Health News Roundup: England and Wales recorded most deaths last year; U.S. officials report more severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and more

U.S. officials report more severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it is carefully monitoring allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc and urged individuals who had a serious reaction not to get the second dose.

Miguel Cabezola, a driver for United Parcel Service Inc in Tucson, Arizona, complained on March 27 to U.S. workplace safety regulators, alleging the company was taking a lax approach to social distancing, sanitizing equipment and quarantining workers with COVID-19 symptoms. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect worker safety. Instead, the state arm of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) summarized Cabezola's concerns in an email to company management, reviewed the UPS response and closed the file.

U.S. officials report more severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it is carefully monitoring allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc and urged individuals who had a serious reaction not to get the second dose. In a conference call with reporters, the U.S. public health agency said allergic reactions are occurring at a rate of 11.1 per 1 million vaccinations. That compared with flu vaccines, in which such reactions occur at a rate of 1.3 per 1 million shots.

England and Wales recorded most deaths last year for a century - ONS

England and Wales recorded the most deaths in 2020 of any year in more than a century, with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a rise in the number of excess deaths, a senior statistician said on Wednesday. About 604,000 deaths were registered in the two countries in the last 52 weeks, about 73,000 or 14% above the five-year average, Nick Stripe from Britain's Office of National Statistics said on Twitter.

Europe prepares for Moderna vaccine rollout as fears grow over virus variants

EU countries could begin rolling out Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine as soon as next week after authorities approved the region's second shot on Wednesday, with more infectious variants of the virus adding extra urgency to inoculation efforts. Vaccinating the European Union's 450 million people could be crucial to ending a pandemic that has killed almost 1.9 million people globally. Countries are scrambling to contain two variants found in South Africa and Britain that are more transmissible and have driven a surge in infections.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: China steps up curbs near Beijing U.S. to send COVID-19 vaccine to pharmacies in hopes of speeding shots

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States plans to start distributing COVID-19 vaccines through pharmacies around the country earlier than expected this week as states have struggled to use the supply they have been allocated, top health officials said on Wednesday. The partnership with 19 pharmacy chains will eventually let the Operation Warp Speed vaccination program deliver to as many as 40,000 locations around the country, Warp Speed officials said at a news conference on Wednesday.

CVS, Walgreens to administer COVID-19 vaccines at U.S. nursing homes by Jan 25

CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc said on Wednesday they expect to complete administering the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines at U.S. nursing homes by Jan. 25. This comes as the United States has fallen behind its vaccination targets. As of Tuesday, just over 4.8 million had received the first dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the government had earlier expected 20 million to have been vaccinated by the end of 2020.

More infectious COVID-19 variant in at least five U.S. states - NIH Director

A more contagious variant of COVID-19 that has swept through the United Kingdom has been reported in at least five states in the U.S., National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said in an interview to the Washington Post on Wednesday. "We have now seen that same UK virus in the U.S. in at least five states and I would be surprised if that doesn't grow pretty rapidly," Collins said, adding that it doesn't however seem to be more severe.