Tag Archives: caribbean

Republic of Azerbaijan Scholarship for 2022

2022-01-26 FreeNews

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 24, 2022) — The following is an announcement from the Ministry of Human Resources in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) regarding study opportunities in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry of Human Resources in the Nevis Island Administration, is pleased to share information regarding the Azerbaijan Scholarship.

This scholarship programme is available to fully vaccinated individuals interested in pursuing studies at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral levels.

The scholarship covers:

– Tuition fee

– Monthly stipend (covers meals, accommodation and utilities)

– International flight (one per year); and

– Health insurance

The following documents must be included with the application form:

– Two (2) certified copies of diplomas and transcripts

– Two (2) copies of passport

– Two (2) notarised copies of medical certificates (including HIV, Hepatitis test and a 72-hour negative PCR test)

– Two (2) photos; and

– Two (2) copies of resume and motivation letter

Applications and supporting documents must be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resources by Friday, 04 March, 2022, for onward processing.

For application forms please visit the following website:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yJ5yJraLikU0_V2HfdrlXdqS6hNbXk5T/view

A list of participating universities may be accessed through:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QYiiQTi9RWolJVJiOGlVydmNYT8fZmH7/view

For more news out of Nevis visit www.nia.gov.kn your window into Nevis.

The post Republic of Azerbaijan Scholarship for 2022 appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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More Antibodies After Booster, FDA Limits Antibody Treatments, Key Point in Pandemic, World Stats

2022-01-26 FreeNews

More antibodies present months after booster

A new study shows high levels of coronavirus antibodies that fight the omicron variant four months after a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine, a positive sign for the durability of a booster shot’s effectiveness.

The study from researchers at Pfizer, BioNTech and the University of Texas Medical Branch shows virus-fighting antibodies enduring four months after the third dose, helping answer the key question of how long protection from the booster shot lasts.

Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, tweeted in response to the study that antibody levels were “unexpectedly still quite high” after four months, “which is great.”

Takeaway: The results add to a growing body of evidence on the importance of booster shots, which health officials are urging people to get in the face of a surge from the omicron variant.

Last week, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that a third shot was 90 percent effective against hospitalization, compared to just 57 percent effectiveness against omicron for someone who is six months past their second shot.

Remaining question: There is still an open question as to how long protection from a booster shot will last beyond four months. That information would help inform whether and when a fourth shot might be needed.

Pfizer said Monday it would be evaluating “an additional dose of both the current formulation and an Omicron based vaccine,” going forward.

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FDA limits use of two antibody treatments

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday significantly restricted the use of a pair of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 because they are ineffective against the omicron.

The agency said the therapies made by Eli Lilly and Regeneron should only be used in patients who have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to the treatments.

“Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, which is circulating at a very high frequency throughout the United States, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time,” the FDA said.

The omicron variant began spreading across the U.S. in late November, and now accounts for more than 99 percent of infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a result, the FDA noted that “it’s highly unlikely that COVID-19 patients seeking care in the U.S. at this time are infected with a variant other than omicron.”

Not revoked: However, the agency did not revoke the emergency authorization because regulators want to be able to use the drugs again if the situation arises.

“In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions,” FDA said.

There are others: Hospitals and physicians have other options available. The antibody treatment now most recommended is sotrovimab, from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology. The administration will also continue to allocate doses of Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid, as well as one made by Merck called molnupiravir. However, both Paxlovid and sotrovimab are in short supply.

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A ‘CRITICAL JUNCTURE’ IN THE PANDEMIC

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday encouraged countries to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that “we are at a critical juncture.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, Reuters reports.

“We must work together to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end. We cannot let it continue to drag on, lurching between panic and neglect,” he added, noting that the tools to bring this phase of the pandemic to an end are available.

Last week, the agency said COVID-19 cases across six WHO regions grew by 20 percent, marking a slowdown from previous weeks.

However, the WHO warned that “despite a slowdown of the increase in case incidence at the global level, all regions reported an increase in the incidence of weekly cases with the exception of the African Region, which reported a 27 percent decrease.”

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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

359,454,666

view by country

Deaths:

5,634,933

Recovered:

