Health

Monday, February 6th, was the first time in three years that all border gates were fully reopened without COVID-19 limitations. Tens of thousands of travelers traveled between mainland China and its special administrative territory of Hong Kong. China stated last week that cross-border travel between the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao will resume in full on February 6, removing current …

The building of a P6-billion ($112 million) cancer center has been approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., marking the beginning of his infrastructure project, which would rely more on private funding than his predecessor’s. Marcos presided over the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, which authorized the Public-Private Partnership funding for the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) …

NK News, citing a government notification, said on Wednesday that authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have ordered a five-day lockdown in response to an increase in instances of an unidentified respiratory infection. According to NK News, which monitors North Korea, the warning did not mention COVID-19 but stated that inhabitants of the city were ordered to remain in …

China stated that the worst was over in its fight against COVID-19 prior to what is set to be the biggest travel day in years on Friday, January 20, a huge movement of people that has stoked worries of a new outbreak. State media reported late on Thursday, January 18 that Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees China’s virus response, …

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on January 20 that Japan may explore lowering COVID-19 to a less severe infectious illness and reducing its suggestion that people wear masks in public indoor locations as early as this spring. After meeting with relevant ministers, Kishida told the media that he had asked them to study the particular parameters for reclassifying COVID-19 into …

Chinese drugmakers scrambled to produce anti-fever medications and other COVID-19 therapies on Thursday, January 19, after President Xi Jinping expressed concern over the flow of holiday tourists to rural regions unable to deal with surprise outbreaks. Xi’s remarks came little over a month after his administration unexpectedly scrapped his “zero-COVID” rules, which had mainly protected China’s 1.4 billion people from …

Several children were reportedly injured after swallowing a snack containing liquid nitrogen, prompting the Indonesian government to encourage local health officials to monitor food facilities and to advise parents to be more attentive. The snack, sometimes known as “dragon’s breath” and known locally as chiki ngebul, is a form of colorful candy covered with liquid nitrogen mist. Recently, youngsters have …

China’s abrupt shift away from a zero-COVID plan in December 2022 makes its reopening one of the year’s most significant economic developments. In the context of escalating economic and social costs involved with maintaining rigorous containment measures, it has occurred quicker and earlier than analysts predicted. On the expectation that Chinese consumers will unleash their pent-up demand, reopening has fuelled …

People in China are resuming travel before to the Lunar New Year, despite concerns about infections, after Beijing lifted COVID-19 restrictions last month, with air passenger volumes rebounding to 63% of 2019 levels since the beginning of the annual travel season. China’s chief of the Civil Aviation Administration, Song Zhiyong, stated that the rapid economic recovery is putting pressure on …

US federal health experts ruled on Friday (Jan 13) that a relationship between Pfizer’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and an elevated risk of strokes in those aged 65 and older is “very implausible” and not supported by extensive examination. A preliminary safety issue found by one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) monitoring systems prompted the CDC to …