Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
China reports 1,275 new COVID cases for March 27 vs 1,254 a day earlier
China reported 1,275 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 27, the national health authority said on Monday, compared with 1,254 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 1,219 were locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said, versus 1,217 a day earlier.
Shanghai to lock down in two stages for testing as COVID cases spike
China’s financial hub of Shanghai said on Sunday it would lock down the city in two stages to carry out COVID-19 testing over a nine-day period, after it reported a new daily record for asymptomatic infections. Authorities said they would divide Shanghai into two for the exercise, using the Huangpu River that passes through the city as a guide. Districts to the east of the river, and some to its west, will be locked down and tested between March 28 and April 1. The remaining areas will be locked down and tested between April 1 and 5.
China’s Shanghai split in two for COVID lockdown as asymptomatic cases surge
China’s financial hub of Shanghai launched a planned two-stage lockdown of the city of 26 million people on Monday, closing bridges and tunnels, and restricting highway traffic in a scramble to contain surging local COVID-19 cases. The snap lockdown, announced by Shanghai’s city government on Sunday, will split the city in two roughly along the Huangpu River for nine days to allow for “staggered” testing. It is the biggest COVID-related disruption to hit the city so far.
Israeli study: 2nd vaccine booster significantly lowers COVID death rate
Senior citizens who received a second booster of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination had a 78% lower mortality rate from the disease than those who got one only, a study from Israel showed on Sunday. The country’s largest healthcare provider, Clalit Health Services, said the 40-day study included more than half a million people aged 60 to 100.
Medicago’s tobacco ties jeopardize growth of its COVID shot
Canadian vaccine maker Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine, approved last month in Canada, is facing limited growth in the near term after the World Health Organization said it would not review the vaccine because the company is partly owned by U.S.-Swiss tobacco company Philip Morris, health experts say. The WHO said at a briefing this month and in a follow-up statement to Reuters that it has not accepted an application for the vaccine because of its 2005 public health treaty requiring no involvement with any company that produces or promotes tobacco-based products.
Hong Kong health authorities report 8,037 new COVID cases
Hong Kong reported 8,037 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday and 151 deaths, the second day in a row below 10,000 cases, as the global financial hub gradually starts to open up, with the government announcing an easing of restrictions from April.
(With inputs from agencies.)
