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AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine approved in UK: All you need to know
The vaccine should also be capable of fighting the new variant of the coronavirus responsible for a increase of cases in the United Kingdom, according to AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot.
Chinese Covid-19 vaccine found 79% effective in late stage trial
The inactivated vaccine has been developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. under the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), which is affiliated to Sinopharm, Xinhua news agency reported. After a two-dose inoculation procedure, the vaccine receivers all produced high titers of antibodies, and the seroconversion rate of neutralising antibodies reached 99.52 percent.
Have to assume pandemic is going to get worse: Anthony Fauci
Fauci's comments on Tuesday came after the US registered a record high 65,000 deaths in the past 28 days, making December the worst month for coronavirus fatalities since the start of the pandemic. December's figure, roughly equivalent to over 1.6 Americans lost to the virus every minute, marked a significant surge from that in the entire month of November which registered 36,964 fatalities.
UN Security Council encourages more active engagement against terrorism
Unanimously adopting Resolution 2560 on Tuesday, the 15-member Council encouraged states to more actively submit to the committee listing requests of individuals, groups, undertakings and entities that meet criteria laid out in Resolution 2368, so as to keep the IS and Al Qaeda Sanctions List reliable and up to date.
EU leaders sign post-Brexit trade deal with UK
Taking to Twitter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that she and European Council President Charles Michel "signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement" in Brussels. After months of negotiations, on December 24 the EU and the UK announced the reaching of an agreement that will govern bilateral trade and security relationship starting from January 1, 2021.
UK approves Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines for use
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. The UK has already vaccinated hundreds of thousands of patients with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and its roll out will continue.
China denies seeking guarantees from Pakistan
Pakistan is provided with loan amounts through CSA, a Chinese trade finance facility. Pakistan has been using this facility since 2011 to repay foreign debt, along with keeping its gross foreign currency reserves at comfortable levels. With China coming to Pakistan's rescue, the overall trade facility from China to Pakistan would reach up to at least $4.5 billion. Chinese foreign minister's spokesperson also stated that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and CPEC has maintained positive momentum of development despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
5.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Japan
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the temblor, which occurred at 9.35 a.m., was centred inland with its epicentre at a latitude of 36.4 degrees north and a longitude of 140.6 degrees east, with a depth of 60 km. The earthquake logged 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7 in some areas of Ibaraki and was also felt in some parts of Tochigi and Chiba prefectures.
AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine not ready for approval: European watchdog
Noel Wathion, number two at the European Medicines Agency, told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad on Tuesday that the approval for AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is still "unthinkable" and Europe is not going to approve the vaccine with "winning formula" for the time being.
US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris receives Covid-19 vaccine
According to the Biden-Harris transition team, Harris was vaccinated on Tuesday by Patricia Cummings, a clinical nurse manager at the United Medical Center. In a tweet late Tuesday, Harris said: "Today I got the Covid-19 vaccine. I am incredibly grateful to our frontline health care workers, scientists, and researchers who made this moment possible.
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