Reuters Health News Summary

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: J&J pauses vaccine trials Most vulnerable people in England do not need to shield amid rising COVID cases Most clinically vulnerable people in England are be told to take extra precautions as the number of coronavirus cases rises rather than being ordered to stay at home as they were during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Iran's coronavirus death toll exceeds 29,000 - State TV

Iran's novel coronavirus death toll rose by 254 to 29,070, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the number of confirmed cases spiked to 508,389 in the hardest-hit Middle Eastern country. Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 4,108 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours. World Food Programme says needs $6.8 billion over next six months to avert famine

The United Nations World food programme (WFP) will need to raise$6.8 billion over the next six months to avert famine amid the current COVID-19 crisis, the agency said on Tuesday. The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for its efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, said it has so far raised $1.6 billion. Vaxart begins early-stage trial of oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Vaxart Inc said on Tuesday it had begun an early-stage study testing its oral tablet COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which the drug developer hopes would be a viable alternative to injectable vaccines. The trial will evaluate two doses of the vaccine candidate, VXA-CoV2-1, in up to 48 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 54 years. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: J&J pauses vaccine trials Most vulnerable people in England do not need to shield amid rising COVID cases

Most clinically vulnerable people in England are be told to take extra precautions as the number of coronavirus cases rises rather than being ordered to stay at home as they were during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. More than two million people suffering from conditions such as cancer, asthma and arthritis spent months shielding at home earlier this year. COVID-19 again? Reinfection cases raise concerns over immunity

The case of a man in the United States infected twice with COVID-19 shows there is much yet to learn about immune responses and also raises questions over vaccination, scientists said on Tuesday. The 25-year old from Reno, Nevada, tested positive in April after showing mild symptoms, then got sick again in late May with a more serious bout, according to a case report in the Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal. Bavarian premier calls for unified rules to contain coronavirus

Germany must agree on nationwide rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus and prevent infections from getting out of control, the premier of Bavaria said on Tuesday. Speaking ahead of a meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 states on Wednesday, Markus Soeder said the next four weeks would be crucial for whether Germans could celebrate a relaxed Christmas. J&J pauses coronavirus vaccine trials due to unexplained illness

Johnson & Johnson has paused clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate due to an unexplained illness in a study participant, delaying one of the highest profile efforts to contain the global pandemic. The move comes around a month after AstraZeneca also suspended trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine - which uses a similar technology - due to a participant falling ill. Mexico says has accord with Pfizer for 34.4 million coronavirus vaccines

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday that Mexico has an agreement with pharmaceutical company Pfizer for up to 34.4 million vaccines against COVID-19. Ebrard also said that vaccines from different pharmaceutical companies would eventually cover more than 100 million Mexicans. Dutch to impose social restrictions to curb COVID-19 surge

The Dutch government will announce a new round of social restrictions on Tuesday evening, including the possible closure of cafes and restaurants, as the Netherlands battles to control the coronavirus in one of Europe's major hotspots. The number of cases in the country of 17 million has surged in recent weeks to a daily record of nearly 7,400 on Tuesday. It now has one of the highest per capita infection rates worldwide.