New antibody that can block Covid transmission in cells, finds study. Read here

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 26: Co-host Bob Beckel attends FOX News' "The Five" at FOX Studios on February 26, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images) Bob Beckel, a Democratic strategist and former co-host of "The Five," has died at age 73.Beckel first joined Fox News in 2000 as a contributor providing political analysis and rejoined the network in 2011 as one of the original hosts of "The Five."Columnist Cal Thomas posted on Facebook about Beckel's death. Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.When "The Five" premiered in July 2011, it was only supposed to have a five-week run to temporarily fill the timeslot.

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New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a "stinging substance" sending three to hospital with injuries early today, as tension spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest.

All remaining coronavirus restrictions are to be lifted, starting from this week.

The Government will consider a proposal to end almost all remaining health restrictions next week.

Big Hit Music has shared that BTS member V has recovered from COVID-19 and is now out of quarantine.Earlier today (February 22), the agency shared a notice on fan community site Weverse about the health status of the 26-year-old singer. V had diagnosed with COVID-19 last week after experiencing mild respiratory symptoms.“We would like to inform you that BTS member V has made a full recovery from COVID-19 and his quarantine has concluded as of today, February 22,” wrote Big Hit.

Nicola Sturgeon is set to lay out her new strategic framework for dealing with covid later today.

Omicron coronavirus variant are nearly 75% less likely to develop serious illness or die than those who contract the Delta variant, real world data released on Monday by South Korea’s health authorities showed.A study by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) of some 67,200 infections confirmed since December showed the Omicron variant’s severity and death rates averaged 0.38% and 0.18%, respectively, compared with 1.4% and 0.7% for the Delta cases.The KDCA classed severe cases as people who were hospitalised in intensive care units. COVID cases exceed 400 million globally as Omicrons spreads Around 56% of 1,073 people who died over the past five weeks were either unvaccinated or had received only one dose, the study showed, with people aged 60 or older accounting for 94% of deaths.More than 86% of South Korea’s 52 million population have been double vaccinated and nearly 60% have received a booster shot.South Korea had kept cases and deaths relatively low thanks to widespread social distancing measures and aggressive testing and tracing.The Omicron variant has led to a surge in cases — daily new infections topped a record 100,000 last week — but authorities have pushed ahead with slightly easing social distancing rules amid the lower fatality rate and ahead of a presidential election next month.Contact tracing and mandatory isolation for vaccinated people was scrapped in favour of self diagnosis and at-home treatment to free up medical resources.

Corbevax for 12-18 years. It is the second vaccine for children after Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. However, the government has not yet decided on vaccination for less than 15 years. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)'s approval comes after the Subject Expert Committee on COVID-19 of the CDSCO on February 14 recommended granting restricted EUA to Corbevax for the 12 to 18 years age group after deliberating on Biological E's application.

New Zealand police line, narrowly avoiding officers, while other protesters sprayed officers with a stinging substance, police said Tuesday, as they tightened a cordon around a convoy that has been camped outside Parliament for two weeks.The clashes in the capital of Wellington came a day after police reported that some of the protesters had thrown human feces at them. Faced with sprinklers, New Zealand anti-vaccine mandate protesters dig trenches Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters the actions of some of the protesters, who oppose coronavirus vaccine mandates, were unacceptable and would be dealt with assertively.“Our focus remains on opening the roads up to Wellingtonians and doing our absolute best to restore peaceful protest,” Chambers said.

Russia after President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to “maintain the peace” there.The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday night at the request of Ukraine, the U.S. and six other countries, where virtually all members condemned Putin’s move and Russia’s recent aggressions.No immediate actions were taken by the council, on which Russia currently holds the revolving-door presidency.

coronavirus cases, taking the total virus tally to 42,851,929, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The daily coronavirus case shave continued to remain below 20,000-mark for the past 53 days. The active cases dipped to 1,81,075, while the death toll climbed to 5,12,344 with 235 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Police say the victim's car was hit at least 15 times.  PHILADELPHIA - Police say a shooting victim driving a bullet-riddled car pulled up to the valet area of Rivers Casino on Monday night after being involved in a shootout several blocks away.Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to the casino around 9 p.m.

COVID-19 will be lifted early next month.“On Saturday, Feb. 26, the government will announce a final decision about proceeding to Phase 2 of our plan to lift almost all restrictions on March 1,” Kenney tweeted Monday evening, saying it will be a “prudent decision based on the latest data.”The premier wrote there is “encouraging data” showing a “steep drop” in the Omicron variant wave of the pandemic.

PHILADELPHIA - A new safe space for North Philadelphia teens held its soft opening on Monday in hopes to provide an educational alternative for youths often swallowed up by the city's scourge of crime. The center occupies a storefront on the 2200 block of North Broad Street and is open to youths between 12-17-years-old, according to the non-profit group Frontline Dads. "We want to provide some hope, we want to provide an oasis of light for people to point to and say ‘this is a place I can go and be supported’," Executive Director Ruben Jones said. The center, which will be open until 7 p.m.

