https://www.scmp.com/rss/327831/feed Simone McCarthy joined the Post in 2018. She previously wrote about China tech, business and society for SupChina and has a bachelor's in literature from Yale University and a master's from Columbia Journalism School. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com This is the second of a two-part series on the impact of the Omicron variant on vaccine roll-outs around the world. Here, Simone McCarthy explores how real-world data is critical to efforts to develop successful vaccine strategies against Omicron. Scientists from the Dominican Republic to Hong Kong have been racing to understand the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant on Covid-19 vaccines, producing numerous laboratory studies in recent weeks showing jabs’ reduced ability to stop this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162228/which-vaccines-stop-omicron-search-data-moves-labs-real-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162228/which-vaccines-stop-omicron-search-data-moves-labs-real-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 12:00:19 +0000 In the final article of a three-part series to mark the second anniversary of Covid-19, Simone McCarthy looks at how vaccine inequity has become entrenched during the past 12 months of the pandemic. Rich countries, poor countries, pharmaceutical executives and advocates for equitable access to medicines have been on different sides of the debate over what is needed to vaccinate the world against Covid-19. But they all agree on one thing: 2021 was a failure. While 2020 brought record-speed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160685/covid-19-experts-agree-2021-was-failure-vaccine-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160685/covid-19-experts-agree-2021-was-failure-vaccine-distribution?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 22:00:23 +0000 The acute stage of the pandemic could come to an end in 2022, the World Health Organization chief said on Wednesday, as the UN agency marked two years since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. But exiting the crisis will partly depend on whether the world can adhere to a global “New Year’s resolution” of vaccinating 70 per cent of every country’s population by the start of July. “Ending health inequity remains the key to ending the pandemic,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161522/coronavirus-worst-stage-pandemic-may-end-2022-who-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161522/coronavirus-worst-stage-pandemic-may-end-2022-who-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Dec 2021 09:00:15 +0000 Game-changing pills for the treatment of Covid-19 could soon be manufactured around the world, adding what medical experts hope will be a critical tool to blunt the sharp edge of the pandemic. The US gave its authorisation last week for two Covid-19 treatments in pill form, paving the way for more green lights worldwide. A wider pool of manufacturers is expected to be involved compared to vaccines, which are more complex to produce. But, while this could make supplies more easily available in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161410/covid-19-pill-offers-hope-no-magic-bullet-against-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161410/covid-19-pill-offers-hope-no-magic-bullet-against-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Dec 2021 22:00:16 +0000 New findings from South Africa suggest that the Omicron coronavirus variant could muscle out its highly transmissible predecessor Delta for good, according to researchers studying how the body’s immune system responds to the two variants. Their data, released by the researchers on Monday in a paper that has not been peer-reviewed, indicated that previous infection with the Omicron variant enhances immune protection against the Delta variant, potentially reducing Delta’s ability to reinfect... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161323/omicron-could-push-delta-out-boosting-immunity-against-it-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161323/omicron-could-push-delta-out-boosting-immunity-against-it-study?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Dec 2021 22:00:25 +0000 This is the first of a three-part series to mark the second anniversary of Covid-19. Here, Simone McCarthy looks at whether 2022 will be the year the coronavirus pandemic finally ends. If one top World Health Organization official is correct, 2022 could be the year the Covid-19 pandemic ends. As it enters its third year of the coronavirus, the world has the technology it needs to make it happen, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s leading Covid-19 expert. Vaccines have been developed,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160324/covid-19-2022-known-unknowns-ending-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160324/covid-19-2022-known-unknowns-ending-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:00:31 +0000 The Covid-19 vaccine by Sinovac Biotech is not able to produce adequate antibodies to neutralise the highly mutated coronavirus strain Omicron, according to new research from the University of Hong Kong. Both the Sinovac vaccine and another by Pfizer-BioNTech produced “inadequate” antibody responses to the variant, HKU scientists said in a statement on Tuesday night, calling for the use of boosters to potentially enhance protection. Beijing-based Sinovac on Wednesday responded with a statement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159784/omicron-chinas-sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-fails-antibodies-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159784/omicron-chinas-sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-fails-antibodies-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 