Health News Roundup: Vietnam to buy Russian COVID-19 vaccine; Shenzhen mall in lockdown after suspected coronavirus case and more

England resumes lockdown easing but stiffens punishment on rule breaches British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday ordered the reopening of the economy in England to resume as data showed a recent rise in COVID-19 infections had now levelled off.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

EU agrees first COVID-19 vaccine deal with AstraZeneca in WHO blow

The European Union has agreed to buy at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine in its first such advance purchase deal, which could weaken plans led by the World Health Organisation for a global approach. The European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of all 27 EU member states, said the deal included an option to purchase 100 million additional doses from the British drugmaker should its vaccine prove safe and effective.

As COVID-19 cases rise in U.S., precious plasma donations lag

In late April, a coalition of New Mexico healthcare systems began asking local COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma, the antibody-rich blood product used to help treat people hospitalized with the disease. More than 50 people donated in May, but then the numbers starting falling, according to data from Vitalant, a nonprofit blood bank that works with the coalition to recruit donors. In June, 34 people gave plasma to the effort, the data show; in July it was just 29.

Chinese shoppers wary of frozen food imports after virus found

Chinese shoppers on Friday expressed dismay at news that traces of the coronavirus had been found on imported frozen food, with some saying they would avoid the products. Two cities in China on Thursday found the virus in frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil and shrimp from Ecuador, raising public concern even though the World Health Organization downplayed the risk of the virus entering the food chain.

Spain shuts nightclubs to prevent coronavirus contagion

All Spanish regions agreed to order the closure of nightclubs and to ban smoking in outdoor areas when keeping a safe distance is impossible, among other measures aimed at curbing a rise in coronavirus infections, Health minister Salvador Illa said on Friday. Illa also advised against meetings of more than 10 people, and warned young people specifically not to gather outside to drink alcohol.

Shenzhen mall in lockdown after suspected coronavirus case

The IBC Mall in Shenzhen's Luohu district was sealed off and under police supervision on Friday evening, with around 200 people queuing outside waiting for COVID-19 tests from medical personnel in protective suits. An official Guangdong Health Commission WeChat account channel said the alert was prompted by a suspected COVID-19 case involving a 41-year-old staff member of the Alibaba-owned supermarket Freshippo.

Vietnam to buy Russian COVID-19 vaccine

Vietnam has registered to buy a Russian COVID-19 vaccine, state television reported on Friday, as it fights a new outbreak after going several months with no local cases. Russia said on Wednesday that it would roll out the world's first COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks, rejecting the concerns of experts who said it should not have been approved before completing large-scale trials.

Exclusive: U.S. to make coronavirus strain for possible human challenge trials

U.S. government scientists have begun efforts to manufacture a strain of the novel coronavirus that could be used in human challenge trials of vaccines, a controversial type of study in which healthy volunteers would be vaccinated and then intentionally infected with the virus, Reuters has learned. The work is preliminary and such trials would not replace large-scale, Phase 3 trials such as those now under way in the United States testing experimental COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, according to a statement emailed to Reuters by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

England resumes lockdown easing but stiffens punishment on rule breaches

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday ordered the reopening of the economy in England to resume as data showed a recent rise in COVID-19 infections had now leveled off. The move highlights the government's delicate balance between protecting the economy and preventing the virus's spread, coming at the same time as the announcement of quarantine on arrivals from France and tougher penalties for those refusing to wear masks.

July growth in English COVID-19 infections has levelled off: survey

COVID-19 infections in England have leveled off after increasing in July, the Office for National Statistics' Infection Survey showed on Friday, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson resumes the easing of lockdown. Johnson has said the next stage of reopening the economy in England can proceed after postponing it two weeks ago, citing a leveling-off in that rise in infections.

Lockdown extended in northwest England as COVID-19 cases remain high

Britain extended lockdown restrictions on regions of northwest England on Friday, saying there was no evidence that the COVID-19 infection rate in the area had fallen. "The latest evidence does not show a decrease in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area, and the Health Secretary, in collaboration with local leaders, has agreed that the rules must remain in place at present," a government statement said.