News

Madrid, 8 Feb (ONA) --- People in Spain will no longer have to wear face masks outdoors with effect from 10 February 2022 as in Spain the infection rates went down, according to a government spokesperson. The seven-day cases rate for new infections - which counts the number of infected per 100,000 people - has been falling for weeks and is now at 715. Halfway through January, the number was above 1,600. The number of patients requiring hospital beds has also sunk. Both trends are attributable to high vaccination rates. So far, about 80% of Spain's population is fully ...

Vienna, 8 Feb (ONA) ---- The Austrian government announced today that from Saturday onwards, there will no longer be a cap on the number of people that can attend events, provided that the visitors are recovered or vaccinated, It was already clear that from 12 February, the so-called 2G rule would be phased out in the retail sector and in museums, so access will no longer be limited to vaccinated and recovered people. In addition, entry to hairdressing salons will now be allowed for the unvaccinated, although only with a negative test, it said. "Omicron, unlike previous coronavirus ...

New York, 8 Feb (ONA) ---- US pharmaceutical company Pfizer said that it had exceeded its goal of manufacturing 3 billion doses of Comirnaty, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, in 2021. The company also increased its 2022 revenue guidance for Comirnaty, reflecting doses expected to be delivered under supply contracts signed as of late-January. Also, the company issued fiscal guidance for the coming year which, if achieved, would represent the highest level of annual revenues in its history. Pfizer also issued its long-term expectations for Covid-19. The company said the virus is ...

Muscat, 8 Feb (ONA) --- A medical team from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) has applied a new method of surgical technology, TAMIS, for the first time in the Sultanate of Oman and saved the life of a cancer patient. TAMIS (transanal minimally invasive surgery) is a modern, specialized technology using endoscope for detecting and removing rectal tumors, with resort to surgery. The advantage of TAMIS is that it often spares the patient the need to go for full scale rectum surgery via the abdominal cavity. It is used for spotting and treating benign tumors, as well as malignant ...

Edinburgh, 8 Feb (ONA) --- People with high blood pressure who take paracetamol on prescription could be increasing their risk of heart attacks and strokes, a study suggests. Doctors should think about the risks and benefits to patients taking it over many months, the University of Edinburgh researchers say. Taking the painkiller for headaches and fevers is safe, they stress. Other experts say research in more people over a longer timeframe is needed to confirm the findings. Paracetamol is widely used around the world as a short-term remedy for aches and ...

Warsaw, 8 Feb (ONA) --- Poland’s Health Ministry said today that the 1st of March deadline for full vaccination of teachers and so-called uniformed services is being pushed back indefinitely because it cannot be met. Last year, the Polish government said teachers, medics, police, armed forces and the firefighters need to be inoculated by 1 March 2022 if they want to perform their jobs. But Health Ministry spokesman said the deadline cannot be kept under the current pace of vaccination and the requirement remains in force only for medical staff. Poland is ...

Cerebrovascular Impairment Persists Months After Severe Acute COVID-19: UK Study London, 7 Feb (ONA)--- Researchers in the United Kingdom have conducted an observational cohort study on hospitalized patients and have found that the degree of severity of acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predicts the occurrence of chronic cerebrovascular impairment. The study further suggests that the levels of cerebrovascular impairment are associated with worse cognitive, mental, and physical well-being. The cerebrovascular abnormality was found to be localized across ...

Tokyo, 7 Feb (ONA) --- Japan’s prime minister today pledged to double the number of COVID-19 booster shots being delivered on a daily basis across the country. Speaking before lawmakers, Fumio Kishida said authorities would aim to deliver around 1 million boosters a day by the end of February 2022. The premier said the added doses are “key” to fighting the ongoing omicron surge of infections. Less than 5% of the population has so far received a third jab of coronavirus vaccine. Japan launched its booster program in December 2021, after having already fallen ...

Canberra, Australia, 6 Feb (ONA) --- Australia will open its borders to all vaccinated tourists and business travelers from 21 February 2022 in a further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced today. Australia imposed some of the world’s toughest travel restrictions on its citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 to prevent them from bringing COVID-19 home. When the border restrictions were relaxed in November 2021 in response to an increasing vaccination rate among the Australian population, international students and skilled migrants were ...

Guangzhou, 6 Feb (ONA) --- As the world is ravaged by highly contagious Omicron variant, the demand for COVID-19 test kits is surging. As one of the largest manufacturers of the kits, China is speeding up production to meet the skyrocketing demand and contribute to global anti-pandemic efforts, even during the Chinese New Year holidays. Chinese manufacturers have seen a spike in orders for test kits against the backdrop of the pandemic. The export value of China-made COVID-19 test kits of antibody detection reached about USD 1.6 billion last December 2021, ...

