WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in...
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Child diseases on rise as COVID-19 slows routine vaccinations -U.N.
Ten countries, led by India and Nigeria, account for the bulk of the 22.7 million children left unvaccinated or under-vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) in 2020 – 3.7 million more than in 2019 and the most since 2009, it said regarding a key indicator of childhood vaccination rates.
Sharp rise in Africa COVID-19 deaths, WHO reports
The rising caseload comes amid inadequate vaccine supplies. So far, 52 million people in Africa have been inoculated, which is just 1.6 per cent of total COVID-19 vaccinations worldwide.
Meanwhile, roughly 1.5 per cent of the continent’s population, or 18 million people, are fully vaccinated, compared with over 50 per cent in some high-income countries.
India has highest number of unvaccinated, under-vaccinated kids worldwide at 3.5 million: UNICEF
At nearly 4.4 million, South Asia recorded the highest number of children who have failed to receive any routine vaccination in the past ten years, in 2020.
Amazon HealthLake service now generally available
Using the HealthLake APIs, healthcare organizations can easily copy health data, such as medical reports or patient notes, from on-premises systems to a secure data lake in the cloud, and analyze it at a petabyte scale. HealthLake uses machine learning (ML) models to automatically understand and extract meaningful medical information from the raw data, such as medications, procedures, and diagnoses.
EU urged to consider impact of new climate mechanism on developing countries
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) comes into force in 2023 as part of new measures to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including taxes on imports such as oil, coal and gas.
“Climate and environmental considerations are at the forefront of policy concerns, and trade cannot be the exception. CBAM is one of these options, but its impact on developing countries also needs to be considered,” said Isabelle Durant, the UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General.
Olympics-Risk of COVID spread is ‘zero’, IOC chief says, amid rising cases
Just over a week before the July 23 opening ceremony, Tokyo reported 1,308 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, its highest daily tally since late January. Postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summer Olympics have little public support in Japan amid widespread fears about a further spread of the coronavirus.
Critics on Thursday submitted a petition against the Games that has garnered more than 450,000 signatures this month, Japanese media reported. Organisers have imposed Olympics “bubbles” to prevent further transmissions of COVID-19, but medical experts are worried they might not be sufficiently tight.
Covid deaths and cases rise again globally, hurting return to normalcy
The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 lives lost, a 3 per cent increase from the week before.
Cases rose 10 per cent last week to nearly 3 million, with the highest numbers recorded in Brazil, India, Indonesia and Britain, WHO said.
The reversal has been attributed to low vaccination rates, the relaxation of mask rules and other precautions, and the swift spread of the more-contagious delta variant, which WHO said has now been identified in 111 countries and is expected to become globally dominant in the coming months.
AXA XL appoints Sylvie Gleises as Country Manager, Singapore
Commenting, Xavier Veyry, CEO APAC & Europe at AXA XL, said: “Today’s businesses are faced with challenging economic conditions and evolving risks. The latest World Economic Forum Global Risks Report highlights extreme weather, climate action failure and human environmental damage as three of the top risks by likelihood. Clients need to look beyond current risks to ensure they are prepared for the risks of tomorrow, and there have never been more opportunities for AXA XL to partner with and make a difference to our clients and brokers.”
Top EU court says headscarves can be banned at work under certain conditions
“A prohibition on wearing any visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace may be justified by the employer’s need to present a neutral image towards customers or to prevent social disputes,” the court said.
“However, that justification must correspond to a genuine need on the part of the employer and, in reconciling the rights and interests at issue, the national courts may take into account the specific context of their Member State and, in particular, more favorable national provisions on the protection of freedom of religion.
FACTBOX-How Big Tech is faring against U.S. lawsuits and probes
The U.S. Justice Department sued Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals. A trial date was set for Sept. 12, 2023. A lawsuit by 38 U.S. states and territories accuses Google of abusing its market power to try to make its search engine as dominant inside cars, TVs and speakers as it is in phones. This was consolidated with the federal lawsuit for purposes of discovery.