Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
U.S. administers 352.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – CDC
The United States has administered 352,550,944 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Tuesday morning and distributed 408,325,135 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 351,933,175 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Aug. 9 out of 407,560,705 doses delivered.
Antibody levels predictive of Moderna’s vaccine efficacy -study
Antibody levels are a good predictor for how effective Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine is, according to a new study released on Tuesday, a finding which could help speed up future clinical trials for vaccines against the disease. Regulators currently rely on large placebo-controlled studies to determine if a vaccine works, but the study https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.09.21261290v1.full.pdf, conducted by scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Moderna and elsewhere, showed that measuring the antibody levels in vaccine recipients could also determine effectiveness.
Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
School districts in Florida and Texas are bucking their Republican governors’ bans on requiring masks for children and teachers as coronavirus cases soar in conservative areas with low vaccination rates. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases top 2,200, hit record
South Korea reported more than 2,200 new daily COVID-19 cases, a record since the pandemic began last January, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Wednesday, as the country grapples with its most severe coronavirus outbreak. Despite having distancing measures in place for over a month, infections have spiked due to the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and a rise in domestic travel over summer, Kwon told a COVID response meeting.
Merkel prods Germans to get COVID-19 vaccine as 4th wave worries mount
Germany’s coronavirus vaccination drive has slowed and those people who have not taken up the opportunity to have shots will have to take COVID-19 tests to take a full part in public life, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday. To nudge more people to get vaccinated amid concerns about a rise in new cases, Merkel said the government will stop offering free tests from Oct. 11, except for those for whom vaccination is not recommended, such as children and pregnant women.
Biden urges Americans in hurricane-prone states to get COVID-19 shots
President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Americans in hurricane-prone states to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves in case they have to evacuate from their homes, warning that serious hurricanes could strike this month. The spread of the coronavirus has been particularly severe in Florida and other parts of the Southeastern United States, which is bracing for major storms as the country heads into the height of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Florida, Texas schools defy governors’ bans on mask mandates as COVID cases soar
School districts in Florida and Texas are bucking their Republican governors’ bans on requiring masks for children and teachers as coronavirus cases soar in conservative areas with low vaccination rates. The Broward County school board in Florida on Tuesday became the latest major district to flout an order by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis outlawing mask requirements in that state, prompting the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-seeks-support-florida-schools-threatened-by-governor-over-masks-2021-08-10, a Democrat, to say it was considering supporting the school districts financially if DeSantis retaliates against them by withholding funds from officials’ salaries.
Oxford researcher urges Britain to donate vaccines rather than give boosters
Booster shots for COVID-19 vaccines are not currently needed and the doses should be given to other countries, Oxford vaccine chief Andrew Pollard said on Tuesday in contrast to the position taken by Britain’s health minister. Pollard, who heads the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that a decision to boost should be based on scientific studies, and there had not been any evidence yet of an increase in severe disease or deaths among the fully vaccinated.
China keeps guard up as COVID outbreak enters 4th week
China is keeping its guard up as its latest surge of COVID-19 cases entered its fourth week, with calls from officials to close containment loopholes unlikely to see cities easing strict virus control measures. China reported 83 new locally transmitted cases for Aug. 10, the health authority reported, bringing the cumulative number of new infections in the past week to 583.
Melbourne COVID lockdown extended for week after 20 new cases reported
Australia’s second-biggest city Melbourne will stay locked down for a second week after reporting 20 new COVID-19 cases as it struggles to stamp out infections caused by the highly infectious Delta variant of the pandemic. Melbourne had been due to exit the lockdown on Thursday, the sixth for its five million people in stop-start battles against the coronavirus also seen elsewhere across the country have triggered frustration and discord https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/we-are-not-virus-two-tier-delta-lockdowns-divide-sydney-2021-08-10.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
