Health News Roundup: UAE surpasses 100,000 coronavirus infections; COVID-19 cases surge in U.S. Midwest and Northeast and more

China in talks with WHO over assessing its COVID-19 vaccines for global use China is in talks to have its locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines assessed by the World Health Organization, as a step toward making them available for international use, a WHO official said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UAE surpasses 100,000 coronavirus infections

The United Arab Emirates, with a population of around 9.9 million people, surpassed 100,000 recorded cases of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday. The UAE, whose tally stands at 100,794 infections and 421 deaths, has seen the number of daily new cases surge over the past two months from 164 on Aug. 3 to a new high of 1,231 cases on Saturday.

China in talks with WHO over assessing its COVID-19 vaccines for global use

China is in talks to have its locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines assessed by the World Health Organization, as a step toward making them available for international use, a WHO official said on Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of essential workers and other groups considered at high risk in China have been given locally-developed vaccines even as clinical trials had not been fully completed, raising safety concerns among experts.

COVID-19 cases surge in U.S. Midwest and Northeast

After crushing their COVID-19 outbreaks in the spring and keeping them in check all summer, states in the U.S. Northeast are now seeing infections accelerate, with New York reporting nearly 10,000 new cases last week. Compared with the previous seven days, new cases in New York rose 102% in the week ended Oct. 4, while new cases in Connecticut rose 61% to 1,710 and new cases in New Jersey rose 23% to 4,650, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports. (Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser for a Reuters graphic with state-by-state details)

Britain's Johnson says he was too fat when fighting COVID

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was too fat when he became gravely ill with COVID-19 and that he has since lost 26 pounds (11.79 kg). "I have to admit the reason I had such a nasty experience with the disease is that although I was superficially in the peak of health when I caught it, I had a very common underlying condition - my friends I was too fat," he said in an online speech to his party conference.

EU reviewing Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in real-time

The European health regulator is reviewing a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in real time, days after launching a similar assessment process for AstraZeneca's vaccine. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday its human medicines committee was evaluating the first batch of data on the vaccine, and would continue to do so until enough data is available for a final decision. (https://bit.ly/34mAHiI)

CDC revises guidance, says COVID-19 can spread through virus lingering in air

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday said COVID-19 can spread through virus lingering in the air, sometimes for hours, acknowledging concerns widely voiced by public health experts about airborne transmission of the virus. The CDC guidance comes weeks after the agency published – and then took down – a similar warning, sparking debate over how the virus spreads.

GSK to widen COVID-19 antibody treatment trial after safety clearance

GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir Biotechnology will expand their trial of an experimental antibody to treat COVID-19 after initial use by a group of volunteers did not raise any safety concerns. The two partners in August started testing the antibody on early-stage COVID-19 patients, hoping to keep symptoms from progressing.

Britain rations remdesivir as COVID-19 hospitalisations rise

Britain has rationed its supplies of the antiviral drug remdesivir and is prioritising COVID-19 patients who need it most in the face of rising demand, Britain's health ministry said on Tuesday, with further supplies expected this month. Gilead Sciences' remdesivir has been shown to shorten hospital recovery time in severe cases of COVID-19, although it has not been shown to reduce mortality.

Exclusive: Moderna vaccine trial contractors fail to enroll enough minorities, prompting slowdown

Private contractors hired by Moderna Inc to recruit volunteers for its coronavirus vaccine trial failed to enroll enough Black, Latino and Native American participants to determine how well the vaccine works in these populations, company executives and vaccine researchers told Reuters. To make up for the shortfall, Moderna slowed enrollment of its late-stage trial and instructed research centers to focus on increasing participation among minority volunteers, the company said. The effort is being bolstered by academic researchers who have longstanding relationships with organizations in Black and other minority communities.

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