HERE'S what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
Tokyo area state of emergency to be lifted on Sunday
The Japanese government's advisory panel on coronavirus measures approved on Thursday a plan to let the state of emergency expire in the Tokyo area as scheduled on March 21, while the capital's governor warned citizens not to let down their guard.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had flagged the move on Wednesday, saying the availability of hospital beds had improved in Tokyo and its three neighbouring prefectures, where restrictions have been in place since early January.
While under pressure to bring COVID-19 under control ahead of the Tokyo Olympics this summer, the government is eager to jumpstart economic activity in the Greater Tokyo area, whose 36 million residents account for 30% of Japan's population.
Virus variants found to be deadlier, more contagious; some may thwart vaccines
The coronavirus variant first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, is deadlier than other variants circulating there, a new study appears to confirm. For every three people who died within four weeks after being infected with another variant in England between mid-November and mid-January, roughly five died who had been infected with B.1.1.7, according to a paper posted on medRxiv ahead of peer review.
Between November and January in Manaus, Brazil, the frequency of COVID-19 cases involving the P.1 coronavirus variant increased from non-existent to 73%, and the number of infections there quadrupled compared to what the city experienced in the first wave of the pandemic, according to another report posted on medRxiv ahead of peer review. The greater infectiousness of the P.1 variant likely contributed to that, the report suggests.
Most worryingly, antibodies induced by the Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc/BioNTech vaccines are dramatically less effective at neutralizing some of the most worrying coronavirus variants, a third new study suggests. All five highly resistant variants had mutations in the spike on the virus surface - known as K417N/T, E484K, and N501Y - that characterise a variant rampant in South Africa and two variants spreading rapidly in Brazil.
How worried should we be about reports of blood clots and AstraZeneca's vaccine?
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is investigating reports of 30 cases of unusual blood disorders out of 5 million people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine in the European Union. The EMA's focus and primary concern is on cases of blood clots in the head, a rare condition that's difficult to treat called cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).
EMA investigators are checking if the frequency of incidences is higher in the vaccinated population than normal background rates.
A spokeswomen for Germany's vaccine authority, which is part of the investigation, said EMA would not rule on causality. Instead, EMA will assess the likelihood of an increased risk of the condition and weigh that against the benefits of fighting COVID-19 and providing relief for health systems.
COVID-19 reinfection rare, but more common in older people, study finds
The majority of people who have had COVID-19 are protected from getting it again for at least six months, a study published on Wednesday showed, but older people are more prone to reinfection than younger people.
The study, appearing in the Lancet medical journal, found that just 0.65% of patients tested positive a second time for COVID-19 after previously being infected during Denmark's first and second waves. That was much lower than the 3.27% who were positive for the virus using highly accurate PCR tests after initially being negative. However, the study found that people over the age of 65 had only 47% protection against repeat infection, compared to 80% protection for younger people.
"These data are all confirmation, if it were needed, that for SARS-CoV-2 the hope of protective immunity through natural infections might not be within our reach and a global vaccination programme with high efficacy vaccines is the enduring solution," Imperial College London professors Rosemary Boyton and Danny Altmann said in a linked comment piece also published in the Lancet.
Reuters
Thu Mar 18 2021
The European Medicines Agency is investigating reports of 30 cases of unusual blood disorders out of 5 million people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine in the European Union. ETXStudiopic
VOP akan diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan - Ahmad
Pelaksanaan Syarat Perubahan Harga (VOP) susulan penyasaran subsidi diesel dijangka diselesaikan dalam tempoh sebulan lagi, kata Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Industri minyak sawit disaran guna semula sisa untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan - Liew
Industri minyak sawit perlu mengkaji penggunaan semula sisa sebagai stok suapan penting untuk bahan api penerbangan mampan (SAF), di luar penggunaan tradisional minyak sawit.
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab.
MAA semak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan 2024 kepada 765,000 unit
Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) telah menyemak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan bermotor baharu bagi 2024 kepada 765,000 unit daripada anggaran sebelumnya sebanyak 740,000 unit.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya.
Rasionalisasi RON95 dijangka beri impak lebih besar kepada PKS - SAMENTA
SAMENTA menjangkakan rasionalisasi RON95 akan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) berbanding pelarasan subsidi diesel.
Malaysia sasar pengeluaran 40 peratus sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030
Malaysia menyasarkan pengeluaran 40 peratus hasil sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030 dalam usaha membantu mengimbangi keperluan perikanan negara.
10 Berita Pilihan - (16 Julai 2024
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp
Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC) memberi tempoh tiga bulan kepada Perbadanan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRD Corp) untuk mengemukakan laporan tindakan susulan terhadap syor jawatankuasa itu.
Kylian Mbappe tandatangan kontrak dengan Real Madrid
Bintang bola sepak Perancis Kylian Mbappe menandatangani kontrak selama lima tahun dengan kelab Sepanyol Real Madrid pada Selasa.
Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM
Atlet di bawah projek Road To Gold (RTG) tidak mempunyai pilihan selain memenangi emas yang diidam-idamkan Malaysia pada Sukan Olimpik 2024 di Paris.
Tidak perlu lagi kemas kini status COVID-19 dalam MySejahtera - KKM
Jika positif COVID-19 melalui ujian kendiri, pesakit boleh mengunjungi klinik dan hospital berdekatan bagi mendapatkan pengesahan.
Ancaman keganasan di Asia Tenggara bersifat sederhana rendah - Ahmad Zahid
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata ancaman keganasan masih wujud di rantau Asia Tenggara namun ia bersifat sederhana rendah.
Kerajaan tanggung kerugian RM185 juta akibat lebihan vaksin COVID-19 - Dr Dzulkefly
Malaysia menanggung kerugian lebih RM185 juta akibat lebihan vaksin COVID-19 setakat 11 Jun lalu, kata Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
TPR positif COVID-19, prosiding bela diri Dr Roland ditangguh ke 23 Sept
Pada 5 Julai 2021, Dr Roland didakwa atas pertuduhan membuat dan memulakan hantaran video bersifat jelik dengan niat untuk menyakitkan hati orang lain di Facebook.
Sarawak mahu lebih ramai kontraktor Bumiputera kelas lebih tinggi - Uggah
Kerajaan bukan setakat mahu melihat lebih ramai kontraktor Bumiputera berjaya malah pada masa sama mahu menambah bilangan mereka berdaftar dalam kelas yang lebih tinggi.
KKM keluarkan perincian semakan semula SOP bagi COVID-19 dalam masa terdekat
Kementerian Kesihatan akan mengeluarkan perincian semakan semula prosedur operasi standard (SOP) berkaitan COVID-19 dalam waktu terdekat.
Dulu jurutera, sekarang usahawan cili
Srinath tinggalkan kerjaya sebagai jurutera perisian kerana mahu beri tumpuan pada tanaman cili secara fertigasi.
Bantu anak-anak istimewa autisme, fahami kekurangan mereka
Suara jeritan diikuti dengan tangisan membuatkan beberapa orang pelanggan Tong Kayu Cafe, Bayan Lepas (Pulau Pinang) berhenti makan sambil menghalakan pandangan ke arah wanita itu.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.