US FDA approves Roche’s COVID-19 antibody

A photograph shows the Swiss pharma giant Roche headquarters in Basel on Sept 28, 2021. (SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) Roche Holding AG said on Wednesday the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved its monoclonal antibody for treating COVID-19 in hospitalized adult patients. The intravenous anti-inflammatory drug, Actemra, is a monoclonal antibody that reduces […]

Appeals court: US can’t mandate federal contractors COVID jabs

A lone protester stands outside the US Supreme Court as it hears arguments against the Biden administration's nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandates, in Washington, US, Jan 7, 2022. (JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS) WASHINGTON / CIUDAD JUAREZ / LOS ANGELES / MOSCOW – A US appeals court on Monday said the White House could not require federal contractors […]

Nigeria scraps COVID-19 tests for international travelers

Passengers gather as they check in their luggage at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria Sept 30, 2022. (TEMILADE ADELAJA / REUTERS) LAGOS / MOSCOW – Nigeria on Monday removed COVID-19 testing requirements for international travelers and it was no longer mandatory to wear masks on flights and inside airport buildings, the airlines regulator […]

Biden appeals for COVID curbs for US-Mexico border migrants

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks while launching a new plan for Americans to receive booster shots and vaccinations against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), onstage in an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, US Oct 25, 2022. (JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS) WASHINGTON / GENEVA / BERLIN / HELSINKI – US President Joe Biden's administration […]

France: Mask mandate in transports hinges on COVID situation

French Health Minister Francois Braun leaves following the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Oct 26, 2022. (SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS) PARIS / LOS ANGELES – The decision to make wearing face-masks in public transportation mandatory again to contain a new surge in the COVID-19 epidemic will depend on the evolution […]

‘Early flu season, COVID-19, RSV causes for concern in Europe’

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (CHEN JUNXIA / XINHUA) COPENHAGEN / MOSCOW – European health leaders on Thursday voiced their concern over a potential surge in respiratory virus infections across the region this winter, and called for better protection of the population, […]

Finland updates COVID vaccination advice for children

People protest against Finnish government's regulations to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Helsinki, Finland March 20, 2021. (LEHTIKUVA / ANTTI AIMO-KOIVISTO VIA REUTERS) HELSINKI / MOSCOW – The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has updated its recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 12 years. According to […]

German panel suggests COVID shot only for at-risk children

Syringes with children's doses of Comirnaty, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 are seen at a practice of a children's doctor in Bonn, Germany, Dec 15, 2021. (WOLFGANG RATTAY / REUTERS) FRANKFURT / MOSCOW / LONDON – Germany's vaccine advisory panel on Thursday recommended that Pfizer-BioNTech's, COVID-19 vaccine for children from six months to four years […]