President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster.”.

Israel’s total blockade of Gaza is entering its third month, and food and medical supplies in the aid-dependent Palestinian territory are running dangerously low.

The World Health Organization says that authorities investigating the deaths of at least 60 people in northwestern Congo suspect the water source in one of the areas may have been contaminated.

The World Health Organization chief is asking global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the U.N. health agency.

The world’s frogs, salamanders, newts and other amphibians remain in serious trouble.

The World Health Organization says COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency but the coronavirus is here to stay.

The head of the World Health Organization says the agency is “concerned about the risk to life in China” amid the coronavirus’ explosive spread across the country and the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government.

The head of the World Health Organization said the agency is “very concerned” about rising reports of severe coronavirus disease across China after the country largely abandoned its “zero COVID” policy.

A top official at the World Health Organization said the U_N_ agency was “pleased” to see China loosening some of its coronavirus restrictions, saying “it’s really important that governments listen to their people when the people are in pain.”.

The head of the World Health Organization says China’s extreme approach to containing the coronavirus is unsustainable because of the highly infectious nature of the omicron variant.

The World Health Organization says the number of newly reported coronavirus cases and deaths continued to fall in the last week, continuing a global decline that first began in March.

The World Health Organization chief says 90 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the omicron variant was first identified 10 weeks ago, amounting to more than in all of 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization says overuse of gloves and “moon suits” and the use of billions of masks and vaccination syringes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus have spurred a huge glut of health care waste worldwide.

Some European countries such as Spain are making tentative plans for when they might start treating COVID-19 as an “endemic” disease, but the World Health Organization and other officials have warned that the world is nowhere close to declaring the pandemic over.

There’s no clear-cut definition for when a pandemic starts and ends, and how much of a threat a global outbreak is posing can vary by country.

The World Health Organization says early evidence suggests the omicron variant of the coronavirus may be spreading faster than the highly transmissible delta variant and brings with it less severe disease — although it’s too early to make firm conclusions.

South African scientists are warning that the new omicron variant may be causing more reinfections among COVID-19 survivors than earlier virus mutants.

Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced a three-week partial lockdown amid surging COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands.

Top officials at the World Health Organization say there has been more than a 50% jump in coronavirus cases across Europe in the last month, making it the epicenter of the pandemic.

The head of the World Health Organization says the U.N. organization is in talks to create the first-ever technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa, a move to boost supply to the continent desperately in need of COVID-19 jabs.

The United States and Britain are stepping up calls for the World Health Organization to take a deeper look into the possible origins of COVID-19, including a new visit to China where the first human infections were detected.

The head of the World Health Organization has acknowledged the U_N_ health agency’s response to sexual abuse allegations involving employees who worked in Congo during an Ebola outbreak was “slow.”.

A top official at the World Health Organization has said on Friday, March 12, 2021 that a genetic analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea suggests it may have been sparked by a survivor of the devastating West Africa epidemic that ended five years ago. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, file)GENEVA – A top official at the World Health Organization said that a genetic analysis of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Guinea suggests it may have been sparked by a survivor of the devastating West Africa epidemic that ended five years ago. But he added that based on the available genetic sequencing data, the current outbreak was unlikely to be linked to an animal — which is how nearly all previous Ebola epidemics have begun. The rare possibility of Ebola spreading long after infection highlights the importance of monitoring survivors, and Ryan cautioned against their stigmatization. The Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa from 2014 to 2016 ultimately killed more than 11,000 people.

New Zealand has opened its first large vaccination clinic as it scales up efforts to protect people from the coronavirus. (New Zealand Ministry of Health via AP)WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has opened its first large vaccination clinic as it scales up efforts to protect people from the coronavirus. Gordon cites Wyoming’s declining number of COVID-19 cases and its success in distributing vaccines as reasons to lift the restrictions. AdThe nation of 1.3 million has seen a rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases n the past few weeks. Italy’s total virus cases surpassed 3 million last week, with a new surge powered by the highly contagious variant that was first identified in Britain.

(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)GENEVA – A senior World Health Organization official said Monday it was “premature” and “unrealistic” to think the pandemic might be stopped by the end of the year, but that the recent arrival of effective vaccines could at least help dramatically reduce hospitalizations and death. The world’s singular focus right now should be to keep transmission of COVID-19 as low as possible, said Dr. Michael Ryan, director of WHO's emergencies program. “If we’re smart, we can finish with the hospitalizations and the deaths and the tragedy associated with this pandemic” by the end of the year, he said at media briefing. Ryan said WHO was reassured by emerging data that many of the licensed vaccines appear to be helping curb the virus' explosive spread. Tedros also noted that for the first time in seven weeks, the number of COVID-19 cases increased last week, after six consecutive weeks of declining numbers.

