Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Brazil's health regulator allows resumption of Chinese vaccine trial

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa announced on Wednesday the resumption of clinical Phase III trials for China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine. Anvisa on Monday suspended trials of the Sinovac vaccine after the death of a volunteer registered as a suicide. Exclusive: Europe to pay less than U.S. for Pfizer vaccine under initial deal: source

The European Union has struck a deal to initially pay less for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine candidate than the United States, an EU official told Reuters as the bloc announced on Wednesday it had secured an agreement for up to 300 million doses. The experimental drug, developed in conjunction with Germany's BioNTech, is the frontrunner in a global race to produce a vaccine, with interim data released on Monday showing it was more than 90% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 in a large-scale clinical trial.. Russia says its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is 92% effective

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim trial results, the country's sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday, as Moscow rushes to keep pace with Western drugmakers in the race for a shot. Russia's results are only the second from a late-stage human trial, following on swiftly from data released on Monday by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, which said their shot was also more than 90% effective. Countries in Americas not ready for vaccines that need very cold storage: PAHO

Less developed countries in the Americas are not ready to handle messenger RNA vaccines, such as the one developed by Pfizer Inc, that need very low storage temperatures of minus 70 degree Celsius, the WHO's regional office said on Wednesday. This could become a challenge for transporting such vaccines in countries that do not have the cold storage capacity. Pfizer recently announced its vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results. Fears of COVID-19 resurgence spread to East Coast as grim U.S. records mount

As COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths surge across the United States, more signs emerged that a second wave could engulf areas of the Northeast, which managed to bring the pandemic under control after being battered last spring. In New Jersey, one of the early U.S. hotspots, a spike in cases in Newark, the state's largest city, prompted Mayor Ras Baraka to implement aggressive measures, including a mandatory curfew for certain areas, to contain the spread of the virus. Cold storage challenges could hamper distribution of Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines: Fauci

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Wednesday said it would be challenging to distribute vaccines that use messenger RNA based technology in developing countries, owing to their cold storage requirements. The comments come days after Pfizer Inc said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results and that it expects to file for U.S. emergency authorization this month. Riskier blood thinner used more often in Black patients; psychiatric issues linked to COVID-19

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Use of riskier blood thinner seen in Blacks with COVID-19 COVID-19 cases still surging in the Americas, the WHO warns

COVID-19 cases are still surging in the Americas, averaging 150,000 a day in last week, the World Health Organization's regional office said on Wednesday. The United States continues to report record-breaking numbers, while parts of Canada and some states in Mexico, including the capital, are experiencing spikes, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) said. Moderna could begin analyzing COVID-19 vaccine data within days, says Fauci

Moderna Inc could have data from a large trial of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine anywhere between "a couple of days" to "a little more than a week", the top U.S. infectious disease expert said on Wednesday. A high degree of effectiveness for the vaccine would make sense as it was "almost identical" to the Pfizer shot, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a conference organized by the Financial Times. Italy surpasses the 1 million COVID mark, joins top 10 worst-hit countries: Reuters tally

Italy, one of the European countries hit hardest by COVID-19, surpassed the one-million infections mark on Wednesday, leap-frogging Mexico to become one of the top 10 worst-affected countries globally, according to a Reuters tally. The Italian health ministry said the country had registered 32,961 new cases over the past 24 hours, taking its total tally since the contagion first struck in February to 1.028 million.