Health News Roundup: U.S. administers 194.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC; U.S. advisory panel reviews rare clot risk with J&J COVID-19 vaccine

The meeting between Moderna and the maker of specialty drugs took place on Tuesday, the sources said. U.S. advisory panel reviews rare clot risk with J&J COVID-19 vaccine A U.S. health advisory panel on Wednesday began a review of six reported cases of rare blood clots in women who received Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, a day after federal regulators paused its use to assess the issue.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Empty middle airplane seat could cut coronavirus exposure by up to 57%: CDC

A vacant middle airplane seat could cut the risk of exposure to coronavirus by 23% to 57% compared with a full flight, according to a study on physical distancing onboard released on Wednesday. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kansas State University based their findings on laboratory modeling of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, on single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft in November 2020.

Moderna discusses COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing with Nexus Pharmaceuticals: sources

Moderna Inc, looking to boost production of its COVID-19 vaccine, met with Nexus Pharmaceuticals to discuss manufacturing the shot at the company's new plant in Wisconsin, which has the capacity to process and fill 30 million doses a month, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The meeting between Moderna and the maker of specialty drugs took place on Tuesday, the sources said.

U.S. advisory panel reviews rare clot risk with J&J COVID-19 vaccine

A U.S. health advisory panel on Wednesday began a review of six reported cases of rare blood clots in women who received Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, a day after federal regulators paused its use to assess the issue. The cases, all in women under age 50, were reported out of 7.2 million doses of the J&J vaccine administered in the United States - a risk federal health officials and immunology experts said was extremely low, especially when weighed against the potential ravages of COVID-19.

Moderna COVID-19 shot production unlikely to rise significantly in next few months - CEO

The pace of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine production is unlikely to speed up markedly in the next few months, though the U.S. drugmaker expects output to have increased significantly by 2022, its chief executive said on Wednesday. The U.S. government has urged Moderna to speed up its production and delivery schedules for the shots after it temporarily halted the shipment of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine amid reports that six women developed rare blood clots after getting the shot.

Healthcare collapse imminent, Brazil's Sao Paulo warns, as COVID-19 cases surge

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's richest and most populous state, Sao Paulo, has warned its ability to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients was on the verge of collapse as it ran perilously low on key drugs, according to a letter to the federal government seen by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. Sao Paulo state said it expects to run out of crucial intubation drugs, needed to sedate patients, in the next few days, the paper reported on Wednesday.

Americas not behaving as if in midst of worsening COVID-19 crisis -regional health official warns

The Americas are not behaving like a region experiencing an ever-graver outbreak of COVID-19, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Wednesday. This rise in infections is alarming but not surprising given relaxed restrictions used to curb virus transmission, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said at a weekly news conference, adding that vaccination will not be enough to stop this wave of contagion.

Moderna vaccines promising vs variants in mouse study; no higher risk for poor outcomes found with UK variant

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Vaccines designed for virus variants show promise in mice

Europe's vaccine rollout hit by doubts over J&J, AstraZeneca shots

Europe's choppy vaccine rollout hit more trouble on Wednesday after U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson delayed its COVID-19 shot and Denmark said it would drop a similar vaccine from AstraZeneca over the risk of blood clotting. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it expected to issue a recommendation on Johnson & Johnson's vaccine next week but that it continued to believe the benefits of the shot outweighed the risks of side effects.

U.S. administers 194.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC

The United States had administered 194,791,836 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 250,998,265 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The tally is for Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, the agency said.

Fauci says pause on J&J COVID-19 shot should not prompt vaccine hesitancy

Top U.S. health officials urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday, saying U.S. regulators' pause on Johnson & Johnson shots, following reports it can cause blood clotting, should boost confidence in the vaccines' safety. U.S. federal health agencies on Tuesday recommended pausing use of J&J's COVID-19 vaccine for at least a few days after six women under 50 developed rare blood clots after getting the shot.