Health News Roundup: Vaccinated people need not quarantine post COVID-19 exposure; EU close to sealing supply deal with Novavax for COVID-19 vaccines and more

She also said the variant was dominant in the country and was likely "to sweep the world, in all probability". Thailand says to administer 10 million COVID-19 shots monthly from June Thailand announced plans on Thursday to inoculate 1 million of its most vulnerable people against COVID-19 by May and start mass vaccinations in June, with the aim of administering 10 doses a month.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Vaccinated people need not quarantine post COVID-19 exposure, CDC says

People who have received the full course of COVID-19 vaccines can skip the standard 14-day quarantine after exposure to someone with the infection as long as they remain asymptomatic, U.S. public health officials advised. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday the vaccines have been shown to prevent symptomatic COVID-19, thought to play a greater role in the transmission of the virus than asymptomatic disease.

Democratic Republic of Congo confirms second Ebola case in resurgence of major outbreak

A second person has contracted Ebola and died this week in Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, the World Health Organization and the health ministry said in a statement. The cases mark a resurgence in the world's second-biggest outbreak, which was declared over last June, they said in the statement.

EU close to sealing supply deal with Novavax for COVID-19 vaccines - sources

The European Union could sign a supply deal with Novavax this week or next for the U.S. company's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, two EU officials involved in the talks with the firm said. The EU concluded in December preliminary negotiations with Novavax for the supply of 100 million doses and an option for another 100 million.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: UK variant 'likely to sweep the world'

More than 40% of Britons in poor health or struggling financially amid pandemic, says UK regulator More than 40 percent of Britons are struggling financially or suffering poor health, a sharp increase from last year driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said on Thursday. The FCA said there are now 27.7 million adults in Britain affected by low financial resilience, poor health or other recent negative life events, up from 24 million in February 2020, a month before the country went into its first lockdown to fight the pandemic. Britain's total population is 67 million.

Britain's coronavirus variant a concern, 'likely to sweep the world', says scientist The coronavirus variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing COVID-19, the head of the UK's genetic surveillance programme said. She also said the variant was dominant in the country and was likely "to sweep the world, in all probability".

Thailand says to administer 10 million COVID-19 shots monthly from June Thailand announced plans on Thursday to inoculate 1 million of its most vulnerable people against COVID-19 by May and start mass vaccinations in June, with the aim of administering 10 doses a month. The announcement was the first clear timeline for its plan to vaccinate about half of its 70 million population, and comes amid criticism over the government's vaccine procurement strategy.

Africa not 'walking away' from AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, CDC says The African Union's disease control body said on Thursday that it was not "walking away" from AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, after trial data showed it had greatly reduced efficacy against the coronavirus variant dominant in South Africa. African countries are due to receive 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot this year under an AU vaccine plan.

Tragedy, loss and hope: Overseeing New York hospitals during a pandemic No matter who you are, it is a safe bet that this past year has been challenging and traumatic. Now imagine that you faced a pandemic while in charge of a New York City hospital that is one of the largest in the nation.

Bolivia signs deal with China´s Sinopharm for coronavirus vaccine Bolivia said on Thursday it had inked an agreement with China´s Sinopharm locking in an initial supply of half a million doses of the company´s vaccine against coronavirus by the end of February. Bolivian President Luis Arce said China's President Xi Jinping had agreed to sell Bolivia 400,000 doses and had donated another 100,000 doses to the South American nation, among the poorest in the region.