Health News Roundup: Wuhan residents remember coronavirus 'whistleblower' doctor, 59.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed and more

Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at a hospital in the city, became one of the most visible figures in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan when he tried to sound the alarm about its appearance, but was reprimanded by police for "spreading rumours." 59.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed, 39 million administered: U.S. CDC The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had distributed 59,304,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States and that 39,037,964 doses had been administered as of Saturday morning.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Wuhan residents remember coronavirus 'whistleblower' doctor a year after his death

A year after his death from COVID-19, residents in the Chinese city of Wuhan say they remain grateful to the "whistleblower" doctor who first sounded the alarm about the outbreak before it received official recognition. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at a hospital in the city, became one of the most visible figures in the early days of the outbreak in Wuhan when he tried to sound the alarm about its appearance, but was reprimanded by police for "spreading rumours."

59.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed, 39 million administered: U.S. CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had distributed 59,304,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States and that 39,037,964 doses had been administered as of Saturday morning. The tallies are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, the agency said.

Australia reports no new local coronavirus cases ahead of Australian Open

Australia reported no new local coronavirus cases for a third day on Sunday, as tennis players geared up for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne on Monday. The Australian Open will have a reduced attendance of 30,000 fans a day, about 50% lower than usual because of COVID-19 protocols.

Brazil gets first active ingredients for AstraZeneca vaccine from China

A first shipment of 88 liters of active ingredients to make AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil arrived from China on Saturday, essential input to speed the country's troubled vaccination program. With those supplies flown into Rio de Janeiro on a cargo plane, the Fiocruz biomedical center can begin filling and finishing 2.8 million doses. The federally funded center expects to receive more ingredients this month to make a total of 15 million shots of the vaccine developed with Oxford University.

French COVID-19 cases, patient numbers ease as AstraZeneca inoculations start

France on Saturday reported a fall in new COVID-19 infections and in the number of patients being treated in hospital, slightly easing pressure on the health system as the country rolled out shots with a third approved vaccine. The country registered 20,586 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, down from 22,139 the previous day and marking the third straight daily fall.

German minister angry at vaccine rollout, which EU chief defends

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Saturday he was angry that more COVID-19 vaccines were not ordered last year as EU chief executive Ursula von der Leyen renewed her defence of the European Commission's record on rolling them out. EU countries have so far given first doses to just under 4% of their populations, compared with 11% for the United States and almost 17% for Britain, according to Our World in Data. Von der Leyen has been under fire for the EU's slow rollout.

Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID shot less effective against South African variant: study

British drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Saturday its vaccine developed with the University of Oxford appeared to offer only limited protection against mild disease caused by the South African variant of COVID-19, based on early data from a trial. The study from South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University showed the vaccine had significantly reduced efficacy against the South African variant, according to a Financial Times report published earlier in the day.

Exclusive: Indonesia approves China's Sinovac vaccine for the elderly

Indonesia has approved Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine for use in the elderly, a letter from the food and drug agency shows, potentially changing the country's strategy which has prioritised its working population first. That strategy was partially due to limited data on the vaccine's safety for the elderly, authorities have said.

China approves Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for general public use

Sinovac Biotech said on Saturday that its unit's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use by the general public by China's medical products regulator. It marks the second vaccine approved for public use in China, after one developed by a Beijing institute affiliated with state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) was approved in December.

Pfizer applies to register COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil

Pfizer Inc has applied for full regulatory approval in Brazil of its COVID-19 vaccine developed with BioNTech Se, Brazilian health regulator Anvisa said on Saturday. It is the second vaccine submitted for registration in Brazil. AstraZeneca Plc applied on Jan. 29 for full regulatory approval of the vaccine it developed with Oxford University, and will make it in Brazil in partnership with the federally funded Fiocruz biomedical center.