Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Explainer: Should my teen get the COVID-19 vaccine?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12, widening the country’s inoculation program as vaccination rates have slowed significantly. The following information should help parents deciding whether to inoculate their adolescent children.
India reports 362,727 new coronavirus infections
India had 362,727 new COVID-19 infections over the last 24 hours while deaths climbed by 4,120, taking the toll to 258,317, health ministry data showed. The South Asian nation’s total caseload now stands at 23.7 million.
How can we stop the next pandemic? Here’s what WHO panel recommends
A new global system should be set up to respond faster to disease outbreaks to help ensure no future virus causes a pandemic as devastating as COVID-19, an independent World Health Organization review panel said on Wednesday. The experts found crucial shortcomings in the global response in early 2020 – including a delay in declaring an emergency, a failure to impose travel restrictions, and an entire “lost month” when countries neglected to respond to warnings – that let the virus quickly spread into a crippling pandemic.
England’s coronavirus infections halved since March, study finds
The prevalence of coronavirus infections in England has halved since March helped by the swift rollout of vaccines, but new variants remain a threat, according to the findings of a closely watched survey released on Thursday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday gave the green light to hugging and the serving of pints inside pubs from next week after months of strict restrictions as he set out the next phase of easing the pandemic lockdown.
Taiwanese cities tighten restrictions after COVID-19 cases rise
Taiwanese cities are tightening restrictions on access to public venues like gyms and libraries after a rare rise in domestic COVID-19 infections that has spooked the stock market and unnerved the island. Early and effective prevention steps, including largely closing its borders, succeeded in shielding Taiwan from the worst of the pandemic. It has reported just 1,231 infections so far.
Ohio governor offers chance at $1 million prize to get vaccinated
As U.S. political leaders grow increasingly desperate to persuade Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Wednesday topped offers of baseball tickets and beer with a $1 million prize draw. DeWine, a Republican, said five Ohio residents would win the money in once-a-week drawings for adults who have received at least one dose of the now-plentiful vaccines. The funds will come from federal pandemic relief funds.
mRNA vaccines appear effective vs India variant; people with HIV at higher risk for severe COVID-19
The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. mRNA vaccines likely effective against India variant
Delaying second COVID-19 vaccine doses can help reduce deaths – study
Giving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine but delaying a second dose among people younger than 65 could lead to fewer people dying of the disease, but only if certain conditions are met, a predictive modeling study showed. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, there is debate over whether to extend the gap between doses to give as many people as possible some protection or stick to the intervals designated in clinical trials.
Global concern grows as COVID-19 variant ravages rural India
India’s coronavirus death toll crossed 250,000 on Wednesday in the deadliest 24 hours since the pandemic began, as the disease rampaged through the countryside, leaving families to weep over the dead in rural hospitals or camp inwards to tend the sick. The second wave erupted in February, inundating hospitals and medical staff, as well as crematoriums and mortuaries.
CDC panel clears way to COVID-19 vaccines for U.S. adolescents
U.S. states are set to begin using the vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE to inoculate young adolescents against COVID-19 after advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) backed the plan in a unanimous vote on Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the vaccine for children aged 12 to 15, offering relief to parents eager to get their children back to schools and summer camps. The action by the CDC group is an important, but not required, the final seal of federal regulatory approval.
(With inputs from agencies.)
