Health News Roundup: New Zeland's Auckland starts second COVID-19 lockdown; Up to six cases of Manaus variant of COVID-19 detected and mroe

The Palestinians have received relatively few doses to date and lag far behind Israel, which has vaccinated over one third of its population in one of the world's fastest roll-outs. U.S. administers 75.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 75,236,003 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the country as of Sunday morning and it had distributed 96,402,490 doses.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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

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

Up to six cases of Manaus variant of coronavirus detected in UK

Up to six cases of the variant of coronavirus first identified in the Brazilian city of Manaus have been detected in Britain for the first time, English health officials said on Sunday. Three cases were found in England and another three in Scotland.

China's CanSino says first vaccines packaged in Mexico will be ready in March

The first batch of 2 million vaccines from China's CanSino Biologics Inc , produced in Mexico, will be ready in the second half of March, the company said on Sunday. Mexico in early February received its first shipment of the active ingredient for the shot, which is being packaged in Queretaro state by Mexican firm Drugmex, CanSino said in a statement.

J&J's COVID-19 shot gets CDC panel backing; vaccine near shipping

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel voted on Sunday to recommend Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 shot for widespread use, a final clearance for the vaccine after it was authorized by U.S. regulators on Saturday. State and local public health authorities will use Food and Drug Administration and CDC guidance as they administer the first 4 million doses. The federal government, through distribution partner McKesson Corp, plans to ship the first shots Sunday night or Monday morning.

Exclusive: Mexico's president expected to ask Biden to share U.S. vaccines, say sources

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is expected to ask President Joe Biden to consider sharing part of the U.S. coronavirus vaccine supply with its poorer southern neighbor when the two leaders hold a virtual summit on Monday, U.S. and Mexican officials said. Biden is open to discussing the matter as part of a broader regional effort to cooperate in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but will maintain as his “number one priority” the need to first vaccinate as many Americans as possible, a White House official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Fauci urges Americans to get any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Sunday he would take the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, as he encouraged Americans to accept any of the three approved shots. "All three of them are really quite good, and people should take the one that's most available to them. If you go to a place and you have J&J, and that's the one that's available now, I would take it," Fauci said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

More than 20 million in Britain get first COVID-19 vaccine dose

More than 20 million people across the United Kingdom have now received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, data showed on Sunday as the country made more progress with Europe's fastest vaccination programme. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the milestone represented "a huge national achievement and he paid testament to the country's health, workers, volunteers and armed forces.

South Africa signs J&J vaccine deal, eases restrictions

South Africa has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and will ease restrictions due to a decline in new cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday. South Africa has been the hardest-hit on the continent by the pandemic, recording almost half of the COVID-19 deaths and more than a third of reported infections.

Israel plans COVID jabs for Palestinian labourers and settlement workers

Israel approved plans on Sunday to offer COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians with Israeli work permits, a step a rights group said did not go far enough to safeguard Palestinians in occupied territory. The Palestinians have received relatively few doses to date and lag far behind Israel, which has vaccinated over one third of its population in one of the world's fastest roll-outs.

U.S. administers 75.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 75,236,003 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the country as of Sunday morning and it had distributed 96,402,490 doses. The tally is for both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 6 a.m. ET Sunday, the agency said. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines involve two doses.