Reuters Health News Summary

Factbox: Moderna's mRNA coronavirus vaccine The European Union's drug watchdog on Wednesday authorized emergency use of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, nearly two weeks after approving Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's shot for the virus. European drugs authority meets again over Moderna vaccine The European Medicines Authority (EMA) was meeting on Wednesday to decide on whether to approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine after failing to reach a decision earlier this week.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Factbox: Moderna's mRNA coronavirus vaccine

The European Union's drug watchdog on Wednesday authorized emergency use of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, nearly two weeks after approving Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's shot for the virus. On Tuesday, Israel became the first country outside North America to grant authorization to Moderna's vaccine. The United States and Canada have already started rolling out the two-dose vaccine. Special Report: U.S. regulators ignored workers' COVID-19 safety complaints amid deadly outbreaks

Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect worker safety. Instead, the state arm of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summarized Cabezola's concerns in an email to company management, reviewed the UPS response and closed the file. European drugs authority meets again over Moderna vaccine

The European Medicines Authority (EMA) was meeting on Wednesday to decide on whether to approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine after failing to reach a decision earlier this week. "The meeting of EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) to discuss COVID-19 vaccine Moderna has started," the regulator said in a tweet. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: China steps up curbs near Beijing Russia inoculates 1 million people against COVID-19

Russia has inoculated one million people against COVID-19 with its Sputnik V vaccine, according to a statement on the Sputnik V Twitter account on Wednesday. Russia, which has the world's fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases, started large-scale vaccinations last month. British PM Johnson says England's lockdown will be slowly unwrapped

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned parliament on Wednesday that ending England's latest lockdown would require a "gradual unwrapping" over time, pledging that schools would be the "very first things to reopen". Addressing parliament before lawmakers vote on the measures introduced earlier this week, Johnson defended his decision to implement the new lockdown at the time he did, saying the new, more contagious, coronavirus variant offered little choice. Ukrainian firm applies to make Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, sparking political dilemma

A Ukrainian pharmaceutical company backed by a prominent Russian-leaning opposition figure has applied for state approval to make Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, a sensitive move given toxic relations between Kyiv and Moscow. The two countries have been at loggerheads since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and involvement in a conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region which Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people. Dutch play catch-up in Europe's patchy COVID-19 vaccine drive

A nurse received the first COVID-19 shot in the Netherlands on Wednesday, kicking off one of Europe's last vaccination programmes for the coronavirus as the European medicines regulator considered approving a second vaccine. Approval of the Moderna vaccine would be a big boost for Europe's hopes of curbing a disease that has infected over 85 million people globally and killed nearly 1.9 million since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. 'No law can order us': Greek Christians defy COVID ban on Epiphany services

Greek Christian churches held Epiphany services on Wednesday, openly defying government coronavirus restrictions that banned public gatherings including religious ceremonies on one of the most important days of the Orthodox calendar. Despite a plea by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for Church authorities to set an example during a crisis that has killed more than 5,000 in Greece, worshippers attended morning services, although limits were placed on the number allowed into churches at one time. UC San Diego offers students COVID test kits by vending machine

The University of California's San Diego campus has launched the winter academic term with a unique twist to its coronavirus safety regimen: newly installed vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself COVID-19 tests for students. The 11 dispensers at UC San Diego since Jan. 2 - with nine more to be added over the next week or two - are the first of their kind to be introduced on a college or university campus in the United States, according to school officials.

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