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Singapore Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine For Teenagers Aged 12-15

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Singapore Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine For Teenagers Aged 12-15" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/f6tet3ko_singapore-schools-afp_625x300_17_May_21.jpg" title="Singapore Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine For Teenagers Aged 12-15" /></div>
The city-state tightened restrictions in recent weeks after several new clusters were found.
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Singapore:
Singapore authorised the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine to teenagers aged 12 to 15, officials said on Tuesday, in a first for Asia.
The city-state's Health Sciences Authority extended the use of the vaccine -- currently only approved for individuals aged 16 and above -- after reviewing clinical data submitted by the manufacturer.
Singaporean authorities "assessed that the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine demonstrated high safety and efficacy for this age group of 12 to 15 years old, which is consistent with what we have observed for the adult population," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at a press conference.
More details on plans to vaccinate those in this group will be provided soon, he added.
Earlier this month Canada became the first country to approve the vaccine for children aged 12 to 15, with the US following shortly after.
The city-state tightened restrictions in recent weeks after several new clusters were found, including one linked to a tuition centre.
Singapore announced Sunday it will close schools, warning that new coronavirus strains such as the one first detected in India were affecting more children.
In the latest round of restrictions, the city-state limited public gatherings to two and banned restaurant dine-ins.
About 1.4 million in the country of 5.7 million have received both vaccine doses, with efforts so far focusing on vulnerable groups, frontline workers, and those above 45.
Starting Wednesday, the time interval between doses will be extended from three to four weeks to six to eight weeks to allow more people to get their first jab, officials said.
Those aged between 40 to 44 will also be invited to get vaccinated.
Last year, the coronavirus surged through crowded dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers, infecting tens of thousands.
But by global standards, Singapore's overall outbreak has been mild -- officials have reported more than 61,600 cases so far and 31 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-singapore-approves-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-for-teenagers-aged-12-15-2444409">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-singapore-approves-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-for-teenagers-aged-12-15-2444409</a>

news world Singapore Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine For Teenagers Aged 12-15

The city-state tightened restrictions in recent weeks after several new clusters were found. Singapore: Singapore authorised the use of...

Singapore Covid Variant Affecting Children? What We Know So Far

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Singapore Covid Variant Affecting Children? What We Know So Far" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/08dtomj4_singapore-coronavirus-afp_625x300_17_May_21.jpg" title="Singapore Covid Variant Affecting Children? What We Know So Far" /></div>
Singapore has said it will close all its schools from Wednesday till May 28 (File)
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Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal has demanded from the centre that flights to and from Singapore must be banned as a new coronavirus variant has been detected in the country. He said the strain has the potential to trigger a third wave in India. Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri has assured the leader that the centre is monitoring the situation and all precautions are being taken. Here is all we know about the variant.
The Singapore government has said that a mutant variant of the coronavirus detected in the country has been found to be affecting children.
Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a press conference that the strain, B.1.617, "appears to affect children more".
"Some of these mutations are much more virulent and they seem to attack the younger children," Education Minister Chan Chun Sing was quoted by news agency AFP as saying.
Singapore is one of the most successful countries in the world when comes to Covid management. The country has so far reported over 60,000 coronavirus cases and just 31 Covid-linked deaths.
On Sunday, the country confirmed some cases among children linked to a cluster at a tuition centre. The local government says the Singapore coronavirus variant is similar to a variant first detected in India.
Singapore has said it will close all its schools from Wednesday because of the variant till May 28.
The government is also planning to vaccinate children under the age of 16 against the coronavirus.
With inputs from AFP
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/singapore-variant-of-coronavirus-affecting-children-what-we-know-so-far-2444387">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/singapore-variant-of-coronavirus-affecting-children-what-we-know-so-far-2444387</a>

news world Singapore Covid Variant Affecting Children? What We Know So Far

Singapore has said it will close all its schools from Wednesday till May 28 (File) Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal has demanded from the cen...

