COVAX vaccine supply outpaces demand for 1st time, but other hurdles remain

#COVID19 cases, 20,439 recoveries, and 243 deaths in the last 24 hours.Active case: 1,11,472 (0.26%)Daily positivity rate: 1.00%Total recoveries: 4,22,90,921Death toll: 5,13,724 Total vaccination: 1,77,44,08,129 pic.twitter.com/Qtyuy9lm72

covid cases are on a decline, all are thinking is it the indicator of the end of this pandemic? Will this pandemic end now or if not now when is it going to end? Seeing the waning cases, countries have started opening up their borders and relaxing curbs that were in force to contain the spread of the virus.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Director-General of Health Services has announced that fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the country are exempted of a pre-departure COVID-19 test.This measure will come into effect from the 1st of March 2022.Read the latest guidelines for travellers below : 

More than two thirds of eligible New Zealanders have now had their booster, a huge step in the fight against the spread of Omicron in our communities.

Check if you qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England, including approved vaccines.If you’re travelling to England from within the Common Travel Area (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and haven’t been anywhere else within the 10 days before you arrive, there are no entry requirements for coming into England.If you’ve been to a country or territory outside the Common Travel Area within the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the rules for entering England from that country.

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COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lankan Police launched an investigation on Friday (25) after the carcass of a Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) was discovered from an estate in Norton Bridge.Police received information that a dead Leopard was sighted inside a tea estate in Vidulipura in Wimalasurendra Gama located within the Norton Bridge Police jurisdiction.Initial investigations revealed that the leopard was injured in two areas on the back and another serious wound on its forward right leg.The leopard is believed to be around 6 years of age, and is a species native to Sri Lanka.Officers from the Nallatanniya Wildlife Office had visited the site and taken away the carcass for further investigations.

Canada’s automotive sector and other industries gearing up for an end to the chip shortages of the past year might be waiting longer for relief as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens key supply chains in semiconductor production.

LOS ANGELES - Cities in the United States and across the globe are displaying blue and yellow lights, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, in a show of solidarity with the European nation as it grapples with a full-on invasion from neighboring Russia.The Empire State Building was illuminated with blue and yellow lights in a display of support for Ukraine currently under siege by Russian forces."Tonight, the Empire State Building will shine its tower lights in the colors of the Ukrainian flag," wrote the official Twitter account for the Empire State Building. In Dallas, the Ukrainian flag’s colors could be seen shining throughout the Texas city’s skyline. In Cincinnati, Ohio, a sister city to Kharkiv, Ukraine, the Duke Energy Convention Center was also lit up as a hat tip to Ukraine.Roughly 200 miles to the north, in Sandusky, Ohio, a tribute to Ukraine could also be found.Tributes to Ukraine could also be seen in Paris, London, Melbourne, Berlin and Rome, Reuters reported. Berlin, which stood as the front line during the Cold War until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, sent a clear signal to the Kremlin when it lit up the iconic Brandenburg Gate, the city’s most famous landmark, in blue and yellow."We are showing our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the many Berliners with Ukrainian roots but also with the many Russians who want peace in Russia and Ukraine," Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said in a statement."They all want nothing more than an end to the escalation and a peaceful settlement to this threatening conflict," she added.A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military action in the breakaway regions of Ukraine, Russian forces appear to be closing in on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.Explosions

The growth in hospitalisations and patients in ICU is not unexpected, has been planned for and is another reminder that vaccination is our best defence against COVID-19.

arts venue says they’ll be following the province’s suggestion.Starting Tuesday, Manitoba will no longer require places like restaurants, gyms and concert venues to check for vaccine proof.However, places like the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra says they’ll be taking matters in to their own hands.“If you look at our audience, they do tend to be a little on the older side, many of them over 45 over 55, so they feel like they’re in that age bracket where it puts them at a high risk,” says Ryan Diduck, the senior director of public engagement with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.The WSO says they’ll be temporarily keeping vaccine and mask requirements in place until at least the end of March. They also say they plan on keeping their capacity at 50 per cent until the current season ends in mid-May.“We’ve listened to our patrons and decided to keep these in place until a least the end of march,” he says.It’s a decision that lawyers say is acceptable.

