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US approves first at-home cervical cancer screening device

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved an at-home cervical cancer screening tool as an alternative to Pap smears by a gynecologist, the company behind the device said Friday.

Measles roars back in the US, topping 1,000 cases

The United States' measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases with three deaths so far, state and local data showed Friday, marking a stark resurgence of a vaccine-preventable disease that the nation once declared eliminated.

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Police arrest Canadian protest leaders

Canadian police on Thursday began arresting leaders of the trucker-led protest that has choked the capital's streets for three weeks and provoked the government into calling on rarely used emergency powers.

Canada police set for 'imminent' action to clear trucker protests

Canadian police were poised Thursday to move against a trucker-led protest that has choked the national capital's streets for three weeks and finally provoked the government into calling on rarely used emergency powers.

US ships 5 mln Covid vaccine doses to Egypt, Nigeria

The United States on Thursday shipped nearly 5.2 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to Egypt and Nigeria, a White House official told AFP.

Canada police ready to move in to clear trucker-led protests

Canadian police massed in the capital Thursday, readying to clear a trucker-led protest that has choked Ottawa's streets and provoked the government to call on rarely-used emergency powers.

Djokovic eager for Dubai comeback after vaccine controversy

World number one Novak Djokovic said he has missed playing tennis on Thursday as he prepares for his comeback in Dubai after the coronavirus vaccine row that kept him from defending his Australian Open title.

Aussie tennis star de Minaur investigated over false Covid pass purchase scheme

Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur is among those being investigated over the purchase of false Covid passes, Spanish police sources told AFP on Thursday.

Japan eases virus border rules for visaholders, tourists still banned

Japan will ease its strict virus border rules to allow students and businesspeople into the country from March, but tourists will still be barred, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.

Japan eases virus border rules for workers, students

Japan will ease its strict virus border rules to allow students and businesspeople into the country from March, but tourists will still be barred, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.

'Battlefield mode': Hong Kong hospitals buckle under Omicron wave

Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities -- a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave.

Police issue ultimatum to protesters to leave Canada capital

Canadian police issued an ultimatum Wednesday to protesters who've been choking Ottawa streets for 20 days to leave the capital, as state and provincial leaders called for an end to the cross-border vaccine requirement that sparked the trucker-led movement.

Vietnam to re-open to tourists after two-year closure

Vietnam will re-open to international tourists on March 15 after a two-year border closure due to the pandemic, the government said Wednesday.

China's Xi orders Hong Kong to suppress outbreak 'above everything else'

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for Hong Kong to take "all necessary measures" to control an Omicron-fuelled Covid-19 outbreak, Beijing-affiliated newspapers in the city said Wednesday, a day after leader Carrie Lam ruled out a China-style hard lockdown.

New Zealand virus cases spike as anti-vaccine protesters claim win

New Zealand Covid-19 infections reached a record high Wednesday as anti-vaccine protesters claimed victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament.

Dutch to go 'back to normal' as Covid curbs scrapped

The Netherlands said Tuesday it will drop almost all coronavirus restrictions, the latest European country to try to return to normal despite still-high Omicron variant infections.

Strong protection for babies born to Covid-vaccinated moms: study

Babies born to mothers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus during pregnancy were around 60 percent less likely to be hospitalized with severe Covid, a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Canada protesters dig in as police set to use new powers

Backed by freshly invoked emergency powers, Canadian officials on Tuesday looked to bring an end to weeks of trucker-led protests that have paralyzed the capital Ottawa and snarled vital border crossings with the United States.

Djokovic 'not anti-vax' but prepared to miss out on Grand Slam history

World number one Novak Djokovic has claimed he is not anti-vaccination but would rather skip Grand Slams than be forced to get a Covid jab.

Philippines now at 'low risk' from coronavirus: gov't

The Philippines is now at "low risk" from the coronavirus pandemic as more people get vaccinated and hospital admissions drop, President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman said Tuesday.

Hong Kong leader rules out China-style lockdown as virus spreads

Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday said she would not impose a mainland China-style hard lockdown as the city faces its worst coronavirus wave to date, even as she vowed no switch to living with Covid-19.

Mongolia reopens borders for vaccinated travellers

Mongolia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated international travellers, state media reported, rolling back coronavirus curbs that had kept the country isolated for two years.

Obama sex education program drove lower teen birth rates in US: study

An Obama-era sex education program that was criticized by conservatives succeeded in reducing teen birth rates in parts of the US that implemented it, a large study said Monday.

Hong Kong leader says city 'overwhelmed' by Omicron wave

Hong Kong's health facilities have been overloaded by an "onslaught" of Covid-19 infections, its leader said, as a rise in Omicron cases threatens to bring down the city's "zero-Covid" policy.

Vietnam to lift Covid-19 restrictions on international flights

Vietnam will lift coronavirus restrictions on international flights for fully vaccinated passengers from Tuesday, the country's aviation authority said in a statement.

Kiwi cops blast use of Barry Manilow songs to clear protesters

Efforts to clear New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters by blasting Barry Manilow songs on a loop have drawn criticism from police officers caught in the crossfire.

Knock on the door: Covid stalks athletes at Beijing Olympics

For athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics, testing positive for Covid is one of their worst nightmares, and it can begin with a knock on the door in the middle of the night.

Canada police work to clear key border bridge as Ottawa protest again grows

Canadian police on Saturday worked to clear a key bridge of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions, even as authorities in Ottawa braced for renewed demonstrations expected to bring thousands to the federal capital.

Police fire tear gas, fine Paris protest convoy

Paris police fired teargas and issued hundreds of fines on Saturday to break up a convoy of vehicles that attempted to block traffic in a protest over Covid restrictions and rising living costs.

Paris police clamp down on Canada-style 'freedom convoy'

A French "freedom convoy" of cars and vans began arriving in Paris on Saturday for a protest over coronavirus restrictions, but the police moved quickly to prevent a Canadian-style blockade of the capital by issuing hundreds of fines.

Protest convoy approaches Paris defying police deployment

Thousands of opponents of coronavirus rules encamped on the outskirts of Paris early Saturday resumed their way to the French capital in convoys of vehicles, defying a ban by authorities who are determined to prevent any blockade of the city.

Paris deploys police as protest convoy approaches capital

Thousands of opponents of Covid rules were encamped on the outskirts of Paris early Saturday after driving in convoys from across France, intent on entering the city in defiance of a ban by authorities who are determined to prevent any blockade of the capital.

Covid booster efficacy wanes significantly by fourth month: US study

The efficacy of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines wanes substantially by the fourth month after administration, a new study by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.

Under US pressure, Trudeau vows to end trucker blockades

Canadian leader Justin Trudeau said Friday all options were now "on the table" for ending trucker-led protests that have paralyzed Ottawa and closed border crossings with the United States, but stressed calling in the military was a distant final resort.

The Japan Times - Health (English)