News

Washington, 4 Apr (ONA) --- A new study has explored how reducing sodium intake can help patients with heart failure. The findings of the study were published in the journal, 'The Lancet'. Though reducing salt intake did not lead to fewer emergency visits, hospitalisations or deaths for patients with heart failure, the researchers did find an improvement in symptoms such as swelling, fatigue and coughing, as well as better overall better quality of life. The researchers have followed 806 patients at 26 medical centres in Canada, the United States, Columbia, Chile, Mexico and ...

Stockholm, 4 Apr (ONA) --- Sweden recommended a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to people 65 and over as well as those living in nursing homes or getting home care, local authorities said today. The new guideline drops the age from an earlier recommendation for a fourth shot to people 80 and older. The recommendation also includes fourth shots for those between 18–64 with moderate to severe immune deficiency, Sweden’s Public Health Agency said in a statement. --- Ends/Khalid ...

High Caffeine Consumption Induces Heart RhythmsNew York, 3 Apr (ONA) --- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends healthy adults not exceed 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine; approximately four cups of brewed coffee a day.New research out of the New York Institute of Technology finds that staying within these guidelines is more important as people age.The study will be presented this week at the American Physiological Society (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology (EB) 2022 in Philadelphia.The research team administered an acute dose of caffeine to four experimental ...

Beijing, 31 Mar (ONA) --- The city of Shanghai prepared today to reopen its eastern half and shut its western half, while authorities elsewhere announced the lifting of a citywide lockdown in the province which was hit hardest by China’s ongoing omicron outbreak. Residents of the city of Jilin will be able to move about freely starting tomorrow (Friday) for the first time in more than three weeks, state broadcaster CCTV said. Those residents will still be required to wear masks and, when indoors, stay one meter apart. Public gatherings in parks and squares are still ...

Shanghai, 30 Mar (ONA)--- Shanghai's Covid-19 lockdown has left thousands scrambling to stock up on supplies, while others quarantine in their offices to keep business running, according to the BBC news. After weeks of isolated compound lockdowns, the city of 25 million has been split into two. Earlier this week those living in Shanghai's eastern half were told to stay home, with the western half due to enter a lockdown on Friday. The move comes as the city battles a surge in Omicron Covid cases. The city has reported around 20,000 Covid-19 infections since 1 ...

Baltimore, 28 Mar (ONA) --- A chemical found in broccoli and other vegetables may offer a promising approach to preventing and treating COVID-19 after small amounts of the compound were found to reduce SARS-CoV-2 growth in mammalian cells and mice.Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Centre in Baltimore, Md., have found sulforaphane, a plant-derived chemical or phytochemical found in broccoli and other cruciferous plants, can inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.The results, published in the Nature Journal Communications Biology showed ...

Edinburgh, 24 Mar (ONA) —— The number of patients in hospital in Scotland with recently confirmed Covid-19 has reached a record high for a fourth consecutive day with 2,322 people in hospital, according to latest figures.This was an increase of 65 on the 2,257 reported the day before, with 26 in intensive care, up one.Scotland has recorded 50 coronavirus-linked deaths and 13,564 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, according to data published by the Scottish government today.The number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 has risen to 11,246.So ...

Washington, 23 May (ONA) --- Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers, the company announced today. If regulators agree it could mean a chance to finally start vaccinating the littlest kids by summer. Moderna said in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the US and Europe to authorize two small-dose shots for youngsters under 6. The company also is seeking to have larger doses cleared for older children and teens in the US. Early results from the study found that tots developed high levels of virus-fighting antibodies from shots ...

Cape Town, South Africa (AP) --- A drive to vaccinate more than 9 million children against polio has been launched this week in four countries in southern and eastern Africa after an outbreak was confirmed in Malawi. The urgent vaccination campaign has started in Malawi where drops of the inoculation are being placed in the mouths of children across the country. The vaccination campaign will be expanded after tomorrow (Thursday) to include the neighboring countries of Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, according to UNICEF which is working with the governments and other ...

London, 22 Mar (ONA) ---- Fertility rates in England and Wales have increased slightly for the first time in a decade, driven by women delivering babies at older ages, figures show.There were 625,008 live births in 2021, an increase of 1.5% from 615,557 live births in 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).This is the first year-on-year increase since 2015, but live births in 2021 still remain "well below" the 2019 number, it said.The majority of the increase in live births occurred during the second half of the year.The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2021 was an ...

