What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Genertec Universal Medical Co

15/06/2021 06:40

June 16 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the
coronavirus right now:
    
    Regeneron therapy cuts deaths among patients who lack
antibodies
    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' COVID-19 antibody cocktail
reduces deaths in hospitalised patients who have not mounted
their own antibody response, a large British study published on
Wednesday found.
    The therapy, REGEN-COV, has been granted emergency use
authorisation for people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in the
United States, but results from the RECOVERY trial provide the
clearest evidence of its effectiveness among hospitalised
patients. 
    It found that the antibody therapy reduced by a fifth the
28-day mortality of people admitted to hospital with COVID-19
whose immune system had not mounted an antibody response.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NX5GS

    EU approval of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine delayed - sources
    European Union approval of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus
vaccine will be delayed because a June 10 deadline to submit
data was missed, two people familiar with the matter told
Reuters, diminishing the shot's prospects in the EU's pandemic
response.
    One of the sources, a German government official, said the
failure to provide the necessary clinical trial data to the EU
medicines watchdog would postpone any go-ahead in the bloc until
at least September.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NX52Q
    European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to add the
United States to their list of countries from which they will
allow non-essential travel, EU diplomats said.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NY0IM

    Sydney records first local case in more than a month 
    Australia's most populous city Sydney has recorded its first
locally acquired case of COVID-19 in more than a month, stoking
concerns of a fresh wave of infections on Wednesday.
    New South Wales state said it is not clear how the unnamed
man in his 60s acquired the virus, but he was a driver who
occasionally transported overseas airline crew.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NY0AY
    Australia's second largest city Melbourne will allow its
five million residents to travel more than 25 km (15 miles) from
home and end mandatory wearing of masks outdoors from Friday,
despite the city fighting a stubborn outbreak.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NY05B

    Opposition questions Indian government on vaccine dosing gap
    India's main opposition party, Congress, on Wednesday
questioned the decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
government to double the gap between the doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine, asking whether it was prompted by a vaccine
shortage.
    On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the government had
increased the gap without the agreement of the scientific group
that it said recommended the move, citing three members of the
National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation advisory body.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2NY1JK
    India's Taj Mahal re-opened to the public on Wednesday as
the country, still reeling from a disastrous second wave of the
pandemic, rushes to lift restrictions to try to revitalise its
economy.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NY08P

    Chickens, cows offered up in vaccination lucky draws
    Chickens, cows, paid leave, even a million-dollar apartment
- these are the prizes on offer from Thailand to Indonesia to
Hong Kong for those who get vaccinated against COVID-19 as
nations across Asia combat vaccine hesitancy.
    As more transmissible variants of the virus have driven a
surge in cases in Southeast Asia in recent weeks, authorities
have started offering chances in lucky draws for vaccinations.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N2NY07Y


    
 

 (Compiled by Linda Noakes, Editing by Timothy Heritage)