284,816,751

#	Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths	New Deaths	Total Recovered	New Recovered	Active Cases	Serious, Critical	Tot Cases/ 1M pop	Deaths/ 1M pop	Total Tests	Tests/ 1M pop	Population
	World	359,454,666	+362,462	5,634,933	+1,331	284,816,751	+190,964	69,002,982	95,963	46,115	722.9
1	USA	73,449,185		894,880		45,119,980		27,434,325	25,428	219,881	2,679	888,882,467	2,661,001	334,040,650
2	India	40,085,116		491,154		37,370,971		2,222,991	8,944	28,607	351	720,572,178	514,241	1,401,235,640
3	Brazil	24,334,072		623,901		21,926,277		1,783,894	8,318	113,222	2,903	63,776,166	296,738	214,924,205
4	France	17,302,548		129,489		10,792,268		6,380,791	3,760	264,163	1,977	223,502,325	3,412,270	65,499,611
5	UK	16,047,716		154,356		12,593,244		3,300,116	598	234,464	2,255	445,277,735	6,505,706	68,444,180
6	Russia	11,241,109		327,448		10,071,740		841,921	2,300	76,977	2,242	247,600,000	1,695,514	146,032,424
7	Turkey	11,090,493		86,299		10,398,701		605,493	1,128	129,321	1,006	128,724,044	1,500,995	85,759,126
8	Italy	10,212,621		144,343		7,379,112		2,689,166	1,694	169,300	2,393	165,123,123	2,737,333	60,322,638
9	Spain	9,395,767		92,376		5,679,668		3,623,723	2,204	200,837	1,975	66,213,858	1,415,336	46,783,128
10	Germany	8,956,515		117,699		7,387,800	+56,600	1,451,016	2,447	106,368	1,398	89,622,218	1,064,355	84,203,303
11	Argentina	8,041,520		119,703		7,084,885		836,932	2,640	175,408	2,611	31,979,973	697,571	45,844,783
12	Iran	6,267,559		132,274		6,085,073		50,212	1,241	73,155	1,544	43,680,828	509,844	85,674,933
13	Colombia	5,780,910		132,737		5,511,881		136,292	342	111,748	2,566	31,808,827	614,883	51,731,528
14	Mexico	4,730,669	+44,902	303,776	+475	3,808,028	+46,915	618,865	4,798	36,098	2,318	13,757,682	104,978	131,052,434
15	Poland	4,584,360		104,097		3,866,914		613,349	1,164	121,338	2,755	29,434,724	779,073	37,781,717
16	Indonesia	4,294,183		144,247		4,125,080		24,856	250	15,444	519	69,892,275	251,366	278,049,461
17	Netherlands	4,008,459		21,227		3,043,783		943,449	256	233,128	1,235	21,107,399	1,227,587	17,194,222
18	Ukraine	3,913,809	+24,321	99,584	+141	3,596,715	+5,514	217,510	177	90,341	2,299	17,661,202	407,669	43,322,389
19	South Africa	3,585,888		94,397		3,418,123		73,368	546	59,292	1,561	22,077,649	365,049	60,478,614
20	Philippines	3,459,646		53,598		3,158,597		247,451	1,371	30,928	479	26,906,768	240,534	111,862,863
21	Peru	3,020,756		204,587		N/A	N/A	N/A	1,243	89,662	6,073	24,547,117	728,609	33,690,388
22	Canada	2,961,076		32,966		2,667,279		260,831	1,214	77,393	862	55,992,406	1,463,470	38,260,020
23	Belgium	2,878,212	+47,493	28,863	+28	2,019,042	+6,392	830,307	371	246,664	2,474	29,577,167	2,534,771	11,668,574
24	Malaysia	2,840,225		31,918		2,762,608		45,699	131	86,029	967	43,928,353	1,330,566	33,014,788
25	Czechia	2,833,961	+39,614	37,092	+5	2,545,409	+7,313	251,460	200	263,868	3,454	49,336,401	4,593,671	10,740,082
26	Israel	2,488,924		8,488		1,865,189		615,247	732	266,880	910	41,373,364	4,436,346	9,326,000
27	Thailand	2,398,944	+7,587	22,079	+19	2,295,569	+7,801	81,296	588	34,234	315	17,270,775	246,464	70,074,151
28	Australia	2,342,447	+52,554	3,312	+87	1,265,419		1,073,716	373	90,223	128	60,435,734	2,327,780	25,962,816
29	Portugal	2,312,240		19,661		1,780,008		512,571	158	227,803	1,937	32,294,085	3,181,632	10,150,162
30	Japan	2,277,762	+60,933	18,559	+36	1,864,355	+25,440	394,848	470	18,096	147	32,304,895	256,652	125,870,287
31	Vietnam	2,171,527		37,010		1,904,069		230,448	4,602	21,999	375	76,827,471	778,322	98,709,159
32	Iraq	2,167,686		24,309		2,084,203		59,174	96	52,066	584	17,267,129	414,741	41,633,524
33	Romania	2,048,896		59,632		1,827,324		161,940	650	107,628	3,132	18,589,945	976,529	19,036,762
34	Chile	2,001,346		39,543		1,760,737		201,066	411	103,306	2,041	29,226,872	1,508,640	19,372,998
35	Switzerland	1,994,731		12,741		1,240,937		741,053	238	227,873	1,456	16,303,029	1,862,420	8,753,678
36	Sweden	1,922,990		15,658		1,272,829		634,503	108	188,569	1,535	16,513,425	1,619,308	10,197,828
37	Greece	1,830,263		22,852		1,590,121		217,290	655	176,951	2,209	55,203,840	5,337,137	10,343,343
38	Bangladesh	1,715,997		28,256		1,558,954		128,787	1,349	10,260	169	12,212,179	73,015	167,256,896
39	Austria	1,650,597		14,019		1,410,808		225,770	189	181,647	1,543	137,566,059	15,139,058	9,086,831
40	Serbia	1,579,847		13,340		1,321,688		244,819	131	181,962	1,536	7,936,544	914,109	8,682,270
41	Hungary	1,471,276	+20,174	41,087	+69	1,224,813	+8,359	205,376	164	152,908	4,270	9,839,158	1,022,575	9,621,947
42	Denmark	1,425,245		3,635		973,645		447,965	44	244,714	624	117,487,589	20,172,553	5,824,131
43	Pakistan	1,386,348	+5,196	29,137	+15	1,271,087	+1,453	86,124	1,293	6,091	128	24,691,005	108,485	227,599,316
44	Kazakhstan	1,178,559	+11,862	13,464	+311	1,009,910	+9,360	155,185	528	61,614	704	11,575,012	605,131	19,128,115
