Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
PAHO says women disproportionately affected by COVID-19 pandemic
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday said that across the Americas the COVID-19 pandemic has placed the most vulnerable at greater risk and in a region rife with inequality women have been disproportionately affected.
Ukraine needs humanitarian corridor for medicines to reach hospitals, health minister says
Ukraine is facing problems distributing medicines to pharmacies and hospitals due to the Russian invasion and wants to establish a humanitarian corridor for them, Health Minister Oleh Lyashko said on Wednesday. Lyashko also raised the issue of supplying medical oxygen to coronavirus patients, but added that there were still enough stocks for the moment.
Hong Kong urges calm as residents fret over COVID measures
Any decision to impose a COVID-19 lockdown in Hong Kong will take into account the global financial hub’s status and ensure basic needs, the government said on Wednesday, urging anxious residents who thronged supermarkets this week to stay calm. Authorities reported a new daily record of 55,353 new infections, with 117 deaths in the Chinese-ruled city. Infections have surged more than 500 times from about 100 cases a day at the beginning of February.
White House to work with Congress on additional COVID funds -Zients
The White House will work with Congress in coming weeks to secure additional funding needed to prepare and manage COVID now and long-term, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on Wednesday. Zients did not give a specific amount that the Biden administration would request but said it would work to finalize a figure with U.S. lawmakers in the weeks ahead.
Greece lifts mask-wearing outdoors as COVID infections recede
Greece will lift its requirement of mask-wearing outdoors from Saturday, its health minister said on Wednesday, as COVID-19 infections are trending lower. The advisory committee of infectious disease experts recommended the lifting and the government accepted the recommendation, Health Minister Thanos Plevris said.
WHO says first medical aid for Ukraine to arrive in Poland
A first shipment of medical aid for Ukraine will arrive in Poland on Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as the UN agency warned of an escalating health crisis in the country following Russia’s invasion. The delivery includes 6 tons of trauma care and emergency surgery supplies to help 150,000 people, but how to get them to Ukrainians in need remains unclear, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.
Fitbit recalls over one million Ionic smartwatches over burn injury risk
Google-owned Fitbit has recalled more than a million of its Ionic smartwatches following reports that overheating batteries had caused burn injuries, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Wednesday. The regulator said Fitbit had received at least 115 reports in the United States and 59 from overseas, including cases where the overheating led to third- and second-degree burns.
Highly lethal bird flu spreads to Iowa backyard poultry flock
Iowa reported a highly lethal form of bird flu in a backyard poultry flock on Wednesday, expanding a U.S. outbreak of the disease to the top egg-producing state. The flock in Pottawattamie County, which was not being raised for commercial production, will be culled to prevent the spread of the disease, Iowa said.
Purdue Pharma mediator indicates Sackler opioid deal in final stage
A mediator in Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy case on Wednesday indicated an agreement was being drafted between the company’s owners and U.S. states pressing for more money to resolve allegations that the OxyContin maker fueled the opioid epidemic. Members of the wealthy Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, have been trying to reach an agreement with eight states and the District of Columbia, after they had blocked a previous settlement that included a $4.3 billion cash payment.
Pfizer to provide 10 million courses of COVID pill to developing countries -the Global Fund
Pfizer Inc is expected to provide around 10 million courses of its highly effective COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid to low- and middle-income countries this year, according to an official with the Global Fund, a healthcare NGO working to buy the pills from the drugmaker. The Fund’s head of strategy for policy, Harley Feldbaum, said Pfizer had committed to at least that many doses and could increase shipments later if organizations involved show they are able to distribute the pills well, noting most will be available toward the end of the year.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