06:28:15 +0000 A global Covid-19 vaccine programme that struggled to deliver to needy countries is finally receiving doses at a pace it hoped for months ago. But with a new coronavirus variant raising global alarms, the pressure is on to make sure it stays that way. “Right now, we need to avoid a type of scenario which would be ‘Vaccine nationalism 2.0’,” said Aurélia Nguyen, managing director of the Covax Facility, a partnership between the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159712/covax-chief-warns-against-replay-covid-19-vaccine-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159712/covax-chief-warns-against-replay-covid-19-vaccine-nationalism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Dec 2021 03:00:24 +0000 A World Health Organization advisory body has stuck by its decision not to recommend Covid-19 booster shots for now, but says it will keep a close watch on the impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (Sage) reviewed data from recent months on how well Covid-19 vaccines are holding up over time at a special meeting on Tuesday. They did not discuss data on Omicron, as preliminary studies are only starting to emerge. The group looked at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159117/coronavirus-who-advisory-group-says-booster-shots-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159117/coronavirus-who-advisory-group-says-booster-shots-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 13:57:45 +0000 South African researchers have provided the first tentative answers to the question of how well vaccines currently in use may protect against Omicron, the new and highly mutated coronavirus variant. Their findings, made public on Tuesday ahead of peer review, indicated the variant was significantly better at evading virus-fighting antibodies produced by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than previous strains. However, evasion was not complete and boosters could help increase protection, the findings... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158903/could-vaccines-beat-back-omicron-south-african-study-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158903/could-vaccines-beat-back-omicron-south-african-study-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:58:54 +0000 When South African officials held a briefing introducing a new and worrying coronavirus variant late last month, the reaction was swift: countries around the world threw up travel bans, decimating flight schedules and isolating nations across southern Africa. As African leaders decried the moves and warned of dire economic impacts, the global fallout began. A top South African scientist said the bans were disrupting imports of lab materials critical for generating data needed by the world. And a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158694/omicron-puts-travel-bans-and-vaccines-inequity-front-and-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158694/omicron-puts-travel-bans-and-vaccines-inequity-front-and-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2021 22:00:29 +0000 The world should uphold the multilateral international system and support “democratisation” of international relations in the face of multiple global crises, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday. Speaking via video link at the opening ceremony of the Imperial Springs International Forum in Guangzhou, Xi stressed China’s unwavering support for multilateralism and commitment to global progress. “China will firmly stand by the core values and basic principles of multilateralism, pursue... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158550/chinas-xi-jinping-pushes-multilateral-message-ahead-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158550/chinas-xi-jinping-pushes-multilateral-message-ahead-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 13:25:50 +0000 Countries in Southeast Asia should voice their “joint opposition” to acts that undermine peace, stability and prosperity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a weekend of talks with regional counterparts. Speaking after a meeting with visiting Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in Anji, Zhejiang province, on Saturday, Wang said cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries was “on the right side of history”. This was in contrast to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158541/china-urges-southeast-asia-join-united-front-against-new-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158541/china-urges-southeast-asia-join-united-front-against-new-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 11:00:43 +0000 The northern Chinese border city of Manzhouli reported 30 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, down from 58 community cases a day earlier. The National Health Commission said on Sunday that mainland China reported 42 new locally transmitted cases overall, including 10 in Harbin, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang province, and two in Yunnan province in the southwest. China speeds up research on vaccines targeting Omicron variant The outbreak in Manzhouli, a city in Inner Mongolia, started... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158523/coronavirus-officials-punished-china-races-contain-inner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158523/coronavirus-officials-punished-china-races-contain-inner?