health
ReutersSouth Korea urges people to get flu vaccinations despite death tolls
South Korea urged citizens to get vaccinated against influenza and reduce the chances of an outbreak that coincides with the battle on the coronavirus, as it kicked off free inoculations for the last eligible group. Public anxiety over the safety of flu vaccines has surged after at least 48 people died this month following vaccinations, while, last month, about 5 million doses had to be disposed of after not being stored at recommended temperatures. Authorities have said they found no direct link between the deaths and the flu shots and have sought to reassure South Koreans about the safety of the vaccines against flu, a disease that kills at least 3,000 each year.
ReutersChina reports surge in symptomless COVID-19 infections
China reported the highest number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in nearly seven months, following a mass infection of an unknown origin in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Xinjiang health authorities found 137 asymptomatic cases on Sunday amid a testing drive for the 4.75 million people in the Kashgar area triggered by an asymptomatic infection in a 17-year-old female garment factory worker reported on Saturday. It was not clear how she was infected, though all of the new cases were linked to the garment factory.
ReutersSouth Korea pharma Celltrion's COVID test gets U.S. emergency use authorisation
South Korea's Celltrion Inc <068270.KS> said on Monday it has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its rapid COVID-19 testing kit Sampinute, which boosted shares of the company and its affiliates. Celltrion said Sampinute delivers coronavirus test results within 10 minutes, with a sensitivity of around 94%. The authorisation came three months after requesting approval in late July and the product has already been launched in the United States in August, according to the company statement.
ReutersSingapore temporarily halts use of two flu vaccines after South Korea deaths
Singapore has temporarily halted the use of two influenza vaccines as a precaution after some people who received them in South Korea died, becoming among the first countries to publicly announce a halt of the vaccines' usage. No deaths associated with influenza vaccination have been reported in Singapore to date, but the decision to halt the use of SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and VaxigripTetra was precautionary, the health ministry and the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) said in a statement late on Sunday.
ABC NewsAs cases increase, US coronavirus deaths surpass 225,000
The U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus passed another grim milestone Sunday as the number of cases crossed the 225,000 mark. The Center for Systems, Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported there were 225,111 COVID-19 related deaths across the country as of Sunday afternoon. The U.S. leads the world in coronavirus deaths and in total cases, which are now over 8.6 million, according to Johns Hopkins.
USA TODAYVice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, has tested positive for coronavirus
Mike Pence's chief of staff, his senior political adviser and at least one other staffer have tested positive for the coronavirus, reports said.
USA TODAYHalf a million deaths by the end of February? Current COVID-19 strategies have the US headed in that direction, experts say
Researchers from the University of Washington also found that wearing masks in public to prevent coronavirus spread could save nearly 130,000 lives.
Associated PressNew guidelines address rise in opioid use during pregnancy
Opioid use in pregnancy has prompted new guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, aimed at improving care for women and newborns affected by their mothers’ drug use. The number of affected women and infants has increased in recent years but they often don’t get effective treatment, and the pandemic may be worsening that problem, said Dr. Stephen Patrick, lead author of the academy report released Monday.
ReutersSAP dumps mid-term targets, cuts 2020 view as coronavirus bites
SAP <SAPG.DE> on Sunday cut its guidance for the year and abandoned its forecast that profitability would expand steadily over the medium term, saying coronavirus lockdowns would hit demand well into 2021. The German business software group, a leader in enterprise applications ranging from finance to supply-chain management, said in an ad-hoc release it was shifting strategy to accelerate its push into cloud computing. Separately, SAP also released third-quarter results showing a 4% decline in adjusted total revenue.
ReutersFrance tallies record daily COVID infections as cases surge in Europe
France registered a record 52,010 new confirmed coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, following a record 45,422 on Saturday, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, as a second wave of cases surges through Europe. The new cases took the total to 1,138,507, with France now ahead of Argentina and Spain to register the world's fifth highest number of cases after the United States, India, Brazil and Russia. In the past three days, France has registered over 139,000 new cases, which is more than the 132,000 cases registered during the two-month lockdown from mid-March to mid-May.
USA TODAYPfizer has expanded its COVID-19 vaccine trial to include minors. Some say it's risky. Others argue it's necessary.
After months of testing its COVID-19 candidate vaccine in adults, Pfizer recently lowered the age of participation to 16.
ABC NewsCOVID-19 outbreak at Massachusetts nursing home kills 5, infects 30
Five people have died from an outbreak of COVID-19 at a nursing home in Massachusetts, according to officials. A total of 30 people were infected at the Sunny Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chelmsford, according to statistics released weekly by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The outbreak comes after 15 weeks of no positive cases at the nursing home, Sunny Acres administrator Jeff Schwartz wrote on its website.
