December vaccine rollout possible, BioNTech CEO tells AFP
BREAKTHROUGH Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE estimate they can roll out up to 50 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine this year, enough to protect 25 million people, and then produce up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. —REUTERS Frankfurt, Germany — BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin on Thursday said the frontrunner COVID-19 vaccine his […].....»»
DOH orders 5 million measles vaccine doses
The Department of Health has procured five million doses of measles vaccine as part of its renewed and intensified campaign against increasing cases of measles in the country......»»
Measles vaccine drive launched in BARMM
The Department of Health is conducting a non-selective immunization program against measles in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to contain an outbreak......»»
Hamas tells mediators it will stick to original position on ceasefire
Hamas earlier presents a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States in mid-March that includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences.....»»
Killua’s owner sues ‘killer’ of golden retriever
PAWS tells Rappler that Killua tested positive for rabies, but it warns it 'may not be accurate due to the fact that the body had already been buried for five days prior to testing and may have been contaminated'.....»»
BSP issues guidelines for payment systems
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has released its first Manual of Regulations for Payment Systems (MORPS), a formal compilation of all payment system regulations approved by the Monetary Board as of end-December 2023......»»
Race car driver Lord Seno tells motorists to ‘go slow’ when traversing Transcentral Highway
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Transcentral Highway (TCH) that connects Cebu City and the municipality of Balamban in midwestern Cebu has been on the news lately for grim reasons. This notable thoroughfare bears witness to several vehicular accidents, the most recently of which killed a nursing student after the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) that she.....»»
After Ayungin harassment, China tells PH: Prepare ‘to bear all potential consequences’
The Philippines, meanwhile, says it 'will not be deterred – by veiled threats or hostility – from exercising our legal rights'.....»»
UAAP finals losses in last year of eligibility fuel UP s Cagulangan
It’s been a couple of months since, but graduating UP guard JD Cagulangan continues to hold near the sting of his most recent UAAP finals loss at the hands of the DLSU Green Archers last December......»»
3 dead, 592 others afflicted with measles in BARMM since January
Three children in the Bangsamoro region died from measles in the past 10 weeks while 592 others contracted the viral, supposedly vaccine-preventable disease during the period, regional officials reported on Saturday......»»
ICC can t probe Philippines drug war, Marcos tells Germany s Scholz
MANILA, The Philippines: This week, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no authority to probe the bloody war against drugs conducted by his predecessor. Marcos discussed the Hague-based ICC's probe during a bilateral meeting with Scholz while visiting Germany. Former President Rodrigo Duterte officially withdrew from the i.....»»
Indian banking sector continues to improve with better asset quality, high credit growth: Survey
New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): The health of the Indian banking sector continues to improve with better asset quality and high credit growth, a survey conducted by industry body FICCI and banking association Indian Banks' Association (IBA) showed. The eighteenth round of the survey was carried out for the period July to December 2023. Those banks that were surveyed together represent about 77 per cent of the banking i.....»»
Covid Sell-Off: Moderna and BioNTech Take the Lead Following Pfizers Outlook Cut
Title: Pfizer’s Reduced Guidance and Inventory Write-Offs Trigger Sell-Off in Covid Vaccine Maker Stocks Date: [Insert Date] In a surprising announcement, Pfizer, one of the.....»»
Nobel prize goes to mRNA Covid vaccine researchers
Researchers Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday for work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that paved the way for groundbreaking Covid-19 vaccines. The pair, who had been tipped as favourites, "contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times", the jury said. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020 and the first mRNA vaccines were approved for use against the illness in December that year. Billions of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna doses have been injected around the world since then. Together with other Covid vaccines, they "have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease in many more", the jury said. Kariko, 68, and Weissman, 64, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, have already won a slew of awards for their research. In recognising the duo this year, the Nobel committee broke with its usual practice of honouring decades-old discoveries, aimed at ensuring it has stood the test of time. While the prizewinning research dates back to 2005, the first vaccines to use the mRNA technology came out just three years ago. Unlike traditional vaccines which use weakened virus or a key piece of the virus' protein, mRNA vaccines provide the genetic molecules that tell cells what proteins to make, which simulates an infection and trains the immune system for when it encounters the real virus. Sweet comeback The idea was first demonstrated in 1990 but it wasn't until the mid-2000s that Weissman, of the US, and Hungarian-born Kariko developed a technique to control a dangerous inflammatory response seen in animals exposed to these molecules, opening the way to develop safe human vaccines. The honour is particularly sweet for Kariko, the 13th woman to win the Medicine Prize, who toiled in obscurity for years and struggled to convince her superiors of the need for research on messenger ribonucleic acid. Speaking to Swedish Radio, she said her late mother always had faith in her, listening to the Nobel prize announcements "year after year" hoping to hear her daughter's name called out. "Unfortunately, five years ago she passed at the age of 89. She might be listening from above," Kariko said. Thomas Perlmann, the secretary general of the Nobel Assembly, called Kariko "an extraordinary and unusual scientist" who "resisted any temptation" to do "something easier". Weissman told AFP he heard the news from Kariko, who received the call from the jury first. "We were wondering if somebody was pulling a prank on us," he said. "This is the ultimate -- this is the prize I thought of when I was five years old when I started to get interested in how