45	Jordan	1,164,339		13,102		1,093,798		57,439	720	112,370	1,264	14,446,375	1,394,217	10,361,637
46	Ireland	1,153,666		6,087		709,639		437,940	79	229,627	1,212	10,821,839	2,153,990	5,024,090
47	Morocco	1,107,525		15,201		1,033,693		58,631	293	29,459	404	11,237,010	298,896	37,595,081
48	Georgia	1,092,684	+17,530	14,813	+39	977,832	+5,087	100,039		274,738	3,724	14,118,038	3,549,762	3,977,179
49	Cuba	1,028,183		8,373		1,003,245		16,565	63	90,863	740	12,520,458	1,106,459	11,315,793
50	Slovakia	929,541		17,698		848,714		63,129	301	170,128	3,239	5,405,421	989,319	5,463,782
51	Nepal	927,880		11,667		827,279		88,934	100	30,974	389	5,156,419	172,131	29,956,377
52	Bulgaria	903,676		32,869		653,678		217,129	523	131,606	4,787	8,284,060	1,206,437	6,866,548
53	Croatia	887,362		13,502		814,994		58,866	200	218,259	3,321	4,132,532	1,016,456	4,065,629
54	Lebanon	874,144		9,513		682,977		181,654	186	128,976	1,404	4,795,578	707,564	6,777,590
55	Tunisia	856,739		25,999		724,864		105,876	166	71,323	2,164	3,877,796	322,823	12,012,130
56	UAE	830,832		2,224		770,423		58,185		82,445	221	122,225,765	12,128,736	10,077,370
57	Bolivia	828,232	+7,649	20,720	+49	659,961	+5,606	147,551	220	69,470	1,738	2,653,186	222,543	11,922,125
58	S. Korea	762,983	+13,004	6,620	+32	607,279	+3,013	149,084	385	14,862	129	15,804,065	307,842	51,338,258
59	Belarus	730,207		5,959		722,295		1,953		77,316	631	11,509,291	1,218,629	9,444,457
60	Ecuador	681,382		34,329		N/A	N/A	N/A	759	37,724	1,901	2,349,291	130,067	18,062,129
61	Guatemala	673,559		16,285		623,101		34,173	5	36,539	883	3,524,884	191,218	18,433,833
62	Norway	665,567		1,416		88,952		575,199	60	121,286	258	9,852,076	1,795,339	5,487,584
63	Saudi Arabia	661,733		8,924		611,342		41,467	750	18,556	250	36,959,727	1,036,391	35,661,945
64	Costa Rica	661,684		7,492		571,971		82,221	119	128,062	1,450	3,244,147	627,869	5,166,913
65	Panama	650,138		7,609		563,248		79,281	35	147,056	1,721	5,037,454	1,139,435	4,421,010
66	Azerbaijan	636,956		8,632		617,791		10,533		61,947	840	6,081,949	591,503	10,282,194
67	Slovenia	624,789		5,797		492,732		126,260	130	300,468	2,788	2,360,349	1,135,119	2,079,385
68	Lithuania	617,793		7,782		540,006		70,005	94	232,008	2,922	7,070,789	2,655,382	2,662,814
69	Uruguay	609,785		6,339		527,419		76,027	122	174,595	1,815	5,076,547	1,453,526	3,492,575
70	Sri Lanka	603,654		15,330		576,324		12,000		28,007	711	6,007,118	278,704	21,553,786
71	Paraguay	548,252		17,054		472,510		58,688	155	75,417	2,346	2,282,408	313,965	7,269,617
72	Dominican Republic	544,328		4,291		517,942		22,095	228	49,403	389	2,909,973	264,108	11,018,137
73	Myanmar	534,383		19,310		512,471		2,602		9,719	351	6,294,296	114,482	54,980,683
74	Kuwait	508,372		2,488		459,655		46,229	68	116,349	569	6,718,482	1,537,632	4,369,368
75	Venezuela	473,125		5,414		450,670		17,041	230	16,712	191	3,359,014	118,652	28,309,800
76	Ethiopia	463,047		7,280		389,075		66,692	352	3,878	61	4,310,861	36,100	119,414,476
77	Palestine	461,749		4,803		439,080		17,866	58	87,340	908	2,958,990	559,695	5,286,792
78	Finland	456,355		1,852		46,000		408,503	52	82,164	333	9,326,902	1,679,254	5,554,194
79	Mongolia	433,408	+3,080	2,100	+2	313,256		118,052	192	128,957	625	4,030,048	1,199,110	3,360,865
80	Moldova	417,369		10,566		373,179		33,624	131	103,842	2,629	2,486,339	618,602	4,019,285
81	Egypt	413,558		22,431		347,557		43,570	122	3,925	213	3,693,367	35,057	105,352,700
82	Libya	410,821		5,950		389,051		15,820	133	58,543	848	2,157,618	307,464	7,017,469
83	Honduras	391,145	+763	10,490	+2	127,038		253,617	118	38,533	1,033	1,188,129	117,045	10,151,009
84	Armenia	355,662	+1,931	8,033	+1	334,696	+147	12,933		119,674	2,703	2,692,959	906,137	2,971,913
85	Latvia	345,591		4,814		286,288		54,489	83	186,449	2,597	5,967,882	3,219,711	1,853,546
86	Bahrain	338,524		1,399		308,318		28,807	11	188,704	780	8,613,279	4,801,309	1,793,944
87	Bosnia and Herzegovina	336,680		14,136		192,218		130,326		103,630	4,351	1,602,718	493,316	3,248,868
88	Qatar	328,644		637		293,182		34,825	86	117,047	227	3,290,271	1,171,830	2,807,805
89	Oman	326,164		4,130		307,003		15,031	26	61,429	778	25,000,000	4,708,446	5,309,608
90	Singapore	322,770		850		305,532		16,388	9	54,500	144	22,536,079	3,805,260	5,922,350
91	Kenya	320,584		5,562		292,357		22,665	40	5,764	100	3,195,460	57,449	55,622,996
92	Zambia	302,569		3,905		293,298		5,366	103	15,768	204	3,156,782	164,515	19,188,456
93	Estonia	301,608		2,013		245,532		54,063	19	227,126	1,516	2,752,531	2,072,795	1,327,932
94	North Macedonia	259,328		8,266		230,206		20,856		124,483	3,968	1,755,926	842,882	2,083,240
95	Nigeria	252,678		3,133		227,491		22,054	11	1,180	15	3,992,486	18,646	214,125,234
96	Albania	251,015		3,317		224,193		23,505	23	87,374	1,155	1,626,578	566,184	2,872,878
97	Botswana	245,904		2,565		235,216		8,123	1	101,367	1,057	2,026,898	835,534	2,425,870
98	Cyprus	241,888		713		124,370		116,805	60	198,088	584	9,477,138	7,761,053	1,221,115
