Health & Science

• Monday, February 8th 2021 - 08:49 UTC

  Chinese mourners paid tribute to Dr Li Wenliang, who broke the news of the Wuhan virus

  

  Thousands of Chinese mourners took to social media on Saturday and Sunday to pay tribute to Li Wenliang, the doctor who first broke the news of a new mysterious virus in Wuhan, one year after he died from COVID-19.

• Saturday, February 6th 2021 - 08:54 UTC

  Chile speeding up its vaccination campaign: 455,000 from critical groups in two days

  

  Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris reported on Friday that 454,155 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the country so far, as part of the mass vaccination plan that kicked off on Wednesday.

• Saturday, February 6th 2021 - 07:34 UTC

  Falklands' “Restriction on Movement” declaration in full force until 18 February

  

  The Falkland Islands Government Executive Council, ExCo, has agreed to the making and publication of a Declaration to bring into force regulations 11 (restrictions on movement) and 12 (restrictions on movement – specified areas) in order to ‘prevent, protect against, delay or otherwise control the incidence or transmission of coronavirus in the Falkland Islands.’ The regulations form part of the Infectious Diseases Control (Coronavirus) (No 2) Regulations.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 09:20 UTC

  Falklands-Munich, Lufthansa completes record-breaking flight

  

  Yesterday at 1:24 pm the crew of the Lufthansa record-breaking flight received a very warm “welcome back” upon their return in Germany. After landing at Munich Airport, the Airbus A350-900 was greeted by the fire department with a water salute.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 09:10 UTC

  “Turn off the soundscape” plead marine animals, Science journal reports

  

  A cacophony of industrial noise is disrupting marine animals' ability to mate, feed, and even evade predators, scientists warn. With rumbling ships, hammering oil drills, and booming seismic survey blasts, humans have drastically altered the underwater soundscape.

• Friday, February 5th 2021 - 08:50 UTC

  UK in Covid-19 rare success: it has vaccinated 15% of the population (10 million)

  

  The UK reached the milestone of vaccinating 10 million people, about 15% of the population, according to the latest official reports. “We are on a downward slope of cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said at a televised press conference. “This peak, at least, we are past.”

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 23:59 UTC

  Chile launches vaccination campaign and inoculates 140,000 on the first day

  

  Chile on Wednesday launched its mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19, inoculating people over 90 years old at over 1,400 vaccination centers across the country.

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 09:46 UTC

  Argentine president asks Putin to guarantee supply of the Sputnik V vaccine

  

  Supply of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine and the possible elaboration of the shots in Argentina were among the issues addressed by Argentine president Alberto Fernandez and Russia's Vladimir Putin during a Tuesday phone conference.

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 09:45 UTC

  Falklands announces Covid-19 vaccination program beginning 8 February and for everybody over 50

  

  As the first batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in the Falkland Islands, the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) announced it will start the Covid-19 vaccination programme on 8 February. “We plan to administer the first dose for eligible people in a mass vaccination program at the FIDF Hall, with visits out to West Falkland and the Outer Islands. If you live in Camp on East Falkland it would be very helpful if you could travel into Stanley as we will happily vaccinate you whenever you arrive and when the vaccination centre is open,” FIG said on Wednesday in a Press Release.

• Thursday, February 4th 2021 - 09:07 UTC

  COVAX publishes first interim vaccine distribution forecast

  

  The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization, as co-leads of the COVAX initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, alongside key delivery partner UNICEF, are pleased to publish COVAX’s first interim distribution forecast.