Health News Roundup: UNICEF sends syringes to Maldives, Ivory Coast; Fauci says he sees US CDC relaxing some COVID-19 and more

Pfizer to ship 13 million COVID-19 vaccine doses per week to U.S. by mid-March, says executive Pfizer Inc expects to deliver more than 13 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine per week to the United States by the middle of March, more than doubling its shipments from early February, a top Pfizer executive said in prepared testimony ahead of a Tuesday congressional hearing.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UNICEF sends syringes to Maldives, Ivory Coast, for COVAX vaccine rollout

The U.N. children's fund UNICEF said on Tuesday it had sent an initial 100,000 syringes for COVID-19 vaccines to the Maldives in preparation for first deliveries of Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots under the COVAX vaccine-sharing plan. The syringes, as well as 1,000 safety boxes for vaccine storage, are expected to arrive in the Maldives on Tuesday, UNICEF said. Other recipient countries in the first wave of shipments include Ivory Coast and Sao Tome and Principe.

Fauci says he sees U.S. CDC relaxing some COVID-19 guidelines soon: CNN

Top U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci on Tuesday told CNN that he expects the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to soon relax some COVID-19 recommendations aimed at curbing its spread for people who have been vaccinated. "I believe you're going to be hearing more of the recommendations of how you can relax the stringency of some of the things, particularly when you're dealing with something like your own personal family, when people have been vaccinated," Fauci said, adding he expected the new guidance "pretty soon."

India says new virus variants not behind rise in cases in two states

India said on Tuesday new coronavirus variants were not responsible for an upsurge in cases in the states of Maharashtra and Kerala, based on evidence currently available. Coronavirus infections in India rose by 14,199 in the past 24 hours to more than 11 million, according to health ministry data. Deaths rose by 83 to 156,385.

Philippines offers nurses in exchange for vaccines from Britain, Germany

The Philippines will let thousands of its healthcare workers, mostly nurses, take up jobs in Britain and Germany if the two countries agree to donate much-needed coronavirus vaccines, a senior official said on Tuesday. The Philippines, which has among Asia's highest number of coronavirus cases, has relaxed a ban on deploying its healthcare workers overseas, but still limits the number of medical professionals leaving the country to 5,000 a year.

Pfizer to ship 13 million COVID-19 vaccine doses per week to U.S. by mid-March, says executive

Pfizer Inc expects to deliver more than 13 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine per week to the United States by the middle of March, more than doubling its shipments from early February, a top Pfizer executive said in prepared testimony ahead of a Tuesday congressional hearing. Pfizer is on track to deliver 120 million doses of its two-dose regimen by the end of March, said John Young, Pfizer's chief business officer.

EU drug watchdog to weigh in on extended use for remdesivir by summer

Europe's drugs regulator said on Tuesday it was expecting to give an opinion before the summer on whether Gilead Sciences' remdesivir can be used to treat COVID-19 patients who do not need oxygen support. The indication for extended use, if approved, would allow the antiviral treatment to be given to more patients as coronavirus infections surge and healthcare systems are pressured by emerging, highly transmissible variants of the virus.

Brazil grants full approval to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa has granted full approval to a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech SE, the agency said in a Tuesday statement. That makes it the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus to receive full approval in Brazil, Anvisa said. Other vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, have only been approved for emergency use so far.

Greek doctors protest 'suffocating' conditions at COVID-19 clinics

Greek hospital doctors went on a day-long strike on Tuesday and dozens marched in Athens to protest "suffocating" conditions at hospitals on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. With around 6,000 deaths, Greece has fared better than much of Europe in containing the pandemic and prevented its health service, battered by years of financial crisis, from collapsing.

UK PM Johnson says optimistic about fully reopening in June

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that he was very optimistic that all COVID-19 restrictions in England would end on June 21, and added that the government would hold a review into the use of vaccine certificates. Johnson unveiled a map out of lockdown for England on Monday that would keep some businesses shuttered until the summer, saying caution was necessary to ensure there were no reversals on a "one-way road to freedom".

Senegal begins vaccinating against coronavirus with doses from China

Senegal began its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Tuesday with 200,000 doses that it purchased from China's Sinopharm, which it received last week. The first shots were given to government ministers and health workers at the health ministry in the capital, Dakar.