Two studies yesterday in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery explore sudden hearing loss after COVID-19 vaccination, one finding no link and the other showing a marginally higher incidence among Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine recipients.

Omicron wave of COVID-19 but the area is not out of the woods yet.“We are in a better situation now that we are past the peak of Omicron wave,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical of health, told reporters on Friday morning.

Eva Herzigova left jaws dropped when she walked in the Missoni show at Milan Fashion Week. Eva, 48, wore a long-sleeved Lurex maxi dress, red boots, and a look of confidence during the Friday (Feb. 25) event. The appearance came less than a day after she closed out the Blumarine show, walking in the final look of Thursday’s spectacular: a seductive, black velvet gown that showed off her fit stomach and toned legs. For Eva and fashion fans, this was more than a supermodel strutting her stuff: it marked a return that many thought wouldn’t be possible due to Eva contracting COVID-19 in December 2020.

Middlesex-London Health Unit announced Friday that it will be closing its mass vaccination clinic at the Earl Nichols Recreation Centre in one week’s time.The MLHU said the March 4 closure is the result of lower demand and a decision to deploy more resources towards increasing mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic operations. Ontario COVID numbers: 1,003 people in hospital, 297 in intensive care “We are grateful to the many clinic staff members and volunteers who worked at the Earl Nichols vaccination site and made it such a comfortable and welcoming setting for people and their families to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr.

COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Waterloo Region has announced that another clinic will also be shut down soon.Last Thursday, the region said that the Cambridge Pinebush clinic would shut down at the end of April and on Friday it said the clinic in Wellesley would close even sooner. Waterloo Region’s largest COVID-19 vaccination clinic to begin winding down operations After being in existence for close to a year, the Wellesley vaccination clinic in Elmira will close in eight days.“Dr.

world’s first plant-derived Covid-19 vaccine has been cleared for use in Canada for adults aged 18 to 64.

COVID-19 pandemic continued Friday.Hospitalizations linked to the health crisis fell to 1,532, a drop of 72 compared to the previous day. This includes 105 intensive care unit cases, a rise of nine.This comes as 84 patients were admitted to hospitals across the province and 156 were discharged.The daily tally of novel coronavirus cases stood at 1,542.

Photo of Ketanji Brown Jackson (Credit: Getty Images) WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Friday will nominate federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the matter. The nomination makes her the first Black woman selected to serve on a court that once declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation.In Jackson, Biden delivers on a campaign promise to make the historic appointment and to further diversify a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries. He has chosen an attorney who would be the high court's first former public defender, though she also possesses the elite legal background of other justices.Jackson would be the current court’s second Black justice — Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, is the other — and just the third in history.

moderate to heavy snow was blanketing an area extending from central and eastern New York into New England early Friday morning, while a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain was creating a glaze of ice from central Pennsylvania to the New York City tri-state area and coastal southern New England.A changeover from sleet and freezing rain to plain rain is expected across the New York City tri-state area toward the end of the Friday morning commute, but icy roads could persist even after temperatures nudge above freezing.The National Weather Service has issued various winter weather alerts where additional snow and ice are expected across the Northeast on Friday.The worst travel conditions can generally be expected where Winter Storm Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings are posted. However, areas under Winter Weather Advisories might also encounter slick roadways at times.Various winter weather alerts are in effect across the Northeast on Friday, Feb.

Scotland will scrap its covid vaccine passport scheme on Monday as the country moves towards living with the virus.

Covid-19 vaccine was cleared for use in Canada, creating a novel immunization to combat the virus from a unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. and Philip Morris International. 

#COVID19 cases, 26,988 recoveries, and 302 deaths in the last 24 hours.Active case: 1,34,235 (0.31%)Daily positivity rate: 1.28%Total recoveries: 4,22,46,884Death toll: 5,13,226Total vaccination: 1,76,86,89,266 pic.twitter.com/kPbKxRCBzk

Amanda Kloots has tested positive for COVID-19 and she has a hopeful outlook, two years after her late husband Nick Cordero battled the illness.

