Category: Health & Safety

The Ministry of Public Health announced 139 new coronavirus infection cases, which brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 541940.

Six deaths have been reported.

Source: National News Agency

Damascus, The Health Ministry announced on Monday that 21 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Syria, adding that 5 coronavirus patients recovered, and 3 others passed away.

In a statement, the Ministry indicated that the total number of the coronavirus cases recorded in Syria has reached up to 24,680 till now, of which 21,640 have recovered and 1,796 others have passed away.

The first coronavirus case was recorded in Syria on March 22^nd in a person who came from abroad, while the first fatality was registered on the 29^th of the same month.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

China has begun to allow those aged between three and 17 years old to get shots of COVID-19 vaccines, making it the first country to approve these vaccines for such a young age group. Chinese observers said the country will follow the plan step-by-step out of safety concerns and based on production capacity.

An official from the vaccine research and development group led by the State Council, the cabinet, confirmed with China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday that China has approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines for those aged between three and 17 years. CCTV did not reveal the official’s name.

The official said that experts have confirmed the safety and efficacy of giving COVID-19 vaccines to that age group. After relevant approval, the vaccination will start for the age group as the country shifts from vaccinating older people to younger ones.

On the same day, Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC), confirmed in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency that China aims to give COVID-19 shots to at least 70 percent of its population by year-end.

Chinese vaccine experts reached by the Global Times on Monday said vaccinating children above three years old is key for the country to reach herd immunity. But to address safety concerns, the country will cautiously use the vaccines among this age group, by distinguishing them into different groups by age or by initially vaccinating minors living in regions more susceptible to the virus, such as Guangzhou.

Apart from some concerns about giving vaccines to minors, restrictions for the large-scale vaccination of children mainly come from the tight supply of COVID-19 vaccines in China, which are being pressured by increasing domestic and foreign demand, as well as the possible mass adoption of booster shots, experts said.

The approval fits the world trend of lowering the vaccination age to teenagers, and it makes China the first country in the world to give COVID-19 shots to children as young as three years old, an immunologist based in Beijing told the Global Times on condition of anonymity on Monday.

China authorized the emergency use of CoronaVac, the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac, for children aged between three and 17, Sinovac Chairman Yin Weidong told the media on Friday.

Feng Duojia, president of the China Vaccine Industry Association, told the Global Times on Monday that approval for Sinopharm’s vaccine is also on the way.

Following China, Thailand is considering whether to lower the age for Sinovac vaccines to three years old. The Southeast Asian country launched a mass vaccination plan on Monday.

Canada was the first country to approve vaccines for children aged 12 and above on May 5. Since then, countries including the US, the UK and Singapore approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15, after a review of safety and effectiveness, reports said.

Besides Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna is also actively studying the use of the vaccine in younger children. Young children, even toddlers, could also be eligible by the end of the year, Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, was quoted as saying by US media.

“Children aged three to 17 are part of the target group of the national vaccination plan, and a key group for the country to reach herd immunity. I believe children should receive doses the same as adults, as no solid evidence demonstrates the risk for children is any higher than for adults,” Tao Lina, a vaccine expert based in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Monday.

The use of COVID-19 vaccines on children remains controversial since there has yet to be any open and solid data in clinical trials on children. Some questions also linger, such as whether it is necessary to make children take the risk, as some argue this age group is not susceptible to COVID-19 to the same degree as adults.

An immunologist based in Beijing told the Global Times that the possible risks to children cannot be denied, but they are still a key group for the country to reach herd immunity. Thus, to ease public concerns, China is expected to roll out the program among children step-by-step, either distinguishing them by ages or by grades, or by giving relatively smaller doses of vaccines designated for children.

“As China starts vaccination among children, vaccines and the vaccination plan can always be optimized and adjusted, to fix emerging problems, including security concerns,” he said.

The immunologist said China is more likely to start giving shots for the young when Sinopharm also gets the go-ahead for child recipients by authorities, because the priority for the current phase is to further expand inoculations among adults, due to tight vaccine production capacity.

Feng said that China will gradually prompt vaccinations of children, but not all at once, because there is huge demand from both overseas and domestic, as well as preparations for a booster shot.

“China’s total vaccine production basically meets the daily administered doses across the nation, about 20 million doses. In some places, vaccines are immediately out of stock on the same day of distribution,” Feng said.

