A full 99 percent of people on Earth breathe air containing too many pollutants, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, blaming poor air quality for millions of deaths each year.Fresh data from the United Nations (UN) health agency showed that every corner of the globe is dealing with air pollution, although the problem is much worse in poorer countries."Almost 100 percent of the global population is still breathing air that exceeds the standards recommended by the World Health

China reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, its first in more than a year, underlining the threat posed by an Omicron outbreak that has triggered the country's highest case count since the pandemic's onset.The National Health Commission said both deaths occurred in Jilin, the north-eastern province which has been hardest hit by a nationwide rise in cases that has prompted lockdowns or tight restrictions in several cities.The deaths were the first reported in mainland China since

The COVID-19 pandemic continued its resurgence this week, in particular in Asia and Europe, but the number of related global deaths plunged by a fifth.Here is the state of play based on AFP's database:12 Percent Rise In Cases The average number of global daily cases increased over the week by 12 percent to 1.8 million, after taking a new turn for the worse the week before, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.Western European countries are seeing a rebound, including France, wh

Staff meetings are often mundane affairs and rarely end in tears.

More than 18 million people – three times higher than official records suggest – have probably died because of COVID, say researchers.Their report comes two years to the day from when the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the pandemic.The COVID-19 excess mortality team at the United States (US) Washington University studied 191 countries and territories for what they call the true global death figure.Some deaths were from the virus, while others were linked to the infection.This

The Hong Kong nursing home where Amy’s 78-year-old mother lives battened down the hatches when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.Elderly residents were confined within the walls of their rooms. Families were not allowed to visit. As the Chinese territory battled its biggest outbreak of coronavirus cases, staff at the private facility camped out in the office for weeks to avoid bringing the virus with them from outside.Even so, the inevitable happened.

Over six million people have died worldwide from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday.A total of 6,003,081 people succumbed to the virus as counted by AFP at 1100 GMT.The milestone comes as the number of infections and deaths continues to plummet in most regions of the world, except in Asia, where Hong Kong is suffering its worst-ever outbreak, and Oceania, where New Zealand has recorded a jump in cases.Average global daily d

The COVID-19 pandemic continued its retreat around the world this week, but infections were still raging in hotspots in Asia and Oceania, led by Hong Kong and New Zealand.Here is the state of play based on AFP's database:12 Percent Fall The average number of global daily cases dropped for the fifth week in a row, shrinking by 12 percent to 1.47 million, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.Daily infections have fallen by half since peaking at 3.37 million in late January with t

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to abate around the world this week, slowing down in every region.Here is a state of play based on AFP's database.17 Percent Drop After a surge which lasted for three-and-a-half months, the average number of global daily cases dropped for a second week in a row, receding by 17 percent to 2.52 million, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practice

The COVID-19 pandemic started to ease around the world this week after a three-and-a-half-month rampage of ever-increasing infections.Here is a state of play based on AFP's database.10 Percent Drop The average number of global daily cases dropped by a tenth this week to 3.03 million, after increasing for 15 weeks in a row, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and leve