Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Japanese PM, Pfizer CEO discuss delivery of additional vaccine doses in 2021 to Japan Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc on Saturday to provide additional supplies of COVID-19 vaccine to Japan this year, Nikkei reported.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Japanese PM, Pfizer CEO discuss delivery of additional vaccine doses in 2021 to Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc on Saturday to provide additional supplies of COVID-19 vaccine to Japan this year, Nikkei reported. Pfizer confirmed in an email that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla met with Suga virtually to discuss vaccine supply on the last day of Suga's three-day visit to Washington. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is the only one approved in Japan.

U.S. administers 205.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines

The United States has administered 205,871,913 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 264,499,715 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. Those figures are up from the 202,282,923 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by April 16 out of 258,502,815 doses delivered.

'Dire need of beds, oxygen': India's capital under siege from COVID-19

India's capital New Delhi recorded 25,500 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, with about one in three people tested returning a positive result, its chief minister said, urging the federal government to provide more hospital beds to tackle the crisis. Less than 100 critical care beds were available in the city of more than 20 million people, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, as social media was flooded with people complaining about lack of beds, oxygen cylinders and drugs.

Australia, largely free of COVID-19, in no hurry to reopen borders - PM

Australia is no hurry to reopen its international borders and risk the country's nearly coronavirus-free lifestyle, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Australia closed its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020 and has been permitting only limited international arrivals in recent months, mainly its citizens returning from abroad.

Number of COVID-19 patients in French intensive care falls again

The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units in France has fallen and the number of patients in hospital has also dropped, the health ministry said on Saturday, in a sign that pressure on the medical system is easing. Health ministry data showed that 5,877 people were in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Saturday, 37 fewer than on Friday. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital fell by 143 to 30,329, the fifth consecutive fall.

AstraZeneca could have COVID-19 vaccine against variant by end-2021: Austrian newspaper

A modified version of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine tailored to combat a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of 2021, an AstraZeneca official in Austria said in an interview published on Sunday. Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca's Austria country manager, told the Kurier newspaper that studies, so far, indicating the existing AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the more infectious variant first documented in South Africa were "too small to draw final conclusions".

Canada has second case of rare blood clots after AstraZeneca vaccine

Canada on Saturday reported a second case of rare blood clots with low platelets after immunization with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in a week, while it said it still recommended the use of the shot. The person who experienced the very rare event has been treated and is recovering, Canada's health ministry said in a statement, adding that the person lives in the province of Alberta.

'A very good weird': Israel drops outdoor COVID mask order

Israelis went about barefaced on Sunday after the order to wear masks outdoors was rescinded in another step towards relative normality thanks to the country's mass-vaccination against COVID-19. With about 81% of citizens or residents over 16 - the age group eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Israel - having received both doses, contagions and hospitalisations are down sharply.

South Africa regulator recommends lifting J&J vaccine pause after some conditions

South Africa's health regulator, on Saturday, recommended that the government lift the pause on administering drugmaker Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines, given that certain conditions are met. "These conditions include, but are not limited to, strengthened screening and monitoring of participants who are at high risk of a blood clotting disorder," the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said.

Pfizer agreed to supply additional COVID-19 vaccines, says Japan's vaccine minister

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has agreed to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's request to supply additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccine minister of Japan said on Sunday. "They have agreed on the essentials of the matter," vaccine tzar Taro Kono said during a live interview on Fuji TV, adding that further details including the shipment schedule will be discussed.