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 07:11:53 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus strain has shown “substantial” ability to evade natural immunity and increases the risk of reinfection, South African scientists at the forefront of researching the new variant of concern have found. Early evidence presented by the researchers suggests the risk of coronavirus reinfection increased threefold between the beginning of October and the end of November, the period when scientists believe the new variant was on the rise. This differed from what they observed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158344/omicron-has-substantial-ability-evade-natural-immunity-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158344/omicron-has-substantial-ability-evade-natural-immunity-south?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:30:19 +0000 The US should take concrete steps to expand cooperation with China in health security, building on their ties in this area and momentum from last month’s leaders’ summit, a new report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies says. “The Covid-19 pandemic, with its novel nature and devastating impact globally, represents a critical opportunity for bilateral cooperation,” co-authors Yanzhong Huang and Scott Kennedy wrote in the report for the Washington think tank, published on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158078/coronavirus-pandemic-critical-opportunity-us-china-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158078/coronavirus-pandemic-critical-opportunity-us-china-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 22:00:26 +0000 Nations agreed on Wednesday to launch a process for negotiating a pandemic treaty or other international pact, a major step that could lead to sweeping reforms of global health if it succeeds. The decision was reached on the final day of a landmark meeting of the World Health Organization’s governing body, which convened this week in Geneva and online for what was only the second special session in its history, to consider the need for such an accord. “The adoption of this decision is cause for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158051/who-chief-calls-decision-move-forward-pandemic-treaty-cause-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158051/who-chief-calls-decision-move-forward-pandemic-treaty-cause-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 11:25:08 +0000 The new coronavirus variant Omicron has put the world on high alert, with health officials warning of possible case surges and pressure on hospitals, even as scientists scramble to understand this highly mutated strain. The World Health Organization has flagged the variant – reported to the health agency last week – as “very high” risk. Preliminary evidence suggests that Omicron could dodge immune defences and spread more readily than earlier strains, according to the WHO. But the agency has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157917/omicron-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-symptoms-transmission-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157917/omicron-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-symptoms-transmission-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:10:31 +0000 The new coronavirus variant Omicron has an “unprecedented number” of mutations in the spike protein, some of which could affect the path of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. In a technical brief on the newest “variant of concern”, the UN health body cautioned that assessments so far were based on limited information, but said the overall global risk related to the highly mutated variant was “very high”. “Given mutations that may confer immune escape potential and possibly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157765/global-risk-omicron-coronavirus-variant-very-high-who-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157765/global-risk-omicron-coronavirus-variant-very-high-who-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 09:11:30 +0000 The World Health Organization is racing to better understand the new coronavirus Omicron variant, as countries throw up travel restrictions against the heavily mutated strain that appeared on the global radar last week. In an update on Sunday, the WHO stressed that more information was needed about Omicron, first detected in Botswana earlier this month, and said it was working with scientists around the world to understand the variant and its impact on disease control measures, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157714/who-pulls-together-international-experts-understand-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157714/who-pulls-together-international-experts-understand-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 03:59:56 +0000 When health ministers from around the world converge for a historic meeting this week, just one thing will be on the agenda. On Monday, the governing body of the World Health Organization will begin only the second “special” session in the body’s 73-year history to consider whether some kind of treaty or agreement is needed to help fend off future pandemics. The WHO and the European Union have been pushing for a “pandemic treaty” for months, with WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/greater-china/article/3157663/pandemic-treaty-be-front-and-centre-landmark-who-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/greater-china/article/3157663/pandemic-treaty-be-front-and-centre-landmark-who-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Nov 2021 10:00:26 +0000 The World Health Organization’s latest group of experts to investigate the origins of the new coronavirus has begun its work, after a months-long process to assemble the team. The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) – a