Tag - covid-19

 
 

COVID 19

Tokyo's Ginza district. On Thursday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said one person tested positive for BA.2.86 on Aug. 24.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 8, 2023
New COVID variant detected in Japan amid wave of infections
While there’s no evidence so far that it causes more severe illness, experts say it may be more capable of infecting people who have been infected before.
Tourists walk in front of Crown and Anchor pub on Neal Street in London in 2018. Pubs are big part of British culture.
WORLD / Society
Sep 4, 2023
What’s really killing Britain’s historic pubs
With each time-honored spot that’s shuttered, another little piece of British history is lost.
Japan center Dylan Riley (left) escapes from Italy's center Luca Morisi during a match on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 31, 2023
Japan ready to shake off COVID-19 legacy at Rugby World Cup
The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland to reach the quarterfinals for the first time four years ago, sparking rugby-mania across the nation.
One big challenge public health officials now face is how to restore trust so that people listen to future guidance on everything from flu shots to childhood vaccines.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023
Not all COVID-19 ‘misinformation’ is equal — nor misinformation
Public health scientists have to figure out how to get back to the kind of nuanced, thoughtful discussions that were the pre-pandemic norm.
A woman carries food to customers at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 27, 2023
Hong Kong turns to tycoons to get party scene back on track
The government is urging major property groups to help boost the nighttime economy via drink coupons, free events and later shopping hours.
Shigeru Omi
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023
Japan to reduce number of COVID-19 panel members
Those who will leave the panel will include Shigeru Omi, 74, its chairman, who has played an important role as an expert on public health.
People wait in line to take a COVID-19 oral swab test on a sidewalk in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on June 20.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 25, 2023
Highly mutated COVID variant BA.2.86 found in two more countries
Omicron offshoot BA.2.86 carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023.
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023
One night out in Tokyo
As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.
An Air Koryo plane is reflected in a glass structure of the airport in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 22, 2023
North Korea sees first passenger flight in three years
An Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang landed in Beijing early Tuesday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began in 2020.
A COVID-19 test swab is placed into a tube in Hilversum, the Netherlands, in November 2020.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2023
Two years after catching COVID, patients still risk getting sick
People who were not hospitalized for acute COVID-19 still had a higher risk than uninfected people of developing long COVID-related disorders.
It is still unclear whether BA.2.86 will be able to out-compete other strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, or have any advantage in escaping immune responses from prior infection or vaccination.
WORLD / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Aug 21, 2023
What you need to know about BA.2.86, the new COVID variant
Scientists are keeping an eye on the new lineage because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the currently dominant XBB.1.5 variant.
After enjoying robust demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, air cargo firms are now reeling from overcapacity.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Aug 19, 2023
Air travel boom creates crosswinds for air cargo
Passenger jets grounded during the pandemic are flying again and transporting goods, upping the competition with dedicated air freighters.
Tourists walk along the road that leads to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2023
New coronavirus variant EG.5 gains momentum in Japan
The prevalence of EG.5, called Eris by health experts, nearly doubled in July to account for 22% of cases in Tokyo.
Travellers walk through Beijing Daxing International Airport on April 24.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 11, 2023
China reopened its doors, but tourists are staying away
A rebound in domestic tourism hasn't been mirrored by inbound tourists, with several barriers harming the country's appeal.
Whether it is a hot summer or a cold winter, humans spend 90% of their time inside and there is little evidence that seasonal changes affect COVID-19 transmission significantly. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2023
COVID-19’s summer resurgence resists easy answers
Be wary of anyone with a pat explanation for why COVID-19 waves rise and fall.
Visitors at the Todaiji temple in Nara in June
JAPAN / Society
Aug 10, 2023
China lifts pandemic-era ban on group tours to Japan
The decision marks the first time since January 2020 that groups of Chinese tourists will be allowed to visit Japan.
A health ministry panel has approved the messenger RNA vaccine Daichirona.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 1, 2023
Japan panel endorses first domestically developed COVID vaccine
The shot is based on the original strain of the coronavirus, making it unlikely that it will be used in Japan or elsewhere.
Former sumo wrestler Daisuke Yanagihara discusses his lawsuit against the Japan Sumo Association during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday.
SUMO
Aug 1, 2023
Former wrestler sues sumo association for alleged mistreatment
The former fourth-division rikishi said he was told to fight or quit as coronavirus cases rose in Tokyo ahead of the 2021 New Year Basho.
An elderly couple at a shrine in Tokyo in 2020
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 28, 2023
Japan's average life expectancy continued to fall in 2022
The decline for both men and women were "largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic," a ministry official said.
In the international market, a larger number of airlines went bankrupt compared to domestic fliers due to the pandemic, with low-cost, long-haul carriers getting hit particularly hard.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2023
Post-pandemic travel boom is running out of steam
Fare promotions and other signs of weakening domestic demand show business is leveling out for airlines after post-COVID-19 boom.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?