John Mayer‘s touring drummer has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the musician withdrawing from Mayer’s concert in New York last night (February 21).Taking to Twitter, Mayer – sharing a monochrome image of himself facing an empty arena – wrote: “This afternoon, our drummer tested positive for COVID-19. We all wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you all at the show.”This afternoon, our drummer tested positive for COVID-19. Tonight's concert @TheGarden will go on as scheduled, with a very special presentation.

Despite a high COVID-19 infection rate, England is about to ditch the last of its COVID-19 restrictions, in a bid to start living with the virus for good. Redmond Shannon looks at what measures are disappearing, the strategy going forward, and why the rest of the United Kingdom is divided on England’s plan.

After nearly two years of shutting out most tourists due to COVID-19 restrictions, Australia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated, international travellers.

A 62-year-old man was caught in the crossfire of a shooting Monday night in Southwest Philadelphia, according to police. It's believed that the man had just parked to visit family when he was struck.

This could be the last week that many Albertans will need to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic as the province prepares to enter the next stage of its plan to ease public health measures.

John Mayer is about to perform the second of two sold-out shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden as part of his Sob Rock Tour, but the second show is likely going to be a lot different than the first.

The booster rollout continues with more than 27,770 booster doses administered across the motu yesterday.

COVID-19: Quebec opposition says it’s time to end state of emergency The Barreau du Québec said Monday it’s time the government explain why it still needs emergency powers.“Does the current situation require keeping the state of emergency?” Catherine Claveau, head of the bar association, wrote in a statement. “Are the measures that will be maintained during the deconfinement plan justified? To answer these questions, the government must provide clear justifications for maintaining some ‘exceptional rules.”’Over the past two years, the Quebec government has used emergency powers to impose curfews, ban private gatherings and close businesses such as restaurants, bars and gyms.

The blaring horns and snarled streets of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” blockade in Ottawa are no more, but on Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested the work to heal the pandemic divisions in the country that the convoy exposed must now begin.

Boris johnson today (February 21) said that the response to the pandemic would be "vaccine led" as he announced that all lockdown restrictions will be ending by Thursday. Speaking after he announced all remaining Covid restrictions will be axed, the PM said there "may be significant resurgences" and "it's very possible that those will be worse than Omicron".Whitty said at a Downing Street press conference that new strains were to be expected and while some "will just disappear" others could escape vaccines and result in a fresh wave in hospitalisations.Prof Whitty said: “Some of those new variants will just disappear, but some of them will cause us significant problems and they could be either more vaccine escaping but as severe as Omicron, but the net effect would be actually more people end up in hospital because a lot of our protection is from vaccination, or it could be more intrinsically severe, because Omicron came from a much earlier variant.”He added we “could certainly end up with something which is more likely to lead to hospitalisations than Omicron”, adding that winters are expected to be “tricky” even in the absence of significant new variants due to the combination of Covid, flu and other respiratory problems.The Chief Medical Officer also urged Brits who test positive for Covid to self-isolate, even though they will no longer be forced to do so under law.“As we look at the next weeks, we still have high rates of Omicron and I would urge people in terms of public health advice, and this is very much the Government’s position, that people should still if they have Covid try to prevent other people getting it and that means self-isolating," he said.

In an address to the House of Commons today, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a plan for "living with COVID," phasing out free testing for most people and removing requirements to self-isolate after testing positive.

The Prime Minister has announced that British workers should "learn from Germany" and not go to work if they are feeling ill.

PHILADELPHIA - A woman is fighting for her life after she was shot multiple times in the West Oak Lane section of the city. The shooting happened inside a home on the 100 block of Mayland Street at approximately 3:18 p.m.Police say the 56-year-old woman was shot multiple times throughout her body. Police took her to a local hospital where she was listed in critical condition. An arrest was made and a weapon was recovered, according to authorities.A motive for the shooting was not revealed. ___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Lower percentages of US children visited an emergency department (ED) for any indication amid the COVID-19 pandemic, while adolescent girls accounted for the largest hikes in visits for mental illness, according to two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies published late last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).For both studies, the researchers mined pediatric ED visit data in the

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - California authorities are trying to capture Hank the Tank, a massive black bear estimated to weigh at least 500 pounds. They say he’s responsible for breaking into several homes in the South Lake Tahoe area.South Lake Tahoe Police said the latest incident with Hank happened Friday morning when he broke into a home on Catalina Drive in the Tahoe Keys area. Officers banged on the exterior of the home until Hank moved outside through the back door. RELATED: Frederick buzzing over black bear sighting"This bear did not break into a garage where trash was kept that he was sniffing out," authorities posted on their Facebook page.

THE One Show will have a new line-up this week after Jermaine Jenas was ruled out with Covid. Viewers were expecting to see him on the show today but were greeted instead by Lauren Laverne and Angellica Bell.

READING, Pa. - Police in Reading are investigating a fatal double shooting of two men that occurred on Sunday. Officers from the Reading Police Department responded to the area area of the 200 block of West Greenwich Street shortly after 7 a.m. for the report of a shooting. When officers arrived on the scene, they located two men with gunshot wounds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a list of steps in the next part of England's Covid plan.

