Since abandoning all COVID safety measures and relying on the government’s “Living with COVID-19” strategy, the United Kingdom (UK) has seen a surge in the number of people becoming infected with the virus. Although numbers are coming down now, they remain at relatively high levels.This new wave is thought to be driven by the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron as well as waning protection from vaccines.

The United Kingdom's Health Security Agency says its analysis of English data shows COVID vaccines are safe in pregnancy, reinforcing international evidence.The agency found similar rates of stillbirths and preterm births for vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers.Researchers say women should feel confident the jabs will help protect them and urge more to take them.Their report shows just 22 percent of women who gave birth in August had had at least one jab.Since mid-April, mothers-to-be ha

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said another 500,000 people in Europe could die of COVID-19 by March next year unless urgent action is taken.The WHO’s Europe director, Dr Hans Kluge, said he was very worried about a fresh wave of infections that had spread across the continent and led countries to announce new restrictions.Austria announced this week that it would become the first country to legally require people to have the vaccines from February.

Several outbreaks of severe bird flu in Europe and Asia have been reported in recent days to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in a sign the virus is spreading quickly again.The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has put the poultry industry on alert after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds.It is attracting the attention too of epidemiologists as the virus can be transmitted to humans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled Wednesday a proposed team of scientists tasked with looking at new pathogens and preventing future pandemics – plus reviving the stalled probe into COVID-19's origins.The group of 26 experts will be charged with producing a new global framework for studies into the origins of emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential.

The Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 is causing major problems across the world. Estimated to be at least twice as transmissible as the original virus, it is challenging the measures that governments took in 2020. Thailand and South Korea are seeing accelerating cases and deaths, after having successfully managed their epidemics last year. New Zealand and Australia find themselves in snap lockdowns.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday that "more dangerous" variants of COVID-19 could tear across the world as global infections soared to half a million daily, largely driven by the virulent Delta strain.An AFP tally of official sources found that after an initial dip, cases have been rising again worldwide since the end of June, topping 540,000 on Tuesday and again on Wednesday."The pandemic is nowhere near finished," the WHO's emergency committee sai

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:COVID Worsens HungerThe COVID pandemic caused an estimated 18 percent increase in the number of people facing hunger, a United Nations (UN) report finds, dealing a massive setback to efforts to ensure everyone has access to food.'Freedom Day'Britain's government confirms it will press ahead with "Freedom Day" on 19 July by lifting most pandemic curbs in England, but urges caution as experts warn that politicia

Vietnam has discovered a new COVID-19 variant which spreads quickly by air and is a combination of the Indian and British strains, health officials confirmed Saturday.The country is struggling to deal with fresh outbreaks across more than half of its territory, including industrial zones and big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City."We have discovered a new hybrid variant from the Indian and the UK strains," Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long told a national meeting on the pande

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:1.5 Billion DosesMore than 1.5 billion doses of anti-COVID vaccines have been administered around the world, six months after the start of the first vaccination campaign, according to an AFP count.Killer Cyclone Batters IndiaAt least 27 people are dead and dozens missing after a monster cyclone slams into western India, compounding efforts to battle a devastating virus surge.Fewest US DeathsThe United States (US) is seeing its fewest