Health News Roundup: New York governor expects rising coronavirus rates; Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine results encouraging and more

'Great day for humanity': Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine over 90% effective Pfizer Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drugmaker said on Monday, a major victory in the war against a virus that has killed over a million people and battered the world's economy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca says Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine results encouraging

An AstraZeneca executive said he felt encouraged by "incredibly promising" COVID-19 vaccine trial data unveiled by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, while hoping the United States would "embrace innovation" under the next administration. Speaking at a Financial Times online conference on healthcare on Monday, AstraZeneca senior executive team member, Ruud Dobber, said the first set of efficacy data from a large-scale study made him optimistic that AstraZeneca too would be able to follow up on positive results from early-stage trials.

U.S. crosses 10 million COVID-19 cases as third wave of infections surges

The United States became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass 10 million coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the third wave of the COVID-19 virus surges across the nation. The grim milestone came on the same day as global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million.

UK's Johnson says still too early to rely on COVID-19 vaccine

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain was ready to roll out a mass COVID-19 vaccination programme but it was too early to rely on a vaccine as a solution to the coronavirus pandemic. "I must stress that these are very, very early days, and we've talked for a long time, right about the distant bugle of the scientific cavalry coming over the brow of the hill," Johnson told a media conference after Pfizer said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective.

Biden welcomes COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough, White House seeks credit

President-elect Joe Biden hailed Pfizer Inc's progress toward a COVID-19 vaccine on Monday but warned Americans to keep their guard up and masks on as Republican President Donald Trump's administration celebrated and tried to claim credit. Pfizer said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer/great-day-for-humanity-pfizer-says-covid-19-vaccine-over-90-effective-idUSKBN27P1CT as it disclosed the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical test. That was a major breakthrough in a pandemic that has killed more than 237,000 Americans and contributed to Trump's defeat in last week's election. 'Great day for humanity'

Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine over 90% effective

Pfizer Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective based on initial trial results, the drugmaker said on Monday, a major victory in the war against a virus that has killed over a million people and battered the world's economy. Experts welcomed the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical test as a watershed moment that showed vaccines could help halt the pandemic, although mass roll-outs, which needs regulatory approval, will not happen this year.

We may soon have a COVID-19 vaccine. But will enough people take it?

With COVID-19 vaccine trial results looking positive, governments and pharmaceutical firms face their next daunting challenge: convincing the world to get inoculated. Public resistance to vaccines has been much discussed this year, but the issue became very real on Monday when Pfizer and BioNTech announced their candidate was more than 90% effective in large trials - hoisting an actual shot onto the horizon.

Pfizer, BioNTech initial vaccine results impress, but scientists remain cautious

Scientists on Monday said initial trial results for Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine far outpaced their expectations for protection against a completely new disease, but that many questions remain unanswered. The drugmakers said their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, based on data from the first 94 people in the trial to become infected with the coronavirus.

New U.S. COVID-19 cases up 34% last week, set fresh records

The coronavirus pandemic raged across the United States last week, as the country elected a new president, with the daily number of new infections hitting record highs for four straight days. More than 770,000 new cases were diagnosed in the week ended Nov. 10, up 34% over the previous seven days. Deaths increased 15% to more than 6,600 people, the highest one-week total since mid-August. Health experts say deaths tend to increase four to six weeks after a surge in infections.

COVID-19 vaccine could help fundamentally change pandemic's arc: WHO

A COVID-19 vaccine may be rolled out by March 2021 to the most vulnerable, which along with other advances could fundamentally change the course of the pandemic, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday. Bruce Aylward told the WHO's annual ministerial assembly that interim results from Pfizer Inc's late-stage vaccine trial were "very positive".

New York governor expects rising coronavirus rates into winter

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday he expected the rate of positive tests for the novel coronavirus to continue rising in the state into winter. Both the state and New York City have seen positive test rates creep above 2% again in recent days in what Cuomo called a "new phase" of the coronavirus's spread.