body of 27 experts selected from around the world – met for the first time on Tuesday, marking the start of what WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called “critical work at a critical time”. “As you know, the politicisation of the origins of [the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3157335/coronavirus-origins-whos-sago-experts-sit-down-first-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3157335/coronavirus-origins-whos-sago-experts-sit-down-first-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 07:31:47 +0000 On a November afternoon, some 750 people logged into a webinar by the Fairbank Centre for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, eager for answers to a perplexing question: how to study China when border controls prevent researchers from entering the country? China’s rules to try to contain Covid-19 restrict entry for most foreigners, including tourists, some business visitors and those planning family get-togethers. But they have also had a sweeping impact on overseas professors, researchers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156988/academics-and-students-west-consider-future-china-studies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156988/academics-and-students-west-consider-future-china-studies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Nov 2021 23:00:24 +0000 Governments are not moving fast enough to end the pandemic or to prevent another one, warned the former heads of an independent body tasked with grading the world on its response to Covid-19. “Waves of disease and death continue – as people in the northern hemisphere move indoors, fatigue with restrictions sets in, vaccine coverage and other countermeasures remain uneven, and people in the poorest countries have almost no access to vaccines,” wrote former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156991/coronavirus-former-heads-pandemic-review-panel-warn-world-losing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156991/coronavirus-former-heads-pandemic-review-panel-warn-world-losing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:00:18 +0000 Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai gave assurances about her safety in a video meeting with the International Olympic Committee president on Sunday, according to the IOC, amid international concern about her welfare. A photo of the 30-minute video call released by the IOC shows a smiling Peng flanked by stuffed animals beaming into a room where IOC president Thomas Bach is seated. The video marks the first direct contact three-time Olympian Peng has had with an international sports organisation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3156920/tennis-star-peng-shuai-assures-world-she-safe-video-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3156920/tennis-star-peng-shuai-assures-world-she-safe-video-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Nov 2021 05:51:28 +0000 China is bracing for a severe cold snap to sweep much of the country, with the worst coming over the next two days. Winds from Siberia are expected to bring winds and freezing temperatures across wide swathes of the country, including heavy snows in the far northeast, gale force winds in waters along the eastern seaboard, and large temperature drops in central and eastern parts of the country, the China Meteorological Administration said on Sunday. Some two-thirds of the country could experience... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156863/much-china-braced-freezing-weather-temperatures-set-plunge-minus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156863/much-china-braced-freezing-weather-temperatures-set-plunge-minus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Nov 2021 11:00:48 +0000 Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star whose welfare has been the focus of intense international concern, appeared at a youth tennis event in Beijing on Sunday morning, according to photos posted online by the event’s organiser. The former top-ranked doubles player disappeared from public view earlier this month after a post on her Weibo social media account on November 2 accused a retired, high-level government official of coercing her into sex several years ago. Peng was standing at the sidelines... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3156854/chinese-tennis-star-peng-shuai-appears-youth-sporting-event?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3156854/chinese-tennis-star-peng-shuai-appears-youth-sporting-event?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Nov 2021 08:32:43 +0000 The global battle against Covid-19 may be on the verge of getting a game-changing new weapon: virus-fighting pills. But questions remain on how well these up-and-coming treatments will work in the real world, and what their impact on the pandemic will be. Hundreds of Covid-19 treatments are currently in development, but in recent weeks major pharmaceutical firms have announced promising results for two oral pills, paving the way for their potential widespread use. Early this month, a drug from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156086/covid-19-antiviral-pills-show-promise-will-they-be-game-changers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3156086/covid-19-antiviral-pills-show-promise-will-they-be-game-changers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Nov 2021 22:00:13 +0000 From more intense floods in central China to rising threats from heatwaves and disease-carrying mosquitoes in the south – the impact of climate change on health is increasing across China, a sweeping new report has found. An estimated 14,500 deaths across China in 2020 could be attributed to heatwaves, almost doubling a historical average from 1986 to 2005, while an estimated 1.4 per cent was knocked off China’s gross domestic product in 2020 alone as soaring temperatures cut working... