Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID shot 73.2% effective in kids under 5 – new data
Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine was 73.2% effective in children aged between 6 months and 4 years, the company’s data showed on Tuesday, two months after the U.S. rollout of the shots began for that age group. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine was authorized for children under 5 years of age in June, based on data that showed the vaccine generated a similar immune response to those seen in older age groups.
New Ebola case confirmed in eastern Congo, linked to previous outbreak
A new case of Ebola virus has been confirmed in the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) said on Monday. Testing showed the case was genetically linked to the 2018-2020 outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which killed nearly 2,300 people, said a statement from Placide Mbala, chief of the Pathogen Genomics Laboratory at INRB.
China says COVID has exacerbated decline in births, marriages
China’s National Health Commission said COVID-19 has contributed to the decline in the country’s marriage and birth rates that has accelerated in recent years due to the high costs of education and child-rearing. Many women are continuing to delay their plans to marry or have children, it said, adding that rapid economic and social developments have led to “profound changes”.
U.S. CDC recommends use of Novavax’s COVID shot for adolescents
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday signed off on the use of Novavax Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents aged 12 through 17. The recommendation follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorization for the vaccine for the age group last week.
Mexico to protest to U.N. over missing COVAX vaccines
Mexico will file a complaint to the United Nations over the failure to deliver vaccines against COVID-19 that the government bought under a program backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. Mexico was owed $75 million, Lopez Obrador said, for COVID-19 vaccines meant to be supplied under COVAX, which was established by WHO during the pandemic to help distribute vaccines equitably across the world.
Pfizer seeks U.S. authorization for vaccine booster retooled for Omicron
Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech said on Monday they had sought U.S. authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine booster retooled to target the Omicron variant, and would have doses available to ship immediately after regulatory clearance.
The request to the Food and Drug Administration was for a so-called bivalent vaccine containing the dominant BA.4/BA.5 variants of the virus along with the original coronavirus strain. It is intended for ages 12 and above.
Analysis-Experts question reliance on monkeypox vaccine with little data, short supply
A reliance on vaccines in short supply and questions over their best use are hampering efforts to curb the global spread of monkeypox which has hit dozens of countries for the first time, health officials say. There are just 1.5 million vials of Bavarian Nordic’s monkeypox vaccine either administered or currently available in the ten worst-affected countries, which account for nearly 90% of all cases. The vast majority of doses are in the United States. The figures are based on a Reuters tally of government statements, and highlight the extent of the global supply gap for the first time.
Britain to pilot using smaller doses of monkeypox vaccine to boost supply
Britain is following the United States and Europe in making the most of the limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine by administering smaller doses of the shot, health officials said on Monday. Three National Health Service sites are set to begin a pilot testing of the so-called fractional dosing approach, which involves using one vial of the vaccine to administer up to five separate doses – instead of a single dose – by injecting a smaller amount in between layers of the skin (intradermal injection).
U.S. judge questions Idaho abortion ban challenged by Biden administration
A U.S. judge on Monday signaled he was open to the U.S. Department of Justice’s effort to block a near-total ban on abortions in Idaho from being enforced in emergencies, saying it could prevent care to pregnant women whose lives are in danger. The case is President Joe Biden’s administration’s first legal challenge to a state abortion ban since the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure.
British scientists behind key COVID trial launch study to test monkeypox treatment
The British scientists behind one of the major therapeutic COVID-19 trials have turned their focus to treatments for monkeypox, a viral disease that has been labeled a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). The team from Oxford University behind the so-called RECOVERY trial – which honed in on four effective COVID treatments – on Tuesday unveiled a new trial, dubbed PLATINUM, to confirm whether SIGA Technologies’ tecovirimat is an effective treatment for monkeypox.
(With inputs from agencies.)
