Health News Roundup: Hebei capital suspends public transport as China reports 33 new COVID-19 cases; Older Americans scramble for COVID-19 shots as some U.S. states broaden access and more

The country, with the highest number of infections in the world after the United States, is developing two indigenous COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna vaccine set to arrive in France as country steps up anti-COVID drive Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in France on Monday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said, as the country steps up its vaccination drive following a sluggish start.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hebei capital suspends public transport as China reports 33 new COVID-19 cases

Chinese authorities halted public transport in a provincial capital near Beijing on Saturday in an effort to stamp out a new cluster of coronavirus infections. Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province which surrounds Beijing, suspended service on the city's subway, then extended the ban to all public transport, including taxis. The province entered a "wartime mode" this week to battle the infections.

Older Americans scramble for COVID-19 shots as some U.S. states broaden access

At Don's Pharmasave in Louisiana's rural Avoyelles parish, pharmacist Constance Rabalais and colleagues have had to come up with their own policies and procedures for doling out their first 100 COVID-19 vaccine doses amid overwhelming demand. More than a dozen states looking to deploy unused coronavirus vaccines are starting to give shots to older members of the general population while others have not, meaning protection for more than 20 million Americans aching to hug their grandchildren may depend on where they live.

White House COVID-19 task force warns of possible new 'USA variant' driving spread - CNBC The White House coronavirus task force said there could be a new variant of the virus that evolved in the United States and is driving spread, CNBC reported on Friday, citing a document obtained by NBC News. The recent spike in cases has been at nearly twice the rate seen in the spring and summer seasons, according to the report. (https://cnb.cx/3hWHpCw)

India to continue export of medicines, including vaccines - PM Modi Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday the nation would continue to export medicines, including vaccines, as companies have ramped up production. The country, with the highest number of infections in the world after the United States, is developing two indigenous COVID-19 vaccines.

Moderna vaccine set to arrive in France as country steps up anti-COVID drive Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in France on Monday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said, as the country steps up its vaccination drive following a sluggish start. Castex and Health Minister Olivier Veran visited a health centre in Tarbes, southwestern France, on Saturday as part of the government's campaign to accelerate France's vaccine rollout.

ICUs clogged on the way in, morgues on the way out in California's COVID crisis Southern California is so overwhelmed with coronavirus cases that patients are backed up trying to get into hospitals, and corpses get stuck in another logjam once they leave. At one hospital in Orange County, ambulances loaded with patients are lining up outside waiting for space in the intensive care unit, and COVID-19 patients fill the emergency room hallway.

U.S. governors work to speed up vaccinations, Biden pledges faster distribution President-elect Joe Biden may speed up distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. states, a spokesman said on Friday, in an effort to jump-start the slow roll-out of inoculations that have made little impact on the pandemic one week into the new year. Such a move by Biden when he takes office on Jan. 20 would be a departure from a Trump administration strategy to stockpile enough doses to ensure that required second doses of the vaccines are available.

Osaka seeks state of emergency as new Tokyo COVID-19 infections top 2,000 Osaka and its surrounding prefectures asked Japan to expand a state of emergency to the western cities in an effort to contain the latest COVID-19 outbreak, while Tokyo's new daily infections keep above 2,000 cases on Saturday. Yasutoshi Nishimura, the country's economy minister, told media the situation in the western cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo was severe and the declaration of a wider state of emergency was being considered after a request from the cities' governors.

U.S. World War Two veterans roll up sleeves for vaccination in Los Angeles Harry Corre, a U.S. Army veteran of World War Two who survived the Bataan Death March and a Japanese slave labor camp, rolled up his sleeve on Friday for his second coronavirus vaccine shot at a VA hospital in Los Angeles to help promote immunizations. Corre, 97, was one of three World War Two vets, all former prisoners of war, receiving vaccinations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System outside a newly established mobile isolation unit for COVID-19 patients.

NHS England plans to vaccinate all frontline staff against COVID-19 in next few weeks NHS England said on Friday it had made plans to vaccinate all frontline staff against COVID-19 in the next few weeks following the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Nikita Kanani, the Nation Health Service medical director for primary care, said the vaccine will be administered to "all health and social care staff" by mid-February.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)