Health News Roundup: India may not vaccinate entire population; some COVID patients are contagious for months and more

Watch the video below for top health news stories of December 2 from all across the world.

Devdiscourse brings you the top health news stories of the day from all across the world.

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. 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.

India says may not need to vaccinate entire population to control COVID

Senior government officials have said that India may not need to vaccinate all of its 1.3 billion people if it manages to inoculate a critical mass and break the transmission of the coronavirus. Secretary of India’s federal health ministry Rajesh Bhushan said that "the government has never spoken about vaccinating the entire country."

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.