Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Italy’s mandatory health pass not boosting jabs as hoped, data shows
Italy’s attempt to boost vaccinations by making a contested health pass necessary to go to work is not having the desired effect, data shows. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government decreed last month that from Oct. 15 any worker who fails to present the so-called “Green Pass” will be suspended without pay, hoping to convince “no-vax” Italians to have the jab.
Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Merck & Co applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its drug to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19, putting it on course to become the first oral antiviral medication for the disease. AstraZeneca said its experimental drug had helped cut the risk of severe disease or death in a late-stage study. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
EU assesses Regeneron/Roche COVID-19 antibody cocktail for authorisation
The European Union’s drug regulator said it was evaluating a marketing authorisation for an antibody cocktail developed by Roche and Regeneron for treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in people above the age of 12. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Monday it will assess the risks and benefits of the drug, called Ronapreve, and it could issue an opinion within two months. The agency has already started a rolling review of the treatment.
Merck seeks first U.S. authorization for COVID-19 pill
Merck & Co Inc said on Monday it has applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its drug to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19, putting it on course to become the first oral antiviral medication for the disease. An authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could help change clinical management of COVID-19 as the pill can be taken at home.
AstraZeneca antibody cocktail study shows success treating COVID-19
AstraZeneca’s antibody cocktail against COVID-19, which has proven to work as a preventative shot in the non-infected, was also shown to save lives and prevent severe disease when given as treatment within a week of first symptoms. The drug, a combination of two antibodies called AZD7442, reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 or death by 50% in non-hospitalised patients who have had symptoms for seven days or less, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said on Monday.
‘Freedom Day’: Sydney reopens as Australia looks to live with COVID-19
Sydney’s cafes, gyms and restaurants welcomed back fully vaccinated customers on Monday after nearly four months of lockdown, as Australia aims to begin living with the coronavirus and gradually reopen with high rates of inoculation. Some pubs in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, opened at 12:01 a.m. (1301 GMT Sunday) and friends and families huddled together for a midnight beer, television footage and social media images showed.
AstraZeneca antibody drug important as preventative COVID-19 therapy – exec
An AstraZeneca senior executive said on Monday the drugmaker’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail would have a “real advantage” in preventing the coronavirus infection compared with use as a treatment, after trials showed promise in both settings. “I don’t think treatment is where we are going to be competing,” Mene Pangalos, executive vice president for bio-pharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, said during a media briefing.
Romania remains vaccine sceptical despite surge in COVID-19 cases
In leafy Romanian villages surrounding the capital Bucharest, few people realise one person has died from COVID-19 every six minutes in the country during the first 10 days of October, and vaccine scepticism remains high. These villages have some of the highest COVID-19 infection numbers and lowest vaccination rates in the country, which is being ravaged by the fourth wave of the pandemic, with ambulances queuing outside hospitals filled to the brim.
Risk of dangerous blood clots linked to moderate COVID-19; high-dose blood thinner can prevent clots
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 have yet to be certified by peer review. Dangerous blood clots can occur in moderate COVID-19
WHO advises additional COVID shot for immunocompromised people
The World Health Organization on Monday recommended that immunocompromised people be given an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine, due to their higher risk of breakthrough infections after standard immunisation. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunisation said the additional dose should be offered “as part of an extended primary series since these individuals are less likely to respond adequately to vaccination following a standard primary vaccine series and are at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease”.
(With inputs from agencies.)
