Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Half Million Dead Since Omicron The World Health Organization (WHO) laments that half a million people have died of the virus since the Omicron variant was discovered, calling the toll "beyond tragic".Canada Truckers Not BudgingTruckers paralysing the Canadian capital and a key bridge over the border with the United States (US) in anger at COVID rules show no sign of backing down as the nation's provinces say i

Pet hamsters can transmit COVID to humans and are the likely source of a recent outbreak of the Delta variant in Hong Kong, data suggests.The research confirms fears that a pet shop was the source of a recent COVID outbreak in the city, which has seen at least 50 people infected and led to the culling of more than 2,200 hamsters.However, virologists emphasised that, although the pet trade could provide a route for viral spread, existing pet hamsters are unlikely to pose a threat to their owne

Pfizer made nearly US$37 billion (£27 billion) in sales from its COVID-19 vaccine last year – making it one of the most lucrative products in history – and has forecast another bumper year in 2022, with a big boost coming from its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid.The United States (US) drugmaker’s overall revenues in 2021 doubled to US$81.3 billion, and it expects to make record revenues of US$98 billion to US$102 billion this year.The bumper sales prompted accusations from campaigners of “pandemic pro

Chinese scientists say they have developed a new coronavirus test that is as accurate as a Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab test but gives results within four minutes.PCR tests are widely considered the most accurate and sensitive for the virus that causes COVID-19, but they usually take several hours.Some countries have experienced severe backlogs in the face of heavy testing demand, fuelled by the explosive spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.Researchers from Fudan Univers

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Canada Truckers 'Have To Stop' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demands an end to the protest by hundreds of truckers against COVID-19 restrictions that have paralysed the capital Ottawa for 11 days.Protests Spread To New Zealand A convoy of trucks and campervans block streets near New Zealand's parliament in Wellington in an anti-vaxx protest inspired by a similar demonstration in Canada.Hong Ko

When Hong Kong made a COVID check-in app mandatory at restaurants, friends Birdy and Bu – wary of government tracking – decided to avoid eateries entirely and go for picnics instead.The idea caught fire: their private social media picnic group has swelled from 50 in December to more than 6,000 members, as many look to avoid sharing data in a city where distrust of the Beijing-backed authorities runs deep.Instead of scanning QR codes at restaurants with the government's "Leave Home S

Scientists and politicians “probably killed hundreds of thousands of people” by damaging the reputation of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, according to an Oxford scientist who worked on the jab.Prof John Bell said: “They have damaged the reputation of the vaccine in a way that echoes around the rest of the world.”“I think bad behaviour from scientists and from politicians has probably killed hundreds of thousands of people – and that they cannot be proud of that,” he told a BBC Two documentary.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Canada Truckers 'Out Of Control' Ottawa's mayor declares a state of emergency over the "out of control" anti-vaxxer and anti-mask truckers' protest which has paralysed the Canadian capital for two weeks.Canadian authorities struggle to tackle the protest which has paralyzed the national capital for days and threatens to snowball into a full-blown political crisis for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

As a third wave of the pandemic begins to take hold across Indonesia, there are questions over its use of China’s Sinovac, after a series of studies suggesting the most commonly used COVID-19 vaccine in the Southeast Asian nation is no match for the Omicron variant of coronavirus.On Friday, the country recorded 32,211 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest official number since the Delta wave began to fade in mid-August.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Portugal Eases COVID Travel Curbs Portugal announces an easing of its travel restrictions for holders of European COVID-19 certificates by scrapping a requirement to test negative before entering the country.Travellers with an European Union (EU) digital health pass or other recognised vaccine passes will be exempt from having to prove a recent negative test result from Monday.French Cinema, Theatre Trips Down Cinema