Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
EU lawmakers to vote on whether to warn drinkers off all alcohol – or only too much
EU lawmakers will vote over the next two days on whether to warn Europeans against all alcohol consumption to fight cancer – or only against drinking too much. The European Parliament will discuss a resolution based on the European Commission’s “Beating Cancer Plan”, outlined last year. That seeks to reduce environmental pollution, advise on diets and cut tobacco consumption.
Netherlands to drop most COVID measures starting Friday
The Dutch government will lift most of its coronavirus restrictions as of Friday, as the record levels of infections triggered by the Omicron variant have not translated in a peak of hospitalisations, health minister Ernst Kuipers said on Tuesday. “The country will open up again … happily we are in a different phase now,” Kuipers said during a press conference.
Oxford scientists to study effects of COVID variants, shots in pregnancy
Oxford University scientists said on Tuesday they would evaluate the effects of new coronavirus variants on pregnant women and newborns, as well as COVID-19 vaccination effects on complications during pregnancy and after birth. The study comes less than a year after the university found that pregnant women with COVID-19 and their newborn children faced higher risks of complications, such as premature birth and organ failure risk, than was previously known.
First woman reported cured of HIV after bone marrow transplant
A U.S. patient with leukemia has become the first woman and the third person to date to be cured of HIV after receiving a bone marrow transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus that causes AIDS, researchers reported on Tuesday. The case of a 64-year-old woman of mixed race, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunisitic Infections in Denver, is also the first involving umbilical cord blood, a newer approach that may make the treatment available to more people.
Omicron threat remains high in east Europe – WHO
A new wave of infections from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is moving towards the east of Europe, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, urging authorities to improve vaccination and other measures. Over the past two weeks, cases of COVID-19 have more than doubled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, WHO’s Europe regional director Hans Kluge said in a statement.
China’s potential mRNA COVID vaccine weaker against Omicron-study
A Chinese mRNA vaccine candidate showed a sharper drop in neutralizing antibody activity against Omicron than against the non-mutated coronavirus in a small study, but a booster readily induced antibody production in animal tests, a research paper said. The ARCoV vaccine, jointly developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS), Suzhou Abogen Biosciences and Walvax Biotechnology, is currently being tested in an international Phase III clinical trial.
Israel to offer AstraZeneca’s Evusheld to immunocompromised people
Israel will start offering AstraZeneca’s antibody cocktail Evusheld, which is used to prevent COVID-19, to people with compromised immune systems who did not get a sufficient antibody boost from vaccines. Evusheld has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has proven to be 83% effective in preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
U.S. Senate narrowly confirms Dr. Robert Califf to lead FDA for second time
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Dr. Robert Califf as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after some senators had argued his ties to the pharmaceutical industry or views on birth control made him unfit for the role. Calif, 70, is a well-regarded cardiologist and researcher who takes the helm at the FDA for a second time over a year after the health regulator last had a permanent leader. His confirmation comes at a pivotal moment as the agency reviews vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.
Canada to ease travel requirements as COVID cases decline
Canada will ease entry for fully vaccinated international travelers starting on Feb. 28 as COVID-19 cases decline, allowing a rapid antigen test for travelers instead of a molecular one, officials said on Tuesday. The new measures, which include dropping compulsory testing on entry, were announced by federal government ministers at a briefing. Canada will also drop coronavirus testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians who make short trips – less than 72 hours – abroad, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said.
COVID vaccination during pregnancy helps protect babies after birth -U.S. study
Vaccinating pregnant women against the coronavirus may help prevent COVID-19 hospitalizations in infants after they are born, especially if the expecting mothers got the shots later in their pregnancy, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. The findings shed light on whether the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy extend to infants who would be too young to receive vaccines.
(With inputs from agencies.)
