Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Australia unlikely to fully reopen borders in 2021 as virus cases slide
Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year even if most of the population is vaccinated against coronavirus, the head of its health department said on Monday as the country recorded zero local COVID-19 cases. Australian authorities are also looking at potential adverse effects of the Pfizer vaccine after Norway reported a small number of deaths in old people who received the shot.
China reports 109 new COVID-19 cases as infections persist in northeast
China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for the sixth consecutive day, with rising infections in the northeast fuelling concerns of another national wave ahead of the country's biggest holiday. The National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday that a total of 109 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Jan. 17, unchanged from a day earlier. Of the 93 local infections, 54 were reported in Hebei province that surrounds Beijing. Northeastern Jilin province reported a record 30 new cases, underscoring the risk of new clusters emerging.
Bayer aims to help CureVac with COVID-19 vaccine output, says CEO
German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is examining whether it can help CureVac to produce its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Sunday. Though inoculation campaigns have started around the world using various COVID-19 vaccines, many countries say their ability to get shots into arms is being limited by lower than expected supplies owing to a shortage of production.
Brazil clears emergency use of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines, shots begin
Brazilian health regulator Anvisa on Sunday approved emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd and Britain's AstraZeneca, clearing the way for immunizations as the pandemic enters a deadly second wave. Minutes after Anvisa's board voted unanimously to approve both vaccines, Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse in Sao Paulo, became the first person to be inoculated in the country, receiving the Chinese vaccine known as CoronaVac.
India's COVID-19 vaccination drive hits bump due to app glitch
India's COVID-19 vaccination drive hit a bump on the first day due to glitches in an app called Co-Win that is being used to coordinate the campaign, according to several officials involved in the immunisation programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched what his government has described as the "world's largest vaccination programme" on Saturday to rein in the pandemic in India, which has reported the second highest number of cases after the United States.
U.S. CDC reports 394,495 deaths from the coronavirus
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 23,653,919 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 213,145 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 3,557 to 394,495. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the illness known as COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. EST on Saturday versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/3m662x4)
Portugal's health system on brink of collapse as COVID-19 cases surge
Portugal's public health system is on the verge of collapsing as hospitals in the areas worst-affected by a worrying surge in coronavirus cases are quickly running out of intensive care beds to treat COVID-19 patients. "Our health system is under a situation of extreme pressure," Health Minister Marta Temido told reporters on Sunday afternoon after a visit to a struggling hospital. "There is a limit and we are very close to it."
Fauci says 100 million vaccinations in 100 days 'absolutely a doable thing'
President-elect Joe Biden's goal of delivering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency "is absolutely a doable thing," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday. Fauci, speaking on NBC's "Meet The Press", said two new vaccines under development by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson could "very soon" be presented to U.S. regulators for approval, which would increase the pace of vaccinations. "We're weeks away, not months away, for sure," he said.
England expands COVID-19 vaccination programme to more groups
England will launch the next phase of its COVID-19 vaccination programme on Monday when it will start offering doses to people aged 70 and above and those who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus. The vaccination programme - the biggest so far in Europe - has focused until now on people aged 80 and older as well as frontline health and care staff.
Venezuela dispatches oxygen for Brazil's Amazonas, reeling from COVID-19
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Sunday that a convoy of trucks carrying emergency oxygen supplies for Brazil's northern Amazonas state, where a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit hard, has departed and is set to arrive at the border by Monday morning. Reading from a message sent by Justo Noguera, governor of Venezuela's southern Bolivar state, Maduro said during a state television appearance that the six trucks would arrive at the Santa Elena de Uairen border crossing by morning, where they would be handed over to Brazilian health authorities.