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155303/china-staring-deadly-floods-heatwaves-and-pestilence-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155303/china-staring-deadly-floods-heatwaves-and-pestilence-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Nov 2021 10:21:46 +0000 Crackdowns and tough controls have largely kept illegal wildlife trade off China’s e-commerce platforms, but a robust trade in fossilised woolly mammoth ivory could threaten the drive to stamp out demand for elephant products, according to an undercover probe. A four-month investigation by the Hague-based Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) non-profit, published on Wednesday, sought to gauge the level of illegal wildlife trade taking place on major e-commerce platforms in China. A sweeping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154702/chinas-ivory-ban-risk-legal-online-trade-woolly-mammoth-tusks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154702/chinas-ivory-ban-risk-legal-online-trade-woolly-mammoth-tusks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Nov 2021 08:13:08 +0000 The World Health Organization is seeking to revise a proposed list of experts to guide the next phase of research on the origins of Covid-19, calling for more applicants for a new advisory group. It comes just days after public comments on the original nominees closed. The UN body on Monday said it had reopened the application period for three additional days to encourage more experts in the fields of social science, anthropology, ethics, political science, as well as biosafety and biosecurity,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154497/coronavirus-origins-who-calls-more-experts-apply-join-sago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154497/coronavirus-origins-who-calls-more-experts-apply-join-sago?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Nov 2021 14:09:28 +0000 The United States is set to lift months-long Covid-19 travel bans on foreign air travellers from more than two dozen countries, while imposing a vaccination requirement for most non-American visitors arriving by plane. The new rules, which take effect on November 8, remove Covid-19-related restrictions that barred entry for most non-US citizens who have spent the past 14 days in China, Iran, Britain, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India. For non-US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154057/what-do-new-us-coronavirus-travel-rules-mean-foreigners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154057/what-do-new-us-coronavirus-travel-rules-mean-foreigners?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Oct 2021 02:00:23 +0000 A science non-profit that has come under fire for its US-funded coronavirus research in China has defended its actions amid questions over whether it followed grant protocols or conducted risky research. In a letter on Tuesday, US-based EcoHealth Alliance countered a claim by its funder – the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – that it had failed to properly report the results of an experiment conducted with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in central China. The letter, submitted to the health... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154232/ecohealth-alliance-defends-us-funded-bat-coronavirus-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154232/ecohealth-alliance-defends-us-funded-bat-coronavirus-research?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Oct 2021 13:30:17 +0000 A window for public comment on the experts chosen to direct World Health Organization inquiries into the origins of Covid-19 closes on Wednesday, with the UN body expected to move forward with a confirmed list in the coming days. The 26 experts, announced by the WHO earlier this month, were nominated to join a new permanent body known as the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens, or Sago, tasked with guiding research into the origins of this and future outbreaks and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153899/who-set-finalise-sago-team-covid-19-origins-search-after-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153899/who-set-finalise-sago-team-covid-19-origins-search-after-public?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:30:20 +0000 In September 2019, three months before the world first learned of a new virus that would spark a global pandemic, a health watchdog released a report painting a dire picture of a planet at risk of a crisis. There was a “very real threat” of a rapidly moving, highly lethal respiratory pathogen starting a pandemic, killing tens of millions and wiping trillions off the global economy, members of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) wrote in their inaugural report. “The world is not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153709/covid-19-lessons-not-being-learned-says-global-body-predicted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153709/covid-19-lessons-not-being-learned-says-global-body-predicted?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Oct 2021 07:00:17 +0000 The world should expect more surges in Covid-19 cases and needs to prepare health systems to cope with them and to live with the virus, a top World Health Organization official in Asia said on Monday. “Even with our best efforts it now seems clear that globally the virus will not disappear soon,” said Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, at a regional committee meeting of the global health body in Himeji, Japan. “While we continue to roll out vaccines and implement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153626/coronavirus-we-need-make-sure-health-systems-are-ready-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153626/coronavirus-we-need-make-sure-health-systems-are-ready-more?