Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
England COVID-19 prevalence rises rapidly to 1 in 95
The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England is estimated to have risen to 1 in 95 people in the week to July 10, Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday, up sharply from the 1 in 160 recorded the week before. "In England, the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to increase in the week ending 10 July 2021" the ONS said.
WHO proposes fresh mission to China and lab audits - diplomats
The World Health Organization has proposed a second phase of studies in China into the origins of the coronavirus, including audits of laboratories in Wuhan, but there is no sign yet that Beijing would accept a further international probe, diplomats said. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented the plan to member states at a closed-door meeting on Friday, a day after saying that investigations were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of spread in China.
CDC defends U.S. transit mask mandate as some call for scrapping
A senior U.S. health official who signed a sweeping order for masks to be worn on nearly all forms of public transport said they were a key tool in preventing COVID-19 transmission even as some lawmakers call for ending the rules. Marty Cetron, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, told Reuters Thursday the agency's "current position" is the mandate should not be lifted.
Virus outbreaks at Olympic hotels sow frustration, stoke infection fears
Coronavirus outbreaks involving Olympic teams in Japan have turned small-town hotels into facilities on the frontline of the pandemic battle, charged with implementing complex health measures to protect elite athletes and a fearful public. Infections https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/coronavirus-incidents-tokyo-olympics-2021-07-15 have hit at least seven teams arriving in Japan barely a week out from the July 23 opening ceremony and after host city Tokyo reported its highest daily tally of new COVID-19 infections since late January.
GSK drug shows promise in treating anaemia in kidney disease patients
GlaxoSmithKline Plc said on Friday its anaemia drug for patients with kidney disease succeeded in late-stage experimental trials, marking an important milestone for the British drugmaker as it bolsters its pipeline of new drugs. The drug, daprodustat, belongs to a new class of medicines that works by copying the body's response to hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, and boosts production of red blood cells by mimicking the body's response to high altitude.
African countries to receive first U.S. donated COVID-19 vaccines in days - Gavi
Nearly 50 African countries are to receive 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by the United States, with the first shipments to Burkina Faso, Djibouti and Ethiopia in coming days, U.S. officials and the Gavi vaccine alliance said on Friday. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to share 80 million U.S.-made vaccines with countries around the world to protect the most vulnerable and stem transmission of the coronavirus.
Germany lists Greece and the Netherlands as coronavirus risk areas - RKI
Germany has declared all of Greece a coronavirus risk area, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Friday, which means that tourists and returning German nationals need to present a negative test to avoid quarantine. The RKI also listed all of the Netherlands, expect the overseas territories of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, Aruba and Curacao, as a risk area as well.
Indonesia cancels scheme to sell COVID-19 vaccines to public
Indonesia has canceled a scheme to sell COVID-19 vaccines to individuals after previously putting the plan on hold, cabinet secretary Pramono Anung said in a statement on Friday.
England's COVID R number, 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, similar to 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. Last week, it was estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.5.
Malaysia to allow commercial sale of COVID-19 vaccines
Malaysia will soon allow the commercial sale of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Chinese firms Sinopharm and Sinovac, the science minister said on Friday, as authorities try to ramp up inoculation rates amid surging cases. Malaysia has one of the region's highest number of coronavirus infections per-capita but also one of its fastest vaccination rates. About 39% of its adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
