No evidence younger adults need Covid-19 booster jabs, say local infectious diseases experts

A student getting her jab at the Bishan Community Club Vaccination Centre in June, 2021.Lianhe Zaobao Local infectious diseases experts have questioned the Government's plan to study giving Covid-19 vaccine boosters to younger adults to reduce infection rates, saying there is currently no evidence that this group of people need boosters. They also reiterated that the purpose...

12 months on, many patients in Wuhan find their Covid-19 symptoms still persist

Medical workers attend to Covid-19 patients at a hospital in Wuhan in February. Beijing has for months defended its initial response to the virus.Reuters Nearly half of about 1,200 recovered Covid-19 patients in Wuhan still had symptoms a year after they fell ill, according to a new study that highlights the need for long-term support. Chinese researchers...

Australia halts Afghanistan evacuations after Kabul suicide attacks, Britain to follow in ‘matter of hours’

People preparing to board a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft at the international airport in Kabul, on Aug 22, 2021.Reuters Australia has stopped evacuation flights from Afghanistan after Islamic State in Iraq and Syria suicide bombers killed scores of civilians and at least 13 United States military staff in attacks outside the airport in Kabul, Prime Minister...

Moderna withholds 1.63 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in Japan due to contamination

Vials with a sticker reading, "Covid-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken on Oct 31, 2020.Reuters file Moderna Inc has withheld supply of about 1.63 million doses in Japan after it was notified of contamination of its Covid-19 vaccine vials...

60-year-old Singaporean and 46-year-old PR jailed and fined for forcing their club dancers to have sex with customers

A Bangladeshi woman came to Singapore thinking that an agent had arranged a domestic worker job for her, but was instead told to work as a dancer in a club. Two weeks later, she was promised $1,000 if she had sex with a friend of one of the club's bosses. She refused and was slapped by...

Free Covid-19 testing for those who visited Bugis Junction between Aug 17-24 after a cluster of 20 cases found

A new Covid-19 cluster at Bugis Junction with 20 cases - all staff who work at the mall - was announced on Tuesday (Aug 24). Staff who have been working in affected shops will be tested, and close contacts of confirmed cases will be quarantined, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). Free Covid-19 testing will also be...

46-year-old pedestrian dies, bus driver arrested in Ang Mo Kio accident

The police said they were alerted to the accident involving a bus and a pedestrian at 6.47am.Stomp A 46-year-old female pedestrian died on Wednesday morning (Aug 25) after she was hit by an SBS Transit bus in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3. The bus driver, 56, has been arrested for careless driving causing death. The victim was trapped...

Final death toll from Florida condominium collapse put at 98

The partially collapsed Champlain Towers South residential building is demolished, in Surfside, Florida, on July 4, 2021.Reuters Remains of the last person still listed as missing in the collapse of a Florida condominium tower on June 24 have been recovered and identified, bringing the final confirmed death toll to 98, Miami-Dade County officials said on Monday...

South, North Korea have restored hotlines as leaders seek to rebuild ties

South Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, May 1, 2019.Reuters South and North Korea have restored hotlines that Pyongyang severed a year ago when ties deteriorated sharply, with renewed efforts by the two countries' leaders to rebuild relations, the South's presidential...

Chinese parents fret after government bans for-profit tutoring firms

A girl carrying a schoolbag stands near an outlet of private educational services provider New Oriental Education and Technology Group in Beijing, China, on July 26, 2021.Reuters Anxious Chinese parents were rushing to hire private tutors to help their children navigate a fiercely competitive education system after the government moved last week to rein in companies...