Beijing, 21 Mar (ONA) --- Shanghai Disneyland closed today as China’s most populous city tried to contain its biggest coronavirus flareup in two years, while the southern business center of Shenzhen allowed shops and offices to reopen after a weeklong closure.Meanwhile, the cities of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast began another round of citywide virus testing following a surge in infections. Jilin tightened anti-disease curbs, ordering its 2 million residents to stay home.China’s case numbers in its latest infection wave are low compared with other major countries, ...

Seoul, South Korea, 17 Mar (ONA) --- Officials in South Korea tried to calm public fears as daily cases and deaths reached record highs today. The 429 deaths reported in the latest 24 hours were nearly 140 more than the previous one-day record set last Tuesday. Fatalities may further rise in coming weeks considering the intervals between infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The 621,266 new coronavirus cases diagnosed by health workers were also a record daily jump, shattering Wednesday’s previous high of 400,624. That pushed the national caseload to over 8.2 million, with ...

Berlin, 17 Mar (ONA) --- German political leaders are scheduled to meet today as the nation prepares to scrap the last of its pandemic restrictions, even as Covid-19 cases soar. At their last meeting in February, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the heads of the 16 state governments agreed to a gradual winding down of the main virus-containment measures, culminating this Sunday. Mask-wearing and social-distancing rules are to remain in place. However, some have called the exit plan into question as the national disease control institute reports the highest national infection rates ...

  Geneva, 16 Mar (ONA) --- The number of new coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 17% in the last week while COVID-19 infections rose, reversing a decline in cases that first began in January 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).   In the UN health agency’s weekly report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday, WHO said there were more than 11 million new COVID-19 infections last week, about an 8% rise, and 43,000 new deaths. The number of COVID-19 deaths globally has been dropping for the past three weeks. The biggest increase in cases were ...

Hanoi, Vietnam, 16 Mar (ONA) --- Vietnam today scrapped quarantine and other travel restrictions for foreign visitors in an effort to fully reopen its border after two years of pandemic-related closure, the government said. Visitors entering the Southeast Asian country only need to show a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival, according to the Health Ministry, which said the new measures were effective immediately. Visitors must monitor their own health during the first 10 days of their stay and notify medical professionals in Vietnam if they experience any COVID-19-like ...

London, 16 Mar (ONA) --- After dropping nearly all coronavirus restrictions last month, the United Kingdom (UK) is now ending some of its most widespread COVID-19 testing and monitoring programs, a move some scientists fear will complicate efforts to track the virus and detect worrisome new variants. Local officials have largely dismissed those concerns, despite a recent uptick in cases across Europe, insisting that high immunization rates will help dampen future waves of disease. Last week, the UK announced it was suspending funding for one of the world’s biggest and ...

New York, 16 Mar (ONA) —— Vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. said that it will continue to supply medicine to Russia despite its opposition to the country's attack on Ukraine.The company said that implementing a "voluntary pause in the flow of our medicines to Russia would be in direct violation of our foundational principle of putting patients first."The company said that it would not stop the delivery of critical medicines, like cancer or cardiovascular therapies as it would result in significant patient suffering and potential loss of life, particularly among children and elderly people.Pfizer ...

Beijing, 15 Mar (ONA) --- Chinese authorities today tightened anti-virus controls at ports, raising the risk of trade disruptions after some auto and electronics factories shut down as the government fights coronavirus outbreaks. China’s Covid-19 case numbers are low compared with other major countries. But local authorities are enforcing a “zero tolerance” strategy that aims to keep out the virus. It has temporarily shut down major cities to find every infected person. --- Ends/Khalid ...

Paris, 14 Mar (ONA) --- France today lifted most COVID-19 restrictions, abolishing the need to wear face masks in most settings and allowing people who aren’t vaccinated back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues. The move had been announced earlier this month by the French government based on assessments of the improving situation in hospitals and following weeks of a steady decline in infections. But in recent days, the number of new infections has started increasing again, raising concerns from some scientists it may be too soon to lift restrictions. The number ...

Beijing, 13 Mar (ONA) --- China’s government responded today to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service. Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported today. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home. Case numbers in China’s latest infection surge are low ...

