Health News Roundup: US and China clash at WHO; Independent pandemic review panel critical of China and more

Mainland China posted 118 new cases on Jan. 18, up from 109 a day earlier, the national health authority said in a statement. Australia says 'no' to tennis stars amid calls for quarantine change Australian authorities said mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving for the Australian Open tennis tournament was essential to stop COVID-19, as the country recorded another day with no new locally acquired cases on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. and China clash at WHO over scientific mission in Wuhan

The United States called on China on Monday to allow an expert team from the World Health Organization (WHO) to interview "care givers, former patients and lab workers" in the central city of Wuhan, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. The team of WHO-led independent experts trying to determine the origins of the new coronavirus arrived on Jan. 14 in Wuhan where they are holding teleconferences with Chinese counterparts during a two-week quarantine before starting work on the ground.

Independent pandemic review panel critical of China, WHO delays

An independent panel said on Monday that Chinese officials could have applied public health measures more forcefully in January to curb the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and criticised the World Health Organization (WHO) for not declaring an international emergency until Jan. 30. The experts reviewing the global handling of the pandemic, led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, called for reforms to the Geneva-based United Nations agency.Their interim report was published hours after the WHO's top emergency expert, Mike Ryan, said that global deaths from COVID-19 were expected to top 100,000 per week "very soon".

China reports over 100 new COVID-19 cases for seventh day

China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for a seventh day on Tuesday in the worst domestic outbreak since March last year, with one northeastern province seeing a record daily increase. Mainland China posted 118 new cases on Jan. 18, up from 109 a day earlier, the national health authority said in a statement.

Norway says advice on use of Pfizer vaccine is unchanged

Norway said on Monday it was not changing its policy on the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine following reports of deaths in highly frail recipients after the inoculation was given. BioNTech had earlier say that "Norwegian Health Authorities have now changed (their) recommendation in relation to vaccination of the terminally ill". But the company later retracted the statement following clarification from Norway.

New York governor asks Pfizer to directly sell COVID-19 vaccine doses

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo asked Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla on Monday if the state could buy COVID-19 vaccine doses directly from the U.S. drugmaker. Pfizer, however, told Reuters that such a proposal would first require approval by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Philippines says country free of H5N6 bird flu

The Philippines is now free of the highly pathogenic H5N6 bird flu virus, the Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday, citing a declaration by the World Organization for Animal Health. "As of Jan. 8, the country is now free of the last remaining A(H5N6) strain of the avian Influenza," having resolved the outbreaks in Pampanga province and a village in Rizal, near the capital region, it said in a statement.

Australia says 'no' to tennis stars amid calls for quarantine change

Australian authorities said mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving for the Australian Open tennis tournament was essential to stop COVID-19, as the country recorded another day with no new locally acquired cases on Tuesday. Some of the world's top tennis players including world No. 1 Novak Djokovic have questioned the country's enforced 14-day hotel quarantine, suggesting they should be allowed to complete the process in accommodation with tennis courts before the tournament which starts in Victoria state on Feb. 8.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city to extend social distancing measures

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the government will extend social distancing measures due to expire this week as the city remains on heightened alert after the number of COVID-19 infections climbed back into triple digits. Lam, speaking at a weekly press briefing, said the government would reveal details later in the day.

Vaccine nationalism puts world on brink of 'catastrophic moral failure':

WHO chief The world is on the brink of "catastrophic moral failure" in sharing COVID-19 vaccines, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, urging countries and manufacturers to spread doses more fairly around the world. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the prospects for equitable distribution were at "serious risk" just as its COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme aimed to start distributing inoculations next month.

Colombia's capital Bogota extends nightly curfew to curb coronavirus

Colombia's capital Bogota will impose nightly curfews for almost two weeks, Mayor Claudia Lopez said on Monday, while the whole city will enter yet another full quarantine this weekend. Nightly curfews first started last week and continued until Sunday. However, they will begin again from Tuesday and will run until Jan. 28. During this time citizens must remain in their homes from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m., Lopez said.