In this file photo taken on Jan 19, 2022, a nurse administers a pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a girl at a LA Care Health Plan vaccination clinic at Los Angeles Mission College in the Sylmar neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. (ROBYN BECK / AFP)
PARIS / BERLIN / WASHINGTON / OTTAWA / NEW YORK / GENEVA / WASHINGTON / PARIS – US schools with mandatory masking during the Delta surge had 72 percent fewer cases of in-school transmission of SARS-CoV-2, when compared to schools with optional or partial masking policies, according to a new study.
The study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health, covered more than 1.1 million students and over 157,000 staff attending in-person schools across nine states, with data collected from July 26 to Dec 13, 2021.
Researchers found that most COVID-19 cases among students and staff were acquired from the community and about 10 percent of cases were acquired within school.
For every 100 community-acquired cases, the study showed, school districts with mandatory masking had 7.3 cases of in-school infections, while the number in optionally masked districts reached 26.4.
Though the study was conducted when Delta was the dominant variant, researchers added that masking still remains a critical preventive measure.
A demonstrator cooks breakfast during a protest by truck drivers over Covid-19 pandemic health rules and the Trudeau government, outside the parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, on Feb 13, 2022. (ED JONES / AFP)
Canana
Over half of Canadians (54 percent) said they had a close friend or family member who was infected with COVID-19 during the past two years and more than one in three (36 percent) had an infection in their household, a new survey revealed on Thursday.
Most (70 percent) believed Canada would "struggle just as much" in the next pandemic – while fewer than half that number (30 percent) said the nation was in "good shape" to handle something similar happening again
The online survey, carried out by the Angus Reid Institute and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, polled a representative randomized sample of 2,550 Canadians aged 18 and over between March 1 to 4 of this year on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 outbreaks worldwide a pandemic.
"The findings are stark," the Angus Reid Institute said. An overwhelming majority (82 percent) said they believed the pandemic had pulled people apart as opposed to bringing them together (18 percent). About the same number (79 percent) said this period had brought out the worst, not the best (21 percent) in people. Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) said Canadians' level of compassion for one another had weakened.
Despite the developments and lessons in the last 24 months, Canadians were jaded about how well this country was equipped to handle a future pandemic. Most (70 percent) believed Canada would "struggle just as much" in the next pandemic – while fewer than half that number (30 percent) said the nation was in "good shape" to handle something similar happening again.
Seven-in-ten Canadians (72 percent) postponed travel at some point during the past two years. Half (48 percent) delayed medical appointments, while one-quarter (26 percent) delayed a more serious medical procedure or surgery, according to the key findings of the survey.
CTV updated Thursday that Canada, with a population of 37 million, recorded its national COVID-19 caseload of 3,349,193 with 37,222 related deaths.
Dozens of people queue outside a pharmacy for a COVID-19 antigenic test on Jan 19, 2022 in Savenay, western France France, as COVID-19 cases soar in Europe. (LOIC VENANCE / AFP)
France's national health agency reported 74,818 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Thursday, a sharp increase compared to previous days.
The French government has announced that as of March 14, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a mask in indoor areas, except on public transport and in health establishments
However, the number of patients admitted to intensive care units in the past 24 hours has decreased compared to last Thursday, while the total number of patients in ICU has fallen from 2,231 to 1,928 during that time. The number of patients currently hospitalized has also dropped from 23,175 to 21,287 since last Thursday.
Also on Thursday, The Pasteur Institute published an analysis of the COVID-19 situation in metropolitan France. It said the percentage of contamination after the lifting of health restrictions on March 14 will increase by 50 to 130 percent compared to the previous months of this year.
Daily reported COVID-19 cases could exceed 100,000 in the month of March, the Institute added.
Infectologist Benjamin Davido at Raymond-Poincare de Garches Hospital in the department of Hauts-de-Seine told French news channel BFMTV that the government's lifting of health restrictions will contribute "to the rebound of contaminations."
The French government has announced that as of March 14, it will no longer be mandatory to wear a mask in indoor areas, except on public transport and in health establishments. The vaccine pass will also no longer be required at most public indoor venues, except hospitals, retirement homes and care homes.
Vaccination cabins for the Nuvaxovid vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus are seen at the CIZ Tegel vaccination center in Berlin on Feb 28, 2022. (TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP)
Germany
The number of daily COVID-19 infections in Germany hit a new record of 262,752 new cases within 24 hours, around 52,000 more than in the previous week, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Thursday.
Germany's seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate also increased, reaching 1,388.5 infections per 100,000 inhabitants on Thursday, up from 1,319 on the previous day, according to the RKI.
Due to less severe cases associated with the Omicron variant, Germany's federal and state governments agreed to successively relax most COVID-19 measures by March 20. However, basic protection measures such as wearing a mask in certain areas will remain in place.
Since the end of last week, restaurants and hotels in Germany are no longer restricted only to customers who have been vaccinated or recently recovered from the disease. Under the so-called 3G rule, such premises are now also open to unvaccinated people who can provide a negative COVID-19 test.
With only 95,000 vaccinations administered on Wednesday, Germany's vaccination campaign continued to slow down. According to official figures, at least 47.9 million people have received a booster dose, while 19.6 million people are not vaccinated.
Omega Diagnostics Group
Omega Diagnostics Group Plc said on Friday its COVID-19 antigen test kit had not been approved by the UK health security agency and the product would not be available for sale in the country, sending its shares tumbling more than 20 percent.
Late last year, a new review system came into force under which COVID-19 test suppliers had to submit information on comparator tests for their products for a "desktop review" if they wished to remain on sale in Britain.
Omega said some data submitted before the new review had to be excluded in the latest evaluation, as they did not meet the sensitivity requirements, leading to insufficient data for an approval. It added that no further tests were planned at this time.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet delivers a speech at the opening of a session of the UN Human Rights Council on Feb 28, 2022 in Geneva. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP)
UN
The United Nations Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on Thursday on ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said at the event that as the world entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international community stood at a crossroads and needed to "choose the right path."
"The world has been profoundly fortunate to have had effective COVID-19 vaccines developed at an unprecedented pace. Science has saved millions of lives and livelihoods. But we have failed to administer the vaccines in a fair and equitable manner," she said.
Emphasizing that the "pandemic's finish line is still out of sight," Bachelet said that "a false narrative that it may be over is arising in some countries with high vaccination rates, and where the effects of the Omicron variant have been relatively mild."
"Yet, low vaccination rates in many countries continue to create ideal conditions for new variants to emerge," she noted. "So they pose a threat to everyone."
This file illustration photograph taken on Nov 17, 2020, shows vials with COVID-19 Vaccine stickers attached and syringes with the logo of French-Austrian vaccine firm Valneva in London. (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Valneva
Valneva now expects a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in April for its VLA2001 COVID-19 candidate vaccine, the French vaccine maker said on Friday, compared to an earlier target for the end of March.
"Following such conditional approval, the company would expect to start delivering planned doses of VLA2001 to European countries in the second quarter of 2022," said Valneva.
It cited a "a small set of additional questions" from the EMA as reason for the delay, adding it was set to respond within days.
