Health News Roundup: India reports another record daily rise in COVID-19; Fauci says he believes J&J vaccine and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

South Korean consortium to produce 100 million doses a month of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

South Korea's Huon's Global Co Ltd said on Friday it will lead a consortium to produce 100 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per month as Moscow ramps up production for supplies abroad. The announcement comes after South Korean biotech firm GL Rapha signed a deal with Russia's sovereign wealth fund late last year to make more than 150 million doses of Sputnik V per year.

Brazil's hospitals running out of sedatives as COVID-19 rages

Brazil's hospitals were running out of drugs needed to sedate COVID-19 patients on Thursday, with the government urgently seeking to import supplies amid reports of the seriously ill-being tied down and intubated without effective sedatives. Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Brazil was in talks with Spain and other countries to secure the emergency drugs. Hospitals, he added, were also struggling to get enough oxygen.

India reports another record daily rise in COVID-19 infections

India reported a record daily increase of 217,353 COVID-19 infections over the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Friday. It was the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days. Total cases reached nearly 14.3 million, second only to the United States which has reported more than 31 million infections.

Analysis: India shifts from mass vaccine exporter to importer, worrying the world

After gifting and selling tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad, India suddenly finds itself short of shots as new infections surge in the world's second-most populous country. India breached 200,000 daily infections for the first time on Thursday and is trying to inoculate more of its population using domestically produced shots.

Britain has no plans to halt rapid COVID-19 testing -health ministry

Britain's health ministry said on Thursday there were no plans to halt rapid coronavirus testing after the Guardian newspaper reported the program may be scaled back in England because of concerns about false positives. "With around one in three people not showing symptoms of COVID-19, regular, rapid testing is an essential tool to control the spread of the virus as restrictions ease by picking up cases that would not otherwise have been detected," a ministry spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

Fauci says he believes J&J vaccine will 'get back on track soon'

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease doctor, hopes U.S. regulators will make a quick decision to lift a pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and get that vaccine "back on track," he said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. His comments come a day after a panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) delayed a vote on whether to resume the J&J shots for at least a week until it had more data on the risk.

Japan to expand quasi-emergency measures, casting fresh doubts on Olympics

Japan is set to expand quasi-emergency measures to 10 regions on Friday as the fourth wave of COVID-19 cases spreads, casting doubt on whether the Summer Olympics can be held in Tokyo. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that the government was considering adding Aichi, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba to six other prefectures already under the orders, including the metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka. A final decision is expected on Friday afternoon.

Study finds young U.S. Marines without COVID-19 history at greater infection risk

A study of more than 3,000 young U.S. Marines found that those without a history of COVID-19 had a five times greater risk of infection than those previously infected, according to findings published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. The study also found that around 10% of the young marines who were COVID-19 survivors got a second infection.

U.S. preparing for 1-year COVID-19 booster shots; Pfizer chief sees need

The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to 12 months after people are initially vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said on Thursday. While the duration of immunity after vaccination is being studied, booster vaccines could be needed, David Kessler, chief science officer for President Joe Biden's COVID-19 response task force told a congressional committee meeting.

Thailand reports record daily number of 1,582 coronavirus cases

Thailand reported 1,582 new coronavirus cases on Friday, marking the highest number of cases in a day since the start of the pandemic and the fifth record daily tally this week, amid the third wave of infections in the Southeast Asian country. No new deaths were reported. The new cases took the total number of infections to 39,038, with deaths remaining at 97.