July 27, 2021

Never Limited To Only Big Carriers With Marine Online

Addressing cargo owners’ difficulties finding vessels with digitalisation

SINGAPORE, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Ever since the Suez Canal blockage, the world supply chain today struggles with finding vessels for their consignments and exorbitant rates to secure space. However, cargo owners need not limit themselves to their existing network of vessels by their traditional practices of calling brokers.

Marine Online is an effective platform for cargo owners to charter suitable vessels for their business needs. Shipowners who are on the lookout for cargoes can also leverage Marine Online’s network of cargo owners for the same purpose. Above all, both ship and cargo owners enjoy both time and monetary savings through transacting with Marine Online’s platform. Parties can be assured of zero hidden costs – compared to commissions charged by a broker in the traditional chartering process.

Kenny Phua, Vice President of Marine Online’s chartering department, added “We understand the difficulties cargo owners face today from worldwide equipment shortage. Our platform is definitely a useful alternative for both ship and cargo owners. Shippers having difficulties sourcing for suitable vessels can tap into our network to bridge their consignment gaps. Shipowners can also leverage our network to source for cargo – especially those cargo owners who limit themselves to big carriers. We are confident Marine Online is an effective medium to help the industry sustain their operations sans the prevailing exorbitant rates and loadings.”

Marine Online’s platform offers both ship and cargo owners to charter through market or private orders – subject to their preferences. Parties are assured of secured and seamless transactions with all communications captured in the platform for record purposes.

About Marine Online (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Marine Online is the world’s first one-stop integrated platform specialising in maritime services for the global market. Launched in 2019, it has provided various maritime services through its revolutionary A.I and Big Data enabled platform to regional ship and cargo owners. With its portfolio of 8 major services, Marine Online shapes the future of maritime by using cutting edge technology to create business opportunities and connections. For more information, visit marineonline.com

For media queries, please contact Media Relations:

Contact : +65 6571 5888
Email : marketing@marineonline.com

July 27, 2021

CDC Recommends Indoor Masks Again, Even for Some Vaccinated People

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends vaccinated people in certain parts of the country wear masks while indoors, reversing a decision the agency made two months ago.

In another reversal, the CDC also now recommends teachers, students and staff wear masks inside schools, regardless of vaccination status.

The decision to recommend masks indoors, the CDC says, was based on surging COVID-19 case numbers in parts of the country reporting low vaccination rates.

The rising caseload is driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. There have also been a number of “breakthrough” cases in which fully vaccinated people are infected, though they generally become less sick.

According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, with earlier variants of the virus, vaccinated people showed low levels of the virus and were considered unlikely to be spreaders.

But with the delta variant, she said, the levels of the virus found in the noses and throats of infected vaccinated people was “indistinguishable” from infected unvaccinated people.

“Today’s announcement by the CDC … is another step on our journey to defeating this virus,” President Joe Biden said in a White House statement. “I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas.”

Health officials say vaccines remain effective against the worst outcomes of infection with the virus, including those involving the delta variant.

In May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people no longer would be required to wear masks or maintain social distancing of six feet from other people. The agency still suggested people remain masked on public transportation and at crowded outdoor events.

For months, COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. fell steadily, but those trends reversed over the past two months as the delta variant of the coronavirus began to spread.

The New York Times reports several cities and towns have restored indoor masking rules in recent weeks, including St. Louis, Missouri; Savannah, Georgia; and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Source: Voice of America

July 27, 2021

FDA Asks Moderna, Pfizer to Add More Children to COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy Studies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Pfizer and Moderna to increase the number of school-age children in their ongoing clinical trials to determine if their COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children under 12 years old.

The two drug makers are currently testing their respective vaccines on children between five and 11 years old to assess their chances of developing rare heart inflammation conditions that have been detected in young people under 30 who received the vaccine. The conditions include myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart.

The request could delay formal approval of the two dose vaccines for children in that age group. Moderna, which enrolled nearly 7,000 children in its initial phase of the trial, says it is “actively discussing” the proposal with the FDA. Pfizer, which has enrolled up to 4,500 children between 6 months to 12 years old, says it expects to have results for the 5-11 age group in September, followed by results for ages 2-5 years old shortly after.

The Biden administration said Monday that it will maintain any existing travel restrictions to the United States due to the rise of the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19. The restrictions on dozens of nations across Europe and other parts of the globe, including China, were first imposed at the start of the pandemic in January 2020. The delta variant has been detected in more than 90 countries and comprises more than 80% of all new COVID-19 infections in the U.S.

The push for mandatory vaccinations among health care workers gained further momentum Monday when New York City announced a requirement for all of its municipal employees, including police officers and teachers, to either receive a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. The state of California also issued a mandatory vaccination order for all of its employees plus millions of public and private health care workers.

The two governments joined the U.S. Veterans Affairs department, which operates 1,700 medical centers and outpatient clinics for retired military personnel, in making vaccinations mandatory for most of its health care workers, becoming the first U.S. federal agency to impose such a demand.

In Australia, authorities in southern Victoria state said Tuesday that it will end a five-day hard lockdown on its 5 million residents imposed to battle a surge of new coronavirus infections due to the delta variant. Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said schools, bars and restaurants will be allowed to reopen, although households will not be permitted to welcome visitors.

Australia has been battling a surge of new COVID-19 cases since late June that has been traced to a Sydney airport limousine driver who tested positive for the delta variant after transporting international air crews. Health officials in New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, reported a new single-day record of 172 new infections on Tuesday. Ten people have died during the latest surge.

Australia has been largely successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 through aggressive lockdown efforts, posting just 33,266 total confirmed cases and 922 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. But it has proved vulnerable to fresh outbreaks due to a slow rollout of its vaccination campaign, with only 13% of its citizens fully vaccinated.

And Tokyo recorded 2,848 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday, a new single-day record for the host city of the pandemic-delayed Summer Olympics. The Japanese capital is under a fourth state of emergency that will remain in effect until August 22.

Source: Voice of America