'AstraZeneca hasn't resumed trial in US'

Unemployed people lie down on the side of a major street in Bangkok on Tuesday, Thailand. Pic/AFP

AstraZeneca, which is developing COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford, has not resumed the last-stage trial in the US, reported Reuters.

AstraZeneca last week suspended all its trials after a volunteer in the UK fell ill. On Saturday, the company announced it was resuming the trial after the regulators in Britain gave a go-ahead. However, the trials in the US remain suspended until an investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration and a safety panel is complete, Reuters reported.

Test shortages in England

NHS Providers, the group that represents hospitals in England, on Tuesday said a shortage of COVID-19 testing is jeopardising efforts to restore medical services and prepare for a potential surge in cases this winter. It said inadequate testing is leading to increased absences in the National Health Service as staff are forced to self-isolate while they and their family members wait for results after possible exposure to the virus.

CEO Chris Hopson said hospitals "are working in the dark - they don't know why these shortages are occurring, how long they are likely to last, how geographically widespread they are likely to be and what priority will be given to healthcare workers and their kin in accessing scarce tests.'' Agencies

Pak reopens schools, univs after 5 months

After a break of nearly five months, Pakistan on Tuesday began its phased reopening of schools, in view of the falling number of new cases. The students will attend schools on alternate days. The number of cases reached 3,02,424 on Tuesday with 404 new cases. The death toll stands at 6,389.

1st recession in Asia in 60 years

Developing economies in Asia will contract in 2020, the first such downturn in nearly 60 years, the Asian Development Bank said on Tuesday. It said the regional economy is estimated to contract 0.7 per cent this year, recovering to 6.8 per cent growth in 2021.
But, a prolonged pandemic could put nations into debt crises or destabilise their financial markets, it said. "Another risk would be worsening geopolitical tensions, most notably potential for US-China friction over trade and technology to intensify."

HK tests 1.8m, 42 found positive

Nearly 1.8 million Hong Kong residents took voluntary COVID-19 tests as part of a massive testing program, and 42 cases were identified, the government said on Tuesday. It has recorded 4,976 infections so far, including 101 deaths.

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