A member of a World Health Organization team is seen wearing protective gear during a field visit to the Hubei Animal Disease Control and Prevention Center for another day of field visit in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. The WHO team is investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has visited two disease control centers in the province. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)WUHAN – A World Health Organization team of international experts visited an animal disease center in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday as part of their investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. He also tweeted that they had met with staff in charge of livestock health in Hubei province, toured laboratories and had an in-depth discussion along with questions and answers. AdIntense negotiations preceded the WHO visit to Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 cases were detected in late 2019.

The state crossed that mark Monday, exactly a year after officials reported the first case of a coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. — Maryland’s acting health secretary says the state’s hospitals have received less than half of their expected allocations of second doses of the coronavirus vaccine for front-line health workers this week. Schrader says state officials were talked with the federal Department of Health and Human Services all weekend trying to figure out what happened. The CDC says Iowa has delivered 190,689 first vaccine doses to individuals, or 6,044 per 100,000 people, the third lowest rate in the nation. Ad___PRAGUE — The Czech Republic is not planning to limit use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for elderly people like some other European Union nations.

The Pentagon has authorized nearly 50 top civilian and military leaders to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks to prove to the shots are safe and effective. Indoor restaurant dining will continue to be barred under the new state health department order that takes effect Monday. Laura Kelly is expressing little concern over a smaller-than-expected second shipment of a coronavirus vaccine for the state. The state also reported total 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, adding 88 to the tally since Wednesday. ___BERN — The Swiss government is ordering the closure of restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports facilities next week because of increasing coronavirus cases.

Virtually every state is reporting surges in cases and deaths. The virus is blamed for more than 285,000 deaths and 15 million confirmed infections in the United States. Southern California’s Riverside University Health System Medical Center went so far as to open an ICU in a storage room. The state is averaging more than 5,000 confirmed or suspected cases per day. That’s below the summer peak of 3,200 but more than double the most recent low point in mid-October.

Hong Kong on Wednesday reported an additional 100 cases, bringing its two-week total to 1,274. Hong Kong has reported a total of 7,075 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, with 112 deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services also said 9,028 people were hospitalized across the state. Since late November, the new daily cases have soared past 10,000 on several days, with 15,103 new cases reported Tuesday, according to state health officials. ___BOISE, Idaho — Idaho public health officials abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday evening after the Boise mayor and chief of police said intense anti-mask protests outside the health department building — as well as outside some health officials’ homes — were threatening public safety.

GENEVA – As several European countries have suspended access to the ski slopes to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief said the risk of catching COVID-19 while skiing is likely minimal. Restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 have kept ski lifts closed in Italy, France, Germany, Austria and elsewhere. Ryan said the danger of coronavirus spread from skiing is from many of the other activities linked to the sport. “The real issues are going to come at airports, tour buses taking people to and from ski resorts, ski lifts ... and places where people come together,” Ryan said. "We would advise that all countries look at the their ski season and other reasons for mass gathering,” he said, warning that indoor socializing after skiing might be particularly risky.

WHO's confirmation Monday of the figures in the email was the first time it has publicly provided such a count. The email said about half of the infections recorded so far were in people who had been working from home. The revelation comes amid a surge of cases in Europe, host country Switzerland, and the city of Geneva, in particular. Last month, Thomas told WHO staffers the agency was restricting access to its Geneva headquarters to critical staffers, including senior directors, their assistants and management officers. In normal times, an estimated 2,400 people regularly work at WHO’s seven-story headquarters overlooking Geneva.

Yet in public, the U.N. health agency lauded governments for their responses. Instead, the health agency relies on behind-the-scenes talks and the cooperation of member states. Critics say WHO’s traditional aversion to confronting its member countries has come at a high price. WHO also complained in private about Western countries hoarding scarce pandemic supplies. Going forward, WHO’s role in the continued unfolding of the pandemic will depend in part on the panel review.

(AP Photo/Anupam Nath)LONDON — Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of coronavirus restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections. The board members hail from top California top universities and medical providers, along with state and local public health officials. ___AUSTIN, Texas -- Health officials in Texas have reported 4,319 COVID-19 hospital patients, the most since Aug. 28. Khan’s remarks come amid a slight increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in recent weeks. Pakistan also reported 440 new confirmed cases, raising its total cases to 323,452 since February when Pakistan reported its first case.

A medical team member is disinfected before leaving the COVID-19 ward at the Severo Ochoa hospital in Leganes, outskirts of Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Now, a well-oiled machinery saves some lives and loses others to coronavirus, but without the doomsday atmosphere of March and April. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)GENEVA – The World Health Organization has announced a new daily record high in coronavirus cases confirmed worldwide, with more than 350,000 infections reported to the U.N. health agency on Friday. The new daily high of 350,766 cases surpasses a record set earlier this week by nearly 12,000. As the virus continues to surge across Europe and elsewhere, Ryan acknowledged that restrictive measures might be warranted at some point.

