As the deadly coronavirus continues to rage across the U.S. and around the world, people are turning to COVID-19-related apps to figure out their day-to-day risks. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Producers: Julie Taboh, Adam Greenbaum …

The United States has surpassed 250,000 coronavirus deaths as new cases surge in many parts of the country.New York City on Wednesday announced the closure of its school system, the nation’s largest, with the city recording a seventh consecutive day with a COVID-19 positivity rate above 3%.“Public school buildings will be closed as of tomorrow, … continue reading -> “US Surpasses 250,000 Coronavirus Deaths as New Cases Rise Sharply”

The World Health Organization has officially declared an end to the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Equateur Province, nearly six months after the first cases were reported. Health officials are hailing the end of this outbreak as a milestone and cause for celebration.  Combating Ebola in the remote, heavily forested region posed numerous logistical … continue reading -> “Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo’s Equateur Province is Over”

The World Health Organization’s emergencies program director said Wednesday that vaccines alone would not end the COVID-19 pandemic and would do nothing to stop the current global surge in coronavirus infections.Mike Ryan made the comments during a virtual question-and-answer session from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva.His comments came the same day that pharmaceutical company Pfizer … continue reading -> “Vaccines Alone Won’t End Pandemic, WHO Official Says”

The pharmaceutical company Pfizer said Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective and caused no serious side effects as it plans to seek federal approval for the vaccine’s emergency use.Pfizer disclosed the results after a final analysis of the vaccine’s Phase 3 trial, which also revealed it protects older people most at risk of … continue reading -> “Pfizer Says Its Coronavirus Vaccine is 95% Effective”

Iota continues to pound Nicaragua with strong winds and heavy rains even after weakening from a hurricane to a tropical storm. As of late Tuesday night, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota was carrying maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers an hour on a path towards Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Forecasters say Tropical Storm Iota will dump … continue reading -> “Iota Expected to Weaken to Tropical Depression Overnight   ”

An agreement announced Tuesday paves the way for the largest dam demolition in U.S. history, a project that promises to reopen hundreds of miles of waterway along the Oregon-California border to salmon that are critical to tribes but have dwindled to almost nothing in recent years. If approved, the deal would revive plans to remove four … continue reading -> “Historic Deal Revives Plan for Largest US Dam Demolition”

A group of major U.S. utilities, Tesla, Uber and others said on Tuesday they are launching a new group to lobby for national policies to boost electric vehicle sales. The new Zero Emission Transportation Association wants to boost consumer electric vehicle (EV) incentives and encourage the retirement of gasoline-powered vehicles. It also advocates for tougher emissions … continue reading -> “Utilities, Tesla, Uber Create US Lobbying Group for Electric Vehicle Industry”

The World Health Organization’s 194 member states have agreed to push for the global elimination of cervical cancer, a disease that every year affects 570,000 women and kills more than 300,000. A new strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer was adopted at this year’s World Health Assembly.Cervical cancer is a vaccine-preventable disease and … continue reading -> “WHO Unveils New Strategy to Eliminate Cervical Cancer Globally  “

Hurricane Iota made landfall along the northeastern coast of Nicaragua late Monday night and flash flooding and landslides are expected across Central America. The National Hurricane Center said Iota struck Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, with winds of 210 kilometers per hour. Many people hunkered down in shelters while the Nicaraguan government evacuated thousands of residents in low lying coastal areas ahead … continue reading -> “Hurricane Iota Makes Landfall Along Nicaragua Coast Monday Night”

The Trump administration is moving to finalize the sale of controversial oil drilling leases in a wildlife refuge in Alaska.A notice from the Bureau of Land Management posted on the federal register is listed as “unpublished” as of Monday, but it calls for nominations on the lease tracts considered for the oil sale. Oil drilling in … continue reading -> “Trump Moves to Sell Oil Drilling Leases in ANWR”

Last week the World Health Organization hosted its annual summit known as the World Health Assembly to outline new policies and priorities, but a controversy involving Taiwan ended up also drawing renewed attention on how Beijing’s politics continue to influence the WHO.During the summit, which was hosted on the WHO official Facebook page, WHO moderators appeared … continue reading -> “WHO Again Under Scrutiny for China Influence”

Experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) say the news Monday of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate is encouraging but more information is needed and, as new virus cases surge around the world, it is no time to be complacent.At their regular COVID-19 news briefing in Geneva, WHO officials reacted to the news from U.S. pharmaceutical … continue reading -> “WHO Says Vaccine Announcement Encouraging, More Data Needed”

The high-pitched whine of a mosquito is annoying, but scientists have developed an app that uses that sound to detect dangerous mosquitoes.Mosquitoes kill hundreds of thousands of people each year by spreading microbes that cause diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever. But researcher Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan says anyone with a cellphone can … continue reading -> “New App Identifies Mosquitoes by Buzzing Sound”

Portions of Central America are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Iota which the National Hurricane Center says has strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane.  The meteorologists warn, however, that Iota could transform into a “catastrophic Category 5 hurricane” as it moves over the Caribbean before it slams into Colombia, Nicaragua and Honduras by Monday night. The forecasters say Iota is expected to deliver “potentially catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge and extreme rainfall impacts.”    Iota is … continue reading -> “NHC: Iota to Transform into Major Hurricane”

Giant, aging cables that support one of the world’s largest single-dish radio telescopes are slowly unraveling in this U.S. territory, pushing an observatory renowned for its key role in astronomical discoveries to the brink of collapse.The Arecibo Observatory, which is tethered above a sinkhole in Puerto Rico’s lush mountain region, boasts a 1,000-foot-wide (305-meter-wide) dish … continue reading -> “Cable Failures Endanger Renowned Puerto Rico Radio Telescope”

Space X is preparing to send a rocket carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station Sunday evening.“All systems are go for tonight’s launch at 7:27 p.m. EST of Crew Dragon’s first operational mission with four astronauts on board,” SpaceX, the rocket company of high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, wrote on Twitter Sunday. SpaceX also said, … continue reading -> “NASA, SpaceX Set to Send Four Astronauts to International Space Station”

In an unassuming house in rolling hills east of the Hungarian capital, a small family firm is helping oil the wheels of the world’s big pharmaceutical companies on the path to a coronavirus vaccine. Biologist Noemi Lukacs, 71, retired to Szirak, her birth village, to establish English & Scientific Consulting (SciCons) and manufacture a genetic sensor … continue reading -> “In COVID-19 Vaccine Race, Hungarian Village Firm Takes Global Role “

This year’s U.N. World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14 was observed in Cameroon with medical staff all over the central African state encouraging those with the disease to return to hospitals for treatment.Health workers say patients scared of COVID-19 stopped going to hospitals for control of their glucose levels. Although the disease is spreading rapidly … continue reading -> “Cameroon Says COVID Worsens Diabetes Burden”

There are nearly 54 million coronavirus cases around the world, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Sunday.The U.S., India, and Brazil continue to top the list as the places with the most infections. The U.S. has almost 11 million cases, while India and Brazil have 8.8 million and 5.8 million, respectively.On Sunday, India … continue reading -> “Nearly 54 Million Global Coronavirus Infections”

A year ago, if you saw someone wearing a mask, you might assume they were sick or maybe even a little weird or paranoid. Today, thanks to the pandemic, wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is the new normal for many Americans.Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia require people to FILE … continue reading -> “Will Mask-Wearing Outlast the Pandemic?”

We’re closing in on a year with a viral pandemic that has affected more than 47 million people and has claimed the lives of more than 1 million, according to the World Health Organization. As VOA’s Carol Pearson reports, people are now suffering from what’s being called “pandemic fatigue.”  …