JUPITER, Fla. - Major League Baseball’s negotiations to salvage opening day resume at a new venue Monday: Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.Colorado Rockies CEO Dick Monfort, chairman of the owners’ labor policy committee, was expected to join a management delegation that includes Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem, the clubs’ lead negotiator.Bruce Meyer, the union’s chief negotiator, was expected to be joined by players. The site of negotiations is about 3 miles from the home of New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer, among the eight players on the union’s executive subcommittee.The ballpark usually would be the spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St.

COVID-19 as the province entered a new phase of reopening Monday.Pandemic-related hospitalizations stood at a total of 1,776, an increase of 18 from the previous day. Of those patients, 119 were in intensive care units, an increase of five.In the last 24 hours, 101 people were admitted to Quebec hospitals while 83 were discharged.It’s the first net increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province since Feb.

COVID-19 despite a significant slowdown in the effort to immunize that segment of the population, the province’s health department contends.Provincial figures show around 65 per cent of children five to 11 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the lowest rate of any age group eligible for the shot.“Quebec is continuing its vaccination campaign for children under 12. Appointments are available across Quebec for this age group,” Health Department spokesman Robert Maranda said in an email.“Quebec will not abandon its efforts, as long as people want to get the vaccine, they will be able to receive it.” Quebec adds 3 new COVID-19 deaths as hospitalizations rise Fifty per cent of children five to 11 got their first dose of vaccine between Nov.

Ottawa for the first time in more than three weeks on Sunday as police continued their efforts to put a final end to anti-government demonstrations that immobilized the national capital.Roadways once choked with trucks and protesters opposed to COVID-19 public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government were largely clear, though debris and other signs of the blockade dubbed an illegal occupation by its critics were still in evidence.Ottawa Police, working in tandem with forces from across the country, said they’d arrested 191 people and laid 391 charges related to the demonstrations, though Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said the mammoth law enforcement operation was far from over.“There is another phase that will identify how we maintain the streets, how we eventually demobilize, once we’ve identified that there is no threat of further protests coming to our city,” Bell said at a news conference. “We aren’t there yet.” Ottawa’s convoy occupation mostly clear, but police ‘not done’ with operation yet Bell said charges laid to date include obstructing police, disobeying a court order, assault, mischief, possessing a weapon and assaulting a police officer.Law enforcement is “with every hour” getting closer to delivering on its promise to clear streets and give them back to residents, he added.Chris Harkins, deputy commissioner with the Ontario Provincial Police, said commercial and private vehicle driver’s licenses have been suspended, while 76 vehicles have been seized and towed in Ottawa.But the massive enforcement blitz also drew attention from Ontario’s police watchdog on Sunday.

coronavirus in spring 2020 and the number of people having Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate has now risen to more than 183,000 according to the Office for National Statistics.

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Rye Jr. High School students launched a mini boat in 2020 that landed in Norway last week. (Photo courtesy of Rye Jr.

Queen’s Covid scare will not deter the Royal Family from being an “example” following the Government's expected relaxing of restrictions, a royal expert has insisted.Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen would continue to carry out “light duties” despite showing “mild cold like” symptoms. Despite calls from royal fans for the reigning monarch to rest, it seems as though The Firm look set to carry on as normal as Kate Middleton looks to continue onto her trip to Copenhagen, Denmark.

WASHINGTON - An organizer of one of the truck convoys headed to D.C. later this week says there are plans to shut down the Capital Beltway.Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather"We will be along the Beltway where the Beltway will be shut down," Bob Bolus said in an interview Sunday.Bolus owns a truck parts and towing business in Scranton.

NEW ORLEANS - A New Orleans zoo has officially named its baby Sumatran orangutan: "Roux."The infant was born on Christmas Eve 2021 at the Audubon Zoo and has been getting round-the-clock care since a few days after his birth because Menari, a first-time mother, wasn’t producing enough milk. The Audubon Zoo said the name Roux paid homage to New Orleans and is a French term for "a reddish-brown like the color of an orangutan's fur and the thickening base used to make gumbo."The zoo's orangutan care team narrowed their selection of names to three — Rudy, Roux and Maymuun — and asked the public to vote on the winner."We are grateful to the community for helping us pick a name and extremely overwhelmed by the nearly 10K total votes that were cast," Audubon Zoo’s Curator of Primates Liz Wilson said in a statement. "Our team feels that Roux perfectly fits the newest member of our orangutan family and loves that it pays homage to his New Orleans roots." The great apes with long red hair are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Elderly and vulnerable people will be offered another booster jab by the government, following recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Covid-19 curbs in Maharashtra may be relaxed further in March as daily new cases continue to show a declining trend, said state health minister Rajesh Tope on Monday. 

Omicron BA.2 is more transmissible than the previously identified BA.1 subvariant, it will not cause another surge, the official asserted. 

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The Queen is reportedly set on continuing with her royal duties despite battling Covid-19 behind closed doors. Buckingham Palace confirmed that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 95, caught the deadly bug on 20 February as they released a statement explaining that she's been experiencing "mild cold symptoms". While she remains in isolation as she recovers from the virus, the Queen will only cancel one face-to-face appointment and go ahead with her scheduled meetings over phone and video calls this week, according to the Daily Mail.