Health

Britain to unveil new booster guidance as Omicron variant spreads

Britain is set to unveil new guidance on speeding up and extending the rollout of COVID-19 booster shots on Monday, a junior health minister said, adding he was braced for more cases of the variant of concern Omicron.

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The Joint Committee on Vaccination and immunization has been asked to look at boosters for under-40s as well as reducing the gap between second doses and boosters.

“We’re awaiting that advice. I hope it will come, hopefully later today,” Edward Argar told Sky News, adding he did not know their decision.

“I don’t think it’s been formally delivered but we’d expect that within the coming hours.”

Japan bans entry of foreign visitors as Omicron COVID-19 variant spreads

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Health

WHO urges China to be ‘transparent’ in sharing COVID-19 data

The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to call for China to be ‘transparent’ in sharing COVID-19 data in efforts to determine the disease’s origins, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated on Friday in Geneva.

Health

Burundi announces first polio outbreak in more than 30 years

Health authorities in Burundi on Friday said that they had detected eight samples of polio, officially declaring the landlocked African nation’s first outbreak in more than 30 years.

Health

Cocaine trafficking surges following COVID-19-related slowdown

Routed through new hubs and expanded criminal networks, cocaine trafficking has made a dramatic comeback following an initial slowdown caused by the emergence of COVID-19, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said on Thursday in a hard-hitting new report.