Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Japan opens mass vaccination sites for elderly
Uber launches U.S. vaccine rides program in White House partnership
Uber Technologies Inc on Monday launched its COVID-19 vaccine rides program in partnership with the White House, offering all Americans an up to $25 discount for each of their trips to and from a vaccination site. Customers who have booked a vaccine appointment can request a ride through the Uber app and either incur no charges if the trip costs less than $25, or receive a $25 discount for their journey, the company said.
India’s Panacea Biotec begins producing Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine – RDIF
Indian biotech firm Panacea Biotec Ltd on Monday began production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which markets the shot internationally. The first batch made by the Indian manufacturer will be shipped to Gamaleya, the Moscow institute which developed the vaccine, for quality controls, RDIF said in a statement.
WHO’s Tedros urges countries and drug makers to get more vaccine to poorer countries
The COVID-19 pandemic is being perpetuated by a “scandalous inequity” in vaccine distribution, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressing its annual ministerial assembly, urged countries to donate vaccine doses to the COVAX mechanism to inoculate 10% of populations of all countries by September, and 30% by year-end.
WHO sets new targets for vaccinating world’s poorest to end ‘scandalous inequity’
The COVID-19 pandemic is being perpetuated by a “scandalous inequity” in vaccine distribution, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday as he set new targets for protecting people in the poorest countries. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that no country should assume that it’s “out of the woods”, no matter its vaccination rate, as long as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants spread elsewhere.
Malaysia probes allegations of under-dosage of COVID-19 shots
Malaysia on Monday said it was investigating allegations that some recipients of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine were not injected with the correct dosage. At least two recipients have said in recent days that they were given less than the required amount, posting videos on social media of the jab being administered to support their claim.
Explainer-What is ‘black fungus’ that is hitting India’s COVID-19 patients?
A rapid rise in cases of mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, has added to the challenges faced by India’s healthcare system as it deals with a massive second wave of COVID-19 infections. The following lays out information about mucormycosis, opinions from health experts and the scientific evidence behind what could be driving the recent rise in cases.
Singapore provisionally approves 60-second COVID-19 breathalyser test
Singapore authorities have provisionally approved a COVID-19 breathalyzer test that aims to show whether someone is infected with the coronavirus in under a minute, according to the local startup that developed the product. Breathonix, a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS), said it is now working with the health ministry to run a deployment trial of the technology at one of the city-state’s border points with Malaysia.
India warns against mass farmers protest, citing COVID ‘super-spreader’ risk
Indian government leaders appealed to farmers to call off a mass protest this week for fear it could prove a viral “super-spreader” event as the country’s overall death toll from COVID-19 crossed 300,000 on Monday. Over a third have died over the past three weeks during a devastating second wave fuelled by a new virus variant detected in India, mass political and religious gatherings, and lowering of the guard by the public, health officials and experts say.
Pfizer begins testing use of pneumococcal vaccine along with COVID-19 booster shot
Pfizer Inc said on Monday it began testing fully vaccinated adults over 65 in a new study that uses the company’s 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (20vPnC) candidate with a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot. The aim of the study is to understand if the combination of the vaccines is safe, and the immune response after adding the pneumonia vaccine to the existing COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer said.
(With inputs from agencies.)
