Health News Roundup: France's COVID-19 hospitalisations near a five-month high; Indian capital imposes night curfew ahead of 'critical' four weeks in COVID-19 fight and more

The trial disruption is the latest blow to the vaccine, once hailed as a milestone in the fight against the pandemic, after several countries restricted its use in light of reports of medical issues after inoculations. Indian capital imposes night curfew ahead of 'critical' four weeks in COVID-19 fight The Indian capital of New Delhi on Tuesday imposed a night-time curfew until April 30 with much of the country struggling to contain a second surge in coronavirus infections that has eclipsed the first wave.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

All Americans age 16 and up eligible for vaccine by April 19, White House says

U.S. President Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday that the target to make COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone age 16 and older will be moved up by nearly two weeks, the White House said, as the United States has administered 150 million shots since he took office. Biden will direct states to widen the vaccine eligibility by April 19, two weeks earlier than the May 1 deadline he announced previously. No COVID-19 vaccine is yet authorized for children under 16, although testing is underway.

France's COVID-19 hospitalisations near a five-month high

France's hospital system is under heavy pressure from the pandemic, with the number of people treated in intensive care units for COVID-19 at the highest in almost a year, even though the country has just entered its third lockdown. The health ministry reported on Tuesday that the number of people in ICUs with COVID-19 had increased by 193 over 24 hours to 5,626, a peak since April 20, 2020, when France was in its first March-May 2020 lockdown.

Oxford pauses COVID-19 vaccine study in kids, awaits more data on blood clot issues

The University of Oxford said on Tuesday it had paused a small UK trial testing the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca Plc in children and teenagers, as it waits for more data on rare blood clotting issues in adults who received the shot. The trial disruption is the latest blow to the vaccine, once hailed as a milestone in the fight against the pandemic, after several countries restricted its use in light of reports of medical issues after inoculations.

Indian capital imposes night curfew ahead of 'critical' four weeks in COVID-19 fight

The Indian capital of New Delhi on Tuesday imposed a night-time curfew until April 30 with much of the country struggling to contain a second surge in coronavirus infections that has eclipsed the first wave. The next four weeks in India's fight against COVID-19 will be "very, very critical," said senior government health official Vinod Kumar Paul, warning that the respiratory disease was now spreading much faster than in 2020.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Global COVID-19 death toll surpasses 3 million

Global COVID-19 death toll surpasses 3 million amid new infections resurgence

(Reuters) - Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide crossed 3 million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the latest global resurgence of COVID-19 infections is challenging vaccination efforts across the globe. Worldwide COVID-19 deaths are rising once again, especially in Brazil and India. Health officials blame more infectious variants that were first detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa, along with public fatigue with lockdowns and other restrictions.

It's a 'travesty' that some nations are unable to start COVID-19 vaccinations -WHO

It is a travesty that some countries still have not had enough access to vaccines to begin inoculating health workers and the most vulnerable people against COVID-19, the head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. "Scaling up production and equitable distribution remains the major barrier to ending the acute stage of the COVID-19 pandemic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.

WHO says AstraZeneca benefits outweigh risks; assessing latest data

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization expects there will be no reason to change its assessment that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 outweigh any risks, its regulatory director said on Tuesday. The WHO is closely studying the latest data alongside European and other regulators, in light of reports of blood clots among people who have been vaccinated, said Rogerio Gaspar, WHO director of regulation and prequalification.

Arkansas becomes first U.S. state to ban treatments for transgender youth

(Reuters) - Arkansas on Tuesday became the first U.S. state to ban certain types of treatment to transgender youth, overriding a veto by Governor Asa Hutchinson and inviting lawsuits from civil rights groups that have vowed to stop it. The law threatens any healthcare professional who provides puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or gender-affirming surgery to minors with losing their medical license and opens them up to lawsuits from patients who later regret their procedures.

Canada's hospitals deploy artificial lungs, scramble for staff as COVID-19 hits younger patients

Younger Canadians are bearing the brunt of the nation's latest COVID-19 surge, creating growing demand for artificial lungs and a struggle to maintain staffing in critical care units as hospitals make last-ditch efforts to save patients. Treatment with artificial lungs, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is much more likely to be deployed for patients under age 65, explained Marcelo Cypel, surgical director for the extracorporeal life support program at Toronto's University Health Network (UHN).