Health News Roundup: COVAX must start talks with COVID-19 vaccine makers; G20 says it will strive for fair global access to COVID-19 vaccine and more

Some 70% of the U.S. population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed." India says local COVID-19 vaccine final trials could end within two months India's health minister said on Sunday a locally-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate could complete its final trials in a month or two, raising hopes for a rapid roll-out in a country with the world's second highest number of infections.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Germany may start COVID-19 vaccine programme in December: health minister

Germany could start administering shots of COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next month, Health Minister Jens Spahn was quoted as saying. "There is reason to be optimistic that there will be approval for a vaccine in Europe this year," Spahn said in an interview with publishing group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. "And then we can start right away."

COVAX must start talks with COVID-19 vaccine makers: Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged COVAX, an initiative set up to provide COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries, to start talks immediately with producers. "I am concerned that there are no negotiations," Merkel told journalists on Sunday after the G20 summit, at which leaders of the 20 biggest economies vowed to spare no effort to supply COVID-19 drugs, tests and vaccines to the world affordably and fairly.

G20 says it will strive for fair global access to COVID-19 vaccine

Leaders of the 20 biggest economies vowed on Sunday to spare no effort to supply COVID-19 drugs, tests and vaccines affordably and fairly to "all people", reflecting worries that the pandemic could deepen divisions between the world's rich and poor. The pandemic and prospects of an uneven and uncertain economic recovery were at the centre of a two-day online summit under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia, which will hand the G20 presidency to Italy next month.

Nevada tightens COVID-19 limits on casinos, eateries; broadens mask mandate

Nevada's governor, diagnosed with COVID-19 himself earlier this month, said on Sunday he was tightening coronavirus restrictions on casinos, restaurants and bars, while imposing a broader statewide mandate for face-coverings over the next three weeks. The new measures, effective on Tuesday, come as state and local government leaders around the United States have moved to reinstate a wide range of limits on social and economic life to tame an alarming surge of COVID-19 infections following a summertime lull in the pandemic.

COVID-19 shots could reach first Americans by mid-December, top health official says

U.S. healthcare workers and others recommended for the nation's first COVID-19 inoculations could start getting shots within a day or two of regulatory consent next month, a top official of the government's vaccine development effort said on Sunday. Some 70% of the U.S. population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed."

India says local COVID-19 vaccine final trials could end within two months

India's health minister said on Sunday a locally-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate could complete its final trials in a month or two, raising hopes for a rapid roll-out in a country with the world's second highest number of infections. The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and privately-held Bharat Biotech this month started third-stage trials of COVAXIN, in a process that would involve 26,000 volunteers. It is the most advanced Indian experimental vaccine.

Biggest Australian states reopen borders as coronavirus cases ease

Australia's two most populous states reopened their borders on Monday after more than four months, as Victoria stamped out a second coronavirus wave, raising prospects of a quicker return to normal and speedy economic recovery. New South Wales and Victoria closed their borders in early July, the first time in more than a century, to contain a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne, Victoria's capital city. The borders were last shut in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 10,864: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 10,864 to 929,133, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by 90 to 14,112, the tally showed.

Ice Bucket Challenge co-creator Patrick Quinn dies at age 37

Patrick Quinn, whose personal battle with ALS helped power the Ice Bucket Challenge fundraising campaign, died on Sunday at age 37, seven years after his diagnosis, supporters announced on Facebook. Quinn, who was born and grew up in Yonkers, New York, was co-founder of the campaign that raised more than $220 million for medical research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, his Facebook page said.

India records more than 44,000 new coronavirus cases

India has recorded 44,059 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking its total to 9.14 million, data from the health ministry showed on Monday. India has the second-highest number of infections in the world, after the United States, but the rate of increase in India has dipped since it hit a peak in September.