A focused view of neutral reporting on Health, brought together across publishers.
Explore all topics →
Chinese President Xi Jinping assured the nation that the “light of hope is right in front” of China as it battles Covid-19 and called for unity and perseverance in this “new stage” of pandemic control in his New Year’s address on December 31.
Two-and-a-half years into the pandemic, Hong Kong was hit by its worst coronavirus outbreak, which started on December 31, 2021. Hongkongers shared their experience with the Post, recounting what life was like for them during Hong Kong’s fifth pandemic wave, which lasted until the summer of 2022.
No media source currently available
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has announced the city’s most dramatic steps yet to drop almost all Covid-19 measures from December 29, 2022, including axing mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 tests for inbound travellers, the vaccine pass scheme and quarantine requirements for close contacts foll…
Japan announced that visitors from or travelling through mainland China will be required to take a Covid-19 test on arrival. Health authorities cited the current Covid-19 surge in the mainland as the reason behind the new restrictions. The new measures represent an additional hurdle for Chinese nationals, who will b…
Large crowds of people and traffic congestion have once again filled the streets of China's capital, as Beijingers return to their routines after China dropped most of its strict Covid-19 prevention measures. The resumption of many activities comes despite a surge in Covid cases as China pivots from trying to contro…
China will reopen its borders and abandon quarantine beginning January 8, 2022, in line with its decision to downgrade the way it treats Covid-19. The move will end three years of zero-Covid and help the country pivot to living with the virus. Strict measures, such as compulsory quarantine for overseas travellers, a…
The waiting time for outpatients in the accident and emergency departments at 10 public hospitals in Hong Kong was at least eight hours on December 26 and 27, 2022, despite the city's Hospital Authority increasing the number of temporary beds and arranging more doctors to conduct ward rounds during the Christmas hol…
No media source currently available
The death of an 84-year-old Beijing resident waiting for hours to be admitted into a hospital on December 20, 2022, has laid bare a medical crisis in China. The country has been struggling to cope with a surge in Covid-19 infections since restrictions were eased earlier in the month.
Serial killer Charles Sobhraj has been ordered released from a Nepal prison on December 22, 2022, due to his health condition and good behaviour. The 78-year-old has served 19 of his 20-year life sentence. The French national, nicknamed ‘the serpent’, is linked to the killings of over 20 Western backpackers across A…
A residential street in Manila where temperatures are about 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) has been decorated with artificial snowfall, colourful lights and festive decorations right in time for Christmas. Irene Tan, a 55-year-old entrepreneur, has been creating the displays for years. But Tan after losing her mother and…
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol is under intensive medical care in Bangkok with apparent heart problems and is receiving support for her lungs and kidneys. She is now “stable at one level”, according to the Royal Palace, but her heartbeat is being controlled with medication. The princess initially fell ill on D…
A hospital in northern China’s Tianjin was overwhelmed with patients after the country shifted away from its strict zero-Covid policy, towards a treatment-based approach.
Under a new initiative in rural areas across China, medical workers who retired in the last five years are being rehired to help grass-roots institutions manage a Covid-19 surge. After the country shifted away from its zero-Covid strategy to a “treatment-based” response in December 2022, China’s healthcare system ha…
China reported two Covid-related deaths on December 19, 2022, the first official fatalities since the government shifted away from its zero-Covid policy and eased pandemic restrictions earlier in the month. Health experts said the official tally was lower than expected. But the country is reportedly grappling with a…
No media source currently available
North Koreans commemorated Kim Jong-il’s 11th death anniversary in the capital Pyongyang. The former leader and father of current leader Kim Jong-un, died of medical conditions aggravated by a heart attack on December 17, 2011. Residents and soldiers brought flowers and gathered at the statues of Kim Jong-il and his…
Schools in Shanghai started to move online on December 19, 2022, at the request of the city’s education bureau amid a nationwide surge in Covid-19 cases. China eased most of its stringent Covid restrictions in early December, following unprecedented public protests that took place in major cities. The disease has si…
Dazzling Christmas displays have been lit up across Hong Kong as the city gradually reopens to the world with the easing of pandemic control measures. Take a tour around Hong Kong to see some of the city’s most beautiful festive designs for the 2022 holiday season.