99	Algeria	241,406		6,516		161,679		73,211	44	5,354	145	230,861	5,120	45,089,389
100	Zimbabwe	228,776		5,316		215,358		8,102	12	15,050	350	1,967,888	129,455	15,201,386
101	Mozambique	222,892		2,161		206,393		14,338	13	6,832	66	1,209,826	37,084	32,623,730
102	Uzbekistan	217,360	+1,174	1,549	+4	206,727	+1,232	9,084	23	6,350	45	1,377,915	40,257	34,227,999
103	Montenegro	215,017		2,530		203,915		8,572	60	342,280	4,027	1,100,535	1,751,914	628,190
104	Kyrgyzstan	196,602	+370	2,858	+4	184,538	+510	9,206	131	29,376	427	1,907,195	284,973	6,692,552
105	Réunion	180,531		500		108,771		71,260	60	199,413	552	1,424,291	1,573,260	905,312
106	Uganda	160,711		3,492		99,123		58,096	284	3,348	73	2,318,408	48,303	47,997,540
107	Afghanistan	160,252		7,397		146,354		6,501	1,124	3,977	184	846,276	21,000	40,298,903
108	Ghana	155,665		1,370		151,068		3,227	10	4,851	43	2,215,094	69,034	32,087,061
109	Namibia	155,424		3,924		144,968		6,532	23	59,484	1,502	913,581	349,647	2,612,868
110	Luxembourg	144,781		945		115,118		28,718	12	225,548	1,472	3,945,933	6,147,204	641,907
111	Laos	131,432	+579	533	+4	7,660		123,239		17,664	72	962,116	129,304	7,440,715
112	Rwanda	128,378		1,433		45,522		81,423	7	9,542	107	4,430,294	329,291	13,454,048
113	El Salvador	127,012		3,862		117,753		5,397	112	19,428	591	1,580,995	241,837	6,537,432
114	Maldives	122,777		271		105,827		16,679	25	221,047	488	2,019,758	3,636,367	555,433
115	Jamaica	121,436		2,609		68,551		50,276	7	40,731	875	783,185	262,691	2,981,398
116	Cambodia	121,116	+22	3,015		117,267	+20	834		7,091	177	2,794,262	163,589	17,080,942
117	Cameroon	114,113		1,867		106,050		6,196	13	4,138	68	1,751,774	63,519	27,578,661
118	Trinidad and Tobago	107,408		3,335		84,292		19,781	22	76,361	2,371	556,920	395,939	1,406,582
119	China	105,749	+44	4,636		98,626	+173	2,487	8	73	3	160,000,000	111,163	1,439,323,776
120	Angola	97,594		1,891		90,156		5,547	30	2,832	55	1,364,783	39,601	34,463,372
121	Guadeloupe	94,765		762		2,250		91,753	23	236,776	1,904	782,905	1,956,133	400,231
122	DRC	84,760		1,278		50,930		32,552		903	14	846,704	9,025	93,815,181
123	Senegal	84,453		1,933		78,400		4,120	14	4,844	111	969,988	55,639	17,433,490
124	Malawi	84,013		2,534		68,146		13,333	67	4,221	127	523,163	26,286	19,902,509
125	Martinique	82,813		826		104		81,883	33	220,947	2,204	602,739	1,608,123	374,809
126	Ivory Coast	80,363		782		77,067		2,514		2,933	29	1,344,834	49,083	27,399,227
127	French Guiana	74,563		363		11,254		62,946	18	239,921	1,168	559,257	1,799,521	310,781
128	Suriname	71,629	+692	1,247	+5	49,215	+1	21,167	13	120,414	2,096	210,501	353,868	594,858
129	Eswatini	68,164		1,370		66,548		246	11	57,817	1,162	452,488	383,802	1,178,961
130	Malta	66,394		536		60,959		4,899	5	149,744	1,209	1,211,456	2,732,295	443,384
131	Fiji	61,898		779		57,856		3,263		68,274	859	490,016	540,491	906,612
132	Iceland	60,096		45		48,413		11,638	3	174,338	131	1,564,875	4,539,699	344,709
133	Guyana	57,772		1,148		43,759		12,865	20	72,899	1,449	495,766	625,578	792,493
134	Mauritania	57,648		934		50,902		5,812	30	11,909	193	669,940	138,399	4,840,658
135	Madagascar	57,375		1,223		52,012		4,140	224	1,992	42	361,623	12,555	28,803,592
136	Sudan	55,833		3,411		40,329		12,093		1,228	75	562,941	12,386	45,449,665
137	Cabo Verde	55,471		392		54,152		927	23	98,103	693	400,982	709,155	565,436
138	Syria	51,075		2,974		36,798		11,303		2,812	164	146,269	8,052	18,165,166
139	Belize	48,263		622		38,021		9,620	4	118,026	1,521	446,878	1,092,833	408,917
140	French Polynesia	47,794		636		N/A	N/A	N/A	7	168,615	2,244			283,450
141	Gabon	46,198		300		41,140		4,758	11	20,018	130	1,530,695	663,262	2,307,828
142	Barbados	40,632		277		32,535		7,820		141,120	962	522,180	1,813,591	287,926
143	Channel Islands	39,628		129		37,071		2,428		224,685	731	1,167,766	6,621,077	176,371
144	Burundi	37,042		38		773		36,231		2,977	3	345,742	27,784	12,444,073
145	Papua New Guinea	36,548		597		35,838		113	7	3,967	65	249,149	27,046	9,212,054
146	Togo	36,372		267		31,280		4,825		4,238	31	656,734	76,524	8,582,026
147	Curaçao	36,323		221		32,870		3,232	3	219,949	1,338	440,752	2,668,911	165,143
148	Mayotte	35,966		187		2,964		32,815		127,042	661	176,919	624,926	283,104
149	Guinea	35,951		416		31,815		3,720	49	2,626	30	581,488	42,477	13,689,457
150	Andorra	34,701		145		29,762		4,794	14	447,992	1,872	249,838	3,225,422	77,459
151	Seychelles	34,367		143		28,964		5,260		346,093	1,440			99,300
152	Tanzania	32,920		778		N/A	N/A	N/A	7	528	12			62,392,721
153	Aruba	32,524		193		31,849		482	9	302,616	1,796	177,885	1,655,114	107,476
154	Bahamas	32,238		731		23,881		7,626	9	80,772	1,832	206,465	517,295	399,124
155	Lesotho	32,049		690		20,990		10,369		14,777	318	369,122	170,194	2,168,827
156	Mali	29,858		709		25,497		3,652		1,411	34	588,123	27,791	21,162,194
157	Haiti	28,561		783		24,300		3,478		2,458	67	132,422	11,396	11,620,012
158	Benin	26,309		163		25,506		640	5	2,085	13	604,310	47,887	12,619,453
