Asia

UN authorizes a second malaria vaccine. Experts warn it's not enough to stop the disease spreading The World Health Organization has authorized a second malaria vaccine in a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and a more readily available option than the world’s first shot against the parasitic disease. AP News

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WHO airs concerns about global COVID trends Meanwhile, several more BA.2.86 sequences were reported, as Moderna notes reassuring lab findings against BA.2.86 for its updated vaccine. CIDRAP

At a briefing on global health issues today, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said there are concerning trends ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter, including rising deaths in parts of the Middle East and Asia and increased hospitalizations in multiple regions.

Nearly 2 million excess deaths followed China's sudden end of COVID curbs, study says China's move to dismantle its strict COVID regime could have led to nearly 2 million excess deaths, a US study shows. Bernard Orr Reuters

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China drops COVID-19 group travel bans to 78 nations including U.S., Japan - UPI.com China announced Thursday it was removing its COVID-19-era restrictions on group travel to nearly 80 countries including the United States and Japan. UPI

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China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced group travel could continue to 78 nations including the two popular destinations as well as Australia, Britain, Germany, Qatar and South Korea.

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