Health News Roundup: Australia in vaccine swap pact with Singapore as COVID-19 cases surge; Florida withholds funds from two school districts over mask mandates and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia in vaccine swap pact with Singapore as COVID-19 cases surge

Australia will receive 500,000 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from Singapore this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, after Canberra agreed on a swap deal in a bid to curtail surging coronavirus infections. The agreement, which will see Australia return the same amount of Pfizer vaccine doses to Singapore in December, will allow Canberra to accelerate its vaccination program as daily cases near record levels for the country.

Florida withholds funds from two school districts over mask mandates

The Florida Department of Education said on Monday it has withheld funds from two school districts that made masks mandatory in classrooms this fall. "Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced that the Florida Department of Education has withheld the monthly school board member salaries in Alachua and Broward County, as directed by the State Board of Education," the department said in a statement.

Japan health minister says Okinawa vaccine contaminants likely from needle stick

Japan's health minister said on Tuesday it was highly likely that foreign matter found in Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccines in the southern prefecture of Okinawa were caused when needles were stuck into the vials. Some Moderna shots were temporarily halted in Okinawa on Sunday after foreign materials were discovered in vials and syringes. The health ministry said later needles may have been incorrectly inserted into vials, breaking off bits of the rubber stopper.

New Zealand COVID-19 cases drop for second day amid lockdowns

New Zealand's government on Tuesday reported that new COVID-19 cases fell for a second day, down to 49, amid the tight lockdown the country undertook during the latest outbreak this month. Except for a small number of cases in February, New Zealand was mainly coronavirus-free for months, 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 that is yet to be peer-reviewed.

South Korea to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in October

South Korea plans to begin giving out COVID-19 booster shots from October, joining several countries that have approved such doses amid resurgent infections and concern that vaccine protection wanes over time. The plan will kick in once an October target for full vaccination of 70% of the population is achieved, as authorities aim to boost the rate above 80% with coverage for pregnant women and minors aged between 12 and 17 in the fourth quarter.

Explainer-What we know about Japan's contaminated Moderna COVID-19 vaccines

Japan's COVID-19 vaccination push suffered a blow from widening reports of contamination in supplies of Moderna Inc's vaccine. Here are key aspects of the concerns.

About 1.6 million more Americans had health insurance in 2020 - CDC

About 1.6 million more Americans had some form of health insurance coverage despite the COVID-19 crisis last year, helped mainly by enrollment growth in government-sponsored health plans, early data from a U.S. government office showed. Estimates based on a household survey by the statistics division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Tuesday that a total of 31.6 million, or 9.7% of Americans of all ages, were uninsured last year, down from 33.2 million in 2019.

U.S. issues COVID-19 'do not travel' advisory for Switzerland

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State Department on Monday both warned against travel to Switzerland, Azerbaijan, and Estonia because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those countries. The CDC raised its travel advisory to "Level Four: Very High" for those countries, telling Americans they should avoid travel there, while the State Department issued "do not travel" advisories.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)