159	Mauritius	25,455		762		24,567		126		19,964	598	358,675	281,298	1,275,072
160	Somalia	25,388		1,335		13,182		10,871		1,531	80	400,466	24,145	16,586,083
161	Congo	23,485		371		19,298		3,816		4,098	65	340,922	59,494	5,730,379
162	Isle of Man	21,112		70		20,384		658		246,241	816	150,753	1,758,319	85,737
163	Burkina Faso	20,514		353		19,690		471		941	16	243,536	11,172	21,798,959
164	Saint Lucia	19,967		326		15,449		4,192	5	107,964	1,763	124,425	672,782	184,941
165	Timor-Leste	19,871		122		19,739		10		14,636	90	226,374	166,732	1,357,713
166	Taiwan	18,503	+92	851		16,345	+41	1,307		775	36	10,243,359	428,875	23,884,256
167	Nicaragua	17,650		216		4,225		13,209		2,616	32			6,747,872
168	Tajikistan	17,229		124		16,995		110		1,745	13			9,872,540
169	New Caledonia	17,212	+586	283		13,379	+59	3,550	18	59,394	977	98,964	341,499	289,793
170	South Sudan	16,738		137		12,934		3,667	1	1,468	12	317,584	27,861	11,399,064
171	Brunei	16,148		98		15,682		368	1	36,367	221	702,469	1,582,016	444,034
172	Faeroe Islands	15,778		17		7,693		8,068	5	320,991	346	730,000	14,851,284	49,154
173	New Zealand	15,745	+58	52		14,503	+32	1,190		3,148	10	5,934,769	1,186,455	5,002,100
174	Equatorial Guinea	15,732		181		14,808		743	5	10,666	123	273,437	185,384	1,474,980
175	Djibouti	15,372		189		14,957		226		15,213	187	271,668	268,852	1,010,476
176	CAR	13,840		109		6,859		6,872	2	2,790	22	81,294	16,386	4,961,099
177	Hong Kong	13,519		213		12,572		734		1,781	28	32,291,326	4,253,241	7,592,169
178	Gibraltar	12,103		100		10,458		1,545	8	359,406	2,970	482,212	14,319,584	33,675
179	Grenada	11,816	+150	207	+2	9,467	+166	2,142		104,254	1,826	122,997	1,085,213	113,339
180	San Marino	11,786		108		10,091		1,587	2	346,209	3,172	120,908	3,551,626	34,043
181	Cayman Islands	11,666		15		8,093		3,558	6	174,302	224	215,963	3,226,700	66,930
182	Gambia	11,572		347		10,156		1,069	4	4,587	138	135,608	53,754	2,522,755
183	Yemen	10,485		1,995		7,051		1,439	23	340	65	265,253	8,597	30,852,930
184	Bermuda	10,262		114		8,429		1,719		165,735	1,841	749,826	12,109,984	61,918
185	Greenland	10,028		4		2,761		7,263	15	176,165	70	163,560	2,873,305	56,924
186	Eritrea	9,390		95		8,871		424		2,592	26	23,693	6,539	3,623,207
187	Sint Maarten	9,160	+36	79		7,995	+134	1,086	17	209,909	1,810	62,056	1,422,063	43,638
188	Saint Martin	9,143		60		1,399		7,684	7	230,320	1,511	78,366	1,974,104	39,697
189	Dominica	8,727		51		7,950		726		120,762	706	143,619	1,987,366	72,266
190	Niger	8,603		297		7,749		557	1	336	12	215,367	8,421	25,574,920
191	Liechtenstein	8,171		73		7,724		374	2	213,348	1,906	80,413	2,099,611	38,299
192	Comoros	7,814		159		7,584		71		8,696	177			898,563
193	Monaco	7,790		44		7,197		549	4	196,335	1,109	54,960	1,385,185	39,677
194	Sierra Leone	7,607		125		N/A	N/A	N/A		924	15	259,958	31,584	8,230,626
195	Guinea-Bissau	7,484		154		6,455		875	6	3,667	75	117,070	57,367	2,040,709
196	Liberia	7,243		289		5,747		1,207	2	1,381	55	139,824	26,666	5,243,501
197	Chad	7,073		190		4,874		2,009		412	11	191,341	11,149	17,162,320
198	St. Vincent Grenadines	6,662		92		5,705		865	7	59,753	825	97,004	870,053	111,492
199	Caribbean Netherlands	6,570		27		5,800		743		246,955	1,015	30,126	1,132,386	26,604
200	Antigua and Barbuda	6,023		122		5,090		811	1	60,717	1,230	18,901	190,538	99,198
201	Sao Tome and Principe	5,849		69		5,322		458		25,935	306	29,036	128,750	225,523
202	British Virgin Islands	5,809		49		N/A	N/A	N/A	8	190,172	1,604	98,137	3,212,761	30,546
203	Turks and Caicos	5,570		34		5,247		289	6	140,884	860	419,792	10,617,968	39,536
204	Saint Kitts and Nevis	5,331	+28	33	+1	4,745	+76	553	1	99,111	614	64,808	1,204,878	53,788
205	Bhutan	3,951		3		2,780		1,168		5,034	4	1,407,489	1,793,203	784,902
206	St. Barth	3,282		6		N/A	N/A	N/A		330,713	605	56,491	5,692,362	9,924
207	Anguilla	2,270		7		2,139		124		149,214	460	51,382	3,377,506	15,213
208	Saint Pierre Miquelon	774	+38			570	+40	204	1	134,609		17,044	2,964,174	5,750
209	Palau	757				66		691	9	41,527		19,871	1,090,076	18,229
210	Diamond Princess	712		13		699		0
211	Solomon Islands	650		2		20		628		911	3	5,117	7,175	713,212
212	Wallis and Futuna	454		7		438		9		41,533	640	20,508	1,876,132	10,931
213	Montserrat	161		1		147		13	2	32,219	200	7,692	1,539,324	4,997
214	Kiribati	89						89		728				122,316
215	Falkland Islands	85				N/A	N/A	N/A		23,364		8,528	2,344,145	3,638
216	Macao	79				79		0		119		5,217	7,867	663,183
217	Vatican City	29				27		2		36,070				804
218	Samoa	26				3		23		130				200,477
219	Western Sahara	10		1		8		1		16	2			620,294
220	MS Zaandam	9		2		7		0
221	Vanuatu	7		1		6		0		22	3	23,000	72,244	318,364
222	Marshall Islands	7				7		0		117				59,815
223	Saint Helena	2				2		0		328				6,105
224	Micronesia	1				1		0		9				116,910
225	Tonga	1				1		0		9				107,569
	Total:	359,454,666	+362,462	5,634,933	+1,331	284,816,751	+190,964	69,002,982	95,963	46,114.7	722.9