Copenhagen, 3 Feb (ONA) --- The director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Europe office said today the continent is now entering a “plausible endgame” to the pandemic and that the number of coronavirus deaths is starting to plateau. Dr. Hans Kluge said at a media briefing that there is a “singular opportunity” for countries across Europe to take control of COVID-19 transmission due to three factors: high levels of immunization due to vaccination and natural infection, the virus’s tendency to spread less in warmer weather and the lower severity of ...

Muscat, 2 Jan (ONA) --- The Royal Hospital (RH), represented by the General Surgery Department, inaugurated the first advanced device for the treatment of cancerous tumors in the Sultanate of Oman. The machine is a heated chemotherapy infusion device, which is one of the most important scientific discoveries that eliminate cancer cells in the abdominal cavity after tumor removal operations. “The device is the first of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman. It replaces the traditional method of injecting chemical drugs into the abdominal cavity after the operations of ...

Taipei, 29 Dec (ONA) --- Much of Asia has largely managed to keep omicron at bay even as the variant rages in other parts of the world, but the region that is home to most of the globe’s population is bracing for what may be an inevitable surge. Strict quarantine rules for arrivals and widespread mask wearing have helped slow the spread of the highly contagious variant in Asia. Countries such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand quickly reinstated entry and quarantine restrictions in recent weeks after relaxing them in the fall. In India, which has been getting ...

Sydney, 22 Dec (ONA) --- Australian researchers are conducting a trial to see whether squirting a blood thinner into the nose could offer protection against Covid. The nasal spray uses the cheap drug heparin in an attempt to neutralise Covid's spike protein. When sprayed into the nose of a Covid-infected person it appears to make them non-infectious, the researchers say. The trial will not conclude until mid-2022. If effective, it could be used with vaccines and other measures. Researchers hope the spray could help both as an early treatment and as ...

Muscat, 21 Nov (ONA) --- The Ministry of Health, represented by Al Nahdha Hospital, organized a conference on Nutrition and Cancer Diseases. The event, held at the Kempinski Hotel, Muscat today, was organized under the auspices of Dr. Hilal Al Sabti, Executive President of Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB). Dr. Eiman Al Hinai, Head of Clinical Dietary Department at Al Nahdha Hospital said that in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 18.1 million new cases of cancer worldwide. She added that WHO expects the number to reach between 29 and 37 million cases by 2040, and ...

Delhi, 17 Nov (ONA) --- Authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, have shut all schools and colleges indefinitely amid the worsening levels of air pollution. Construction work has also been banned until 21 November, but an exception has been made for transport and defence-related projects. Only five of the 11 coal-based power plants in the city have been allowed to operate. A toxic haze has smothered Delhi since the festival of Diwali. The levels of PM2.5 - tiny particles that can clog people's lungs - in Delhi are far higher than the World ...

London, 16 Nov (ONA) --- Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. has signed a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental COVID-19 pill, a move that could make the treatment available to more than half of the world’s population. In a statement issued today, Pfizer said it would grant a license for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent Pool, which would let generic drug companies produce the pill for use in 95 countries, making up about 53% of the world’s population. The deal excludes some large countries that have ...

London, 4 Nov (ONA) --- More than 248.05 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 5,252,633 have died. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in December 2019. --- ...

Muscat, 11 Oct (ONA) --- As many as 13 new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) were registered in Oman during the past 24 hours, in addition to zero Covid-19-related deaths.   This brings the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 303,978 in the Sultanate.   The total number of Covid-19-related death cases reached 4102, the Ministry of Health said.   The Ministry added that 31 new cases have recovered, bringing the total number to 299,309 recoveries.   The Ministry also pointed out that 3 cases were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, as the total number of currently hospitalized ...

Muscat, 11 Oct (ONA) --- As many as 13 new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) were registered in Oman during the past 24 hours, in addition to zero Covid-19-related deaths.   This brings the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 303,978 in the Sultanate.   The total number of Covid-19-related death cases reached 4102, the Ministry of Health said.   The Ministry added that 31 new cases have recovered, bringing the total number to 299,309 recoveries.   The Ministry also pointed out that 3 cases were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, as the total number of currently hospitalized ...

Muscat, 11 Oct (ONA) --- As many as 13 new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) were registered in Oman during the past 24 hours, in addition to zero Covid-19-related deaths.   This brings the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 303,978 in the Sultanate.   The total number of Covid-19-related death cases reached 4102, the Ministry of Health said.   The Ministry added that 31 new cases have recovered, bringing the total number to 299,309 recoveries.   The Ministry also pointed out that 3 cases were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, as the total number of currently hospitalized ...