Health News Roundup: China sees new COVID-19 cases drop to lowest in a month; Mexico reports 5,448 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 more deaths and more

Mexico reports 5,448 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 more deaths Mexico's health ministry on Monday reported 5,448 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 564 more confirmed fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the total in the country to 1,869,708 cases and 159,100 deaths.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Japan set to extend state of emergency, likely for another month

Japan is expected to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions for another month on Tuesday, seeking to keep the upper hand over a COVID-19 outbreak even as daily case numbers begin to edge down. Prime Minister Yoshida Suga is due to make a final decision on the extension after a meeting of an expert coronavirus response panel later in the day.

China sees new COVID-19 cases drop to lowest in a month

China reported the fewest new COVID-19 cases in a month as imported cases overtook local infections, official data showed on Tuesday, suggesting the country's worst wave since March 2020 is being stamped out ahead of a key holiday. Thirty cases were reported in the mainland on Feb. 1, the National Health Commission said in a statement, down from 42 cases a day earlier and marking lowest total since 24 cases were reported on Jan. 2.

Mexico reports 5,448 new confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry on Monday reported 5,448 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 564 more confirmed fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the total in the country to 1,869,708 cases and 159,100 deaths. Mexico's deputy health secretary Hugo Lopez Gatell said the country would receive between 1.6 million and 2.75 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program this month.

Moderna proposes filling vials with additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna Inc said on Monday it is proposing filling vials with additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to ease a crunch in manufacturing as the company approaches the manufacturing of almost a million doses a day. "The company is proposing filling vials with additional doses of vaccine, up to 15 doses versus the current 10 doses," Moderna said in an emailed statement.

UK detects South African coronavirus variant in people with no travel links

Eleven people in different regions of England have tested positive for the South African coronavirus variant without having any links to people who have travelled, prompting mass testing in the areas to contain the outbreak. Britain, with the world's fifth-highest COVID-19 death toll, has moved to tighten its borders out of concern that new variants of the virus will undermine its vaccination drive.

'Don't be afraid': Polish restaurants, gyms defy 'unenforceable' restrictions

Police visited Maciej Adamski's restaurant north of the Polish capital 16 times in 10 days, telling him that he had to shut up shop because of coronavirus restrictions, but Adamski is not convinced that is strictly correct. His restaurant, Qlturalni Qlinarni Q&Q, serves traditional Polish fare, the walls festooned with guitars and other instruments.

Early U.S. data indicates Black and Hispanic Americans lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations

Early data on U.S. coronavirus vaccinations released on Monday suggests that Blacks and Hispanics received a smaller proportion of shots than their representation among healthcare workers and nursing home residents, two priority groups for COVID-19 inoculations. The United States needs more complete data on the race and ethnicity of people who have been vaccinated, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which released the data.

Chinese syringe producers under pressure as vaccination programmes drive order surge

Chinese syringe makers are warning that they may only be able to fulfil some orders as late as June, as global coronavirus vaccination programmes put unprecedented levels of pressure on their factory lines and snarl the country's own vaccine efforts. Companies told Reuters that they were working around the clock, raising prices and trying to expand factory lines. China and India are the world's biggest producers of syringes, industry executives said.

WHO-led COVID-19 probe team in China visits animal health facility

A team of investigators led by the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived on Tuesday at an animal health facility in China's central city of Wuhan in the search for clues about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The independent team has already visited key hospitals, the regional disease control centre and the city's Huanan seafood market, where the first cluster of infections was believed to have originated late in 2019.

Americans scramble for appointments for second COVID-19 vaccine dose

As more Americans ready for their second COVID-19 vaccine shot, some patients are falling through the cracks of an increasingly complex web of providers and appointment systems. While many people are getting their required second doses, the process is taking a toll on some of the most vulnerable - older adults who in many cases rely on family members or friends to navigate complex sign-up systems and inconvenient locations.