Coronavirus Updates - The Media Line

Digital immunity passports for Estonian workplaces

The Media Line Staff

9:30 | 05/20/2020

Estonia has started testing digital immunity passports for workplaces as the Baltic nation eases coronavirus restrictions, according to a report from the Reuters news agency.

First-ever direct flight from Abu Dhabi lands in Israel

The Media Line Staff

22:06 | 05/19/2020

The first-ever direct flight from Abu Dhabi landed in Israel Tuesday night, the Foreign Ministry confirmed. The Etihad Airlines cargo flight was delivering coronavirus-related aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including 14 tons of medical supplies.

Coronavirus vaccine shows positive early results

The Media Line Staff

9:40 | 05/19/2020

US biotech company Moderna on Monday announced that its experimental coronavirus vaccine has showed promising results in an early trial.

Trump to tap startup to make COVID-19 drugs in US

The Media Line Staff

9:39 | 05/19/2020

The Trump Administration on Tuesday is expected to announce that a $354 million deal was signed Monday with Virginia-based startup Phlow Corp. to manufacture generic medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients used to treat COVID-19.

Navajo Nation passes New York for highest US infection rate

The Media Line Staff

9:38 | 05/19/2020

The Navajo Nation on Monday reported 69 new coronavirus cases and two additional deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 4,071 and 142 fatalities. It has now surpassed New York and New Jersey for the highest per-capita infection rate in the United States.

Trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine

The Media Line Staff

9:38 | 05/19/2020

US President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he has been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which has not been proven as a treatment for COVID-19. The president said he was taking it as a preventive measure. Trump has tested negative for the disease.

Study: Patients who test positive after recovery aren’t infectious

The Media Line Staff

9:37 | 05/19/2020

A new study from South Korea shows that coronavirus patients who tested positive weeks after recovering from the illness likely are not capable of spreading it.

Report: Israeli lab completes successful coronavirus vaccine on rodents

The Media Line Staff

9:16 | 05/18/2020

An Israeli lab run by the Defense Ministry successfully tested a vaccine against COVID-19 on rodents, according to a report by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. The Institute for Biological Research will next try the vaccine on other animals and then move to human clinical trials. The lab hopes to have a finished vaccine ready in a year or possibly sooner, the report said.

116 countries back Australia’s call for COVID-19 inquiry

The Media Line Staff

9:15 | 05/18/2020

Australia’s draft resolution for an independent inquiry into the coronavirus outbreak has gained the backing of 116 countries, including all 27 European Union member states. The draft resolution will be considered at a virtual meeting Monday night of the World Health Assembly.

Japan falls into recession for first time in 4 years

The Media Line Staff

9:14 | 05/18/2020

Government statistics released Monday show that Japan’s economy shrank by 3.4% in the first three months of 2020 compared to a year ago. It is the first recession in four years for the world’s third-largest economy.