Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Russia reports record 737 COVID-19 deaths
Russia reported a record 737 deaths from coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours on Tuesday, pushing the national death toll to 139,316. The country confirmed 23,378 new COVID-19 cases, including 5,498 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 5,658,672.
England to scrap self-isolation for fully-vaccinated and children after COVID contact
Fully-vaccinated people and children will no longer have to self-isolate after a close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19 after August 16 in England unless they also test positive, health minister Sajid Javid said on Tuesday.
"From the 16th of August ... anyone who's a close contact of a positive case will no longer have to self-isolate if they have been fully vaccinated," Javid told parliament, adding that people who had their second shot around that date would have to wait two weeks.
U.S. FDA declines to approve Provention Bio's diabetes drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday declined to approve Provention Bio Inc's experimental diabetes drug teplizumab, citing insufficient data, the company said on Tuesday. The health regulator said a study in healthy volunteers to compare planned commercial product with the drug product used in the company's clinical trials had failed to show comparability.
Japan to ship millions more COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, Asian neighbors this week
Japan said on Tuesday it would ship millions more doses of AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine to Asian neighbors this week as a continuation of bilateral donations. Japan will send 1.13 million more doses to Taiwan on Thursday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters at a regular press conference, after previously delivering 1.24 million doses last month.
Turkey reports three cases of Delta Plus coronavirus variant
Turkey has identified three cases of the new Delta Plus COVID-19 variant in three provinces, its health minister said on Monday, adding that the separate Delta variant had also been identified in some 284 cases across 30 provinces. Health authorities say several major vaccines work against the highly contagious Delta variant, which is becoming globally dominant, but have raised concern new strains may evade some vaccines.
India's COVID death rate hit record in June after calls for better data
India's COVID-19 deaths relative to infections hit a record high in June after cases peaked in early May, an analysis of government data shows, amid pressure on authorities to accurately report deaths from a second wave of the virus. A big rise in infections in April and May, driven largely by the more infectious and dangerous Delta variant, brought India's health system to its knees.
Polish COVID-19 cases likely to increase in autumn, says health minister
The number of COVID-19 cases in Poland is likely to accelerate in autumn, the Polish health minister said on Tuesday, as authorities urge people to get vaccinated before a potential fourth wave of infections. "Most forecasts agree on the fact that at the turn of September and October, or November, we may have to deal with another acceleration and we must treat that as the most likely scenario," Adam Niedzielski told a news conference.
Bangladesh says AstraZeneca shot supplies may resume soon, including from India
Bangladesh could receive 1 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the WHO-backed COVAX facility this month, and the Serum Institute of India could resume supplies from August, its health minister said on Tuesday. Densely populated Bangladesh is in desperate need of vaccines as a jump in infections has filled up hospitals and depleted supplies of medical oxygen.
Tunisia to buy 3.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
Tunisia said on Tuesday it will buy 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine directly from Johnson & Johnson, amid sharp criticism of the government for the slow pace of its vaccination campaign. So far, only about 592,000 Tunisians have received the two doses of vaccine in the country of 11.6 million residents.
Indonesia readies more medical options for worst-case coronavirus scenario
Indonesia has prepared backup medical facilities for a worst-case scenario where daily coronavirus infections reach 40,000 to 50,000, an official said on Tuesday, as the country reported another day of record fatalities from its worst outbreak so far. Indonesia has one of Asia's most severe COVID-19 epidemics, exacerbated by the highly infectious Delta variant, with hospitals overstretched, oxygen supply problems and a growing number of sick unable to receive medical attention.
