New Zealand health officials on Sunday confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the community for more than two months, sparking urgent contract-tracing efforts north of Auckland. A 56-year-old woman who recently returned from Europe tested positive 10 days after…
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It’s a secret: California keeps key virus data from public
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has from the start said his coronavirus policy decisions would be driven by data shared with the public to provide maximum transparency. But with the state starting to emerge from its worst surge, his administration won’t…
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US virus deaths top WWII fatalities as Biden warns worst yet to come
New US President Joe Biden warned the worst of the pandemic is still to come, as the number of American coronavirus deaths surpassed the country’s troop fatalities in World War II. Coronavirus cases have surged past 96 million worldwide, fuelled…
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Dubai orders hospitals to cancel surgeries amid virus surge
The government of Dubai on Wednesday ordered all hospitals to cancel nonessential surgeries for the next month as coronavirus infections surge to unprecedented heights in the United Arab Emirates. In a circular sent to government-run and private health centers across…
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5G doesn’t cause COVID-19, but the rumor it does spread like a virus
People’s fear of 5G technology is rational. Such technology does emit radiation, even if it’s at low levels. But 5G isn’t all that different from 4G, and it certainly doesn’t cause COVID-19 despite such rumors having spread rapidly across the…
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SAfrica virus strain more contagious, experts confirm
A new variant of the coronavirus first identified in South Africa is more contagious than earlier versions, experts said on Monday, but there is no evidence that it is more deadly. The new variant is 50 percent more contagious, said…
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Portugal returning to virus lockdown Friday, says PM
Portugal will return to a lockdown to tackle a surge in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced Wednesday. The fresh lockdown, starting Friday, will mean a return to the restrictions in place in March and April 2020, said Costa…
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Asian nations toughen virus fight as pandemic rages worldwide
Countries in Asia were stepping up their fight against the coronavirus again on Thursday in a fresh effort to suppress an illness they had previously tamed, joining Europe in imposing new curbs. Japan was set to declare a state of…
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Lockdowns, curfews, alcohol bans as nations fight resurgent virus
Countries across the world tightened restrictions on their populations Saturday to fight a resurgence in the coronavirus, as the European Union offered to help drug companies expand vaccine production to improve distribution “bottlenecks”. From local curfews to alcohol bans and…
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Thailand reports 548 new virus cases, highest daily spike
Thailand reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily tally in a country that had largely brought the pandemic under control. The 548 new cases, most of them linked to a wholesale seafood market on the…
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