Long COVID: More than one million people report ongoing coronavirus symptoms, ONS data shows - More than one million people living in the UK are experiencing the after-effects of COVID-19 following infection, according to the Office for National Statistics. It is the largest monthly increase - up from 970,000 in the previous ONS survey - with 1.1 million people in private households reporting having long COVID during the four weeks to 5 September. Long COVID is defined as symptoms which last for more than four weeks after individuals first suspect they are infected, and are not explained by something else.

Pfizer study to vaccinate whole Brazilian town against COVID-19 - Pfizer Inc will study the effectiveness of its vaccine against COVID-19 by inoculating the entire population over the age of 12 in a town in southern Brazil, the company said on Wednesday. The study will be conducted in Toledo, population 143,000, in the west of Parana state, together with Brazil's National Vaccination Program, local health authorities, a hospital and a federal university. Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with German partner BioNTech SE , said the purpose was to study transmission of the coronavirus in a 'real-life scenario' after the population has been vaccinated.

Pfizer, BioNTech ask U.S. regulators to OK COVID-19 vaccine for kids - Pfizer Inc and BioNTech said on Thursday they had asked U.S. regulators to approve emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged from five to 11, Pfizer said in a post on Twitter.

Long Covid officially defined for first time - with three top symptoms listed - Long Covid has finally been given its own definition by the World Health Organisation as more than a million in the UK are said to be battling the condition.
The condition has remained one of the most mysterious aspects of the virus as the list of symptoms continued to baffle medics. The WHO has sought to come up with clinical analysis of the symptoms as it formally says Long Covid is a 'post-Covid condition'. Common symptoms officially include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction,

Germany recommends booster shots for over 70s - Germany's vaccination authority, STIKO, recommended COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people older than 70 on Thursday. All residents of care homes, as well as workers who come into direct contact with them, should also be offered a third vaccine dose, the body said. The same was also recommended for medical workers in direct contact with patients. STIKO gave its recommendation on the grounds that vaccine protection 'declines over time, particularly in terms of preventing asymptomatic and mild infections.' Previously booster shots had only be recommended in Germany for people with a weakened immune system.

Heart Damage Plagues Covid Survivors a Year After Infection, Study Shows - Heart damage from Covid-19 extends well beyond the disease’s initial stages, according to a study that found even people who were never sick enough to need hospitalization are in danger of developing heart failure and deadly blood clots a year later. Heart disease and stroke are already the leading causes of death worldwide. The increased likelihood of lethal heart complications in Covid survivors -- who number in the hundreds of millions globally -- will add to its devastation, according to the study, which is under consideration for publication by a Nature journal. “The aftereffects of Covid-19 are substantial,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the clinical epidemiology center at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri, who led the research. “Governments and health systems must wake up to the reality that Covid will cast a tall shadow in the form of long Covid, and has devastating consequences. I am concerned that we are not taking this seriously enough.”

WHO Wants Less Talk, More Action From Rich Nations on Doses - The World Health Organization called on countries with high vaccination rates to swap their places in line and prioritize the delivery of Covid-19 shots to lower-income nations. The WHO set out a strategy for countries to follow to reach a goal to inoculate 40% of the population in every nation in the world by the end of the year, and 70% by mid-2022. The health body urged countries with high vaccine coverage to change their vaccine delivery schedules for the coming months to make room for Covax, which will ensure countries in need can receive doses and catch up. Manufacturers should be transparent on total monthly production and schedules for supplies to Covax.

A New Vaccine Strategy for Children: Just One Dose, for Now - Even as parents in the United States wrestle with difficult questions over vaccinating their children against the coronavirus, families in other countries have been offered a novel option: giving children just one dose of the vaccine. Officials in Hong Kong as well as in Britain, Norway and other countries have recommended a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 and older — providing partial protection from the virus, but without the potential harms occasionally observed after two doses. Health officials in those countries are particularly worried about increasing data suggesting that myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, may be more common among adolescents and young adults after vaccination than had been thought.

Sydney to exit COVID-19 lockdown next week after vaccination rate hits 70% - COVID-19 restrictions will be eased further in Sydney from Monday, authorities said, as Australia's largest city looks set to exit a nearly four-month lockdown after hitting its 70% full vaccination target. Fully vaccinated people in New South Wales (NSW) state will be able to leave their homes for any reason including visiting pubs, retail stores, cinemas and gyms, which will reopen under strict social distancing rules. The number of vaccinated visitors allowed to gather in a home will double to 10, while the limit on vaccinated people at weddings and funerals will be raised to 100. Nightclubs can partially reopen to vaccinated people once inoculations reach 80%, earlier than previously planned, and masks will not be mandatory in offices.

Finland joins Sweden and Denmark in limiting Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - Finland on Thursday paused the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for younger males due to reports of a rare cardiovascular side effect, joining Sweden and Denmark in limiting its use. Mika Salminen, director of the Finnish health institute, said Finland would instead give Pfizer's vaccine to men born in 1991 and later. Finland offers shots to people aged 12 and over. 'A Nordic study involving Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark found that men under the age of 30 who received Moderna Spikevax had a slightly higher risk than others of developing myocarditis,' he said.

Spain's COVID-19 rate at 'low risk' level for first time in 15 months  - Spain's coronavirus incidence dropped below 50 cases per 100,000 people on Thursday, reaching the threshold considered 'low risk' by the Health Ministry for the first time in over a year.

Divorced parents are going to court over vaccinating their kids against the coronavirus -  Veronica was in her garden in New England when she got the email ping from her ex-husband in early May. “I started to have a panic attack,” says Veronica, who is not using her last name for privacy reasons. Her ex wanted a court to decide whether their 12-year-old daughter could be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The timing was terrible. “It was the day before I had her appointment scheduled,” she says. Divorced parents who disagree about coronavirus vaccination are taking their fights to court. The tensions have been fueled by inconsistent mask rules, misinformation and reports of more children hospitalized for covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.