Reuters Health News Summary

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also receive an economic briefing from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, shortly after she takes part in the first meeting of the Group of Seven rich economies since the new U.S. administration took office. Dose shortages undermine push by U.S. states to speed COVID-19 vaccinations When the U.S. government began shipping COVID-19 vaccines in December, state health providers could not administer shots fast enough to keep pace with deliveries and millions of doses sat waiting for arms.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Biden to press for $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan with governors, mayors

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with a bipartisan group of mayors and governors on Friday as he continues to push for approval of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan to bolster economic growth and help millions of unemployed workers. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also receive an economic briefing from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, shortly after she takes part in the first meeting of the Group of Seven rich economies since the new U.S. administration took office.

Dose shortages undermine push by U.S. states to speed COVID-19 vaccinations When the U.S. government began shipping COVID-19 vaccines in December, state health providers could not administer shots fast enough to keep pace with deliveries and millions of doses sat waiting for arms. Two months later, the situation has reversed. Supply constraints are slowing ambitious vaccination programs, as massive sites capable of putting shots into thousands of arms daily in states including New York, California, Florida and Texas, as well as hospitals and pharmacies, beg for more doses.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Biden says Trump 'did not do his job' on vaccination

Biden says there will not be enough COVID vaccines by end of summer to vaccinate all Americans President Joe Biden said on Thursday the United States would not have enough coronavirus vaccine doses by the end of the summer to vaccinate all Americans. Biden made the remark during a visit to the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health in a suburb of Washington.

India, pharmacy of the world, falls behind on vaccinations at home India has won plaudits for gifting and selling COVID-19 vaccines around the world, but it will have to crank up the pace of immunisations at home to meet its targets. Having reported the world's second-highest number of COVID-19 cases after the United States, India wants to innoculate 300 million people - a fifth of its population - against the virus by August.

Hungary PM blames British COVID-19 variant for rise in cases Coronavirus infections have started to rise again in Hungary, probably due to the spread of the variant of the disease first detected in Britain, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. However, Orban said there was no need for further lockdown measures to curb the spread, as a planned acceleration of inoculations with Russian and Chinese vaccines could offset the rise in cases in coming weeks.

U.S. schools, pressured to reopen in pandemic, to get new CDC guidance The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday will issue new COVID-19 guidelines for schools as the Biden administration seeks to fulfill its promise to send most students back to the classroom within its first 100 days. The top U.S. health safety agency was expected to provide guidance on several measures to mitigate the spread of the virus in the nation's 130,000 elementary and secondary schools, such as hand washing, masking, social distancing and cleaning, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Coronavirus cases in Eastern Europe surpass 10 million - Reuters tally The number of COVID-19 cases in eastern Europe surpassed 10 million on Friday, according to Reuters tally, as countries across the region aim to increase vaccine procurements from multiple suppliers to accelerate inoculation programmes. Countries in eastern Europe have reported more than 10.02 million cases and 214,691 deaths since the pandemic started. However, daily average new cases in the region have declined by about 31% in past 30 days as compared with the previous 30 days, according to a Reuters analysis. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi)

Japanese government committee approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine - NHK A Japanese government health panel has approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for use, NHK national television reported on Friday, the first such approval in Japan. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said vaccinations would begin from the middle of next week, starting with some 10,000 health workers. The government hopes to secure enough supplies for the whole populace by mid-year.

Becton Dickinson's combination test for COVID-19 gets FDA authorization A molecular test from Becton Dickinson that detects viruses that cause COVID-19 as well as influenza and produces result in 2-3 hours has been given emergency user authorization by the U.S. health regulator, the company said on Friday. The test, BD SARS-CoV-2/Flu, can also detect the U.K. and South Africa variants of the coronavirus and is available for order in the United States and Europe. The test has received the CE mark, denoting EU approval.