WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Tonga will enter a lockdown Wednesday evening after finding coronavirus infections in two port workers helping distribute aid arriving in the Pacific nation after a volcanic eruption and tsunami. The urgent announcement by Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni appeared to confirm fears that accepting the aid following the disaster last month could … Read more
The White House says “more can be done” by Spotify to stop the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus ‘misinformation’ on its platform. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the streaming giant’s introduction of content advisory warnings was a “positive step” but that all major platforms needed to be “responsible and vigilant”. It comes as Spotify faces fallout … Read more
A pregnant New Zealand journalist who was stranded in Afghanistan by her home country’s Covid-19 border policy said Tuesday she will return home after her government offered her a pathway back. The government offer amounted to a backdown by New Zealand after officials had earlier insisted that Charlotte Bellis needed to reapply for a spot … Read more
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could be available for children under 5 as soon as the end of next month, according to reports. An emergency use authorization request is expected to be made to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as early as Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press. … Read more
The results of an Office for National Statistics survey found that seven in 10 children (70%) said they had been jabbed. The majority (63%) said they did so because “I am helping to protect other people from getting coronavirus”. Some 56% were also motivated by the desire to protect themselves from the virus, with 24% … Read more
Secretary of State Liz Truss will miss a trip to Ukraine after testing positive for the coronavirus. Ms Truss announced on Twitter Monday night that she had tested positive and would be working from home during isolation. But she was due on Tuesday to visit Prime Minister Boris Johnson for a meeting with Ukrainian President … Read more
NHS and social care workers will no longer be required to have a Covid-19 vaccine to be able to work after the government announced a huge u-turn on its previous decision The government had previously approved plans that meant NHS staff would need to be vaccinated in order to work and a deadline had been … Read more
The appointment of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services has received a second opinion — and the diagnosis is not good. Biden administration officials are increasingly frustrated with Becerra over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Omicron variant, the Washington Post reported Monday. The paper added that discontent has grown … Read more
LONDON — Parties held by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff during Covid-19 lockdown were a “serious failure” of the standards of public office and “difficult to justify,” a highly anticipated government report said Monday. Johnson commissioned the report amid widespread fury over a number of alleged parties held while the country was … Read more
The UK government appears poised to reverse its plans to force NHS workers to receive coronavirus vaccines – or be fired from their jobs. Ministers will meet to discuss the NHS vaccination mandate amid fears that forcing healthcare workers to have Covid vaccinations could result in tens of thousands of them simply refusing – and … Read more