Health News Roundup: U.S. storms delay COVID-19 vaccines in all 50 states: White House; New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations program, Australia starts Monday, and more

Pfizer to double weekly U.S. output of vaccine in next few weeks - CEO Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Friday that the drugmaker expects to be able to double the weekly number of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine it will supply to the United States in the next few weeks.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. storms delay COVID-19 vaccines in all 50 states: White House

The United States has a backlog of six million COVID-19 vaccine doses due to winter storms and power outages weather, White House officials said at a media briefing on Friday, adding that the federal government expects to catch up with vaccine distribution by next week. All 50 states are impacted, said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team. He said delays were due to road closures, shipping company employees unable to get to work, and power outages in certain locations.

Cold, lack of water overwhelm Texas hospitals more than COVID-19 did

Texas doctor Natasha Kathuria has practiced medicine in 11 countries, worked through the 2014 "Snowmageddon" storm that ground Atlanta to a halt, and survived the past year's COVID-19 pandemic crush. But Kathuria and some other doctors in Texas are saying they have never seen a more harrowing week than this one.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 9,164: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 9,164 to 2,378,883, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 490 to 67,696, the tally showed.

Pfizer submits data showing COVID-19 vaccine's stability at higher temperatures

Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE said on Friday they have submitted new data to the U.S. health regulator showing the stability of their COVID-19 vaccine at temperatures commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers and refrigerators.

AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine more effective with longer dose gap: study

AstraZeneca and Oxford University's COVID-19 vaccine is more effective when its second dose is given three months after the first, instead of six weeks, a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet medical journal showed on Friday. The study confirmed the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's findings from earlier this month that showed the vaccine had 76% efficacy against symptomatic coronavirus infection for three months after the first dose.

Pulse oximeters should not be used to diagnose COVID-19, U.S. FDA says

Pulse oximeters, devices that measure oxygen levels in the blood, should not be used to diagnose COVID-19 and could give inaccurate readings under certain circumstances, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Friday. In January, the World Health Organization included use of a pulse oximeter to identify patients who might need hospitalization in its clinical advice for treating COVID-19.

New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations program, Australia starts Monday

New Zealand started its official rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, while Australia finalized plans to begin inoculations on Monday, a new phase in tackling the virus that both countries have kept largely contained. A small group of medical professionals was injected on Friday in Auckland ahead of the wider rollout which was officially starting with border staff and so-called Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) workers on Saturday, officials said.

Pfizer promises to double supply as Biden pushes for quicker vaccine rollout

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday secured a commitment from Pfizer Inc to double the COVID-19 vaccine it churns out in the coming weeks, putting his goal to fill the country's inoculation stockpile by summer insight. The drugmaker's chief executive, Albert Bourla, used a visit by the U.S. president to the company's largest manufacturing facility to announce that he expects to more than double the around 5 million doses per week the company currently provides to the U.S. government.

World Bank pushing for standard vaccine contracts, more disclosure from makers

The World Bank is working to standardize COVID-19 vaccine contracts that countries are signing with drug makers, and is pushing manufacturers to be more open about where doses are headed, as it races to get more vaccines to poor countries, the bank's president said on Friday. World Bank President David Malpass told Reuters he expected the bank's board to have approved $1.6 billion in vaccine funding for 12 countries, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Tunisia, and Ethiopia, by the end of March, with 30 more to follow shortly thereafter.

Pfizer to double weekly U.S. output of vaccine in next few weeks - CEO

Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Friday that the drugmaker expects to be able to double the weekly number of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine it will supply to the United States in the next few weeks. Bourla, speaking after U.S. President Joe Biden toured his company's vaccine manufacturing facility in Michigan, said Pfizer was currently sending out an average of 5 million doses per week and expects to "more than double that number" in coming weeks.

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