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Oct 2021 12:00:50 +0000 Chinese women who caught Covid-19 earlier in pregnancy were at lower risk for severe disease than those who became infected later, according to an analysis of cases in expectant mothers during China’s initial outbreak last year. Researchers at the National Clinical Research Centre on Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing assessed 138 pregnant women who came down with Covid-19 in early 2020 to fill what they said was a gap in data on how the disease affects... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153513/severe-covid-19-risk-lower-earlier-pregnancy-chinese-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153513/severe-covid-19-risk-lower-earlier-pregnancy-chinese-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Oct 2021 00:00:21 +0000 Beijing tightened entry restrictions into the city and Gansu province suspended all tourism as authorities across northern China took sweeping measures to stem a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak linked to travel groups. Beijing authorities moved on Sunday to restrict travellers from places with confirmed cases, requiring a negative Covid-19 test and 14 days of health monitoring for any person wanting to enter the capital. By Sunday afternoon, one Beijing district had recorded 10 cases in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153494/coronavirus-northern-china-battens-down-contain-outbreaks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153494/coronavirus-northern-china-battens-down-contain-outbreaks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Oct 2021 06:33:08 +0000 A retired couple in China who tested positive for Covid-19 while touring the country’s north have sparked a race to track infections across multiple provinces and regions, becoming the latest example of the challenges for Beijing as it seeks to maintain a zero-Covid policy. Within three days of an announcement that the couple had tested positive in Xian on Saturday, hundreds of close contacts of the couple and their five travel companions, who later tested positive, had been identified. In that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153201/china-sticking-zero-covid-it-binary-choice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153201/china-sticking-zero-covid-it-binary-choice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:00:24 +0000 A leading US government agency has defended previous funding for research into bat coronaviruses in China, saying the pathogens in question could not have caused the Covid-19 pandemic. Funds from the National Institutes of Health – which were given to the US non-profit EcoHealth Alliance for research conducted with the Wuhan Institute of Virology – have come under increasing scrutiny in light of the theory that the virus could have escaped from the Chinese lab and questions about whether the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153206/us-agency-defends-funding-research-bat-coronaviruses-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153206/us-agency-defends-funding-research-bat-coronaviruses-china-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:30:08 +0000 Stringent measures meant to control Covid-19 may have dramatically reduced the incidence of other infectious diseases in China’s most populous province, new research has found. Nearly 1 million infections of diseases such as dengue, hand-foot-and-mouth disease and influenza may have been averted in Guangdong, southern China, last year because of “aggressive” tactics to curb the spread of Covid-19, according to scientists from the province’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Jinan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152727/china-scientists-link-covid-19-measures-fall-other-infections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152727/china-scientists-link-covid-19-measures-fall-other-infections?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 10:43:45 +0000 Stuart Neil’s day job keeps him pretty occupied. He’s a virologist at King’s College London, investigating how the coronavirus causing Covid-19 attacks the human immune system. Then, in his own words, he found himself “falling down the rabbit hole” otherwise known as Twitter. Or more specifically, the Twitter debate over how the Covid-19 virus originated, though “debate” could be a kind description for the arguments and accusations that fly over whether the virus jumped naturally from animals to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151906/science-turns-nasty-covid-19-origins-argument-twitter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151906/science-turns-nasty-covid-19-origins-argument-twitter?