Covid 19

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Simon Meffan-Main , Ph.D., Vice President, the Tetra Partner Network, TetraScience - the Scientific Data Cloud Company. The Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest health crisis of our time. However, it crystallized once and for all that a transformation across life sciences to accelerate new therapies is not only possible but essential. Covid-19 is the classic example of a " black swan " event—something rare and unpredictable that catches us off-guard and dramatically alters the status quo. For biopharmaceutical companies that meant abandoning "the way we've always done it" to consider novel ways of working that they might have otherwise been slow to adopt. Prior to this black swan event, vaccine development typically took at least seven years . Yet once the industry set its sights on Covid-19 vaccines, it developed two incredibly effective vaccines in under one year. This speed can be credited to the … [Read more...] about No Turning Back For Post-Covid-19 Pharma, But How Quickly Can The Industry Move?

Jessy Mendiola. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Jessy Mendiola Jessy Mendiola revealed she contracted and has since recovered from COVID-19 while five months pregnant with her child with TV host Luis Manzano. The actress documented her experience while in self-isolation at home via her YouTube vlog yesterday, Sept. 15. Some of the symptoms that Mendiola experienced included mild sore throat, colds, headaches, fever and dry cough. “Magti-three years na ‘yung [COVID-19], ngayon lang ako nag-positive. Actually, naiyak ako kay How How (Manzano) nu’ng nalaman kong positive ako kasi siyempre si Peanut talaga ‘yung iniisip ko,” she admitted, referring to her baby. (COVID-19 has been around for almost three years, now is the only time I tested positive for it. Actually, I cried to How How when I found out I was positive because I was definitely thinking of [my baby] Peanut.) Mendiola then stressed the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, noting that her symptoms were less … [Read more...] about Jessy Mendiola reveals she tested positive for COVID-19 while pregnant

Thailand’s Government said on Monday it would start its covid-19 vaccination program next month by administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to high-risk groups , as it faces accusations of being too slow to secure vaccines. Health workers in Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, where more than 900 infections were reported on Monday, would be the first to get the covod-19 vaccine with the initial delivery of 50,000 doses. The elderly and people with chronic diseases would also be a priority, officials said. Thailand’s food and drug administration last week approved AstraZeneca’s vaccine for emergency use. The ministry has yet to grant authorization for that of Sinovac Biotech, of which Thailand has ordered 2 million doses. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday said AstraZeneca would be supplying 50,000 fewer doses of the vaccine than the 200,000 Thailand had ordered. “With the orders they have at hand, they just confirmed to us, they … [Read more...] about Thailand to Commence Covid-19 Vaccinations Starting Next Month

Air Canada ripped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 travel restrictions in a statement Monday after the Canadian government announced it would finally lift mandates and quarantine rules beginning in October. Several airlines welcomed the news that travelers will no longer have to be vaccinated to fly or wear masks on planes, and that incoming travelers will no longer have to submit health information through the ArriveCAN app, beginning Oct. 1. Air Canada took things one step further, issuing a statement blasting the government for having restrictions in the first place. Air Canada welcomes Government of Canada decision to lift mask, testing and ArriveCan requirement. More: https://t.co/vIsBSacuc7 pic.twitter.com/3cRa3FHMJX — Air Canada (@AirCanada) September 26, 2022 “Air Canada welcomes the removal of these restrictions, acknowledging that air travel is safe and that the measures were not justified by science,” the company said. “We believe it will … [Read more...] about ‘Not Justified By Science’: Air Canada Blisters Government COVID Restrictions

THE FAUCI FILES… NEWSWEEK: Fauci Emails Show Experts Had Concern COVID Virus Could ‘Look Engineered’ Experts believed COVID-19 could have been engineered and leaked from a lab in the early days of the pandemic, but later concluded that the origin theory was not plausible, newly released emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci show. In an email to Dr. Fauci sent on January 31 last year, Kristian G. Andersen of the Scripps Research Institute told the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director that some of SARS-CoV-2’s features “(potentially) look engineered.” But he also noted that “unusual features of the virus” made up a “really small part” of the genome, quantifying the features as less than 0.1 percent of the genome. “We have a good team lined up to look very critically at this, so we should know much more at the end of the weekend,” Andersen told Fauci in an chain of emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act request. US … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Emails To Fauci Show That Experts Believed COVID Could Have Been Engineered

