China exported more than 220 billion masks in 2020: government

China exported more than 220 billion face masks last year, the commerce ministry said Friday, the equivalent of nearly 40 per person outside China as demand for protective gear skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Out of sight, cleaners perform critical work in COVID ICUs

Clad head to toe in protective gear, doctors and nurses cluster around the patient, fighting to keep the coronavirus-stricken man alive.

Reddit users say GameStop rocket is revenge of the masses

For some Reddit users, GameStop's dizzying rocket ride on Wall Street is a case of the masses rebelling against one-percenters hoarding the world's wealth.

WHO team visits Wuhan hospital that had early COVID patients

A World Health Organization team on Friday visited a hospital where China says the first COVID-19 patients were treated more than a year ago as part of the experts' long-awaited fact-finding mission on the origins of the coronavirus.

Google bombards Australian search users as PR campaign intensifies

US tech giant Google stepped up its public relations campaign against Australian regulation Friday, presenting all search users Down Under with a "proposal" to water down planned rules.

Miami Heat opens doors to fans thanks to COVID-sniffing dogs

Miami Heat fans were able to watch a basketball game in person for the first time since the pandemic shut down the NBA last March—in part thanks to dogs trained to detect COVID infections.

Dangerous Liaison: New Zealand virus quarantine flaw exposed

The woman who took a flight back to New Zealand was supposed to avoid all physical contact with others for 14 days as she went into mandatory quarantine. The man working at the quarantine hotel was supposed to be the last line of defense.

Mexico tops 155,000 COVID-19 deaths, may be 3rd highest

Mexico reached 155,145 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 Thursday, which would make it the country with the world's third-highest total, passing India's death toll of 153,847.

Tiger that undewent rare hip replacement surgery has setback

An Amur tiger that underwent hip-replacement surgery at a zoo outside Chicago has managed to dislodge the orthopedic implant, veterinarians at Brookfield Zoo said Thursday.

Second Brazil wave strains hospitals in Sao Paulo's interior

Rodinei Silva made two trips this week to the Santa Casa de Jau hospital in the interior of Brazil's Sao Paulo state. First, he brought his wife, who was suffering COVID-19 symptoms including trouble breathing. She tested positive, but was sent home with medication because space was scarce.

Europe awaits AstraZeneca approval as virus variant worries grow

European regulators were expected to announce Friday if they have approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus shot, as concerns grew around the world over the effectiveness of vaccines against new variants of the deadly pathogen.

Role of race in US vaccine rollout gets put to the test

The role that race should play in deciding who gets priority for the COVID-19 vaccine was put to the test Thursday in Oregon, but people of color won't be the specific focus in the next phase of the state's rollout as tensions around equity and access to the shots emerge nationwide.

UN chief calls for regulating social media companies

The United Nations chief called Thursday for global rules to regulate powerful social media companies like Twitter and Facebook.

Huawei smartphone sales plunge as US sanctions bite

Sales of smartphones made by Chinese telecom giant Huawei plunged in the latest quarter of 2020 as they were hit by US sanctions on its suppliers, research firm Canalys said on Friday.

Ethnic health disparities among older adults in England equivalent to 20-year age difference, even before COVID-19

Experts call for policy reform to improve ethnic equity of socioeconomic opportunity, service provision, and health outcomes. They also call for long-term studies to investigate how structural and institutional racism generate these ethnic inequalities in health.

Genetic screening before prescribing could benefit millions

Four million UK patients could benefit annually from genetic testing before being prescribed common medicines, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in collaboration with Boots UK and Leiden University (Netherlands).

Metformin may affect risk of breast cancer in women with type 2 diabetes

A study of 44,541 women has found that there appears to be no association between type 2 diabetes and developing breast cancer overall. This may be because most women in the study with type 2 diabetes were taking metformin, a medication widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, whose actions may help to reduce the risk of developing oestrogen positive (ER-positive) breast cancer.

Obesity may exacerbate the effects of Alzheimer's disease, new study shows

New research from the University of Sheffield has found being overweight is an additional burden on brain health and it may exacerbate Alzheimer's disease.

Without vaccination against 10 diseases, mortality in children would be 45% higher: study

Vaccinations against 10 major pathogens have a substantial impact on public health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to new modelling research published in The Lancet. The study estimated that from 2000 to 2019 vaccinations have prevented 37 million deaths, and that this figure will increase to 69 million deaths for the period 2000-2030. Most of this impact is estimated to be among children younger than five years, most notably from measles vaccinations.

Disabled teachers being 'sidelined' in drive for more inclusive schools

One of the first academic studies to examine the working lives of disabled teachers in England has called for 'urgent change' after finding evidence of significant workplace discrimination and barriers to their career progression.

Team finds strategy to protect developing brain from prenatal stress in mice

New research from the University of Iowa and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center demonstrates that offspring can be protected from the effects of prenatal stress by administering a neuroprotective compound during pregnancy.