The further increase in cases today is not unexpected given the ongoing spread of Omicron and wider testing achieved from the combined use of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) and PCR.

COVID-19 continues to slowly decline.On Thursday, there were 1,357 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the province, a slight drop from 1,373 patients on Wednesday. Of those in hospital, 92 are being treated in intensive care.

As the pandemic presses further into its third year, US officials are working on overhauling the nation's strategy, and international officials are for the first time seeing COVAX vaccine supply exceed demand, casting a spotlight on the need to solve rollout problems in Africa.

A recent international survey reveals that 40% of patients who rely on prescription drugs suspect that supply chain disruptions will put them at risk for illness and death from ineffective, contaminated, counterfeit, expired, or improperly labeled or stored products.

Ontario’s long-term care minister says a mandate requiring workers in the sector to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is under review.Paul Calandra says the rule is being looked at as the government reviews all of its sector-specific vaccination policies and other pandemic measures.Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s top doctor, has said that he wants to end workplace COVID-19 vaccination policies by March 1, when proof-of-vaccination rules in indoor spaces are also set to end.

PHILADELPHIA - The Delaware Valley got an early taste of spring this week, but winter will return to parts of the area Thursday night and into Friday morning. A cold front that moved through overnight brought temperatures back into the 30s across the area Thursday morning. Highs aren’t expected to reach the 30s, but the cold won’t be the only dose of winter the area will see.  The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The advisory includes Philadelphia and the surrounding suburban counties in Pennsylvania, New Castle County in Delaware, and Mercer County in New Jersey. Parts of the area may see a flurry or a sprinkle in the morning or early afternoon – but the main event will happen Thursday night. DOWNLOAD: Get the FOX 29 Weather Authority appForecasters say a mix of rain, ice, and freezing rain will impact the area beginning around 7 p.m.Areas to the south and east of the I-95 corridor can expect to see a wintry mix turn to rain.

Dr. Brent Roussin, who will participate virtually.

WORLDWIDE SPREAD

COVID-19 vaccine, by Quebec-based company Medicago, was approved for use by Health Canada Wednesday, sources have confirmed to Global News.The home-grown vaccine, called COVIFENZ, marks the world’s first ever plant-based jab authorized for human use and is also the first Canadian shot to be approved in over 20 years. The last phase of data, which included 30,000 volunteers, was submitted for regulatory review by Health Canada in December of last year, the company previously announced.Back in May, in earlier phases, the company was seeing promising antibody results in hundreds of participants in a trial.Nationwide, 84 per cent of people aged five and up have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with currently 540,069 active cases of the virus.More to come.

LOS ANGELES - Indoor masking will soon be optional in Los Angeles County for those with proof of vaccination.Los Angeles County Public Health announced starting Friday, February 25, establishments, businesses and/or venues will have the option to allow fully vaccinated customers and workers to unmask indoors if they can provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.In a major policy shift, Los Angeles County will ease its indoor mask mandate to allow people vaccinated against COVID-19 to remove face coverings indoors at establishments that verify patrons' vaccination status, health officials confirmed Wednesday.The county's department of public health explained in a press release Wednesday that workers and/or customers who are not fully vaccinated or do not have proof of vaccination are required to provide a negative test and continue wearing masks indoors, except when actively eating or drinking. Customers must show a negative test taken within two days of entry if they use a PCR test, or one day if using an antigen test.

Blaire Wortley just wanted to make a connection. Instead, she found herself uncovering a online dating scam involving a man police say swindled more than $25,000 from dozens of victims.

BURLINGTON, N.J. - As COVID-19 cases continue to wane, some states have started shifting to an endemic approach that will bring life closer to pre-pandemic normal.In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that he will no longer hold planned coronavirus briefings that have been part the state's COVID-19 attack plan. "As we move into our new normal and transition from a pandemic stance to endemic one, there is no longer the need for us to gather at a set time every week," Murphy said in a tweet. The state will also drop its school mask mandate on Mar.

