Health News Roundup: Pfizer, Moderna decline White House's 'Vaccine Summit' invitation; India investigates if organochlorines behind unknown illness and more

The Trump administration is confident it will have enough vaccine to inoculate everyone who wants a vaccine by the end of the second quarter of 2021, one official said, disputing a New York Times story that the government declined when Pfizer Inc offered in late summer to sell more vaccine doses to the United States.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hailing 'turning point', Britain begins roll-out of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

Britain will start rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, the first Western country to start vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus. The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.

South Korea to buy millions of coronavirus vaccine doses but sees no need to hurry

South Korea said on Tuesday it had signed deals to provide coronavirus vaccines for 44 million people next year but it would not hurry inoculation to allow more time to observe potential side effects. Its cautious approach comes as the country battles surging coronavirus cases that health authorities say threaten to overwhelm the medical system.

Trump to order priority access to U.S. COVID-19 vaccines for Americans

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Tuesday to ensure that priority access for COVID-19 vaccines procured by the U.S. government is given to the American people before assisting other nations, senior administration officials said on Monday. The Trump administration is confident it will have enough vaccine to inoculate everyone who wants a vaccine by the end of the second quarter of 2021, one official said, disputing a New York Times story that the government declined when Pfizer Inc offered in late summer to sell more vaccine doses to the United States.

Pfizer, Moderna decline White House's 'Vaccine Summit' invitation

Vaccine developers Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc on Monday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation to attend a White House "Vaccine Summit". The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, comes ahead of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine candidates. It will be attended by Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and private-sector executives.

Agents raid U.S. coronavirus data scientist's home, confiscate hardware

U.S. law enforcement agents on Monday raided the home of a top data scientist who helped build Florida state's online COVID dashboard and alleged she was fired from her government job because she refused to manipulate data. The home of Rebekah Jones in Tallahassee, Florida, was raided by agents executing a search warrant on suspicion that Jones hacked into a state Department of Health communications system, said Rick Swearingen, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Serum likely to supply COVID-19 vaccine at over $3 a dose to Indian govternment: Business Standard

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, is close to signing a supply contract with the country's Central government and likely to fix prices at 250 rupees ($3.39) per dose of the vaccine, Business Standard https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/serum-set-for-deal-with-centre-soon-to-supply-vaccine-at-rs-250-a-dose-120120800033_1.html reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The government is pinning its hopes for mass supply on Serum Institute, which lodged the first formal application for emergency-use approval of AstraZeneca's shot on Monday.

Hong Kong to further restrict dining and announce new steps to curb coronavirus

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the city will ban dining in restaurants after 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) and announce new measures later in the day to curb a rise in coronavirus cases in the densely packed financial hub. Lam, speaking at her weekly press briefing, said the government would also study additional relief measures for those affected by the latest restrictions.

India investigates if organochlorines behind unknown illness

Indian authorities are investigating if organochlorines used as pesticides or in mosquito control caused the death of one person and hospitalisation of more than 400 in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in the past few days, a health official said on Tuesday. The unknown illness has infected more than 300 children, with most of them suffering from dizziness, fainting spells, headache and vomiting. They have tested negative for COVID-19.

U.S. AstraZeneca vaccine trial will clear confusion on how well it works: U.S. scientist

A top U.S. scientist overseeing COVID-19 vaccine trials expects a large U.S. study to determine how effective AstraZeneca's experimental inoculation is, following perplexing results from other trials released by the company and partner Oxford University. AstraZeneca Plc is one of the leading vaccine developers, but interim data released Nov. 23 from trials in Britain and Brazil showed a vastly divergent performance when the vaccine was tested in two different dose combinations.

Californians endure another lockdown as COVID-19 patients overwhelm hospitals

Most Californians faced heavy new restrictions on Monday aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, while New York's governor threatened to ban indoor restaurant dining in New York City as the United States feared infections would continue skyrocketing. Restaurants in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area and the state's agricultural San Joaquin Valley shut for all but takeout and delivery. Playgrounds closed, stores reduced capacity and hair salons and barbershops shuttered.