Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The COVID-19 virus that has infected over 100 million people globally causing at least 2,327,231 deaths did not start in a laboratory according to a report released by the World Health Organization. The report shows that the virus is predominant in bats and as such …
Read More »China races to find virus vaccine, put scandals in the past
Beijing, China | AFP | China has mobilised its army and fast-tracked tests in the global race to find a coronavirus vaccine, but its labs also have an image tarnished by past health scandals to overcome. Six months after the first cases emerged in the city of Wuhan, China has moved quickly to develop a …
Read More »Timeline of WHO’s role in the coronavirus pandemic
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization has been at the heart of the battle against the new coronavirus since the first reported outbreak in China. As the WHO’s World Health Assembly gathers on Monday to plot the path ahead, here is a timeline covering the key moments in …
Read More »WHO stresses need to find source of coronavirus
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Pinning down the source of the coronavirus pandemic should help in working out how COVID-19 has “invaded the human species” so quickly, a senior WHO official told AFP. The outbreak has triggered a fierce diplomatic spat between China and the United States — with the World …
Read More »WHO wants invite to China’s probe into virus origins
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | 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 …
Read More »US says probing if coronavirus came from Chinese lab
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s administration is urging an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it doesn’t rule out that it came from a laboratory researching bats in Wuhan, China. Beijing has said that the virus, which has killed more than 138,700 people worldwide, …
Read More »Wuhan opens, sparking hope despite rising global deaths and economic pain
Wuhan, China | AFP | Thousands streamed out of the Chinese city of Wuhan Wednesday after a lockdown on the birthplace of the coronavirus was lifted, offering a ray of hope even as Europe and the United States faced rising deaths and crippling economic pain. As Wuhan reawakens, Western countries remain …
Read More »China pauses in memory of virus victims and ‘martyrs’
Wuhan, China | AFP | China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the world’s most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence. At 10 am (0200 GMT), citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang …
Read More »Back to work in China virus epicentre as restrictions eased
Beijing, China | AFP | People in central China where the coronavirus was first detected are allowed to go back to work and public transport is restarting, as some normality slowly returns after a two-month lockdown. The easing of restrictions in Wuhan city comes as Chinese health officials reported Monday no …
Read More »Wuhan recovery gives rest of world hope: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization said Friday that the original epicentre in China of the coronavirus outbreak at last reporting no new cases gave hope to the rest of the world battling the pandemic. The city of Wuhan registered no new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours …
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