Health News Roundup: Israeli study finds 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 cases with Pfizer vaccine; UK hits 15 million vaccinations as pressure builds to ease lockdown and more

Victoria, the second most populous state in the country, reported just one new COVID-19 infection on Monday, taking the total cases in a recent cluster linked to a quarantine hotel to 17 people.


Reuters | Updated: 15-02-2021 10:45 IST | Created: 15-02-2021 10:30 IST
Health News Roundup: Israeli study finds 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 cases with Pfizer vaccine; UK hits 15 million vaccinations as pressure builds to ease lockdown and more
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Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Israeli study finds 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 cases with Pfizer vaccine

Israel's largest healthcare provider on Sunday reported a 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 infections among 600,000 people who received two doses of the Pfizer's vaccine in the country's biggest study to date. Health maintenance organization (HMO) Clalit, which covers more than half of all Israelis, said the same group was also 92% less likely to develop severe illness from the virus.

UK hits 15 million vaccinations as pressure builds to ease lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a "significant milestone" on Sunday as data showed 15 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccinations had been delivered, fuelling calls for the government to start relaxing stringent lockdown measures. The vaccine programme is seen as one of few successes in the government's handling of a pandemic that has left the country with a higher death toll and worse economic damage than its peers. With a population of around 67 million, the United Kingdom's vaccination progress is among the fastest in the world.

Brazil confirms UK variant in two coronavirus patients

Brazil has confirmed cases of the UK variant of the novel coronavirus in two states and in the federal district of Brasília, according to a statement from the health ministry on Sunday. The government said it has not yet confirmed cases of the South African variant.

England's quarantine hotels open in bid to keep COVID variants out

Passengers arriving in England from Monday from any of 33 "red list" countries will have to spend 14 days quarantined in a hotel room under new border restrictions designed to stop new variants of the coronavirus. The launch of the system, which had already been set out earlier this month, marks the government's latest effort to prevent another relapse into crisis after a second wave of a more contagious COVID-19 variant forced the country into a prolonged lockdown at the start of the year.

CDC chief warns it's too soon in U.S. to lift COVID-19 mask mandates

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday it is "absolutely" too soon to lift mask mandates, citing daily COVID-19 case numbers that despite recent declines remain more than double the levels seen last summer. Dr. Rochelle Walensky's warning that face-covering requirements are still critical came just days after governors in Iowa and Montana lifted long-standing mask mandates in their states.

Mexico gets AstraZeneca doses from India, expects more Pfizer, as it prepares for next phase

Mexico received a shipment of 870,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from India on Sunday, the government said, as the country prepares to prioritize older adults in the next phase of its vaccination campaign. Mexico is also expecting shipments to resume of vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech , with 494,000 doses due to arrive on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news conference.

Guinea declares new Ebola outbreak

Guinea declared a new Ebola outbreak on Sunday when tests came back positive for the virus after three people died and four fell ill in the southeast - the first resurgence of the disease there since the world's worst outbreak in 2013-2016. The patients fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding after attending a burial in Goueke sub-prefecture. Those still alive have been isolated in treatment centres, the health ministry said.

French hospitals to move into crisis mode from Thursday, report says

France's Health Ministry has asked regional health agencies and hospitals to enter "crisis organisation" to prepare for a possible surge in coronavirus cases as a result of highly contagious variants, Le Journal Du Dimanche reported. The move, which would echo measures taken in March and November when France went into lockdown, involves increasing the number of hospital beds available, delaying non-urgent surgery, and mobilizing all medical staff resources.

Australian officials say too early to make a call on ending Victoria lockdown

The leader of Australia's Victoria state said on Monday it was too early to say if a snap five-day coronavirus lockdown would end as planned on Wednesday evening, as authorities confirmed a national vaccine rollout was on track to begin next week. Victoria, the second-most populous state in the country, reported just one new COVID-19 infection on Monday, taking the total cases in a recent cluster linked to a quarantined hotel to 17 people. The most recent case is the mother of a three-year-old child who tested positive a day earlier.

South Korea eases coronavirus curbs, to announce vaccine plan

South Korea eased some of its strictest social distancing rules for businesses on Monday but kept limits on private gatherings as authorities prepared to unveil plans for the roll-out of the first coronavirus vaccines later this month. The decision comes after a subdued Lunar New Year holiday last week. Daily coronavirus infections rebounded to above 400 ahead of the break, but have dropped since then with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reporting 344 new infections as of midnight Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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