Reuters Health News Summary

They also questioned the rationale behind prolonging the time between first and second doses. WHO recommends two doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine within 21-28 days People should get two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine within 21-28 days, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as many countries struggled to administer the jabs that can ward off the COVID-19 virus.

The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday he was "very disappointed" that China has still not authorised the entry of a team of international experts to examine the origins of the coronavirus. The 10-strong team had been due to set off in early January as part of a long-awaited mission to probe early cases of the coronavirus, first reported over a year ago in China's Wuhan.

Explainer-How safe is it to switch and space COVID-19 vaccine doses? LONDON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Britain and other nations are considering ways to stretch scarce supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, including by delaying second doses, reducing dose sizes and switching vaccine types between the first and second shots. The proposals have generated fierce debate among scientists. Here is the rationale behind, and criticism of, these alternative strategies:

UK scientists question COVID-19 vaccine dosing delay Five UK medical scientists have criticised a British government plan to delay giving second doses of COVID-19 vaccines by up to 12 weeks, saying proven dosing schedules should not be altered "without solid scientific support or evidence". In an opinion piece published online in the BMJ British Medical Journal, the scientists said the plan was based on "assumptions" rather than scientific evidence or trial data. They also questioned the rationale behind prolonging the time between first and second doses.

WHO recommends two doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine within 21-28 days People should get two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine within 21-28 days, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as many countries struggled to administer the jabs that can ward off the COVID-19 virus. Many are experiencing intensifying pressure on their health services due to surging coronavirus cases and the emergence of new variants that appear to spread more easily.

Bleak start to new year for Britain as it enters third lockdown Britain began its third COVID-19 lockdown on Tuesday with the government calling for one last major national effort to defeat the spread of a virus that has infected an estimated one in 50 citizens before mass vaccinations turn the tide. Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a new package of business grants worth 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) to help keep people in jobs and firms afloat until measures are relaxed gradually, at the earliest from mid-February but likely later.

Israel to tighten COVID-19 lockdown in "final effort" amid vaccine rollout Israel will tighten an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb a sharp rise in new COVID-19 cases, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday. The stricter lockdown - to take effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday and last 14 days - will constitute "one final effort" as the country presses ahead with its rapid vaccine rollout, Netanyahu said.

Spain increases COVID-19 vaccination pace but regional disparities remain Spain on Tuesday increased the pace of its campaign to inoculate people against COVID-19, with close to 140,000 people vaccinated, but only 18.7% of the doses received had been administered and disparities between regions remained. Spain has administered 139,339 doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine so far out of the 743,925 distributed to the country's 17 regions - who manage health care - since the European Union approved the vaccine two weeks ago, Spain's Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

France to cull 600,000 poultry to stem bird flu France is to cull around 600,000 poultry birds as it tries to contain an avian influenza virus that is spreading among duck flocks in the southwest of the country, the farm ministry said on Tuesday. France is among European countries to have reported highly contagious strains of bird flu late last year, leading to mass culls as authorities try to limit transmission from wild birds to farm flocks.

South African variant unlikely to 'completely negate' COVID vaccines, scientist says JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A variant of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa is unlikely to completely negate the immunising effects of vaccines, a researcher studying it told Reuters. British scientists expressed concern on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines may not be able to protect against the variant identified by South African scientists and which has spread internationally.

17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed, 4.8 million administered: U.S. CDC The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 4,836,469 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Tuesday morning and distributed 17,020,575 doses. The tally of vaccine doses distributed and the number of people who received the first dose are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the agency said.