Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
In U-turn, U.S. backs WHO budget overhaul, but LatAm is opposed – sources
Negotiations on boosting the World Health Organization’s budget to help it prepare for future pandemics made mixed progress last week, with Washington withdrawing criticism but other donors voicing opposition, sources involved in the talks told Reuters. The overhaul of funding is seen as critical to retooling the 74-year-old U.N. body to face future health challenges and is a top priority for director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as he seeks a second term.
Analysis-China’s COVID governance under pressure as Omicron spreads
China’s public health governance is expected to come under acute pressure in coming weeks as the biggest wave of COVID-19 cases since the 2020 Wuhan outbreak stretches medical resources, tests the country’s ability to contain infections and strains the economy. In the past 10 weeks, China has reported more new local symptomatic cases – more than 14,000 – than in all of 2021 amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, fuelling fears of hard lockdowns of cities and economic instability.
COVID-19 retreating in the Americas, says regional health agency
COVID-19 infections and deaths are declining in most of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday, with the exception of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands where cases increased by 56.6% in the past week. In Central America, COVID-19 deaths decreased 28%, it said.
WHO says global rise in COVID cases is ‘tip of the iceberg’
(Reuters) – Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said on Tuesday, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus. After more than a month of decline, COVID cases started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said, with lockdowns in Asia and China’s Jilin province battling to contain an outbreak.
Canada to lift pre-arrival COVID testing requirement for travelers – CBC News
Canada is expected to announce on Thursday that travelers entering the country will no longer have to take a pre-arrival COVID-19 test, CBC News reported, citing sources. Canada will be removing the testing requirements at airports and land border crossings, CBC News said, adding that the requirements will be dropped by the end of March.
WTO chief welcomes COVID shot patent plan, drugmakers balk
The World Trade Organization (WTO) praised a provisional deal to waive patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines after more than a year of deadlock, though drugmakers said the move risked undermining the industry’s ability to respond to future health crises. The United States, the European Union, India and South Africa agreed on Tuesday on key elements for a waiver.
Biogen says Aduhelm reduces Alzheimer’s indicators in long-term trial
Biogen Inc said on Wednesday patients in a long-term trial of its Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm experienced reductions in two key disease indicators after nearly two and a half years of treatment. Biogen said that Aduhelm “significantly reduced” amyloid beta plaque levels out to week 132 of treatment and also decreased plasma levels of a protein called p-tau181 at week 128, Biogen said.
Omicron linked to rise in croup in babies; TB vaccine improves immune response to coronavirus
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. Omicron linked with croup in babies
Nurse cares for surrogate children in Kyiv as war stops her seeing her own
Ukrainian nurse Oksana Martynenko and her colleagues have 21 babies to look after at a makeshift clinic in a residential basement on the outskirts of Kyiv – all of them surrogates whose parents cannot come to collect them because of the war. All the while she has her own family to worry about. Her children are in the region around Sumy, a city some 200 miles (320 km) east of the capital which has been bombarded by Russian forces.
Merck pauses Russia investments, to supply essential medicines
Drugmaker Merck and Co said on Wednesday it would not make further investments in Russia, but continue to supply life-saving medicines and vaccines to the country. Merck joins a growing list of drugmakers, including Pfizer Inc, Eli Lilly, Novartis and Abbvie Inc, which are pausing investments or scaling back their business in Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
(With inputs from agencies.)