Addis Ababa, 10 Mar (ONA) ---- The war in Ukraine and the sanctions on Russia will take a toll on the fight against Covid-19 in Africa, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced today."Definitely the continent will be affected across the board, no doubt about that," said John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC.Not only will the logistics of vaccine transportation and related costs be affected, but also the awareness for the pandemic in general."The war has taken a lot of attention away from Covid, which is unfortunate," Nkengasong said.Africa has ...

Geneva, 10 Mar (ONA) --- Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have discovered some of the mechanisms by which metastasis arise.Metastatic cells from in a primary tumour and then break away from it, migrate to other organs, attach to them and form new tumours. This spread reduces patients’ chances of recovery. Cells that have narrowly escaped cell death (apoptosis) following a chemotherapeutic treatment reprogram themselves to acquire metastatic skills. Thanks to this study, these cells (named PAME) now appear as new therapeutic targets. Previous studies have ...

Washington, 10 Mar (ONA) —— More than 448.45 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally, and 6,400,710 have died, according to a Reuters tally.Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in December 2019.—— ...

Beijing, 10 Mar (ONA) —— China has reported the highest coronavirus infection figures in two years. Across all of China, 402 local infections reported on Wednesday, almost twice as many as the day before, the official news agency Xinhua reported today.   There were also 435 asymptomatic infections and 277 cases imported from abroad.   Following the first major coronavirus wave, which originated in Wuhan more than two years ago, China was able to bring the virus under control quickly with strict measures. Since then, the world's second-largest ...

Berlin, 9 Mar (ONA) —— The German government today revealed more details of its plans to ease most of the regulations to contain Covid-19 later this month.According to draft legislation, after 20 March, German states will still have the power to enforce coronavirus tests and mask-wearing in some areas of life, such as in hospitals, care homes, or on public transport. They could also keep this in schools.Most other restrictions will no longer be backed by legislation, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said in a press conference alongside Justice Minister Marco Buschmann today."As far as ...

London, 9 Mar (ONA) --- The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths globally have continued to fall in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, with only the Western Pacific reporting an increase in COVID-19. In its latest report on the pandemic issued on today, the UN health agency said new COVID-19 infections dropped by 5% in the last week, continuing a declining trend that started more than a month ago. Deaths were also down by 8% and have been falling globally for the last two weeks. Only the Western Pacific saw a rise in coronavirus ...

Mainz, Germany, 8 Mar (ONA) —— BioNTech and Regeneron have expanded their work on a lung cancer drug, they said on Tuesday.BioNTech said it has expanded its strategic collaboration with Regeneron to advance the company's FixVac candidate BNT116 in combination with Libtayo (cemiplimab), a PD-1 inhibitor, in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).In line with the terms of the agreement, the companies plan to jointly conduct clinical trials to evaluate their combination in different patient populations with advanced NSCLC.The companies plan to develop the collaboration beginning with ...

London, 8 Mar (ONA) --- People who have even a mild case of Covid-19 may have accelerated aging of the brain and other changes to it, according to a new study.The study, published in the journal Nature, is believed to be the largest of its kind. It found that the brains of those who had Covid-19 had a greater loss of gray matter and abnormalities in the brain tissue compared with those who didn't have Covid-19. Many of those changes were in the area of the brain related to the sense of smell."We were quite surprised to see clear differences in the brain even with mild infection," ...

Beijing, 7 Mar (ONA) --- A team of Chinese scientists claims to have developed a single vaccine that can provide dual protection against coronavirus and influenza. The new vaccine has been tested successfully on mice. Researchers from Shanghai-based Fudan University presented the new vaccine in a study published recently in the Journal of Virology, saying they designed an immunogen by fusing the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain to the conserved stalk of H7N9 hemagglutinin and expressed it using a chimpanzee adenovirus vector. When tested on mice, the constructed vaccine, ...

New Delhi, 6 Mar (ONA) --- India reported 5,476 new COVID-19 cases and 158 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said today. According to ANI news, the active COVID cases now stand at 59,442, taking the weekly positivity rate to 0.77 per cent and the daily positivity rate to 0.60 per cent. The ministry said that the last 24 hours saw 9,754 recoveries from the virus. --- Ends/Anas ...