Health News Roundup: China will push forward research and development of COVID-19 vaccines; Japan domestic tourism campaign under fire as coronavirus cases spike in Tokyo and more

China's Sinopharm begins late stage trial of COVID-19 vaccine in UAE Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm has begun Phase III clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in Abu Dhabi using up to 15,000 volunteers, the government in the capital of the United Arab Emirates said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China will push forward research and development of COVID-19 vaccines

China will push forward research and development of COVID-19 vaccines "with all efforts", the National Medical Products Administration said on Thursday. The administration also pledged to improve regulation of vaccines and enhance oversight of high-risk medical products, it said in a statement on its website.

Fauci bullish on prospects for U.S. vaccine, not worried about China winning race

The leading U.S. expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted on Wednesday the country will meet its goal of a coronavirus vaccine by year's end and was unmoved by the prospect that China would get there first. While there are no guarantees, "I feel good about the projected timetable," Fauci told Reuters in an interview.

Japan domestic tourism campaign under fire as coronavirus cases spike in Tokyo

A Japan government campaign to kickstart domestic tourism after the coronavirus outbreak has come under fire with officials in Tokyo and the countryside saying it's too soon to boost travel from the capital, hit by a spike in new cases. A panel of experts was set to meet with Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura to discuss the multi-billion dollar "Go To" promotion on Thursday, a day after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike publicly queried the campaign's timing and methods.

Proportion of COVID-19 contacts reached by English tracing scheme steadies

The proportion of the contacts of positive COVID-19 cases reached by England's test and trace system was broadly steady in its fifth week of operation, figures from the health ministry showed on Thursday. The Department of Health said 3,579 positive cases were transferred to service in the latest week, with 71% of the 13,807 identified contacts reached and advised to self-isolate, a similar proportion to the previous week.

China's Sinopharm begins late stage trial of COVID-19 vaccine in UAE

Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm has begun Phase III clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in Abu Dhabi using up to 15,000 volunteers, the government in the capital of the United Arab Emirates said on Thursday. The human trial is a partnership between Sinopharm's China National Biotec Group (CNBG), Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Group 42 (G42) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.

Iran faces shortage of medics, beds as virus cases spike again - official

Hospitals in Iran face acute shortages of medical personnel and beds as the country tackles a powerful second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official of Tehran’s anti-coronavirus task force said on Thursday. Iran, the Middle East country hardest hit by the pandemic, began relaxing its lockdown in mid-April.

Novartis to provide 'no profit' COVID-19 drugs to low income countries

Novartis's Sandoz division will not profit from 15 generic drugs it is making available to developing countries to treat symptoms of COVID-19 for the pandemic's duration, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday. Novartis's pledge to provide the antibiotics, steroids and diarrhea pills to 79 countries on the World Bank's list of low- and lower-middle-income nations prompted the Doctors Without Borders non-governmental organization (NGO) to call for more transparency on drug pricing and for the industry to follow "no profiteering" initiatives for new COVID-19 medicines.

China gives the go-ahead for human trials of BioNTech's COVID vaccine candidate

China has approved an early-stage trial in humans of German firm BioNTech's experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its local partner Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical said on Thursday. The potential vaccine is one of the two most advanced candidates that BioNTech is working on with its partner Pfizer Inc and they received "fast track" status this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which is designed to speed up the regulatory review process.

Australia's Victoria reports two COVID-19 deaths, record daily rise in infections

Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria said on Thursday two men in their 80s died overnight from the coronavirus, as the state logged a record daily rise in new infections. Victoria reported 317 new daily cases, the highest since the pandemic began. The state's previous high of 288 new cases came last week.

India coronavirus cases near one million, driven by surge in rural areas

The number of coronavirus cases in India neared one million on Thursday as infection numbers rose in the countryside, pushing authorities to reinstate lockdowns across several states. India reported a record 32,696 new cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 968,876 with 24,915 deaths, according to data from the federal health ministry.

(With inputs from agencies.)