DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Leading WHO advisers call for 'realistic' COVID data from China at key meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The World Health Organization logo is pictured at the entrance of the WHO building, in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLONDON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Leading scientists advising the World Health Organization said they wanted a "more realistic picture" about the COVID-19 situation from China's top experts at a key meeting on Tuesday as worries grow about the rapid spread of the virus. The WHO has invited Chinese scientists to a virtual closed meeting with its technical advisory group on viral evolution on Tuesday, to present data on which variants are circulating in the country. Speaking to Reuters ahead of the meeting, she said some of the data from China, such as hospitalisation numbers, is "not very credible". A WHO spokesperson said that a "detailed discussion" was expected about circulating variants in China, and globally, with Chinese scientists expected to make a presentation.

☆ China censors COVID-related content online as New Year's Eve prompts reflection by some
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - New Year's Eve in China prompted an outpouring of reflection online, some of it critical, about the strict zero-COVID policy the country adhered to for almost three years. One Weibo hashtag about the video garnered almost 4 million hits before it disappeared from platforms around noon on Saturday. China has massively reduced its reporting of nationwide figures on COVID-19 infections. Cumulative infections in China likely reached 18.6 million in December, UK-based health data firm Airfinity estimated on Thursday. The infections have prompted international concern, particularly regarding the possibility of a new, stronger variant emerging out of China.

☆ Indonesia lifts remaining COVID restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People wearing protective masks enjoy a pedestrian bridge during the dusk amid of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 15, 2022. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Indonesia on Friday removed all remaining measures to control the spread of COVID-19 effective immediately, since most of the country's population already has antibodies against the disease, President Joko Widodo said. "There will be no more restrictions on gatherings and movements," the president told a news conference, noting that the decision was taken based on the latest infection figures. The world's fourth-most populous country has recorded more than 6.7 million cases overall, with 160,583 fatalities. Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo and Ananda Teresia; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China health commission stops publishing daily COVID figures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the record surge of infections, the NHC had reported no COVID deaths nationwide for four consecutive days before halting the data release. China narrowed its definition for reporting COVID deaths, counting only those from COVID-caused pneumonia or respiratory failure, raising eyebrows among world health experts. British-based health data firm Airfinity last week estimated China was experiencing more than a million infections and 5,000 deaths a day. After COVID cases were breaking daily records in late November, the NHC this month stopped reporting asymptomatic infections, making it harder to track cases. The World Health Organization has received no data from China on new COVID hospitalisations since Beijing eased its restrictions.

However, the WHO has said gaps in data might be due to Chinese authorities simply struggling to tally cases. Some estimates predict large numbers of deaths ahead and China has been racing to bolster its health system. Lawrence Gostin, a law professor at Georgetown University who follows the WHO closely, called the missing data "highly suspicious". "It's hard to criticise China when there's other countries that haven't reported COVID cases (at all)," he said. "I wouldn't like to say that China is actively not telling us what's going on.

[1/5] People wait to purchase medicine at a pharmacy, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Beijing, China December 16, 2022. REUTERS/Xiaoyu YinBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Funeral homes across China's COVID-hit capital Beijing, a city of 22 million, scrambled on Saturday to keep up with calls for funeral and cremation services as workers and drivers testing positive for the novel coronavirus called in sick. In Beijing, which has yet to report any COVID deaths since the policies changed on Dec. 7, sick workers have hit the staffing of services from restaurants and courier firms to its roughly one dozen funeral parlours. "We've fewer cars and workers now," a staffer at Miyun Funeral Home told Reuters, adding that there was a mounting backlog of demand for cremation services. China's health authority last reported COVID deaths on Dec. 3, in Shandong and Sichuan provinces.

☆ China's COVID spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The comments by the WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan came as he warned of the need to ramp up vaccinations in the world's No. Speaking at a briefing with media, he said the virus was spreading "intensively" in the nation long before the lifting of restrictions. "There's a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease is out of control," he said. "The disease was spreading intensively because I believe the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. Beijing started pivoting away from its signature "zero-COVID" policy this month after protests against the economically damaging curbs championed by President Xi Jinping.