LOWER OXFORD TWP, Pa. - Authorities in Delaware County have made an arrest in the stabbing death of a Lincoln University student who was killed during a brawl at a dorm that injured two others.Delaware County District Attorney Deb Ryan and Lincoln University Police will hold a press conference Thursday to announce the arrest of 39-year-old Nydira Smith.Smith, a Philadelphia resident, is being charged with the murder of 21-year-old Jawine Evans during the dorm room brawl on Feb. 16. Officers responded to the campus in Lower Oxford Township around 9:30 p.m.

Now that Novovax has been approved in Canada, B.C. health officials hope it will convince some vaccine-hesitant people to get their shot. Keith Baldrey has the latest.

Increasing numbers of cases and hospitalisations are another reminder that vaccination is our best defence against the virus.

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping announced new measures to make access to pediatric COVID-19 vaccines easier in an effort to increase vaccination rates.

Toronto says it is shifting its COVID-19 vaccination resources and will be focusing on a “hyper-local” and “equity-focused” approach.In a press release Wednesday afternoon, the city said its crews along with Toronto Public Health (TPH) will be “shifting the city-wide COVID-19 vaccination approach to increase localized vaccination opportunities, outreach and efforts, as case counts and hospitalizations continue to decline.”The release said the city and TPH will shift resources to a “hyper-local, equity-focused campaign” and “continue to increase vaccination opportunities in focused communities with low vaccine uptake.” Ontario COVID numbers — 1,106 people in hospital, 319 in intensive care “While significant progress has been made across the city and in certain age groups, disparity in vaccine uptake remains as some communities continue to experience hesitancy and barriers to vaccination,” the release reads.The city said TPH will be bringing mobile clinics to 30 priority neighbourhoods that were identified through an analysis of “local, neighborhood-level data.”Mobile clinics will be brought to the following neighbourhoods:As part of this next phase of our vaccination efforts, #TeamToronto is shifting resources to a hyper-local, equity-focused campaign in communities with low vaccine uptake.@TOPublicHealth is bringing mobile clinics to 30 priority neighbourhoods, identified by local data.

COVID-19.The move comes on the heels of the province’s chief medical officer’s re-evaluation of letters sent last year to various sectors, including hospitals and post-secondary institutions, requiring the development of immunization policies.A spokesperson for the Hamilton Police says the service will be following the Ford government’s direction and dropping rapid test requirements for members who didn’t get shots or didn’t disclose their status.

Last week global COVID-19 cases, as well as deaths, continued to decline, except for parts of Asia that are experiencing later Omicron variant surges, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly update.

Two independent UK studies published yesterday in PLOS Medicine find only a very slight risk of blood clots in the brain after receipt of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine and none after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Both studies were led by University of Edinburgh researchers.The first study involved analysis of the electronic health records of 46

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is rare among 12- to 20-year-olds who have received COVID-19 vaccination, a study yesterday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health suggests.

Aaron Rodgers is remorseful for his controversial COVID-19 vaccine comments – and how they impacted his loved ones, including (maybe???) ex Shailene Woodley.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported eight deaths and 37 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, though case counts are considered an under-estimate due to testing restrictions and widespread transmission.The total number of deaths reported so far this February stands at 49.London Health Sciences Centre, meanwhile, is caring for 51 inpatients with COVID-19, eight of whom are in adult critical care.As noted, LHSC is caring for 51 COVID-19 inpatients, with eight inpatients in adult critical care. Last Wednesday, there were 71 COVID-19 inpatients, with 16 in adult critical care.Of the 51, there were six patients in Children’s Hospital, with five or fewer in pediatric critical care.

omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19?Experts say it's not likely that the highly transmissible variant — or any other variant — will lead to herd immunity."Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus," says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.Herd immunity is when enough of a population is immune to a virus that it’s hard for the germ to spread to those who aren’t protected by vaccination or a prior infection.RELATED: Omicron variant may be less dangerous than delta, US health officials sayFor example, herd immunity against measles requires about 95% of a community to be immune.