Health News Roundup: Russian scientists say Sputnik V performs well against COVID mutations; Australia receives AstraZeneca vials and more

AstraZeneca vaccine made in India to arrive in Canada on Wednesday A shipment of 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India is set to arrive in Canada on Wednesday, the chief executive of local partner Verity Pharmaceuticals said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Romania ships first batch of AstraZeneca vaccine to Moldova

Romania shipped its first donation of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to neighbouring Moldova on Saturday to allow Moldova to start vaccinating frontline medical workers next week. Moldova and neighbouring Ukraine, two of Europe's poorest countries, have lagged behind the rest of the continent in the scramble for vaccines and welcomed donations from friendly governments.

New Zealand's Auckland starts second COVID-19 lockdown this month

Exactly one year after New Zealand recorded its first coronavirus case, the country's biggest city, Auckland, woke up on Sunday to a second lockdown this month as health authorities try to rein in a cluster of the more contagious UK variant. The seven-day lockdown of the city of nearly 2 million, announced late Saturday by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was prompted by the case of a person who had been infectious for a week but had not been in isolation.

U.S. authorizes J&J's COVID-19 vaccine, making it third available

The U.S. government on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, enabling millions more Americans to be vaccinated in the coming weeks and setting the vaccine up for additional approvals around the world. The J&J vaccine is the third authorized in the United States, following ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, both of which require two doses.

AstraZeneca vaccine made in India to arrive in Canada on Wednesday

A shipment of 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and made by the Serum Institute of India is set to arrive in Canada on Wednesday, the chief executive of local partner Verity Pharmaceuticals said on Friday. Verity's chief executive, Howard Glase, said the shipment is not part of Canada's allocation from the COVAX system, meant to ensure equitable vaccine distribution. Canada has a separate procurement deal with AstraZeneca, which licensed the vaccine to Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine producer.

Brazil registers over 1,300 COVID-19 deaths for fifth straight day

Brazil registered 1,386 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday and 61,602 additional cases, according to data released by the nation's Health Ministry. The South American country has suffered an enduring second wave since November, and infection rates have not begun to fall. Saturday was the fifth consecutive day Brazil registered over 1,300 deaths and 60,000 cases due to the coronavirus.

Russian scientists say Sputnik V performs well against COVID mutations

A Russian trial testing the effectiveness of revaccination with the Sputnik V shot to protect against new mutations of the coronavirus is producing strong results, researchers said on Saturday. Last month President Vladimir Putin ordered a review by March 15 of Russian-produced vaccines for their effectiveness against new variants spreading in different parts of the world.

Australia receives AstraZeneca vials as it ramps up vaccination drive

Australia received 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine on Sunday, more than doubling the amount of all vaccines shipped to the country so far and allowing the government to ramp up its COVID-19 immunisation drive. Mass vaccinations for Australia's 25 million people began on Monday after the arrival of a first batch of more than 142,000 doses of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE vaccine.

"Things are tenuous," U.S. CDC says as downward trend in COVID-19 cases stalls

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that a recent decline in COVID-19 cases may be stalling, a development she described as concerning while urging that safeguards to fight the virus remain in place. Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters the number of cases had been increasing for the past three days compared to the prior week and that declines in hospitalizations and deaths were also "potentially leveling off at still a very high number."

All English households with school children offered twice weekly COVID tests All households in England with school or college aged children will be offered two rapid COVID-19 tests per person per week to support the government's priority to get young people back in the classroom, the health ministry said on Sunday. Last week British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a phased plan to end England's latest COVID-19 lockdown, offering a "cautious" approach to try to prevent a return to wholesale restrictions that have hobbled the economy.

Thailand starts COVID-19 vaccination campaign Thailand kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign on Sunday, with cabinet ministers, health officials and medical professionals among the first in the queue to receive vaccinations. The first doses of vaccine, developed by China's Sinovac Biotech, were given to Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also the health minister, among others at an infectious diseases institute on the outskirts of Bangkok.