Health News Roundup: Japan PM says to expand emergency measures amid new strain fears; US administers 161.7 million COVID-19 vaccine and more

J&J said it was "assuming full responsibility" of the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, reiterating that it will deliver 100 million doses to the government by the end of May. UK says 5 million get second shot as COVID daily deaths fall to 10 Britain reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Saturday, the lowest daily figure since early September, as its vaccine rollout reached another milestone.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Japan PM says to expand emergency measures as needed amid fears of new strains

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Sunday that he would expand emergency measures as needed to contain a new wave of coronavirus infections, amid fears over the spread of virus mutations. Suga, asked on a Fuji TV program whether Tokyo might be added to a list of areas including the western metropolis of Osaka set to come under lockdown measures from Monday, said, "All possibilities are being considered."

U.S. administers 161.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 161,688,422 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 207,866,645 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The tally is for Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson'S vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, the agency said.

U.S. puts J&J in charge of plant that botched COVID vaccine, removes AstraZeneca

The United States has put Johnson and Johnson in charge of a plant that ruined 15 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine and has stopped British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc from using the facility, a senior health official said on Saturday. J&J said it was "assuming full responsibility" of the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore, reiterating that it will deliver 100 million doses to the government by the end of May.

UK says 5 million get second shot as COVID daily deaths fall to 10

Britain reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Saturday, the lowest daily figure since early September, as its vaccine rollout reached another milestone. Official data also showed 31,301,267 people had received their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, with five million now having had both doses in what is the fastest rollout in Europe.

Mainland China reports 21 coronavirus cases vs 26 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 21 new COVID-19 cases for April 3, down from 26 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday. In a statement, the National Health Commission said 10 of the new confirmed cases were local transmissions in the southwestern Yunnan province.

India's richest state says to impose new COVID-19 restrictions, weekend lockdown

India's richest state, Maharashtra, said it would impose stringent COVID-19 restrictions from Monday as there has been a rapid rise in infections, a state minister said on Sunday The state will shut down malls, cinema halls, bars and restaurants from Monday evening and impose a complete lockdown on weekends, Nawab Malik told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Libya PM hails COVID vaccine delivery as "first drop of rain"

More than 100,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Tripoli's Mitiga airport on Sunday, Libya's ministry of health said, the first shipment to reach the country. Around 1,000 new infections are announced daily by the National Centre for Disease Control, posing a challenge to a health sector ravaged by years of conflict.

Australia enjoys Easter with no new local coronavirus cases

Australians were celebrating Easter Sunday in a relatively unrestricted manner as the country reported no new locally acquired coronavirus cases. Queensland, the epicenter of a recent, small COVID-19 community outbreak, has had only one infection in the past three days. The state has the tightest restrictions on public gatherings.

Italy reports 376 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, 21,261 new cases

Italy reported 376 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 481 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 21,261 from 21,932. Italy has registered 110,704 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world.

France reports further rise in COVID-19 intensive care patients

France reported on Saturday that 5,273 people were in intensive care units (ICU) for COVID-19, a rise of 19 from the previous day, as the country entered its third national lockdown to help combat the pandemic. The government had been trying to keep the lid on new COVID cases with curfews and regional measures but from Saturday, and for the next four weeks, schools and non-essential businesses across the country will remain shut.

(With inputs from agencies.)