Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
More contagious Delta variant makes people sicker; oral drug shows promise in treating COVID-19 pneumonia
The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Delta variant makes people sicker
U.S. CDC advisers vote in favor of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after full approval
An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday unanimously recommended the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech Se COVID-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, an important step after it gained full U.S. approval. The Food and Drug Administration last week granted full approval to the vaccine that was previously available under the agency’s emergency use authorization (EUA), which had allowed the shots to be rolled out rapidly to Americans.
Lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations, Brussels takes vaccination campaign to shops
Health authorities in Brussels began offering COVID-19 jabs in supermarkets and shopping centres on Monday to increase vaccination rates in the Belgian capital that have not kept up with Belgium’s rapid inoculation roll-out. Host to the European Union and NATO, Brussels has only given vaccinations to about 65% of its population, much lower than the surrounding Belgian regions, mainly because people did not respond to requests to go to vaccination centres.
New Zealand’s Auckland stays in lockdown, officials report Pfizer-linked death
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday extended a lockdown in Auckland by two weeks, while officials reported the country’s first death linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. New Zealand had been largely virus-free for months, barring a small number of cases in February, until an outbreak of the Delta variant imported from Australia prompted Ardern to order a snap nationwide lockdown on Aug. 17.
South Africa detects new coronavirus variant, still studying its mutations
South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection. The new variant, known as C.1.2, was first detected in May and has now spread to most South African provinces and to seven other countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania, according to research which is yet to be peer-reviewed.
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine U.S. trial participants count as fully vaccinated two weeks after dosing – CDC
Participants in Novavax Inc’s late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial can be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after completing their two-dose vaccine regimen, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday. The CDC said the guidance does not imply an endorsement of the shot, which has not yet been authorized for use in the United States. Novavax expects to file for U.S. emergency use authorization in the fourth quarter of 2021.
New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
New Zealand reported its first recorded death linked to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the health ministry said on Monday, after a woman suffered a rare heart muscle inflammation side effect. The report comes as the country battles an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus after nearly six months of being virus free. It followed a review by an independent panel monitoring the safety of the vaccines.
A weary Australia plans reopening as COVID-19 death toll hits 1,000
As Australia’s COVID-19 deaths exceed 1,000, a grim toll but modest by global standards, a country that has used relentless lockdowns now faces perhaps its biggest health policy challenge of the pandemic – how to reopen. The highly infectious Delta variant has breached the country’s fortress-style controls and entrenched itself deep enough in Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, and with a foothold in Melbourne, that authorities have dispensed with plans to eliminate it.
Louisiana hospitals dodge Ida catastrophe, but big challenges loom
Louisiana hospitals largely escaped catastrophic damage from Hurricane Ida, but the storm created the “perfect petri dish” for spread of the coronavirus, officials said on Monday. The weather disaster hit a state where hospitals are crowded with COVID patients, cases of the Delta variant were surging and nurses were in short supply.
AstraZeneca requires U.S. employees to get COVID-19 vaccines
British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc on Monday joined a growing list of companies in requiring U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to its offices. The company said the mandate will also apply to the employees of Alexion, the U.S. drugmaker that AstraZeneca acquired in July.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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