things worked," he added. Breakthrough In the 1990s, Kariko believed mRNA held the key to treating diseases where having more of the right kind of protein can help -- like repairing the brain after a stroke. But the University of Pennsylvania, where Kariko was on track for a professorship, demoted her after grant rejections piled up. She carried on as a lower-rung researcher. Much of the scientific community was at the time focused on using DNA to deliver gene therapy, but Kariko believed that mRNA was also promising since most diseases are not hereditary and don't need solutions that permanently alter our genetics. First though, she had to overcome the problem of the massive inflammatory response in animal experiments, as the immune system sensed an invader and rushed to fight it. Kariko and Weissman discovered that one of the four building blocks of the synthetic mRNA was at fault -- and they could overcome the problem by swapping it for a modified version. They published a paper on the breakthrough in 2005. In 2015, they found a new way to deliver mRNA into mice, using a fatty coating called "lipid nanoparticles" that prevent the mRNA from degrading and help place it inside the right part of cells. Both these innovations were key to the Covid-19 vaccines. Nobel Committee member Olle Kampe said the prestigious prize may help sway the opinion of some anti-vaxxers. It "may make hesitant people take the vaccine and be sure that it's very efficient and safe", he told AFP. The technology is now being used to develop other treatments for cancer, influenza and heart failure, among others. Kariko and Weissman will receive their Nobel diploma, gold medal and $1 million cheque in Stockholm on December 10. The Nobel will however not be the first gold medal in Kariko's family. Her daughter Susan Francia is a two-time Olympic gold medallist rower. The post Nobel prize goes to mRNA Covid vaccine researchers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Go eyes stronger bivalent vax rollout
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, stressed the need to strengthen further vaccination efforts as the government rolls out bivalent vaccines to protect Filipinos against new variants of Covid-19. With the Department of Health initiating the distribution of these vaccines across the country, particularly to healthcare workers, on Wednesday, 21 June, the senator emphasized the importance of the public’s active participation in the vaccination program. The bivalent vaccine launch was held at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City where President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, DoH Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, among others attended the event. “Let this occasion serve as a call to every Filipino to continue doing your part. Get updated on your Covid-19 vaccination to prevent a resurgence, as a means of honoring those who sacrificed their lives during the pandemic,” President Marcos reminded in his speech during the event. “I thus appeal to everyone, especially those who have yet to receive their primary series of vaccinations, to get vaccinated against Covid-19. This is not for your own good alone but also for the protection of your families and the general public,” the President added. The Philippines received a generous donation of 391,860 doses of Comirnaty, a bivalent vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, from the government of Lithuania. This donation was facilitated through the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, led by the World Health Organization. DoH also emphasized that the government will prioritize the health workers and the elderly. Meanwhile, Go, an advocate for public health, continues to promote the establishment of more Super Health Centers in strategic areas to alleviate the strain on hospitals nationwide and to bring essential health services from the government closer to the people. Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds had been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 in 2023. The Department of Health, as the lead implementing agency, identifies the strategic locations for the construction of such centers, including in the town of Plaridel. The post Go eyes stronger bivalent vax rollout appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US FDA authorizes 2 COVID-19 boosters targeted at Omicron subvariants
Both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines include the original version of the virus targeted by all the previous COVID shots as the US prepares for another vaccination campaign in the fall season.....»»
Booster vaccines for 12-17 age bracket now available in Bicol
LEGAZPI CITY - The Department of Health in Bicol (DOH-5) has started giving booster shots to young people aged 12-17 in some areas in the region.Noemi Bron, DOH-5 health and promotion officer, in an interview on Monday said at least 468,746 Pfizer-BioNTech booster doses for this age group ar.....»»
PHL welcomes 1.5M more Sinovac doses
The Philippines on Thursday welcomed the arrival of a total of 1.5 million doses of government procured COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese-vaccine maker Sinovac BioNTech. The new shipment was airlifted via Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 671 and landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport – Terminal 3 around 7:30 a.m. Department of Health (DoH) Undersecretary for […] The post PHL welcomes 1.5M more Sinovac doses appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
562K dose ng Pfizer COVID vax darating sa Hulyo 21
Manila, Philippines — Nakatakdang makatanggap ang Pilipinas sa Miyerkoles, Hulyo 21 ng mahigit 562,000 dose ng COVID-19 vaccine na dinebelop ng Pfizer-BioNTech, batay sa Malakanyang. “Inaasahan natin na sa Miyerkules, July 21, darating ang mahigit kalahating milyon o 562,770 doses ng Pfizer na ating binili,” ayon kay presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Sinabing bahagi ito ng […] The post 562K dose ng Pfizer COVID vax darating sa Hulyo 21 appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Bulk of fresh vaccines going to surge areas
Sixty percent of the vaccines of Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNtech that arrived in the country recently are for “centers of gravity” or areas now seeing surges in COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health said yesterday......»»
210k doses of Pfizer vaccines arrive in Cebu today
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Central Visayas on Thursday, June 10, received its second shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) past 6 p.m. onboard an Air HongKong cargo flight. Thirty-six boxes containing a total of around 210,000 doses of the vaccines manufactured by U.S pharma giant Pfizer and […] The post 210k doses of Pfizer vaccines arrive in Cebu today appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»