Highlighted in green

= all cases have recovered from the infection

Highlighted in grey

= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)

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Latest News

January 26 (GMT)

Updates

20,174 new cases and 69 new deaths in Hungary [source]

579 new cases and 4 new deaths in Laos [source]

92 new cases in Taiwan [source]

586 new cases in New Caledonia [source]

17,530 new cases and 39 new deaths in Georgia [source]

1,931 new cases and 1 new death in Armenia [source]

39,614 new cases and 5 new deaths in Czechia [source]

24,321 new cases and 141 new deaths in Ukraine [source]

52,554 new cases and 87 new deaths in Australia [source] [source] [source] [source] [source]

1,174 new cases and 4 new deaths in Uzbekistan [source]

22 new cases in Cambodia [source] [source]

370 new cases and 4 new deaths in Kyrgyzstan [source]

47,493 new cases and 28 new deaths in Belgium [source]

11,862 new cases and 311 new deaths in Kazakhstan [source]

763 new cases and 2 new deaths in Honduras [source]

60,933 new cases and 36 new deaths in Japan [source]

3,080 new cases and 2 new deaths in Mongolia [source]

5,196 new cases and 15 new deaths in Pakistan [source]

150 new cases and 2 new deaths in Grenada [source]

28 new cases and 1 new death in Saint Kitts and Nevis [source]

36 new cases in Sint Maarten [source]

38 new cases in Saint Pierre and Miquelon [source]

692 new cases and 5 new deaths in Suriname [source]

7,649 new cases and 49 new deaths in Bolivia [source]

7,587 new cases and 19 new deaths in Thailand [source]

44,902 new cases and 475 new deaths in Mexico [source]

13,004 new cases and 32 new deaths in South Korea [source]

58 new cases in New Zealand [source]

44 new cases in China [source]

The post More Antibodies After Booster, FDA Limits Antibody Treatments, Key Point in Pandemic, World Stats appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Former Guatemalan Paramilitaries Convicted of Crimes Against Humanity

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Five former Guatemalan paramilitaries have been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 30 years in prison each for raping 36 women between 1981-1985 during the country’s decades-long civil war.

The women are from the indigenous Achi group of Maya origin, and have spent years seeking justice. Three of the women have passed away since bringing forth the charges, one of them just last week.

A UN-backed truth commission has found that more than 80% of victims of atrocities by the military and paramilitaries were indigenous Maya civilians. An estimated 200,000 people were killed and another 45,000 disappeared during Guatemala’s civil war between 1960-1996.

The post Former Guatemalan Paramilitaries Convicted of Crimes Against Humanity appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Caribbean-American Legislators Get Top Posts on NYC Council

2022-01-25 FreeNews

cnw- Several Caribbean-American legislators have been appointed to top positions on the New York City Council by newly elected Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

Adams appointed Council Member Crystal Hudson, the granddaughter of Jamaican immigrants to chair the Committee on Aging; Haiti-born Council Member Rita Joseph, a former public school teacher in Brooklyn, to chair the Committee on Education; Haiti-born Council Member, Mercedes Narcisse, a registered nurse by training, to chair the Committee on Hospitals and Haitian-American Council Member Farah N. Louis to chair the Committee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses.

“I am proud to announce our City Council’s leadership, as well as committee chairs and assignments. This is the most diverse City Council in history, and each member’s experiences and expertise will shape the important work of our legislative body,” said Adams, in making the announcement.

“I am confident that this City Council will work together to achieve our shared goal of providing strong oversight as a co-equal branch of city government and improving the lives of every New Yorker. We are unified and ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” she added.

Crystal Hudson, who represents the 35th Council District in Brooklyn, said she was “honored to chair the Aging Committee and work to ensure all older adults can age safely with dignity at home in the city they’ve made and call home.”

Hudson’s mother, Carole was born in Honduras and spent her early years in Jamaica before migrating to Brooklyn. Hudson served as the primary caregiver for her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, until she died in April 2021.

“As caregivers like myself know all too well, older adults are at the mercy of deeply deficient systems – from housing to long- term care to food insecurity to nursing home care,” she noted. She said her goal as Chair is to focus not only on issues directly impacting older adults but also on the realities facing the ever-growing care economy that is in deep need of transformation.

Joseph said it was also an honor to be selected as Education Chairwoman of the New York City Council.

“As chairwoman of the Education Committee, I will be afforded the opportunity to advocate on behalf of students not just at PS6, but all over New York City. My students may not be able to vote, but now, they have a voice. I look forward to the work to come,” she said.

Narcisse, who represents the 46th Council District in Brooklyn, said she was “fully ready to take my first-hand experience and do all I can to ensure that doctors, nurses and all hospital staff have the resources available to them to provide the best healthcare to all New Yorkers.

“This is a pivotal time for our city as we continue to battle the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which has decimated our hospitals. In particular, NYC Health and Hospitals facilities and safety net hospitals in traditionally undeserved communities need a lifeline and our immediate attention so they can flourish, and not merely survive.

“Further, community health centers in high-risk neighborhoods continue to be limited and under resourced. We must provide greater access to these vital segments of our healthcare system.”

Louis, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn, noted that New York City is renowned for its rich architecture and beautiful neighborhoods that need to be taken care of.

“It is important that we preserve these spaces for future generations to explore and cherish their significance in who we are as New Yorkers. I look forward to chairing the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitting, and Dispositions and working with my colleagues in the New York City Council to ensure that we exercise due diligence in protecting our past as we build towards our future.”

All the Caribbean-American legislators appointed are members of the Democratic Party.

The post Caribbean-American Legislators Get Top Posts on NYC Council appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Andi & Miquita Oliver Front New BBC Series On Caribbean

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Andi and Miquita Oliver are reconnecting with their Antiguan roots in a new BBC Two series. The first episode of “The Caribbean with Andi and Miquita” aired Monday.

“This is the proudest I’ve ever been of any work I’ve ever done. Our team was incredible, every single person put their whole heart, soul,and body into this and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to dive into such extraordinary work,” Oliver said in an Instagram post.

“It’s safe to say neither Keets or I will ever be the same again! Talk about yer life changing adventure!!!!”

In an interview with News Concerns, Oliver said that her parents grew up on different ends of the same street in the Antiguan capital, St John’s and they met for the first time at a club in Leicester.

Oliver’s first visited the twin islands when she was 11-year-old and it was a birthday gift from her mother.

“The Caribbean with Andi and Miquita” is directed by Errol Ettienne and it will also feature Afro-Britons who have given up life in London and returned peace and sunshine in Antigua.

