Health News Roundup: Wealthy hospitals rake in U.S. disaster aid for COVID-19 costs; Turkey says it aims to produce Russia's Sputnik V vaccine at home and more

Germany's GNA Biosolutions offers new quick coronavirus test Biotech firm GNA Biosolutions said on Tuesday it has received emergency use approval from German's health authority for its quick COVID-19 test that it says is as reliable as widely-used PCR tests but delivers results almost as quickly as an antigen one.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Wealthy hospitals rake in U.S. disaster aid for COVID-19 costs

After collecting billions of dollars in U.S. coronavirus aid, many of the nation's wealthiest nonprofit hospitals are now tapping into disaster relief funds that critics say they don't need. The money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is going to some large health systems that have billions of dollars in cash reserves and investments, according to government records reviewed by Reuters.

Turkey says it aims to produce Russia's Sputnik V vaccine at home

Turkey aims to produce Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine domestically but has asked for more information about it before inoculating its citizens, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Russia has announced several international deals for the supply of Sputnik V, named after the Soviet-era satellite that triggered the space race in a nod to the project's geopolitical importance for Moscow.

Indonesia to ink Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccine deals as awaits Sinovac clearance

Indonesia is poised to secure coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the health minister said on Tuesday, as it awaits authorisation to begin its inoculation programme with a third drug, by China's Sinovac. Budi Gunadi Sadikin said a 50-million-dose deal with AstraZeneca would be finalised before the end of the year, and one of the same size with Pfizer in the first week of January.

Thailand warns of stricter measures if virus not contained

Thailand warned on Tuesday that more intensive measures might be necessary to halt its worst coronavirus outbreak yet and urged the public to cooperate to contain a spread that has seen cases in most regions of the country. Thailand has imposed tighter control measures in some areas, including on entertainment businesses, which will be reassessed in seven days, said COVID-19 taskforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin.

Coronavirus herd immunity not yet in sight, Spanish PM says

Herd immunity against the coronavirus is not yet in sight for Spain's population, although the start of a vaccination program marks a turning point in the fight against the virus, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday. Soon there will be more people vaccinated against the virus in Spain than people infected with the virus, Sanchez said during a televised end-of-year address.

AstraZeneca vaccine not ready for quick European approval, watchdog official says

The European Medicines Authority (EMA) will most likely not be able to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by drug maker AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in January, the watchdog's Deputy Executive Director Noel Wathion said. "They have not even filed an application with us yet", Wathion said in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad published on Tuesday.

Renewed COVID lockdowns likely in Southern California as ICUs stay filled

The United States topped 19 million COVID cases on Monday as hospital intensive care units were full to overflowing across much of California, a major U.S. virus hot spot, portending an extension of strict stay-at-home orders imposed this month. California Governor Gavin Newsom said mandatory constraints on social gatherings and business activities would almost certainly be renewed for at least three more weeks in Southern California - encompassing the state's biggest metropolitan areas - and its agricultural heartland, the San Joaquin Valley.

Germany's GNA Biosolutions offers new quick coronavirus test

Biotech firm GNA Biosolutions said on Tuesday it has received emergency use approval from German's health authority for its quick COVID-19 test that it says is as reliable as widely-used PCR tests but delivers results almost as quickly as an antigen one. GNA Biosolutions said its test is based on a new class of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which has become the global standard of reliable testing. Its so-called pulse controlled amplification(PCA) technology had proved to deliver 96.7% accurate results. China's capital locks down part of district in coronavirus fight

Beijing sealed off 10 areas of its northeastern Shunyi district on Tuesday, the first lockdown in the Chinese capital since the last coronavirus outbreak in the months of June and July. The city has reported 16 infections and three asymptomatic cases since Dec. 18, when the first cases were found. Most of the cases were in Shunyi, which has banned couriers from entering residential compounds. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: UK needs tighter rules to avert new 'catastrophe'