths in the past 24 hours. 

Spaniard Javier Lara survived after being put on oxygen in an overcrowded intensive care unit -- a shock to a 29-year-old who was athletic and doesn't smoke.

"I was panicking that my daughter would get infected. When I started showing symptoms, I said I wouldn't hold her or go near her," he said, describing facing death with an eight-week-old as the "worst moment" in his life.

But even while Europe has recorded the most deaths, there were signs the peak there may be passing.

Worst-hit Italy recorded 766 new deaths but its infections rose by just four percent, the lowest yet, according to the civil protection service.

Guarded hope also came from Germany, which is credited with containing the virus through especially strict rules such as banning gatherings of more than two people.

"It's true that the latest figures, as high as they are, give us a little bit of hope, as the growth in new infections is slower than it was a few days ago," Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

"But it is definitely much too early to see a clear trend in that, and it is certainly too early to think in any way about relaxing the strict rules we have given ourselves," she added.

Prosperous countries have borne the brunt of the disease, but there are fears of an explosion among the world's most vulnerable living in conflict zones or refugee camps.

"The worst is yet to come," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, referring to countries such as Syria, Libya and Yemen. "The COVID-19 storm is now coming to all these theaters of conflict." 

- Grim economic news -

The world economy has been pummelled by the virus and the associated lockdowns, with the US economy shedding 701,000 jobs in March -- its worst showing since March 2009 in the wake of the subprime banking crisis. Even more dire figures are expected for April.

The situation is no better in Europe, where the Irish central bank said the country's economic output could be slashed by 8.3 percent this year.

Financial ratings agency Fitch predicted the US and eurozone economies would shrink this quarter by up to 30 percent and the Asian Development Bank warned the global economy could take a $4.1 trillion hit -- equivalent to five percent of worldwide output.

Latin America is heading into a "deep recession" with an expected drop of 1.8 to 4.0 percent in GDP, according to the UN economic commission for the region.

- New measures taken -

China's central bank became the latest to announce special stimulus measures when it cut reserve requirements for smaller banks in order to release around 400 billion yuan ($56 billion) in liquidity.

In signs that the world wants to avoid a repeat of the crisis, the African country of Gabon said it was banning the sale and consumption of bats and pangolins, the critically endangered, scaly mammals.

Pangolins are heavily trafficked from Gabon to China, where their meat is considered a delicacy.

The novel coronavirus is believed to have come from bats, but researchers think it might have spread to humans via another mammal such as pangolins through an unsanitary meat market in Wuhan.

The virus has chiefly killed the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions, but recent deaths among teenagers and babies have highlighted the dangers for people of all ages.

In Kenya, the health ministry said a six-year-old boy had died and in Spain, mothers like 34-year-old Vanesa Muro who gave birth with COVID-19 are warned not to touch their newborns without wearing gloves and masks. 

"It's hard," she told AFP at her home in Madrid. "He grabs your finger, the poor little thing, and holds on to the plastic, not on to you."

Agence France-Presse