The post Andi & Miquita Oliver Front New BBC Series On Caribbean appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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WORLD VIEW: US Troop Ukraine Alert, Beijing Boycott, Germany Cautious on Challenging Russia, More

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Jan 25, 2022

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The Associated Press

The Rundown

US orders 8,500 troops on heightened alert amid Russia worry

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert to potentially deploy to Europe as part of a NATO “response force” amid growing concern that Russia could soon make a military move on Ukraine….Read More

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2008 Beijing Olympics vs. 2022: No lofty promises this time

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German caution on arms to Ukraine rooted in history, energy

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The post WORLD VIEW: US Troop Ukraine Alert, Beijing Boycott, Germany Cautious on Challenging Russia, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Armenian President Forced to Resign Over SKN Citizenship

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Scandal around ex-president of Armenia is gaining momentum: publication about Sarkisian’s citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis sent to NSS

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. The Office of Armenia’s Prosecutor General said it has forwarded a publication by the Hetq investigative outlet claiming that President Armen Sarkisian, who announced his resignation on January 23, was a citizen of another country before he became president in 2018, to the National Security Service (NSS).

The Office of Prosecutor General recalled that in April 2021 a criminal investigation had been launched into allegations that Armen Sarkissian forged documents to conceal his dual citizenship. Gor Abrahamyan, an advisor to Prosecutor General said the Hetq story will be studied in the context of this very case.

On Monday, Hetq.am published an article entitled “Armen Sarkissian. The Pyramid of Lies Collapsed: President to Resign” The article says in particular that when Armen Sarkissian was elected as President of the Republic of Armenia, he was not an Armenian citizen, (as required by the law) but had the citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis, a country consisting of two islands in the Caribbean Sea.

“In his statement yesterday, Armen Sarkissian noted some reasons for his abrupt departure from the presidency, but we believe they have little to do with his resignation. We think the reason for his resignation is just the one: he was a citizen of another country before he became the president,” Hetq.am writes.

Hetq.am writes: ‘When the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)) asked President Armen Sarkissian if he was a citizen of another country, he asked for evidence to support the allegation.

The country in question is not Great Britain. Armen Sarkissian was a British citizen and this was known before he was elected president in March 2018. The country in question is a small island country in the Caribbean – St. Kitts and Nevis.

Given Sarkissian’s British connections, it’s no surprise that the country is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.

We had information that the president had a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, which was confirmed in correspondence with Sarkissian. We cannot provide many details of the investigation at this stage as it is a cross border investigation and not yet complete.

Yesterday, the president of Armenia announced his resignation. But there is a noteworthy fact here. Right before the resignation, he answered a series of our questions about his St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship. Sarkissian was on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He left the UAE and went on vacation because of health problems. And he resigned without returning to Armenia.

When we sent Sarkissian his St. Kitts and Nevis passport details, he began to put forth the following argument.

Sarkissian said he had made investments in St. Kitts and Nevis. According to our correspondence with Armen Sarkissian, he had a share in one of the hotels in St. Kitts and Nevis and transferred it on to one of his family members before he became ambassador of Armenia to the UK in 2013.

Saint Kitts has a program (Citizenship-by-Investment) whereby people can be granted citizenship in return for making investment. Sarkissian claimed that he thus became a citizen without his knowledge. “…the investment was the driving factor. I was not interested in the passport at all,” he told Hetq.

He allegedly wrote a letter to the company that organized his investment after receiving citizenship and, according to Sarkissian, asked the company to put his citizenship “on hold”.

According to Sarkissian, before being appointed Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom in 2013, he instructed his solicitor to return his passport to St. Kitts and Nevis.

In 2017, when he was soon to become president, he discovered that his above-mentioned instruction hadn’t been dealt with. It was revealed the person who was supposed to deal with his request (not his attorney) had died. Later, he wrote a letter to the son of the deceased who worked at the same company, explained the situation, and repeated his request.

The fact is that Armen Sarkissian started the official process of renouncing his citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis not long before he was elected president in March 2018.

According to the Armenia’s Constitution, he thus wasn’t eligible to be elected president. Hence, all the decrees he signed, including various laws, the appointments of officials, the elections, even the appointment of the prime minister, are illegal.

Sarkissian told us that he believed that he was no longer a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis from the moment he requested to put his citizenship on hold after he received it in return for investments.

President Armen Sarkissian is unlikely to return to Armenia since he could be prosecuted for forging official documents.”

Armen Sarkissian was elected as President in 2018 spring for a seven-year term by the parliament that was dominated at that time by the Republican Party of ex-president Serzh Sargsyan, who became earlier the country’s prime minister after serving two presidential terms following Armenia’s transition to a parliamentary system of government.

Armen Sarkissian was sworn in as President just two weeks before Serzh Sargsyan resigned as prime minister amid Pashinyan-led mass protests that eventually brought the latter to power. -0-

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Florida Man Suing Cops After Arrested for Being Jamaican

2022-01-25 FreeNews

A Florida man filed a federal lawsuit last Thursday against a sheriff and his deputies, claiming he was illegally detained for no other reason than being born in Jamaica.

Neville Brooks was a lawful permanent US resident when he was detained in central Florida in August 2020, his lawsuit said. It added that a federal immigration officer told multiple county employees that Brookes wasn’t subject to any immigration detention request, according to the suit against Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods and several deputies.

Brooks wasn’t released until the following day, and he was diagnosed with COVID-19 five days later, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses the sheriff’s office of having a policy of detaining people merely because they were born outside the US. Brooks’ constitutional rights were violated and state law against false imprisonment also was violated, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is seeking undisclosed financial damages and an order barring the sheriff’s office from detaining people for immigration enforcement merely because they are born outside the US.

Sgt Paul Bloom said the sheriff’s office hadn’t yet been served with the lawsuit so he couldn’t comment on it. Bloom said in an email that the sheriff’s office is required by Florida law to use its “best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law”.

“We will continue to do just that,” Bloom said.

Brooks, 59, was originally arrested on a charge of misdemeanour battery, which was later dismissed. The judge set bail for US$100 at the man’s first appearance amid concern that Brooks could be exposed to COVID-19 in jail, the lawsuit said.

Family members posted the bail, but deputies at the jail never released him, according to the suit.

It said authorities told him that he was being held for federal immigration agents even though US Immigration and Customs Enforcement never issued a detainer, administrative warrant, or any other request to hold Brooks.

