Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Hong Kong cuts COVID quarantine stay for incoming travellers
Hong Kong will shorten the COVID-19 hotel quarantine period for all arrivals to three days from seven, taking another step to gradually unwind stringent pandemic rules that have isolated the Asian financial hub. The measures will be effective from Friday, the city’s leader, John Lee, told a news conference on Monday.
Macau returns to mass COVID testing after case in neighbouring Chinese city Zhuhai
Authorities in Macau instructed residents to conduct at least two days of COVID-19 tests after a person who travelled from the Chinese special administrative region to neighbouring city Zhuhai was found to have been infected with the virus. The move comes days after Macau started to unwind stringent anti-COVID rules, including the resumption of travel to Zhuhai without quarantine from Aug. 3.
Italy kicks off vaccination campaign against monkeypox
Italy opened its vaccination campaign against monkeypox on Monday, as case numbers have increased at a time when health authorities are reporting vaccine shortages worldwide. Italy has reported 545 cases of monkeypox, according to the health ministry. Its vaccination campaign has started more than a month after other countries that have seen higher numbers of cases, including the United States, Britain and Spain.
China’s Hainan expands COVID lockdowns to quell outbreak
China’s Hainan, an island province dependent on tourism, locked down more areas on Monday, state media reported, as it battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak after seeing very few cases in the past two years compared with many other regions in the country. The province, which recorded just two local symptomatic COVID cases last year, has reported more than 1,500 domestically transmitted infections this month, including over 1,000 symptomatic ones. Although that is low by global standards, it is Hainan’s biggest outbreak since the virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
China’s Tibet region faces rare COVID flareup, fresh curbs imposed
The Chinese autonomous region of Tibet, which had barely reported COVID patients for more than two years, is facing a spate of new infections, forcing it to impose various restriction in its second largest city. Tibet reported one infection with confirmed symptoms in January 2020, and then remained clear of cases for over 900 days, the best record among Chinese regions and provinces under China’s “dynamic zero COVID” policy. Its disclosure of asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately, was less clear.
BioNTech expects Omicron-adapted vaccine deliveries as soon as October
BioNTech expects to begin deliveries of two Omicron-adapted vaccines as soon as October, which will help spur demand in the fourth quarter, the German biotech firm said on Monday as it reaffirmed its vaccine-revenue forecast for the year. Demand for the vaccine, 3.6 billion doses of which have been shipped globally, is waning as most people in the Western world have received three or four shots already.
Climate change puts Lyme disease in focus for France’s Valneva after COVID blow
With climate change spurring more cases of tick-borne Lyme disease, drugmaker Valneva is betting big on a vaccine as it looks beyond disappointing sales of its COVID shot. Although Valneva secured European Union and British regulatory approval, both walked away from contracts worth more than a billion dollars combined, wiping nearly 40% off the value of Valneva’s share price in the past six months.
Analysis: Democrats score big wins on climate, drugs with $430 billion U.S. Senate bill
Democrats scored a major policy victory when the U.S. Senate passed a $430 billion climate change, healthcare and tax bill that will help reduce the carbon emissions that drive climate change while also cutting drug costs for the elderly. President Joe Biden’s congressional allies hope the bill, which they pushed through the Senate over united Republican opposition, will boost their chances in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans are favored to recapture the majority in at least one chamber of Congress.
Factbox-Monkeypox cases and deaths around the world
More than 80 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, as confirmed cases crossed 27,800 and non-endemic countries reported their first deaths. Below are the non-endemic countries that have reported monkeypox-related deaths:
Novavax halves revenue forecast on low COVID vaccine demand; shares plunge
Novavax Inc on Monday cut its full-year revenue forecast by half, as the vaccine maker battles low demand for its COVID-19 shot, sending its shares down 32% in extended trading. Novavax said it now expects 2022 total revenue in the range of $2 billion to $2.3 billion, compared with its prior forecast of $4 billion to $5 billion.
(With inputs from agencies.)
