Health News Roundup: Russia approves its third COVID-19 vaccine, CoviVac; Pfizer promises to double supply as Biden pushes for quicker vaccine rollout and more

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. Russia reports first case of human infection with AH5N8 bird flu to WHO Russia has registered the first case of a strain of bird flu virus named AH5N8 being passed to humans from birds and has reported the case to the World Health Organization (WHO), Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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.

Italian doctors remember night that ushered in Europe's first COVID-19 lockdown

A year ago, Laura Ricevuti and Annalisa Malara, both doctors at Codogno hospital in Italy, had a hunch that something was different about a patient in the intensive care ward. Their decision to take matters into their own hands wound up triggering a national emergency - they had identified the first case of COVID-19 in the area that would become Europe's first lockdown zone.

Russia approves its third COVID-19 vaccine, CoviVac

Russia on Saturday approved a third coronavirus vaccine for domestic use, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on state TV, though large-scale clinical trials of the shot, labelled CoviVac and produced by the Chumakov Centre, have yet to begin. Russia has already approved two COVID-19 vaccines, including the Sputnik V shot, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, following a similar approach of granting approval before seeing any late-stage trial results.

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.

New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations programme, Australia starts

Monday New Zealand started its official rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, while Australia finalised 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 were 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 in sight. 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.

Russia reports first case of human infection with AH5N8 bird flu to WHO

Russia has registered the first case of a strain of bird flu virus named AH5N8 being passed to humans from birds and has reported the case to the World Health Organization (WHO), Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday. Russia reported the case to the WHO "several days ago, just as we became absolutely certain of our results," Popova said on Rossiya 24 state TV.

Philippines reports 239 new coronavirus deaths, the second-highest daily casualty figure

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 239 new coronavirus deaths, the second-highest daily increase in casualties since the pandemic started, and 2,240 infections. The previous daily high death toll was 259 deaths reported on Sept. 14.

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.)