Health News Roundup: China reports no new local COVID-19 infection for first time in nearly two months; Too soon to end German lockdown, says Bavarian leader Soeder and more

South Africa puts AstraZeneca vaccinations on hold over variant data South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China reports no new local COVID-19 infection for first time in nearly two months

China reported no new locally transmitted mainland COVID-19 case for the first time in nearly two months, official data showed on Monday, adding to signs that it has managed to stamp out the latest wave of the disease. The total number of COVID-19 cases rose slightly to 14 on Feb. 7 from 12 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement, but all were imported infections from overseas. Seven of the cases were in Shanghai, the rest in the southeastern Guangdong province.

Too soon to end German lockdown, says Bavarian leader Soeder

It is too soon for Germany to lift its lockdown without risking a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Bavarian premier Markus Soeder said on Sunday, ahead of a crunch meeting to review the restrictions aimed at stemming the pandemic. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 federal states are due to meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss whether to ease the restrictions from Feb. 15, or extend a lockdown that began in mid-December.

South Korea daily coronavirus cases drop ahead of Lunar New Year

South Korea reported the lowest daily number of new coronavirus cases since late November as the government slightly eased social distancing restrictions in the face of growing criticism from businesses impacted by the rules. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 289 additional cases as of midnight Sunday, with the daily tally falling below 300 for the first time since November 23.

Biden says challenging for U.S. to reach herd immunity by summer's end

President Joe Biden said that it will be difficult for the United States to reach herd immunity, at least 75% of the population inoculated against the coronavirus, by the end of this summer. "The idea that this can be done and we can get to herd immunity much before the end of next -- this summer, is -- is very difficult," Biden told CBS news in an interview.

More than 12 million Britons have received first COVID-19 vaccine dose

A total of 12,014,288 Britons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to government data released on Sunday, as the authorities race to roll out the injections. Britain on Sunday also reported a further 15,845 cases and 373 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, figures showed.

Panama says buying vaccines for more than 80% of its population

Panama has sought to acquire more than 8 million coronavirus vaccine doses to inoculate about 80% of the Central American nation's residents, Health Minister Luis Sucre said on Sunday. Panama has a population of about 4.2 million people but most coronavirus vaccines require two shots spaced several weeks apart.

U.S. administers 41.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 41,210,937 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Sunday morning and distributed 59,307,800 doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday. The tally of vaccine doses is for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech as of 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) on Sunday, the agency said.

Australia urges calm over AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after South Africa suspends use

Australia on Monday moved to reassure its citizens over the efficacy of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after South Africa suspended use of the shot because data showed it offered limited protection against a new strain of the virus. Citing data that showed the AstraZeneca vaccine reduced mild-to-moderate COVID-19 by 22%, South Africa said on Sunday it would put on hold the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

South Africa puts AstraZeneca vaccinations on hold over variant data

South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday that the government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed, after a trial showed the AstraZeneca vaccine did not significantly reduce the risk of mild or moderate COVID-19 from the 501Y.V2 variant that caused a second wave of infections starting late last year.

France reports fresh fall in number of new COVID-19 cases

France reported a fall in new COVID-19 infections on Sunday for the fourth successive day. Health ministry data showed there had been 19,175 new confirmed COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours compared with 20,586 the previous day.