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Oct 2021 22:00:19 +0000 Beijing has called on the World Health Organization to uphold an “objective, scientific” approach as the UN body prepares to launch the next phase of research into the origins of the coronavirus. The comments came after the WHO on Wednesday revealed the group of international scientists who will lead future research to try to trace the emergence of the virus, which was first identified in China nearly two years ago. Speaking on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152360/china-urges-objective-scientific-focus-whos-next-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152360/china-urges-objective-scientific-focus-whos-next-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Oct 2021 10:52:15 +0000 A new group of 26 scientists to drive further research into the coronavirus origins may be “our last chance” to understand where the virus came from, a World Health Organization official said on Wednesday. Nearly two years after the first reports emerged of an unknown pneumonia sickening people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, how the new coronavirus first began spreading remains unclear and is entangled in geopolitical tensions and scientific debate. Now, the WHO is attempting to tamp down... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152349/it-may-be-our-last-chance-new-sago-science-group-whos-push-find?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152349/it-may-be-our-last-chance-new-sago-science-group-whos-push-find?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Oct 2021 09:22:37 +0000 The World Health Organization has unveiled the team of scientists that will take on the gnarly task of investigating how the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 emerged. The 26-person group, announced on Wednesday, is stacked with experts in virology, epidemiology, animal health and biosecurity, among other fields. Selected by the WHO from over 700 applicants, the experts come from countries including China, the United States, India, Kenya and Brazil. The group, known as the Scientific Advisory... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152180/who-names-new-team-scientists-take-over-coronavirus-origins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152180/who-names-new-team-scientists-take-over-coronavirus-origins?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Oct 2021 14:00:17 +0000 An extra Covid-19 vaccine shot should be offered to people aged 60 and above immunised with Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm doses, a WHO advisory group said on Monday. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) also said a third shot should be given to moderately and severely immunocompromised people vaccinated with any World Health Organization-authorised vaccine. SAGE announced its recommendations following a review last week of data gathered since the WHO approved a handful... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152068/who-group-backs-third-shot-elderly-vaccinated-sinovac-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3152068/who-group-backs-third-shot-elderly-vaccinated-sinovac-or?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Oct 2021 10:00:20 +0000 Countries that have for months tightly controlled the spread of Covid-19 are one by one relaxing restrictions, as vaccination rates rise and governments seek to ease economic burdens. But China, which pioneered controlling Covid-19 with lockdown orders and tight border rules, will remain in a “wait and see” mode when it comes to adjusting its zero-tolerance policy, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention chief Gao Fu said on Wednesday. “We are discussing about the new strategy in China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151566/other-countries-are-giving-covid-zero-china-wants-wait-and-see?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151566/other-countries-are-giving-covid-zero-china-wants-wait-and-see?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Oct 2021 15:00:20 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Observatory raised the No 8 southeast storm signal at 6.40am on Saturday as Tropical Storm Lionrock’s strengthening winds continued to batter Hong Kong, a day after one person died as torrential weather descended on the city. All day classes were suspended as a result of the storm signal upgrade to the third highest warning, the Education Bureau said. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3151547/hong-kong-typhoon-warning-no-3-signal-likely-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3151547/hong-kong-typhoon-warning-no-3-signal-likely-be?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Oct 2021 11:33:24 +0000 A year after a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines was put forward its future remains unclear, with a handful of nations again blocking its path at a World Trade Organization meeting on Monday. India and South Africa submitted the plan last October in a bid to allow countries to use existing intellectual property to manufacture vaccines and other Covid-19 medical products during the pandemic. The proposal has since won the backing of more than 100 nations,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151236/year-proposal-waive-ip-covid-19-vaccines-still-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151236/year-proposal-waive-ip-covid-19-vaccines-still-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Oct 2021 10:00:11 +0000 Chinese health experts have called for intensive monitoring of the coronavirus in wild animals, warning that its spread between different species risks further dangerous variants. A number of animals have been found to be susceptible to Covid-19, and the potential for ongoing mutations of the virus in these animals, such as mink, poses “a huge threat to public health if they transmitted back to humans”, wrote the report’s lead author Gao Fu, head of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151039/chinese-scientists-say-wild-animals-should-be-screened?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3151039/chinese-scientists-say-wild-animals-should-be-screened?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Oct 2021 12:00:12 +0000