The percentage of contacts of positive coronavirus cases reached by England’s Test and Trace service has continued to fall, in the latest statistics published by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, sparking concern over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic. New figures show that, in …
Read More »Israel extends coronavirus lockdown as finance minister warns of businesses ‘collapsing’
The country’s coronavirus cabinet met late into Tuesday night to discuss an exit plan from the lockdown, re-imposed in September amid a wave of new infections, but decided the measures would remain in force over the weekend. “The decision to ease restrictions and allow for a gradual exit from the …
Read More »Johnson & Johnson pauses coronavirus vaccine study, citing ‘unexplained illness’ in volunteer
The pharma firm’s 60,000-patient vaccine study was paused due to an adverse reaction in a volunteer, J&J confirmed to Stat News on Monday, citing privacy concerns while declining to outline the patient’s symptoms. “We must respect this participant’s privacy. We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important …
Read More »President Trump says he & first lady tested positive for coronavirus after top aide infected on campaign trail
“Tonight, [the first lady] and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!” the president tweeted in the early hours of Friday morning. The first lady said she and Trump were “feeling good.” “Please be sure you are staying …
Read More »Pentagon slammed for turning $1 billion ‘coronavirus fund’ into more military-industrial pork – but what did Congress expect?
While the Department of Defense received $1 billion in March’s CARES Act stimulus bill specifically to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus,” it ultimately diverted most of the windfall to defense contractors, the Washington Post revealed on Tuesday. The pandemic response fund, created under the aegis of the Defense …
Read More »Coronavirus measures more divisive for UK than Brexit – poll
Around 68 percent of those who abide by the lockdown rules have “strong negative views” about people who violate the restrictions, the survey by the think tank Demos revealed. The same goes for face masks, with 58 percent of respondents who use protective gear saying they have “severely negative attitudes …
Read More »Fire ravages overcrowded, coronavirus-stricken migrant camp in Lesbos, Greece after protests over quarantine, living conditions
The blaze erupted around 2am Wednesday morning, quickly sweeping through the camp. Footage has emerged online showing fires burning ramshackle structures inside out and plumes of smoke billowing from the inferno. The fire sparked an exodus from the camp, which is filled to four times its capacity, with thousands of …
Read More »Northeastern University kicks out students for ‘crowded gathering’, as coronavirus gives colleges a license to steal tuition fees
The students were enrolled in Northeastern University’s Nu.in program, which usually places students abroad for their first semester. However, coronavirus restrictions saw the students confined to Boston this year, and put up in the city’s Westin Hotel. Tuition remained at a pricey $36,534, even though the hotel’s “socially distanced” student …
Read More »‘It was a set-up!’ Nancy Pelosi claims salon tricked her into flouting coronavirus restrictions to get hair done, demands APOLOGY
The Democratic rep mounted her defense at an event about school reopenings in San Francisco’s Noe Valley on Wednesday, maintaining that she was led to believe her hair appointment earlier this week would be permitted under the city’s virus guidelines. “I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood …
Read More »‘A bit like flu’: Coronavirus will stay with us ‘FOREVER’, British scientist says
The not-exactly-optimistic prognosis was produced by Sir Mark Walport, a member of the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), on Saturday. Unlike some other diseases, like smallpox “which could be eradicated by vaccination,” Covid-19 is unlikely to be completely destroyed, the scientist told BBC Radio 4. At the …
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