Three years after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, most of the world has learned to live with the disease. Mainland China, however, is only now moving away from its toughest restrictions. The Post’s Thomas Yau has spent much of the past three years living under Covid rest…
Filipino artist Elito Circa has been painting with his own blood for decades, due to a lack of resources and poverty. He gets his blood professionally drawn every three months at a local health centre and keeps 500 ml (17oz) of his blood at a time in a cooler for use in future projects. It takes Circa about 15 ml (0…
China has signalled an official shift away from its strict zero-Covid policy towards a treatment-based approach to deal with the pandemic. The announcement from top health officials comes amid a surge in coronavirus infections after restrictions, including mass testing and snap lockdowns, were lifted on December 7, …
The inaugural Cannabis Cup Thailand competition was held at a small rooftop cafe in Bangkok on December 10, 2022. Contestants chased three prizes, including one for the fastest roller of a joint or cigarette containing marijuana. Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalise cannabis for medical use …
Lay-offs have swept through Vietnam’s manufacturing hubs as Western countries experience a drop in consumer demand. The purchasing power of shoppers in the United States and Europe, the two major Western markets for goods produced in Vietnam, has plummeted due to inflation and soaring energy costs caused by the war …
Scientists in China’s southwestern Yunnan province have found that favourable components of several Puer tea strains were boosted after a three-month stay at the Tiangong space station. Researchers discovered that the health benefits and fragrance of the tea improved after the space stint. The modified strains are n…
Hong Kong scrapped the use of its “Leave Home Safe” app and removed most of its Covid restrictions for incoming travellers, starting on December 14, 2022. Previously, all arriving passengers had been subject to pandemic curbs, which prevented them from entering venues like restaurants, gyms and beauty parlours durin…
Covid-19 cases are rising across China, less than a week after the country lifted most of its infection-control measures since December 7, 2022. Residents on the streets of Beijing tell the Post the city is being hit by a surge of infections. Companies have asked their staff to continue working from home, and many b…
No media source currently available
Thailand has exceeded its own expectations for tourist arrivals as it achieved its 2022 target of 10 million foreign visitors by year’s end, weeks ahead of schedule. The country held several events on December 10, 2022, to mark the revival of the sector that was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hong Kong will scrap the use of its controversial “Leave Home Safe” app from December 14, 2022, and remove most restrictions on incoming travellers. Previously, all arriving passengers have been subject to pandemic curbs, which prevent them from entering venues including restaurants, gyms and beauty parlours during …
In early February 2016, the security gate at a U.S. military base near Washington, D.C., swung open to admit a Navy doctor accompanying a pair of surprising visitors: two artificial intelligence scientists from Google.
Small business owners in the Chinese city of Wuhan continued to voice concern about their uncertain future despite further easing of the anti-pandemic measures in early December 2022. In the city in the central province of Hubei, which was at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, business remained bleak. Despit…
Frozen food was selected as Japan’s “dish of the year” for 2022 by the Gurunavi Research Institute on December 6. It’s easy to prepare and can be stored for a long time, which made it popular as more people worked from home because of the pandemic. Many restaurants in Japan are now trying to break into the frozen fo…
Shanghai Disneyland reopened to the public on December 8, 2022, after China rolled back many of its strict Covid-19 prevention measures. One of nation’s largest amusement parks, the attraction was shut down three times in 2022 because of outbreaks of the illness. Its reopening follows China’s announcement in early D…
When the Cienfuegos family landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 15, 2020, they looked excited and maybe a bit relieved. With the pandemic still ravaging Mexico, they had come to vacation in Southern California. Arranging such a visit wasn’t a problem, even on short notice: The patriarch, retired Gen. …
Travellers and businesses on the Indonesian island of Bali have voiced concern about possible harms to the country’s pandemic-hit tourism industry after parliament passed new laws banning extramarital sex and cohabitation. The new criminal codes, which also ban insulting the president, were approved on December 6, 2…
China announced new measures to further ease its Covid restrictions on December 7, 2022, including allowing those with mild symptoms to quarantine at home and ramping up vaccination among the elderly. Ahead of the official announcement, some local governments had started to relax some of their restrictions following…
Nearly three years of strict Covid controls have seriously hurt China’s economy. Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, who leads the country’s pandemic response, said on November 30, 2022, that China’s virus control measures were entering a new phase as the virus weakens and vaccinations become more widespread. In a sign of a p…
No media source currently available
Two big cities in China, Guangzhou and Chongqing, announced an easing of pandemic restrictions on November 30, 2022, in a move that followed demonstrations across the country voicing frustration about life under the world’s toughest zero-Covid policies. The announcements regarding the cities in China’s south and sou…
Hirotsu Bio Science, a Japanese biotech firm, says it has developed the world’s first early screening test for pancreatic cancer using roundworms. In November 2022, it launched the “N-NOSE plus Pancreas” test, which uses the worm’s highly sensitive sense of smell. The company edits the worms’ genetic code so that th…
Dozens of people gathered in Hong Kong’s central business district on November 28, 2022, to mourn victims of a deadly fire in Xinjiang that sparked protests in mainland China against Beijing’s stringent zero-Covid policy. Among them was activist Alexandra Wong Fung-yiu, nicknamed “Grandma Wong”, who reportedly had h…
Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen has announced she's stepping down as chairwoman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after it suffered major losses to the main opposition Kuomintang in local elections on November 26, 2022. Tsai will stay on as president of the self-ruled island. Analysts say many voters sought…
More than one-fifth of China’s total gross domestic product (GDP) is currently under lockdown, according to a November 24, 2022, report by finance group Nomura. The report also projected the amount of GDP affected by lockdowns would continue to rise in coming weeks as China deals with its biggest Covid-19 case surge…
Heart surgeons continued to operate on a child after Russian missiles caused blackouts in Ukraine on November 23, 2022. The Kyiv hospital lost power during the operation, one doctor said. Russia has been launching air strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities since October.
Factories in southern China’s Guangdong province have seen a recent bump in business, thanks to the 2022 World Cup. One in particular has been operating full steam ahead to manufacture La’eeb, the official mascot of the Qatar-hosted tournament. In the wake of the pandemic, companies like these are turning to big ord…
Hundreds of children in Indonesia’s populous West Java province are being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during a devastating November 21, 2022, earthquake. The nation’s disaster officials said the childhood toll was high because schools were open when the 5.6-magnitude quake struck. The official death s…
Hong Kong jewellery designer and philanthropist Michelle Ong is a creative force of nature. The artistic mind behind bespoke jewellery brand Carnet and founder of NGO First Initiative Foundation is a decisive and laser-focused businesswoman. The driving force behind Hong Kong’s largest dinosaur exhibition, “The Big …
