Health News Roundup: UK says COVID cases down 4.6% in past week; PM Modi says India shaken by coronavirus 'storm', U.S. to help and more

That is an increase from the 225,640,460 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered by April 24 out of 290,685,655 doses delivered. U.S. racing to send aid to India as COVID-19 cases soar The United States is deeply concerned by a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and will race additional support to the Indian government and health care workers, a White House spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

PM Modi says India shaken by coronavirus 'storm', U.S. to help

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying on Sunday the "storm" of infections had shaken India, as the country set a new global record of the most number of COVID-19 infections in a day. The United States said it will immediately provide raw materials for one of the COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond. France, Britain and Germany also promised rapid support.

U.S. to provide vaccine components, medical supplies as India battles COVID-19 spike

The United States will immediately send raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in coronavirus infections, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday. "Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Biden said on Twitter after the White House announced a list of measures.

Thailand ramps up efforts to rein in COVID-19, deaths hit daily record of 11

Thai authorities are stepping up travel restrictions and other measures to combat a rapidly spreading third wave of COVID-19 infections as the country logged 11 deaths on Sunday, a daily record. Although Thailand had success in limiting the spread of the virus last year, a new outbreak driven by the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant has resulted in over 24,000 cases and 46 deaths in just 25 days.

UK says COVID cases down 4.6% in past week

Britain reported 1,712 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, government data showed, meaning there were 17,063 new cases between April 19 and 25, a fall of 4.6% compared with the previous seven days. A further 11 people were reported as having died within 28 days of a positive test for COVID-19, taking the seven-day decrease to 12.6%.

Number of COVID patients in intensive care rises in France

France reported on Sunday a rise in the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) as President Emmanuel Macron's government seeks signs of an end to the nation's third wave of infections. Health ministry data showed there had been a further 145 COVID-19 deaths in hospitals in the last 24 hours, while the number of patients with the virus in ICUs rose to 5,978 from 5,958 the previous day.

U.S. CDC says children can get within 3 feet at summer camp

Children attending summer camp can get within 3 feet (1 meter) of each other but should wear masks to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to fresh guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's updated recommendations for camps, issued on Saturday, have been eagerly awaited by parents as the end of the school year approaches.

Indian coronavirus variant reaches Switzerland -government says

The first case of the Indian variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Switzerland, the Federal Office for Public Health (BAG) said, as other countries introduce travel bans to contain its spread. The case involved a passenger who arrived in Switzerland via a transit airport and not directly from India, which has been hit hard by a massive wave of infections in recent days, the BAG said on Twitter.

Israel examining heart inflammation cases in people who received Pfizer COVID shot

Israel's Health Ministry said on Sunday it is examining a small number of cases of heart inflammation in people who had received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, though it has not yet drawn any conclusions. Pfizer said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition than would normally be expected in the general population.

U.S. administers 228.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines -CDC

The United States had administered 228,661,408 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Sunday morning and distributed 290,692,005 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. That is an increase from the 225,640,460 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered by April 24 out of 290,685,655 doses delivered.

U.S. racing to send aid to India as COVID-19 cases soar

The United States is deeply concerned by a massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and will race additional support to the Indian government and health care workers, a White House spokeswoman said on Saturday. "We are in active conversations at high levels and plan to quickly deploy additional support to the Government of India and Indian health care workers as they battle this latest severe outbreak. We will have more to share very soon," the spokeswoman told Reuters via email.