Health News Roundup: U.S. Supreme Court justices appear unlikely to throw out Obamacare; Amgen, AstraZeneca say experimental asthma drug meets trial goal and more

The new clampdowns were announced as the number of COVID-19 infections surged again in the United States with the onset of colder weather, straining hospitals and medical resources in some cities.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. Supreme Court justices appear unlikely to throw out Obamacare

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday signaled they are unlikely to strike down the Obamacare healthcare law in a legal challenge brought by Texas and 17 other Republican-governed states and joined by President Donald Trump's administration. Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh indicated skepticism during two hours of arguments in the case toward the stance by the Republican challengers that the entire law must fall if a single key provision, called the individual mandate, is deemed unconstitutional.

U.S. to start distributing Lilly COVID-19 antibody this week

The United States will this week begin distributing Eli Lilly and Co's COVID-19 antibody treatment to state health departments, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday. "Early treatment may help people avoid disease progression and avoid hospitalization," Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said on a conference call along with Azar.

Europe COVID death toll tops 300,000 as winter looms and infections surge

More than 300,000 people have died of COVID-19 across Europe, according to a Reuters tally on Tuesday, and authorities fear that fatalities and infections will continue to rise as the region heads into winter despite hopes for a new vaccine. With just 10% of the world's population, Europe accounts for almost a quarter of the 1.2 million deaths globally, and even its well-equipped hospitals are feeling the strain.

U.S. has a plan to start Pfizer vaccine shots in December: Health Secretary Azar

If Pfizer Inc submits the positive initial data from its COVID-19 vaccine trial to health regulators as quickly as expected, the U.S. government plans to begin vaccinating Americans in December, Health Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday. Pfizer on Monday said the vaccine it has been developing with German partner BioNTech SE was 90% effective against COVID-19, based on an early look at results from its large, late-stage trial.

Two-thirds of Britons would get COVID-19 jab; less among the young: poll

Almost two-thirds of people in Britain say they would get vaccinated for COVID-19 but young people are far more likely to refuse a jab than older people, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday. The poll, by public opinion research firm Kantar, showed 22% of respondents said they would definitely or probably not get a coronavirus vaccine, rising to 38% of 18-24 year-olds.

Coronavirus kills 15,000 U.S. mink, as Denmark prepares for nationwide cull

More than 15,000 mink in the United States have died of the coronavirus since August, and authorities are keeping about a dozen farms under quarantine while they investigate the cases, state agriculture officials said. Global health officials are eying the animals as a potential risk for people after Denmark last week embarked on a plan to eliminate all of its 17 million mink, saying a mutated coronavirus strain could move to humans and evade future COVID-19 vaccines.

New York City to try responding to mental health calls without police

Mental health and crisis workers in New York City will respond to emergency mental health calls instead of law enforcement under a pilot program announced on Tuesday, following months of protests around the country over police brutality. The program, slated to begin in February, will be composed of new mental health teams from the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services unit and will target two "high-need" neighborhoods, which were not identified.

Amgen, AstraZeneca say experimental asthma drug meets trial goal

Drugmakers Amgen Inc and AstraZeneca Plc said on Tuesday a pivotal trial found that their experimental medication tezepelumab significantly reduced asthma attacks for people with severe forms of the respiratory condition compared to a placebo. The partners said that the year-long trial met its primary goal in patients with severe asthma who were also receiving standard care, including medium- or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus at least one other controller medication.

COVID-19: California, Midwest states clamp down again

California and several states across the U.S. Midwest tightened restrictions on residents on Tuesday as the nation's top infectious disease specialist called on Americans to remain vigilant until a vaccine can be approved and distributed. The new clampdowns were announced as the number of COVID-19 infections surged again in the United States with the onset of colder weather, straining hospitals and medical resources in some cities.

U.S. reports more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases for seventh day in a row

The United States reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases for the seventh day in a row on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, while the number of deaths surged to their highest daily count since August. With case numbers still being filed by a handful of states, the U.S. had reported at least 134,000 new infections by late Tuesday. It has reported an average of 120,000 cases every day for the past week.