Reuters Health News Summary

Global COVID-19 cases surpass 75 million Global coronavirus infections surpassed the 75 million mark on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as several nations around the world begin vaccinating against the virus.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. China says will vaccinate 'key groups' over winter, spring

China will focus first on vaccinating high-risk groups over the winter and spring before widening the inoculation to the general public, a senior health official said on Saturday. Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC) and director of the State Council's vaccine R&D working group, warned that China's COVID-19 prevention efforts were under increasing pressure as temperatures fall. To fight new COVID strain, UK PM Johnson reverses Christmas plans for millions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed an effective lockdown on over 16 million people in England and reversed plans to ease curbs over Christmas, saying Britain was dealing with a new coronavirus strain up to 70% more transmissible than the original. Although Johnson and his scientific advisors believe vaccines will still be effective, and the new strain is not more deadly or more serious in terms of the illness caused, he said on Saturday the government had to take urgent action. Russia's COVID-19 deaths surpass 50,000

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Russia surpassed 50,000 on Saturday as the country continues to fight stubbornly high numbers of new infections daily. Russia's official coronavirus task force said that 585 people had died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the country's official death toll to 50,347. The country also recorded 28,209 new infections, bringing the national tally to 2,819,429. Invoking Bible and moonwalk, Netanyahu starts Israeli vaccination drive

Israel kicked off a coronavirus vaccination drive on Saturday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoking the Bible and the 1969 lunar landing as he got the country's first injection. Shipments of the Pfizer vaccines began arriving in Israel last week. Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines are on order. Israel expects to have enough doses by the year's end for the 20% of its population most prone to COVID-19 complications. Moderna begins distributing second COVID-19 vaccine - U.S. army general

Moderna Inc and partners have begun distributing its COVID-19 vaccine with trucks expected to start rolling out to more than 3,700 U.S. locations on Sunday, U.S. Army General Gustave Perna said on a Saturday press call. The second COVID-19 vaccine approved for use by U.S. regulators will reach healthcare providers by as early as Monday, Perna said, adding that delivery of the first 20 million doses of vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer Inc could be pushed back until the first week of January. Moderna COVID-19 vaccine begins rollout as U.S. races to broaden injection campaign

U.S. distribution of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine began on Saturday, with more than 3,700 sites due to start receiving and administering shots as soon as Monday, vastly widening the rollout started last week by Pfizer Inc. Amid record coronavirus infections and deaths, Moderna has already moved vaccine supplies from its manufacturing plants to warehouses operated by distributor McKesson Corp. Thailand reports record surge in daily coronavirus cases to over 500

Thailand reported more than 500 cases of coronavirus among migrant workers at the centre of its seafood industry on Saturday, by far the biggest one-day rise in a country that had previously brought the epidemic largely under control. The outbreak appeared in Samut Sakhon province, southwest of Bangkok, where four infections were reported at a shrimp market on Friday. The first confirmed case was a 67-year-old woman who was a vendor at the market. Global COVID-19 cases surpass 75 million

Global coronavirus infections surpassed the 75 million mark on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as several nations around the world begin vaccinating against the virus. Britain this month became the first Western country to start immunizing with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech, followed by the United States which has now also approved a vaccine from Moderna. U.S. FAA approves use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by pilots

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it had approved the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by pilots and air traffic controllers. The announcement follows the FAA's Dec. 12 approval for pilots and controllers to use the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech Africa crosses 2.5 million COVID-19 cases - Reuters tally

The total number of coronavirus cases in Africa crossed 2.5 million on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as a second wave of infections hits the continent. Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Mauritania, Ghana and Ivory Coast have seen a sharp rise in cases and are reporting near record levels of infection, according to a Reuters tally.