USA TODAYFast, cheap, accurate: Researchers pin hopes on Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR technology to detect coronavirus
UC Berkeley's Nobel Prize winner and MIT researchers employ gene-editing technology to develop rapid COVID-19 virus tests.
ReutersIsrael to start COVID-19 vaccine human trials on Nov. 1
Israel will begin human trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by a research institute overseen by the Defence Ministry on Nov. 1 after receiving regulatory approval, the ministry said on Sunday. The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) began animal trials for its "BriLife" vaccine in March. The Health Ministry and an oversight committee have now given the green light to take it to the next stage.
ReutersNew York reports half a million COVID-19 cases as infections surge nationwide
New York State is reporting 80% more cases in the past four weeks as compared to the previous four weeks, according to a Reuters analysis. California has the most reported cases in the nation at over 900,000, followed by Texas and Florida. New York has reported over 33,000 deaths, the most in the country and the second highest on a per capita basis after New Jersey.
Associated PressFear and anxiety spike in virus hot spots across US
Preslie Paur breaks down in tears when she thinks of her state’s refusal to mandate face masks. As President Donald Trump barnstorms the swing states, often downplaying the coronavirus pandemic before largely unmasked crowds, the nation continues to lurch toward what his opponent Joe Biden, citing health experts, warned will be a “dark winter” of disease and death. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told CNN on Sunday that “we’re not going to control the pandemic.”
USA TODAYFDA approves remdesivir as treatment for COVID-19 patients in hospital
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization.
ReutersQatar signs deal to buy Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Qatar has signed an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc <MRNA.O> to buy its potential COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is approved and released for global use, state news agency QNA quoted a health official as saying on Sunday. There are no internationally approved vaccines yet, but several are in advanced trials, including from Pfizer Inc <PFE.N>, Johnson & Johnson <JNJ.N> and Moderna. "Negotiating early and securing a number of agreements enhances our chances of getting sufficient quantities of the vaccine early," said Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of a national COVID-19 health group and head of infectious diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation.
USA TODAY'Still killing us': The federal government underfunded health care for Indigenous people for centuries. Now they're dying of COVID-19
In reservation areas of New Mexico, health care is underfunded. In this six-part series, USA TODAY investigates links between racism and COVID-19.
Business InsiderWhite House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says 'we are not going to control the pandemic'
Meadows' statement came just two days after the US marked its highest single-day total for new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.
Associated PressFinland shocked by therapy center hacking, client blackmail
Finland’s interior minister summoned key Cabinet members into an emergency meeting Sunday after hundreds — and possibly thousands — of patient records at a private Finnish psychotherapy center were accessed by a hacker or hackers now demanding ransoms. Finnish Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo tweeted that authorities would “provide speedy crisis help to victims” of the security breach at the Vastaamo psychotherapy center, an incident she called “shocking and very serious.” Vastaamo, which has branches throughout the Nordic country of 5.5 million and operates as a sub-contractor for Finland’s public health system, said its client register with intimate patient information was likely stolen during two attacks that started almost two years ago.
ReutersIndia's central bank chief tests positive for coronavirus
India's central bank Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Sunday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest high profile name in the country to contract the virus. Many top Indian politicians including Home Minister Amit Shah and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan have tested positive for the virus, and since recovered.
ReutersRBI Governor Shaktikanta Das tests positive for coronavirus
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Sunday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest high profile name in the country to contract the virus. Many top Indian politicians including Home Minister Amit Shah and actors such as Amitabh Bachchan have tested positive for the virus, and since recovered.
Associated PressItaly closes gyms, shuts eateries early to fight COVID-19
Italy's leader imposed at least a month of new restrictions across the country Sunday to fight rising coronavirus infections, shutting down gyms, pools and movie theaters, putting an early curfew on cafes and restaurants and mandating that people keep wearing masks outdoors. Worried about crippling Italy's stagnant economy, especially after 10 weeks of a severe lockdown earlier in the pandemic, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte opted against another heavy nationwide lockdown. A day earlier, Italy surpassed a half million confirmed coronavirus cases since February, when it became the first country in Europe stricken by the pandemic.
ReutersU.S. disease expert Fauci says vaccine verdict due by early December
U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday it would be clear whether a COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective by early December, but that more widespread vaccination would not be likely until later in 2021. "We will know whether a vaccine is safe and effective by the end of November, the beginning of December," Fauci told the BBC.
“Many are longtime Republicans wrestling with what they see as a choice between two lousy candidates.”
“Some undecideds turn out to be people who’ve long felt alienated from the two big political parties.”
“They’re not following the 24-hour news cycle. The election and politics are just not a high priority.”
“One common trait: at this stage of the game, the undecided voter doesn’t fit into an easy political profile.”
“More realistically...these voters may not be motivated to vote at all in the 2020 election.”