Health News Roundup: New COVID-19 cases in France stay below 10,000 for third day; COVID-19 patients on some cancer therapies may be contagious for months and more

Most U.S. states expect to vaccinate healthcare workers within three weeks: CDC meeting Most state and local jurisdictions expect to be able to vaccinate their healthcare workers within three weeks of receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday during an advisory committee meeting.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New COVID-19 cases in France stay below 10,000 for third day

New COVID-19 infections in France stayed below 10,000 for the third day in a row on Tuesday, a sequence unseen since mid-September, and the number of people hospitalised for the disease resumed a downward trend. The government has loosened its second national coronavirus lockdown, put in place on Oct. 30, by allowing all shops to reopen at the weekend.

Trump to meet next week with industry, government officials on COVID vaccine

President Donald Trump will gather leaders from industry and government next week for a summit on the coronavirus vaccine, the White House said on Tuesday, as the outgoing president seeks to emphasize his role in the speedy development of a vaccine. "President Trump's Operation Warp Speed continues rapidly advancing toward a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine five times faster than any other vaccine in history," White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern said in a statement.

COVID-19 patients on some cancer therapies may be contagious for months: study

COVID-19 patients who received cancer treatments that suppress their immune system may remain contagious and able to spread the coronavirus for two months or more, according to a study published on Tuesday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that when patients have compromised immune systems, healthcare workers follow extra precautions such as wearing respirators instead of face masks and isolate patients for up to 20 days after symptoms appear.

U.S. ready for 'immediate mass shipment' of COVID-19 vaccines: agency

The U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday it has made preparations to enable the "immediate mass shipment" of COVID-19 vaccines and completed all necessary regulatory measures. The department said U.S. agencies have been coordinating with private sector companies that will carry vaccines from manufacturing facilities to distribution centers and inoculation points. It added it has established "appropriate safety requirements for all potential hazards involved in shipping the vaccine, including standards for dry ice and lithium batteries used in cooling.

" U.S. CDC reports 267,302 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 13,447,627 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 152,022 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,251 to 267,302. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Nov. 30 versus its previous report a day earlier.

U.S. reveals rapid rollout plan for vaccine after record coronavirus surge

U.S. officials on Monday unveiled details of their plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to millions of Americans starting later this month, as the United States again broke records for new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. With outgoing President Donald Trump's coronavirus strategy relying heavily on a vaccine, the chief adviser of his administration's Operation Warp Speed program said on Tuesday that 20 million people could be vaccinated by the end of 2020, and that by the middle of 2021 most Americans will have access to highly effective vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccine sprint as Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna seek emergency EU approval

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are in a tight race to launch their COVID-19 vaccines in Europe after both applied for emergency EU approval on Tuesday, though there was uncertainty over whether a rollout could begin this year. The applications to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came a day after Moderna sought emergency use for its shot in the United States and more than a week after Pfizer and BioNTech did the same.

Most U.S. states expect to vaccinate healthcare workers within three weeks: CDC meeting

Most state and local jurisdictions expect to be able to vaccinate their healthcare workers within three weeks of receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday during an advisory committee meeting. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, spoke during a meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to discuss which groups should receive COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, possibly in December.

Next year, Canadians may get a COVID-19 vaccine, billions in stimulus - and an election

Next year, if all goes as planned, Canadians will get a free COVID-19 vaccine, billions of dollars in economic stimulus, and perhaps, insiders and analysts say, an early election. Five sources familiar with the thinking in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party say a snap election is likely at some point in 2021 rather than at the scheduled end of the legislature in 2023.

COVID-19 vaccine is top priority for Portugal's EU presidency, PM says

Securing a coronavirus vaccine for all European countries will be a top priority for Portugal when it takes over the presidency of the European Union next January, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Tuesday. "We must guarantee we have a vaccine available which is effective in stopping COVID and which permits us to reach on the same day all countries of Europe," Costa said at a news conference with European Council President Charles Michel.

(With inputs from agencies.)