The scene was grim at Caritas Medical Centre last week.Just outside the hospital's emergency room, dozens of hospital beds had been placed in an alley under makeshift tents. The air was punctuated by the moans of patients – most of whom were elderly – and cries of children. All were suspected or confirmed COVID cases waiting to be admitted."It felt like we were in a wartime refugee camp. It was depressing. We were tearful, but there was no more space in the ward.

French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi said Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with Britain's GSK, had delivered positive results after nearly a year of delays left it lagging far behind its rivals.The two drugmakers said they will "seek regulatory authorisation" for their vaccine in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) following phase 3 trials involving thousands of people.The trials indicated that the vaccine was 100 percent effective against severe COV

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:WHO Vaccine Hub Expands Scope The World Health Organization (WHO) says its hub in South Africa, set up to help countries in Africa make mRNA vaccines, will also provide support to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia and Vietnam.New Sanofi-GSK Vaccine French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi and Britain's GSK say they will "seek regulatory authorisation" for their COVID vaccine in the United States (US)

Putin has sent soldiers on a ‘peacekeeping mission’ but is likely to threaten Ukraine with a broader war.What Has Vladimir Putin Ordered?The Russian president has recognised the independence of two Russian-controlled territories in east Ukraine. They call themselves the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The territories have been armed, financed and politically controlled by Russia since 2014.

Hong Kong's population must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus testing, the city's leader said Tuesday, as she confirmed mainland Chinese officials were stepping up oversight of the financial hub's response to its worst outbreak yet.The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of a record virus surge with thousands of confirmed cases every day threatening to overwhelm hospitals and the city's strict isolation system.On Tuesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam r

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Omicron Variant Not More Severe The BA.2 variant of the Omicron coronavirus strain, which has circulated widely in countries such as Denmark, is not more severe than the original, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.Queen Elizabeth II Cancels Engagements Queen Elizabeth II, 95, has cancelled her planned virtual engagements for Tuesday due to "mild cold-like" coronavirus symptoms, Buckingham Palace says

There has long been a debate over how COVID-19-related deaths are recorded. The Johns Hopkins University in the United States (US), which is widely accepted as a reputable source, puts the global death toll at more than 5.8 million people.

Myanmar hit out Monday at a genocide case brought against it by The Gambia for alleged persecution of Rohingya Muslims, urging the United Nations’ (UN) highest court to drop the claim on legal grounds.Banjul dragged Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019, accusing the predominantly Buddhist country of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority after a bloody 2017 military crackdown.When the case opened in December 2019 Aung San Suu Kyi personally represented Myanma

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:England To Scrap Curbs British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce an end to all pandemic legal curbs in England, insisting it is time to "live with COVID", despite criticism.Vaccine Pass For Hong Kong Hong Kong will launch a vaccine pass scheme this week, officials say, as hospitals struggle under an Omicron-fuelled outbreak and the finance hub sees record-high departures.New Zealand Protests&a

The Beijing Winter Olympics have closed with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach hailing a smoothly run event and a "safe Games" in the midst of the COVID pandemic, but the gold medals were overshadowed by a doping controversy.The Games ended on Sunday in the "Bird's Nest" stadium, just as they had when the Chinese capital hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, in a snowflake-themed closing ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping and a socially-distanc