United States (US) scientists said Wednesday they had developed a sticky wall coating that repurposes ingredients used in hair conditioners to trap aerosolised droplets, and hope it will become another tool in the fight against COVID and other airborne diseases.The substance can be applied to surfaces such as plexiglass dividers to capture respiratory droplets, rather than allowing them to bounce off and remain in circulation."Droplets collide with indoor surfaces all the time," sai

Australia. New Zealand. Singapore. Vietnam. Japan. Hong Kong. South Korea. Taiwan.These places in the Asia Pacific region have all been praised for their pandemic response; with several ranked among the best in the world.All were able to get on top of COVID-19 in 2020 through aggressive actions like strict lockdowns and contact tracing, which were later often replicated by the rest of the world.Yet in the second year of the pandemic, they are being challenged by new issues.

China is ramping up a propaganda blitz ahead of the 100th birthday of the ruling Communist Party, with banners and billboards around the country reminding citizens to live a "civilised" life and obey authorities.The world's second-largest economy has been lauding its achievements in the weeks leading up to 1 July, which marks the centenary of the party's founding in Shanghai.Large boards with a red-emblazoned "100" showing the Communist hammer and sickle emblem h

New variants of COVID-19 are suspected of causing a sudden jump in the number of cases in the Russian capital, the mayor said Thursday, amid a sluggish vaccination drive."It's most likely we are facing new, more aggressive variants which spread more quickly," said mayor Sergei Sobyanin during a video conference with government officials battling the pandemic.He noted that daily infections in the capital had soared from 3,000 to 7,000 within a few days and were expected to hit m

India is preparing to use a local version of the Novavax vaccine, which will be produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII).The vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in a late-stage United States (US)-based clinical trial, according to the company.The government has also ordered 300 million doses of another vaccine from Indian firm Biological E.India has so far given more than 260 million doses of three approved vaccines – Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.With the total case tally of

The global infrastructure plan announced by G7 leaders aims to offer developing nations a credible alternative to China's much-criticised Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – but it faces major hurdles on the ground, especially if Beijing's hiccups are any indication. United States (US) President Joe Biden was able to convince the G7 to sign onto the initiative, drawing allies into Washington's strategic rivalry with Beijing, under a plan titled, "Build Back Better Wo

A COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Germany's CureVac was shown to be just 47 percent effective in an interim analysis of its late-stage trial, the company said Wednesday."CVnCoV demonstrated an interim vaccine efficacy of 47 percent against COVID-19 disease of any severity and did not meet prespecified statistical success criteria," CureVac said in a statement.The company blamed the "unprecedented context of at least 13 variants circulating within the study population s

Almost a fifth of COVID patients without symptoms went on to experience conditions consistent with long COVID a month after their initial diagnosis, according to a huge study published Tuesday.The analysis by non-profit FAIR Health encompassed insurance claims from 1.96 million Americans –the largest population of patients ever studied for long COVID – from February 2020 to February 2021."Even as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, long-haul COVID persists as a public health issue affecting man

When COVID-19 arrived in India, few places looked as vulnerable as Mumbai.

President Joe Biden will draw "red lines" for President Vladimir Putin at a tense Geneva summit on Wednesday, where ghosts of the Cold War will hover over modern-day United States (US) concerns that Russia has become a rogue, authoritarian state.The setting – a sumptuous villa overlooking Lake Geneva – may be picturesque, but a gruelling diplomatic face-off awaits.Up to five hours of talks are planned, starting at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), with no break for meals.