Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
With superheroes and puppets, Philippines boosts child vaccination drive
Ironman, Captain America, puppeteers, and performers on stilts entertained children at a vaccination center in the Philippines on Monday, part of a drive to boost its COVID-19 inoculation campaign among its youngest citizens. Artists made swords and models from balloons as “superheroes” posed for pictures with children aged 5 to 11 after they received their shots in the capital Manila.
Easing curbs in ‘COVID-zero regions’ could cause 2 million deaths in a year – China study
Restoring normal population mobility to “COVID-zero regions” like China will cause some 2 million deaths in a year and the key to controlling the virus is developing vaccines that are better at preventing infection, Chinese researchers said. China’s “zero-COVID” restrictions have come under growing scrutiny in recent weeks as it hosts the Winter Olympics in Beijing while using sweeping restrictions to try to prevent the spread of the more infectious Omicron variant.
U.S. funding to now cover study of Novavax’s COVID-19 shot in adolescents
Novavax Inc said on Monday U.S. government funding for its COVID-19 vaccine had been expanded to cover a late-stage study in adolescents with a booster component. Novavax in July 2020 had received $1.6 billion in funding to develop its protein-based vaccine under a government program aimed at accelerating access to coronavirus vaccines and treatments, formerly called Operation Warp Speed.
U.S. CDC urges Americans to avoid travel to Japan, Cuba, Armenia over COVID cases
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday advised against travel to six countries including Japan, Cuba, Libya, Armenia, Oman, and the Democratic Republic of Congo over COVID-19 cases. The CDC now lists more than 130 countries and territories with COVID-19 cases as “Level Four: Very High.” It lists just over 50 countries as “Level Three: High,” discouraging non-essential travel by unvaccinated Americans.
New Zealand PM warns of more COVID variants in 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic will not end with the Omicron variant and New Zealand will have to prepare for more variants of the virus this year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday in her first parliamentary speech for 2022. Ardern’s warning came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the parliament building in the capital Wellington, demanding an end to coronavirus restrictions and vaccine mandates.
New Jersey, California among states moving to ease mask mandates as Omicron ebbs
Officials in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, California, and Oregon said on Monday they will lift indoor mask mandates for schools and other public places in coming weeks, seeking a return to “normalcy” as soaring COVID-19 infections fueled by the Omicron variant abate. The changes signal a growing inclination by political leaders in those states, all led by Democrats, to take pandemic-weary residents off an emergency footing and shift toward policies that treat the virus as part of everyday life.
Nerve-stimulation device helps paralyzed patients walk, cycle and swim
Three patients whose lower bodies were left completely paralyzed after spinal cord injuries were able to walk, cycle, and swim using a nerve-stimulation device controlled by a touchscreen tablet, researchers reported on Monday. The patients’ injuries to a region called the thoracic spine – below the neck and above the lowest part of the back – were sustained one to nine years before receiving the treatment. They were able to take their first steps within an hour after neurosurgeons first implanted prototypes of a nerve-stimulation device remotely controlled by artificial intelligence software.
COVID disrupts health services in over 90% of countries -WHO
Disruptions in basic health services such as vaccination programs and treatment of diseases like AIDS were reported in 92% of 129 countries, a World Health Organization survey on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic showed on Monday. The survey, conducted in November-December 2021, showed services were “severely impacted” with “little or no improvement” from the previous survey in early 2021, the WHO said in a statement sent to journalists.
Japan to consider early approval for Shionogi COVID pill
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday the government would consider granting conditional early approval for the oral COVID-19 treatment being developed by Shionogi & Co Ltd, as the firm prepares to start a late-stage global trial. Shionogi Chief Executive Isao Teshirogi told reporters that the company could file in Japan for early approval of the drug as soon as next week and that it could deliver enough doses for 1 million people by the end of March.
Many babies of mRNA-vaccinated moms have antibodies at 6 months; Moderate COVID tied to higher childbirth risks
The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Many babies have maternal mRNA-vaccine antibodies at 6 months
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
