Health News Roudnup: Sydney records 30 new COVID cases; Moderna says CDC panel recommends its COVID vaccine and more

Moderna says CDC panel recommends its COVID-19 vaccine for adults Moderna Inc said on Saturday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of the company's COVID-19 vaccine on people 18 years of age and older.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sydney records 30 new virus cases; border restrictions isolate city

Sydney's coronavirus outbreak grew to around 70 on Sunday, forcing authorities to introduce stricter social distancing rules across the city, and more states to close borders or impose quarantine measures on its residents. The neighbouring state of Victoria will close its border to Sydney from midnight Sunday. South Australia state introduced a 14-day quarantine for all Sydney arrivals on Sunday and banned travellers from the affected suburbs.

Moderna says CDC panel recommends its COVID-19 vaccine for adults

Moderna Inc said on Saturday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of the company's COVID-19 vaccine on people 18 years of age and older. The panel voted 11-0 in favor of the vaccine, the company said in a press release.

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.

Postcards from Wuhan: One year on, residents share lockdown memories, hopes for 2021

In China's Wuhan, the original epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, the city's residents are returning to normal life, even as they continue to grapple with memories of the early outbreak, which struck fear in the city. It's been almost seven months since the city recorded a locally transmitted case of the disease due to a strict city-wide lockdown and a mass testing event of almost all the city's 11 million residents.

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.

CDC issues guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination after allergic reactions

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday said it was monitoring reports of allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination and made recommendations on how people with histories of allergies should proceed. Anyone who had a severe reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine should not get the second dose, the agency said, defining severe as needing the medication epinephrine or treatment in a hospital.

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.

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.