Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca says should know if vaccine works by year-end if trials resume; India reports record daily jump of 96,551 coronavirus cases and more

AstraZeneca vaccine trial pause a 'wake-up call', says WHO AstraZeneca's pause of an experimental vaccine for the coronavirus after the illness of a participant is a "wake-up call" but should not discourage researchers, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca says should know if vaccine works by year-end if trials resume

AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot said on Thursday that it should know before the end of the year whether its experimental vaccine would protect people from COVID-19, if the British drugmaker is allowed to resume trials which were paused this week. It suspended the late-stage trials after an illness in a study subject in Britain. The patient was reportedly suffering from neurological symptoms associated with a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis.

NIH launches two trials to test blood thinners in COVID-19 patients

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Thursday it has launched two of the three late-stage clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of different types of blood thinners in treating COVID-19 among adults. The three trials are being run under the U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to speed up the development, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines, tests and drugs against the coronavirus.

India reports record daily jump of 96,551 coronavirus cases

India reported another record daily jump of 96,551 coronavirus cases on Friday, taking its case load to 4.5 million, data from the federal health ministry showed. Infections are growing faster in India than anywhere else in the world and the United States is the only nation worse affected.

Latin America passes 8 million coronavirus cases: Reuters tally

The coronavirus tally passed the 8 million mark on Thursday in Latin America, the region with the most infections in the world, though there were indications the virus was now spreading more slowly in some countries. Over the past week the daily average of cases in the region fell to 67,173 through Wednesday from 80,512 in the previous seven days, according to the Reuters tally, which is based on figures released by governments.

UNICEF chief urges firms to fight COVID-19 with public sector partners

Firms should look toward public-private partnerships in the fight against COVID-19, the head of United Nations' children's agency told business leaders on Thursday. The pandemic could provide a rare opportunity for companies and public bodies to come together to improve access to education and vaccines, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore told the WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) conference, a convention of corporate leaders taking place online.

South Korea sees uptick in COVID-19 cases as cluster infections continue

South Korea posted a slight uptick in the daily number of its coronavirus cases on Friday even as infections from a church and a political rally that sparked a second wave of outbreaks ease. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 176 new cases as of midnight Thursday, which brought the total infections to 21,919, with 350 deaths.

Brazilian state to test Russia's vaccine, eyes buying 50 million doses

The Brazilian state of Bahia has signed an agreement to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 and plans to buy 50 million doses to market in Brazil, officials said on Thursday. Governor Rui Costa said a confidentiality agreement was signed on Tuesday to undertake the trials and Bahia will receive an initial 500 doses as soon as Brazil's health regulator Anvisa approves the protocol for testing.

Vaccine confidence volatile, vulnerable to misinformation, global study finds

Political polarisation and online misinformation are threatening vaccination programmes worldwide, with public trust volatile and varying widely between countries, according to a global vaccine confidence study. The study, which maps trends in vaccine confidence across 149 countries between 2015 and 2019, found that scepticism about the safety of vaccines tended to grow alongside political instability and religious extremism.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,484 to 256,850: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,484 to 256,850, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. The reported death toll rose by one to 9,342, the tally showed.

AstraZeneca vaccine trial pause a 'wake-up call', says WHO

AstraZeneca's pause of an experimental vaccine for the coronavirus after the illness of a participant is a "wake-up call" but should not discourage researchers, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist said on Thursday. "This is a wake-up call to recognise that there are ups and downs in clinical development and that we have to be prepared," Soumya Swaminathan told a virtual briefing from Geneva.