Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City extends virus lockdown
Vietnam will extend a strict lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City until Aug. 1, state media reported on Friday, as the Southeast Asian country battles one of its most challenging and unpredictable COVID-19 outbreaks to date. After successfully containing the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been facing a complicated outbreak of the virus, with southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces accounting for most new infections.
WHO urges collaboration on virus origin after China rejects inquiry plan
The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Friday for all countries to work together to investigate the origins of the coronavirus that caused COVID-19, a day after China rejected plans for more checks on labs and markets in its territory. The first human cases of COVID-19 were reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. China has repeatedly dismissed theories that the virus leaked from one of its laboratories.
AstraZeneca’s once-weekly diabetes drug gets U.S. nod for children
AstraZeneca said on Friday its once-weekly diabetes medicine Bydureon was approved in the United States for use in patients as young as age 10, expanding the drug’s access to a critical population. Chemically called exenatide, the drug is an injectable suspension and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in 10-year to 18-year olds who have type-2 diabetes, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said.
England’s COVID R number unchanged, daily growth rate broadly stable
The COVID-19 reproduction “R” number in England is estimated at between 1.2 and 1.4, the government’s latest weekly estimate said on Friday, unchanged on the previous week, with the daily growth rate of infections also fairly stable. An R value between 1.2 and 1.4 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people.
United States buys 200 million more doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech said on Friday the U.S. government had purchased 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine and had the option to buy an updated version of the vaccine targeting new variants of the virus. The deal comes as the Delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps the country and drives up infections, contributing to the debate over whether or not Americans will need a booster dose this fall.
Sinopharm’s COVID-19 shot offers weaker protection among elderly – study
Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine was less effective in offering protection against the disease among the elderly, according to the results of a Hungarian study. The study of 450 participants who had received two doses of the vaccine showed measurable antibody levels were present in about 90% of people under the age of 50, but the protection reduced as age increased.
Public Health England says signs of increased reinfection risk with Delta variant
Public Health England on Friday said that there were early signs of increased reinfection risk from the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant compared to Alpha, in an update of its variant risk assessment. It said that out of a total of 3,692 people hospitalised with the Delta variant, 2,152 people, or 58.3%, were unvaccinated, and 843 (22.8%) were fully vaccinated.
Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
The World Health Organization called for all countries to work together to investigate the origins of the coronavirus that caused COVID-19, a day after China rejected plans for more checks on labs and markets in its territory. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
Bharat Biotech terminates Covaxin deal with Brazil’s Precisa
Bharat Biotech has terminated a memorandum of understanding to sell its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to Brazil’s Precisa Medicamentos, the Indian company said on Friday without disclosing the reason. Bharat’s statement said it will continue to work with Brazilian healthcare regulator Anvisa to obtain all required approvals for the use of Covaxin in the country.
Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill
Vaccinated individuals accounted for three-quarters of Singapore’s COVID-19 infections in the last four weeks, but they were not falling seriously ill, government data showed, as a rapid ramp-up in inoculations leaves fewer people unvaccinated. While the data shows that vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases, it also underscores the risk that even those inoculated could be contagious, so that inoculation alone may not suffice to halt transmission.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
