Reuters Health News Summary

India overtook Brazil to become the nation with the second highest number of infections worldwide after the United States, as it battles a massive second wave, having given about 105 million doses among a population of 1.4 billion. J&J begins COVID-19 vaccine supplies to EU, 50 million doses expected in second quarter: lawmaker Johnson & Johnson on Monday began delivering its COVID-19 single-dose vaccine to EU countries, European Union officials and the company said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India's daily virus infections are world's highest but crowds gather for festival

Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in India's Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world's highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections. With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally, although the figure is still well below the U.S. peak of nearly 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8.

Germany's Merkel says third wave of pandemic may be toughest

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the current COVID-19 infection rate in the country was much too high, warning that the current third wave of the pandemic could prove to be the toughest yet. "Testing will help us to build a bridge until vaccinations start to take effect," she said.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: India's coronavirus tally overtakes Brazil's

Native health providers drive Alaska's vaccination success story

Despite its sprawling geography and often-inhospitable climate, Alaska ranks among the top U.S. states for getting COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of its residents, and its indigenous population has played a major role in that achievement. With a history and culture deeply shaped by deadly outbreaks of disease that have periodically ravaged remote corners of their subarctic homeland, Alaska Natives have aggressively led the way on inoculations against COVID-19 for the state as a whole.

Africa must expand medical manufacturing capacity: South Africa's president

Africa must expand its medical manufacturing capacity and forge partnerships to boost expertise and investment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and future health emergencies, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. The continent has struggled to acquire vaccines to fight COVID-19 and imports the vast majority of its medicines and medical equipment, leaving it at the mercy of overseas supplies.

Spain to vaccinate 70-79 year olds with J&J's COVID-19 shot

Spain will initially prioritise people aged between 70 and 79 for vaccination with coronavirus shots produced by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit, which are due to start arriving this week, its health minister said on Monday. Spain will take a first delivery of 300,000 doses of the single-shot vaccine on Wednesday morning, Carolina Darias told reporters at Gran Canaria airport after a visit to the Spanish Canary Islands.

Eli Lilly to focus on selling COVID-19 antibody drug combination

Eli Lilly and Co said on Monday it had a revised agreement with the U.S. government for its COVID-19 antibody drug, bamlanivimab, which will now be sold in combination with another therapy. Concerns over the impact on the drug's efficacy from rapidly spreading coronavirus variants that are resistant to the drug when administered alone led to the U.S. government stopping distribution of the therapy last month.

EU seeks clarification from AstraZeneca on supply shortfalls

The European Commission said on Monday it was seeking clarification from AstraZeneca over its shortfalls in supplies to the European Union, after it sent a letter to the company in March as part of a dispute-resolution process. "The Commission still expects the company to clarify a number of outstanding issues," a spokesman for the EU executive told a news conference, noting there had been a meeting on the matter.

Indian panel gives emergency approval for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine -sources

An expert panel of India's drugs regulator has recommended emergency use approval of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, two sources said on Monday, which could make it the nation's third to be approved as infections surge again. India overtook Brazil to become the nation with the second highest number of infections worldwide after the United States, as it battles a massive second wave, having given about 105 million doses among a population of 1.4 billion.

J&J begins COVID-19 vaccine supplies to EU, 50 million doses expected in second quarter: lawmaker

Johnson & Johnson on Monday began delivering its COVID-19 single-dose vaccine to EU countries, European Union officials and the company said. The company had initially planned to start its deliveries at the beginning of April, but delayed the rollout due to production issues.