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Elizabeth’s 70 Year Reign: Things Aren’t As They Used to Be

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Summary

Elizabeth, now 95, became queen on Feb. 6, 1952
Britain plans celebrations to mark 70-year reign
Monarch is hugely popular, but son Charles far less so
Series of recent scandals has tarnished family’s image
Opponents of monarchy question institution’s long-term future

WINDSOR, England, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Celebrations this year marking Queen Elizabeth’s seven-decade reign will mask a less happy reality for the world’s pre-eminent royal family: the British monarchy is being questioned in ways that were unthinkable for most of the last 70 years.

From the U.S. sex abuse court case facing son Prince Andrew to her grandson Prince Harry and his wife’s allegations of racism in the royal household, rarely has the family of 95-year-old Elizabeth, who became queen on Feb. 6, 1952, faced such scrutiny and damaging headlines.

Such is the depth of respect for the queen that while she lives, the institution that goes back nearly 1,000 years looks safe. What comes next is less certain.

“The monarchy and the queen are synonymous for most people,” Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, which has stepped up its campaigning, told Reuters.

“Once we’re past the end of the queen’s reign, all bets are off as to where public opinion is going to go.”

He said while only an act of parliament would be needed to end the monarchy, it was highly likely there would have to be a referendum first.

The monarchy’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed since her ancestor Norman King William I’s 1066 conquest of England, but only during the decade that followed the execution of King Charles I in 1649 has Britain been a republic.

During Elizabeth’s reign, lows came in the 1990s amid the failings of three of her children’s marriages and the 1997 death of Princess Diana, first wife of heir Prince Charles.

Highs included the public outpourings of support at previous jubilees, the 2011 royal marriage of Elizabeth’s grandson – and future king – Prince William, and the birth of royal children.

Buckingham Palace said the four days of celebrations in June to mark Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee will allow “national moments of reflection on the queen’s 70 years of service”.

A spokesman declined to comment on questions about the monarchy’s long-term future.

ROYAL EXTINCTION?

Supporters see the queen as a stabilising factor, and cite economic benefits the monarchy brings Britain through tourism. Opponents argue the institution is a bastion of undeserved privilege, partially funded by taxpayers and undermined by some members’ behaviour.

Andrew, 61, reputed by media to be Elizabeth’s favourite of her four children, was stripped of his royal patronages and military titles this month as he fights allegations of sex abuse in a U.S. lawsuit.

“For the monarchy it is an extinction-level event. You can’t spend a thousand years telling everyone you’re special and then everyone discovers, in real time, in a court case, that you are really not,” columnist Camilla Long wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, once the Windsors’ most popular member, and his American wife Meghan gave up their royal duties to move to Los Angeles from where they have delivered some barbed attacks on the family and Buckingham Palace.

Charles has come under scrutiny after Michael Fawcett, his right-hand man and close confidant for decades, quit his job running one of the heir’s main charities amid allegations he had offered honours in return for donations.

Fawcett has not commented publicly on the allegations.

“Whether (these scandals) are enough in themselves to make enough people in Britain think that as a result we should have no monarchy, I would doubt,” said royal biographer Penny Junor.

OPINION SHIFTING?

Polls suggest a comfortable majority believe the monarchy should remain, with 83% holding a positive view of Elizabeth, according to one survey in December. But there are worrying signs for the royals.

Last November Barbados ditched the queen as head of state, Charles is much less popular and support among younger people appears to be waning, with polls suggesting a majority under 30 favour getting rid of the monarchy.

“I don’t think it holds much importance any more,” said student Margaux Butler, 20, in Windsor, where the queen now spends most of her time.

“I despise that idea (of Charles being king). I don’t mind the royal family in general but I think he’s a bit controversial and I think a lot of younger people feel the same.”

However, ending the monarchy will take more than apathy towards Charles or damning tabloid headlines about Andrew or Harry. Indeed, those same papers now rarely run negative articles about Charles, his wife Camilla, William and his wife Kate, all of whom suffered intense criticism in the past.

For some Britons, scandals embroiling Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the tumult of Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency also make having an elected head of state a less attractive proposition.

The establishment too remains firmly behind the royals.

There is no sign the ruling Conservative Party would countenance an end to the monarchy, while the main opposition Labour Party suffered a 2019 election drubbing partly because of its former leader’s perceived lack of patriotism.

Johnson last year remarked, after the death of Prince Philip, how Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years had helped his wife steer “the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”

The royals themselves are also conscious of how they must adapt to a changing world.

While politicians suffered the “brutal” repudiation by the public at the ballot box, “for us, a royal family, however, the message is often harder to read,” Elizabeth, who has never given an interview during her reign, said in a 1997 speech.

“I have done my best … to interpret it correctly through the years of our marriage and of my reign as your queen. And we shall, as a family, try together to do so in the future.”

Writing by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mike Collett-White

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China’s Sinovac Boosted by Pfizer, AstraZeneca or J&J COVID Shots – study

2022-01-25 FreeNews

Jan 24 (Reuters) – A third booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson increases antibody levels significantly in those who have previously received two doses of Sinovac’s (SVA.O) CoronaVac shot, a study has found.

The study found that CoronaVac received the strongest boost from a viral vector or RNA shot, including against the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants, researchers from Brazil and Oxford University said on Monday.

China-based Sinovac’s vaccine uses an inactivated version of a coronavirus strain that was isolated from a patient in China. It is currently approved in more than 50 countries including Brazil, China, Argentina, South Africa, Oman, Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey. read more

“This study provides important options for policymakers in the many countries where inactivated vaccines … have been used,” said Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and study lead.

However, another study in December found that Sinovac’s two-dose shot followed by a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine showed a lower immune response against the Omicron variant compared with other strains. read more

Viral vector vaccines such as the ones developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford (AZN.L) and J&J (JNJ.N) use a weakened version of another virus to deliver genetic instructions for making proteins from the virus against which protection is sought.

Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech’s (22UAy.DE) mRNA vaccines deliver a genetic transcript with instructions for making viral proteins to teach the body how to defend against infections.

A third dose of CoronaVac also increased antibodies, but the results were better when a different vaccine was used, according to the latest study that included 1,240 volunteers from the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Salvador.

Antibody levels were low before the booster doses, with only 20.4% of adults aged 18-60 and 8.9% of adults aged over 60 having detectable levels of neutralising antibodies. These were seen to significantly increase across every booster vaccine regimen, according to the study, which was published in the Lancet medical journal on Friday.

Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.

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