China had administered 777 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Sunday, according to the NHC.–GT

Source: National News Agency

The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Monday, the registration of 71 new Coronavirus infections, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 541628.

It added that 6 deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.

 

Source: Ministry of Information Lebanon

Damascus, Mrs. Asma al-Assad visited on Monday the center for transplanting blood stem cells and the Cell therapy for children. The Center, the first of its kind, comes as a fruit of 15 years of work and efforts despite blockade on the country.

 

Mrs. Asma inspected the final preparations to launch the center during the coming weeks, accompanied by Minister of Higher Education, Bassam Ibrahim.

 

The Center treats children infected with blood cancer, some solid cancers, hereditary blood diseases and the Primary immunodeficiency disorders.

 

It is equipped with the up-to-date medical technologies with adopting the highest technical standards that guarantee the best degrees of protection, disinfection and the safety of the child and the success of medical surgeries.

 

Mrs. Asma, in a speech to supervisors of the center, representatives of the ministries and sides concerned, said that nothing is impossible when we have the Will, and with tireless efforts by different sides “We found solutions, removed the blockade and approached the opening of the first center for transplanting blood stem cells in Syria.”

 

She added “Certainly, this center is a new hope for the children and their families and a new prospect for the treatment of cancer in Syria, and during my tour in the center, it was clear that the center has been able to agree with the international standards of similar centers… I am happy that the center was able to impose the medical isolation without imposing social isolation with the presence of the mother with her child during the time of treatment.”

 

“All that calls for optimism in the future of child cancer treatment in Syria, but in order to make this optimism in the right place, we shouldn’t see this center as a separated unit from the other basic elements.”  Mrs. Asma said.

 

“If we complete the work with the same way as one teamwork, with the same will and determination, we will be able to have success, and we should succeed because the difference between success and failure is the same as the difference between pain and recovery, and between life and death,” Mrs. Asma added.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Amman, Jordan recorded 528 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 739,847.

 

In a statement, the Jordanian Ministry of Health said that the total number of recoveries rose to 721,016, after recording 890 recoveries, while the death toll reached 9,530, after recording 14 new deaths.

 

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Damascus, Health Ministry announced on Sunday that 20 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Syria, adding that 5 coronavirus cases recovered and 3 others passed away.

In a statement, the Ministry indicated that the total number of the coronavirus cases recorded in Syria has reached up to 24,659 till now, of which 21,635 have recovered while 1,793 patients have passed away.

The first coronavirus case was recorded in Syria on March 22nd,2020 in a person who came from abroad, while the first fatality was registered on March 29th.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The Pfizer Vaccine Marathon, organized by the Ministry of Public Health, kicked off this morning for residents of Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel and the Bekaa, where those aged over 60 will be able to receive a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Source: National News Agency

Cairo, The health authorities in Egypt said that 46 patients infected with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) had passed away bringing the death toll to 15,268.

 

The Ministry of Health Ministry announced 861 new positive cases, bringing the total caseload to 266,350, adding that the overall number of recoveries has reached 195,072.

 

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Manama, e Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has closed one mosque after the National Medical Team for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) discovered one case there.

 

The mosque, located in Muharraq and the Northern Governorate, will be closed for two weeks “in order to preserve the requirements of public health and protect worshipers,” the ministry said.

 

“The time will be used by the relevant teams to carry out the process of tracing contacts, sanitize the premises and ensure that all precautionary measures are taken.”

 

Bahrain has re-opened mosques for the five daily prayers, but insisted that worshippers comply with the health protocols and measures to ensure their safety. Mosques that failed to adhere to the measures were temporarily closed.

 

The ministry warned that it would follow up on the implementation of the mandatory measures at mosques and intensify inspections to protect worshippers’ health and safety.

 

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Damascus, Health Ministry announced on Friday that 28 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Syria, adding that 5 coronavirus cases recovered and 5 others passed away.

In a statement, the Ministry indicated that the total number of the coronavirus cases recorded in Syria has reached up to 24,619 till now, of which 21,625 have recovered while 1,787 patients have passed away.

The first coronavirus case was recorded in Syria on March 22^nd,2020 in a person who came from abroad, while the first fatality was registered on March 29^th.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

It also indicated that deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Source: National News Agency