It is on the rise in many parts of the world,” Ryan told attendees from governments who make up the executive board and provide much of the WHO's funding. The two-day meeting is the first by the executive board since the Trump administration set off a one-year countdown this summer toward pulling the United States out of the WHO next July. Chinese board member Zhang Yang, speaking by videoconference, said China has been "transparent and responsible" and has been fulfilling its responsibilities under the resolution. Board member Clemens Auer of Austria lamented a “political weakening” of the WHO, citing the “potential withdrawal of a strong WHO member state” — an allusion to the U.S. He appealed for a “retreat session” for board members, saying it should be an “active” body — not a “ceremonial” one.

Brazil, with more than 1.1 million cases and 51,000 deaths, has been affected more than anywhere but the U.S., which has reported more than 2.3 million cases and 120,000 deaths, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci will return to Capitol Hill at a fraught moment in the nations response. Even some countries that have had initial success in stamping out the virus are finding pockets of resurgence. In Australia, Victoria state on Tuesday reported 17 new cases, resulting in the closing of two primary schools in Melbourne. Experts say the true numbers are much higher because of limited testing and cases in which patients had no symptoms.

India is the fourth hardest-hit country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world after the U.S., Russia and Brazil. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)GENEVA A record level of new daily COVID-19 cases worldwide could suggest the pandemic is peaking in some large countries, even as the coronavirus has become "well established" in some regions, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said Monday. That was underpinned by over 54,700 new cases in Brazil and more than 36,600 in the United States. The epidemic is now peaking or moving towards a peak in a number of large countries. The situation was definitely accelerating in a number of countries, including in South Asia and the Americas, he said. Africas hospitals do not appear in most countries to be overwhelmed, he said, noting exceptions in places like highly-populated Lagos, Nigeria.

LONDON The emergencies chief of the World Health Organization confirmed Friday that the U.N. agency received genetic sequences from China involving Beijing's recent coronavirus outbreak and said it appears the virus was exported from Europe. At a press briefing on Friday, Dr. Michael Ryan noted that strains and viruses have moved around the world throughout the virus pandemic and said the fact that a virus from Europe sparked China's latest outbreak did not mean the virus originated there. Ryan said that analysis of the genetic sequences China provided so far suggests that the virus spread from other people and does not suggest that it jumped to humans from animals. This coronavirus (in China's latest outbreak) looks very much like its of human origin, Ryan said, calling for a detailed investigation to determine how the imported cases sparked such a large cluster. The environment itself may have facilitated the spread of disease, at least initially, he said.

A cemetery worker exhumes the body of a person buried three years ago at the Vila Formosa cemetery, which does not charge families for the gravesites, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, June 12, 2020. Sao Paulo is one of the COVID-19 hot spots in Latin America's hardest-hit nation, with 5,480 deaths as of Thursday in the city of 12 million people. Clearly the health system in Brazil across the country needs significant support in order to sustain its effort in this regard. At Sao Paulos biggest cemetery, Vila Formosa, Adenilson Costa was among workers in blue protective suits digging up old graves Friday. Before the pandemic, Costa said, he and colleagues would exhume remains of about 40 coffins per day if families stopped paying required fees for the plots.

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2020, file photo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus. This is a very dangerous virus, and its very hard to fight this virus in a divided world, he said. Brazil has reported over 802,000 confirmed virus cases the second-most in the world after the United States and over 40,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to a tally maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus has overwhelmed health systems in many countries, putting many women at a heightened risk of dying in childbirth, he said.

This concern relates to the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in COVID-19, Tedros said, adding that the drugs are approved treatments for people with malaria or autoimmune diseases. Other treatments in the trial, including the experimental drug remdesivir and an HIV combination therapy, are still being tested. Tedros said the executive group behind WHO's global Solidarity trial met on Saturday and decided to conduct a comprehensive review of all available data on hydroxychloroquine and that its use in the trial would be suspended for now. Last week, Trump announced he was taking hydroxychloroquine although he has not tested positive for COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are approved for treating lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and for preventing and treating malaria, but no large rigorous tests have found them safe or effective for preventing or treating COVID-19.

And Lebanese authorities reinstated a nationwide lockdown for four days beginning Wednesday night after a spike in reported infections and complaints that social distancing rules were being ignored. Italy partially lifted lockdown restrictions last week only to see a big jump in confirmed coronavirus cases in its hardest-hit region. Pakistan reported 2,000 new infections in a single day after crowds of people crammed into markets as restrictions were eased. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 4.3 million people and killed some 297,000, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. ___Johnson reported from Washington state; Smith reported from Providence, Rhode Island, and Sullivan reported from Minneapolis.

Dr. Li Wenliang's death underlined the dangers health workers have faced in similar epidemics, including SARS and Ebola. The death was an all-too-familiar occurrence, said Dr. Michael Ryan, head of the World Health Organization’s health emergencies program. “We’re very sorry to hear the loss of any health care worker that’s attempted to care for patients,” Ryan said Friday. A study published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association underscored the dangers faced by health care workers. On Friday, WHO warned that increased demand for masks and other protective equipment might further jeopardize health workers responding to the outbreak.