[1/5] A person enters a cannabis shop near the venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand November 17, 2022. Since Thailand decriminalised cannabis this year shops selling homegrown and imported strains, pre-rolled joints and gummies sprang up rapidly. A cannabis regulation bill to govern cultivation, sale, and consumption has been delayed in parliament, causing confusion over just aspects will be legal. The president of Thailand's association of forensic physicians, Smith Srisont, petitioned a court last week to re-list it as a narcotic. Akira Wongwan, the chief executive of a medical cannabis business, Adam Group, said profit margins for recreational cannabis were "super high".

☆ New GSK shines brighter with another forecast upgrade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shingrix generated quarterly sales of 760 million pounds ($873 million), compared with the GSK-compiled analyst consensus forecast for 685 million pounds. GSK shares hit a 2-1/2 month high of 1,470.2 pence in early trade and were last up 1% at 1,461.3 pence. GSK said it had incurred a charge of 45 million pounds in the third quarter, primarily reflecting provisions for increased legal fees related Zantac. Originally marketed by a forerunner of GSK, Zantac has been sold by companies including Pfizer (PFE.N), Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi (SASY.PA), as well as many generic drugmakers. GSK reported a third-quarter adjusted profit of 46.9 pence per share on sales of about 7.83 billion pounds, topping analysts' forecasts for 40.1 pence and 7.32 billion pounds.

☆ Overcrowded stadium crush kills 11 people in Congolese capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KINSHASA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Eleven people were killed on Saturday, including two police officers, in a crush at an overcrowded stadium concert in Kinshasa headlined by Congolese singer Fally Ipupa, the interior minister said. Police have recorded "11 deaths including 10 as a result of suffocation and the crush, and 7 hospitalisations," said Minister Daniel Aselo Okito in a statement. The eventual number of attendees inside the stadium vastly exceeded the number state and private security personnel present could control. In 2020, French police evacuated the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris after people started fires nearby in unrest ahead of a planned Ipupa concert. Reporting by Paul Lorgerie, Justin Makangara and Stanis Bujakera Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy to end ban on health workers not vaccinated against Covid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Italian doctors and nurses suspended from work because they are not vaccinated against Covid-19 will soon be reinstated, new Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said on Friday. The new government will also cancel fines imposed on all people aged over 50 who had not got vaccinated, he added. Italy has been one of the country's hardest hit by the pandemic, with almost 179,000 deaths, according to World Health Organization figures. Former prime minister Mario Draghi's government had made vaccination mandatory for teachers and health workers in 2021 and extended that to everyone over 50 in January this year. A refusal resulted in suspension from work without pay for public employees, while those aged over 50 faced fines of 100 euros ($99.5).

☆ GSK says key trial data shows its RSV vaccine is 'truly exceptional'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Late-stage data unveiled on Thursday showed GSK's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was 82.6% effective in a keenly watched late-stage study involving older adults. The trial, which involved roughly 25,000 adults aged 60 and over, tested a single dose of the experimental vaccine against a placebo. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterVaccine efficacy against severe lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) associated with an RSV infection was 94.1%, the British drugmaker said. GSK is a key player in the race to develop a safe and effective RSV vaccine, which, if approved, is expected to generate billions in sales for its maker. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Natalie Grover; Editing by Mark Potter and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ RSV vaccine race heats up with highly effective GSK shot
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Data unveiled on Thursday showed GSK's (GSK.L) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine was 82.6% effective in a keenly watched late-stage study involving older adults. The company is a key player in the race to develop a safe and effective RSV vaccine, which, if approved, is expected to generate billions in sales for its maker. If approved, Jefferies analysts have forecast $2.5 billion in global RSV vaccine peak sales in older adults for GSK. U.S. drugmaker Pfizer (PFE.N) in August disclosed positive Phase III data on its rival RSV vaccine in older adults. In trial participants with pre-existing conditions, the GSK vaccine was shown to be 94.6% effective, while in adults aged 70 to 79 it was 93.8% effective, the company said.

Search resuls for: "hospitalisations"

13 mentions found