Health News Roundup: What you need to know about the coronavirus right now; Europe prepares for Moderna vaccine rollout as fears grow over virus variants and more

U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a record 130,834 late on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally of public health data, while 3,684 reported fatalities was the second-highest single-day death toll of the pandemic.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. tops 21 million COVID-19 cases with record hospitalizations as states ramp up vaccinations

More Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday than at any time since the pandemic began, as total coronavirus infections crossed the 21 million mark, deaths soared across much of the United States and a historic vaccination effort lagged. U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a record 130,834 late on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally of public health data, while 3,684 reported fatalities was the second-highest single-day death toll of the pandemic.

China reports most COVID cases in five months as Hebei infections rise

Authorities in the capital of China's Hebei province strengthened travel restriction on Thursday to curb the spread of the coronavirus as the country reported the biggest rise in daily COVID-19 cases in more than five months. Hebei, which entered a "wartime mode" on Tuesday, accounted for 51 of the 52 local cases reported by the National Health Commission on Thursday. This compared with 20 cases reported in the province, which surrounds Beijing, a day earlier.

17.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed, 5.3 million administered: U.S. CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 5,306,797 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 17,288,950 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 Wednesday, the agency said.

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 Plan for Tokyo state of emergency moves forward as COVID-19 cases surge

An advisory panel approved on Thursday the Japanese government's plan for a one-month state of emergency, beginning Friday, for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures in a bid to contain a surge in new coronavirus cases, now running at record levels. The proposal for an emergency declaration running from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7 was approved at a morning meeting, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said. Its restrictions centre on measures to combat transmission at bars and restaurants, cited by the government as key risk areas. Australia says COVID-19 vaccinations likely to begin February

Australia is on course to begin administering the first COVID-19 vaccines in February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, as the country moves to accelerate its inoculation programme as two states try to contain outbreaks. Morrison said Australia's pharmaceutical regulator is expected to approve the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine by the end of January, with the first doses issued within weeks. Mexican with allergic reaction after Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine still hospitalized

A Mexican doctor who had a serious allergic reaction after receiving Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's vaccine against COVID-19 remains hospitalized and has not fully recovered muscle strength, health authorities said on Wednesday. The 32-year-old internist, who got the vaccine on Dec. 30, had several seizures in the following days and is being treated in a specialized hospital that is part of Mexico's social security institute IMSS.