Health News Roundup: First doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive; 59.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed and more

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.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

First doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Afghanistan from India

Afghanistan received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from India on Sunday, the first to arrive in the country, which is still waiting for emergency approval from the World Health Organisation before it can use them. Ghulam Dastagir Nazari, head of the immunisation program at the health ministry said the doses would be stored in Kabul until the emergency authorisation was received, which it hoped would happen in a week.

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.

Britain will not introduce COVID-19 vaccine passports

Britain will not introduce COVID-19 vaccine passports, but people will be able to seek proof from their doctor if needed for travel to other countries, vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday. "We are certainly not looking to introduce it as part of the vaccine deployment programme," Zahawi told Sky News.

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.

UK says COVID-19 booster and annual vaccinations very probable

A COVID-19 booster in the autumn and then annual vaccinations are very probable, Britain's vaccine deployment minister said on Sunday as countries race to administer injections in the face of new variants. Britain has already provided nearly 11.5 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and is on track to meet a target to vaccinate everyone in the top most vulnerable groups by mid-February.

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.

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.

Vaccine diplomacy: India seeks to rival China with broad shipments

India has approved the shipment of COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia and plans to supply Mongolia and Pacific Island states, officials said on Sunday, as supplies arrived in Afghanistan - all part of the country's widening vaccine diplomacy. Seeking to steal a march over rival Asian giant China, which has also promised to deliver shots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been giving nearby countries millions of doses of the locally made AstraZeneca PLC vaccine, even as its domestic immunisation programme has just begun.

(With inputs from agencies.)