Health News Roundup: France to reopen border with England for COVID-clear travellers; AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective against new coronavirus and more

Reports of the new virus variant in England, which prompted a pre-Christmas lockdown and caused dozens of countries to close their borders to British travelers this week, have spurred talks among U.S. state officials of mandatory COVID-19 testing for travelers from the UK and a possible quarantine mandate.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Britain reports record number of new COVID-19 infections, 691 deaths

Britain reported a record number of new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday as it battles a surge in cases caused by a variant strain of the disease. Official figures showed there had been 36,804 new cases and a further 691 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, both up markedly from a day before. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: WHO calls meeting on new virus variant U.S. sues Walmart accusing retailer of helping to fuel opioid crisis

The U.S. Justice Department sued Walmart Inc on Tuesday, accusing the retailer of fueling the opioid crisis in the United States, ignoring warning signs from its pharmacists and filling thousands of invalid prescriptions. In a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, the department accused Walmart of failing to take its gatekeeping duties as a pharmacy seriously.

Europe crosses 500,000 COVID-19 deaths as new variant spreads - Reuters tally

Europe became the first region worldwide to cross 500,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as a new variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain threatened the region's prevention measures to curb the pandemic. Reports of the mutated variant out of England prompted a pre-Christmas lockdown and have forced dozens of countries close their borders to British travelers this week.

Trump EPA finalizes lead contamination rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday finalized the first update of regulations of lead in drinking water in 30 years, a move it said strengthens federal rules but that environmental critics say is a missed opportunity to carry out the kind of regulatory overhaul needed to ensure safety. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the final rule at a virtual news conference alongside the mayor of Flint, Michigan, Sheldon Neeley, saying it strengthened "every aspect" of the existing regulation and would protect children and communities from lead exposure.

Exclusive: India likely to approve AstraZeneca vaccine by next week- sources

India is likely to approve Oxford/AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use by next week after its local manufacturer submitted additional data sought by authorities, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. This could be the first country to give the regulatory green light for the British drugmaker's vaccine as the British medicine regulator continues to examine data from the trials.

AstraZeneca says its vaccine should be effective against new coronavirus variant

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc told Reuters on Tuesday that its COVID-19 vaccine should be effective against the new coronavirus variant, adding that studies were under way to fully probe the impact of the mutation. "AZD1222 (AstraZeneca's vaccine candidate) contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein, and the changes to the genetic code seen in this new viral strain do not appear to change the structure of the spike protein," an AstraZeneca spokesperson said in an email.

U.S. will not impose COVID-19 screenings for flights from Britain - sources

The U.S. government does not intend to impose COVID-19 screenings for passengers traveling from Britain after the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus variant there, people briefed on the decision said. White House coronavirus task force members backed requiring negative pre-flight tests after a meeting on Monday, but the Trump administration has decided not to take any action for the time being, the people said.

France to reopen border with England for COVID-clear travellers

France will reopen its borders to passengers from England on Wednesday, ending a blockade intended to stop the spread of a new coronavirus variant, but which has held up thousands of lorries before Christmas. Much of the world shut its borders to Britain after a significantly more transmissible mutated coronavirus variant was discovered spreading swiftly across southern England.

U.S. seeks to calm fears of U.K. virus variant as U.S. infections top 18 million

Total U.S. COVID-19 cases surpassed 18 million on Tuesday as health officials tried to tamp down fears about a new, highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom. Reports of the new virus variant in England, which prompted a pre-Christmas lockdown and caused dozens of countries to close their borders to British travelers this week, have spurred talks among U.S. state officials of mandatory COVID-19 testing for travelers from the UK and a possible quarantine mandate.