Israel is offering a booster shot of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to adults with weak immune systems, but says it is still weighing up whether they should be given to the general public. The rapid spread of the Delta variant has fuelled a rise in
England is braced for a four-week extension of coronavirus restrictions to 19 July, after Boris Johnson said he will take a “cautious” approach to the final removal of lockdown. Hospitality chiefs told The Independent that the extra month of curbs will cost
The Pfizer Covid vaccine may cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Experts advise the most common side effects are pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever, but that most side effects are mild or moderate
People could be wearing face masks several years from now in order to avoid the spread of respiratory diseases, according to Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser. Fauci said people have grown accustomed to wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic,
Boris Johnson is due to confirm the next stage of lockdown lifting in an announcement later. The third step in the government’s roadmap is set to include the return of indoor hospitality and household mixing from next Monday. The prime minister is expected to appear at 5pm
A smattering of reports from the UK and elsewhere have found AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine triggers an unusual blood clotting disorder. It must be emphasised that the complication is an extremely rare occurrence – around eight people develop this condition for every million doses of
A German “jab to freedom” bill that would from this weekend lift social-distancing rules, testing requirements and curfews for people who have been fully vaccinated, is drawing criticism for discriminating against young people still months from getting their first dose. The legislation,
India is now identifying more than 1 million coronavirus cases every three days, with many times more thought to be going unregistered in a vast country where public health surveillance is often poor. Daily deaths exceeded 2,800 on Sunday, but these too are
Iraq’s interior ministry has said 82 people died and 110 were injured in a catastrophic fire that broke out in the intensive care unit of a Baghdad hospital tending to severely ill coronavirus patients. Negligence on the part of hospital authorities has
Germany’s health minister has said he wants to hold talks with Moscow about obtaining supplies of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, in an effort to boost the country’s inoculation campaign. Jens Spahn said Germany would have no hesitation in acting independently of
At the peak of Israel’s Covid vaccination drive, the halls of a huge basketball arena in Jerusalem were filled with people, each anxiously waiting up to two hours until their number was called. More than 3,000 people a day were being vaccinated
Europe may not be subject to the drastic lockdown measures introduced to combat the first wave of coronavirus a year ago, but many countries still face another Easter of greatly reduced meeting and movement. In France, new restrictions come into effect across the country