Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
U.S. House passes bill to protect right to travel for abortion
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed legislation to safeguard the right to travel across state lines to seek an abortion after several states banned the procedure in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court ruling. The Democratic-controlled House voted 223 to 205, largely along party lines, to prevent states that have limited abortion from obstructing women’s ability to seek care elsewhere.
India’s COVID vaccinations hit 2 billion, new cases at four-month high
The Indian government’s COVID-19 vaccinations hit 2 billion on Sunday, with booster doses underway for all adults, as daily infections hit four-month high, official data showed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extolled the vaccination milestone, celebrating the world’s largest and longest-running inoculation campaign, which began last year.
China reports 691 new COVID cases on July 16 vs 547 a day earlier
Mainland China reported 691 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, of which 154 were symptomatic and 537 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. That compares with 547 new cases a day earlier – 129 symptomatic and 418 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.
U.S. adds 2.5 million Bavarian Nordic monkeypox vaccine doses, expects more in July
The U.S. government has ordered an additional 2.5 million doses of Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine for use against monkeypox and expects more later this month to fight an outbreak of the viral disease. So far, 1,470 cases of monkeypox, which can cause flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, have been identified in the country, mostly among men who have sex with men.
China reports 547 new COVID cases on July 15 vs 533 a day earlier
Mainland China reported 547 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, of which 129 were symptomatic and 418 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Saturday. That compares with 533 new cases a day earlier – 113 symptomatic and 420 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.
Japan daily COVID infections exceed 110,000 to hit record -Jiji
Japan’s daily COVID-19 infections hit a record of more than 110,000, Jiji news agency reported on Saturday. Faced with a seventh COVID wave, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday urged the public to exercise maximum vigilance.
Australia reinstates COVID quarantine pay amid fresh Omicron wave
Australia will reinstate support payments for casual workers who have to quarantine due to COVID-19, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday, as a fresh wave of Omicron-driven infections sweeps the country. Australia is battling a major virus outbreak driven by the highly transmissible new Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, with authorities warning it could lead to more people ending up in hospitals and further straining the health system.
Ghana confirms its first outbreak of highly infectious Marburg virus
Ghana has officially confirmed two cases of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola, its health service said on Sunday, after two people who later died tested positive for the virus earlier this month. Tests conducted in Ghana came back positive on July 10, but the results had to be verified by a laboratory in Senegal for the cases to be considered confirmed, according to the World Health Organization.
(With inputs from agencies.)