- A + A BENGALURU (Sept 30): Emerging Asian currencies inched higher on Friday (Sept 30) as the US dollar remained subdued, with the Chinese yuan firming after a report that the country's major state banks were told to stock up the yuan to stem its descent against the greenback. Reuters reported that the People's Bank of China (PBOC) had instructed state banks to ask their offshore branches to review their holdings of the offshore yuan and ensure US dollar reserves were ready to be deployed, the scale of which could be rather big. The yuan reversed early losses to climb 0.5%. The Indonesian rupiah climbed 0.2%, while the South Korean won and Taiwan dollar also edged higher. The dollar index, meanwhile, continued to hover near one-week lows. "Stabilisation measures can help to restore market confidence and act as speed bumps to slow the pace of local currency's depreciation," said Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC. "However, these efforts may only … [Read more...] about Asian currencies climbs on subdued US dollar, stocks slump on growth woes

- A + A SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Sept 30): Grim milestones keep piling up for Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong. As September draws to an end, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index has lost 14% to rank as the worst performer among major equity benchmarks globally this month. Hovering around the lowest since the global financial crisis, it is now trading at 0.6 times book value, the cheapest ever. All but three stocks are down the year on the 50-member gauge, with property developers and tech companies at the bottom. China's largest builder Country Garden Holdings Co has lost almost three-quarters of its value and video-streaming firm Bilibili Inc is down about two-thirds. While the swoon is part of a global rout as central banks around the world step up rate hikes to tame inflation, Chinese stocks have been hit particularly hard as the Covid-Zero policy took a toll on the nation's economy and as Sino-American tensions worsened over Taiwan and Russia. Also, … [Read more...] about China shares plunge to lowest valuation on record in Hong Kong

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 30): Permodalan Nasional Bhd has announced a record low income distribution of 3.75 sen per unit for its fixed price unit trust fund Amanah Saham Malaysia 3 (ASM3), for the financial year ending Sept 30, 2022 (FY22). This compares with the four sen distribution declared for the fund in the previous two years by Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd, the unit trust management subsidiary of PNB. The highest income distribution for the fund since its launch in 2009 was 6.70% for 2013. ASM3, previously known as Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS1M), declared a total income distribution payout of RM573.66 million for FY22, benefitting 551,685 unitholders owning 15.30 billion units, PNB said in a statement on Friday (Sept 30). “Overall, the fund recorded RM757.81 million total gross income and RM575.87 million of net realised income, amid recessionary concerns and global supply chain disruption affecting the global markets. “The income distribution of ASM3 … [Read more...] about Record low income distribution of 3.75 sen per unit declared for ASM3

Leading life insurer Pru Life UK continues to lead the discussions on the impact of climate change on Filipinos health and financial security, as it brings together experts from health, insurance and the environment during its 2022 Healthscape media briefing. Led by the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer Eng Teng Wong and Prudential Chief Health Officer Andrew Wong along with planetary health expert Dr. Renzo Guinto and Michael Leitschkis, principal for Life Tech Solutions at consulting firm Milliman, the discussion focused on the impact of climate change on the health of Filipinos and how financial resilience through inclusive and climate-smart insurance products and services can help mitigate its effects. “Our goal as the leading life insurance company is to raise awareness on the importance of insurance protection against climate health risks so more Filipinos are educated on the effects of climate change on their health and finances. We are also working … [Read more...] about Pru Life UK gathers experts to help Filipinos mitigate climate change risks

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday said he is committed to optimizing the efficiency and productivity of the Social Security System  (SSS) “to improve the welfare” of the Filipino people. He issued the remark during the 65th anniversary of the SSS “Balikat ng Bayan” awards as he lauded the agency for being a “bastion of stability” for Filipinos for over six decades. He encouraged SSS employees to “always embody excellence” and “put the best interests of the Filipino people above everything else.” “As your President, I assure you that I commit myself to every initiative that will improve the efficiency and productivity of the SSS and thereby improve the welfare of our people ,” Marcos said. President Marcos has emphasized the value of the Social Security System in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, saying that it is satisfying to watch the SSS’s good effect on the community and its members’ quality of life continue to rise. … [Read more...] about Bongbong Marcos commits to improving SSS services