Nothing "Conclusive" On India-Dominant Variant To Delay Reopening: UK PM

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Nothing 'Conclusive' On India-Dominant Variant To Delay Reopening: UK PM" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-03/8h22bivg_boris-johnson-afp_625x300_02_March_21.jpg" title="Nothing 'Conclusive' On India-Dominant Variant To Delay Reopening: UK PM" /></div>
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government is keeping everything under "very close observation".
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London:
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that experts continue to monitor the data on the B1.617.2 variant of COVID-19, first identified in India, but there is nothing conclusive yet that indicates that it would force Britain to deviate from its roadmap to lift lockdown restrictions fully next month.
PM Johnson said the government is keeping everything under "very close observation" following the emergence of the B1.617.2 variant of concern (VOC), which is feared to be on track to take over from the local B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the county of Kent, as the dominant coronavirus mutation in the country.
"We are looking at the epidemiology the whole time as it comes in and, at the moment, partly because we have built up such a wall of defences with the vaccination programme, I don't see anything conclusive at the moment to say that we need to deviate from the roadmap," he said, in reference to the government's scheduled June 21 timeline for a complete lifting of lockdown restrictions."
"But we've got to be cautious and we are keeping everything under very close observation. We'll know a lot more in a few days'' time," the prime minister said.
PM Johnson used a visit to a vaccination centre in London to reiterate a message for the British public to continue to come forward for their vaccination when they are invited by the National Health Service (NHS) in order to protect against all variants of COVID-19 after vaccine hesitancy was flagged as one of the factors behind some of the B1.617.2 VOC hotspots in north-west England.
"The numbers (vaccinations) are incredibly high. And I know that... some people have been more vaccine hesitant than others, but actually, across the whole of society, the numbers continue to go up in every group. And that's very, very encouraging. And I would urge everybody - just to make the obvious point - who is eligible for a vaccine, when you get your call up, when you get the notification from the NHS, come and get your jab," he said.
PM Johnson's message follows a similar drive by senior ministers, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock informing Parliament on Monday that vaccines seem effective against the highly transmissible B1.617.2 VOC.
"There are now 2,323 confirmed cases of B1617.2 in the UK; 483 of these cases have been seen in Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen, where it is now the dominant strain. Cases there have doubled in the last week and are rising in all age groups," Matt Hancock told the House of Commons in an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
"In Blackburn, hospitalisations are stable, with eight people currently in hospital with COVID. In Bolton, 19 people are now in hospital with coronavirus, the majority of whom are eligible for a vaccine but have not yet had one. That shows that the new variant is not tending to penetrate into older vaccinated groups, and underlines again the importance of getting the jab - especially, but not only, among the vulnerable age groups," he said.
The minister also updated members of Parliament on early evidence which suggests that B1.617.2 is more transmissible than the B.1.1.7 so-called Kent variant.
"We do not yet know to what extent it is more transmissible. While we do not have the complete picture of the impact of the vaccine, the early laboratory data from Oxford University corroborates the provisional evidence from the Royal Bolton Hospital and the initial observational data from India that vaccines are effective against the variant. This, of course, is reassuring, but the higher transmission poses a real risk," he added.
According to latest data, more than 36.7 million people have had their first vaccine dose in the UK and more than 20.2 million have had their second. The NHS bookings for a vaccination are now open to all those aged 36 and over.
It follows Monday's significant easing of lockdown rules, with people allowed to socialise indoors and travel around more freely after months. However, a planned review of long-term social distancing requirements for the end of this month is likely to be delayed as the spike in B1.617.2 VOC infections continues to be monitored.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nothing-conclusive-on-india-dominant-variant-to-delay-reopening-uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-2444335">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nothing-conclusive-on-india-dominant-variant-to-delay-reopening-uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-2444335</a>

news world Nothing "Conclusive" On India-Dominant Variant To Delay Reopening: UK PM

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government is keeping everything under "very close observation". London: UK Prime Mi...

High Traces Of Viagra, Other Drugs Found In South Korea's Seoul Sewers, Shows Research

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="High Traces Of Viagra, Other Drugs Found In South Korea's Seoul Sewers, Shows Research" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-02/tvqsrtoo_seoul_625x300_12_February_20.jpg" title="High Traces Of Viagra, Other Drugs Found In South Korea's Seoul Sewers, Shows Research" /></div>
Experts studied presence of chemicals in the influent, effluent of two sewage treatment plants in Seoul
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Seoul:
High traces of Viagra and other drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction were found in Seoul's wastewaters, and their presence in the urban area is expected to increase, South Korean researchers say.
The presence of the chemicals used in the drugs -- Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-51) -- were high on weekends and in sewage treatment facilities in Gangnam, which is home to nightclubs, bars and red-light spots, a new research showed.
"We estimated that the amount of PDE-5i consumption was 31 percent higher than in areas with fewer nightlife spots," the researchers said in the research paper carried by the Scientific Reports earlier this month.
Experts studied the presence of the chemicals in the influent and effluent of two sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the South Korean capital as well as the receiving water bodies.
Their investigation indicated that the existing sewage treatment plants were "unable to handle" the amounts of the residual chemicals.
"The PDE-5i in domestic wastewater were barely treated by the STPs and, eventually, discharged into the water environment," the research paper said.
"Considering the increasing market size, it is easily expected that more PDE-5i will be discharged in an urban area," it added.
Around 23 percent of South Korean males aged 30 to 39 are suffering from erectile dysfunction, studies show, and the total PDE-5i sales of the top 20 Korean pharmaceutical companies reached $133 million in 2019.
Due to their effectiveness in improving male sexual performance, the chemical is also often illegally used as an ingredient of tonic medicines, diet supplements, and herbal dietary products in many countries.
A recent study found PDE-5i and their analogues in 80 out of 188 foods and dietary supplements sold in Korea.
Around 322 million patients to suffer from erectile dysfunction in 2025, with the prevalence of the disorder in Asia projected to jump from 87 million in 1995 to 200 million in 2025 due to ageing population.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/high-traces-of-viagra-other-drugs-found-in-south-koreas-seoul-sewers-shows-research-2444229">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/high-traces-of-viagra-other-drugs-found-in-south-koreas-seoul-sewers-shows-research-2444229</a>

news world High Traces Of Viagra, Other Drugs Found In South Korea's Seoul Sewers, Shows Research

Experts studied presence of chemicals in the influent, effluent of two sewage treatment plants in Seoul Seoul: High traces of Viagra an...

Over 52,000 Palestinians Displaced In Gaza: UN Aid Agency

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Over 52,000 Palestinians Displaced In Gaza: UN Aid Agency" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-05/8f4b7svo_israelpalestine-conflict_625x300_18_May_21.jpg" title="Over 52,000 Palestinians Displaced In Gaza: UN Aid Agency" /></div>
A Palestinian boy taking shelter at UN run school who fled his family's home due to airstrike.
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Palestine:
More than 52,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli air strikes that have destroyed or badly damaged nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip, the UN aid agency said on Tuesday.
About 47,000 of the displaced people have sought shelter in 58 UN-run schools in Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesman of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters.
Laerke said 132 buildings had been destroyed and 316 had been severely damaged, including six hospitals and nine primary healthcare centres.
The UN agency said it welcomed the fact that Israel had opened one border crossing for humanitarian supplies but called for another crossing to also be opened.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/palestine-more-than-52-000-palestinians-displaced-in-gaza-u-n-aid-agency-2444223">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/palestine-more-than-52-000-palestinians-displaced-in-gaza-u-n-aid-agency-2444223</a>