Health News Roundup: Russia's Sputnik V developers reject Brazil's criticisms; Vital medical supplies reach India as COVID deaths near 200,000 and more

Hungary is the only European Union country to authorise and deploy Russian and Chinese jabs before they have been approved by the EU drugs regulator, while Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cultivated strong ties with both Russia and China. Vital medical supplies reach India as COVID deaths near 200,000 Vital medical supplies began to reach India on Tuesday as hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds turned away coronavirus patients, and a surge in infections pushed the death toll close to 200,000.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. drugmakers step up supplies as India battles COVID-19 surge

U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co joined Gilead Sciences on Tuesday in lending support to India as the world's second-most populous country scrambles to address drug shortages and bring a raging new wave of COVID-19 cases under control. Gilead said it would give India at least 450,000 vials of its antiviral drug remdesivir, while Merck said it was partnering with five Indian generic drugmakers to expand production and access to its experimental COVID-19 drug molnupiravir.

U.S. pledges sustained help for India in tackling COVID crisis

Senior U.S. officials on Tuesday pledged sustained support for India in helping it deal with the world's worst current surge of COVID-19 infections, warning the country is still at the "front end" of the crisis and overcoming it will take some time. The White House's National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, told a virtual event on the U.S. assistance that President Joe Biden had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a phone call on Monday: "You let me know what you need and we will do it."

Quebec reports first death of patient in Canada following AstraZeneca vaccine

The province of Quebec on Tuesday reported Canada's first death of a patient from a rare blood clot condition after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Canada has reported at least five cases of blood clots following immunization with the vaccine, but public health officials maintain the benefits of the AstraZeneca shot outweigh the potential risks.

Russia's Sputnik V developers reject Brazil's criticisms

Russian developers of Sputnik V rejected Brazil's criticisms of the COVID-19 shot, saying on Tuesday that its refusal to approve the vaccine for use was not justified on scientific grounds. The board of Brazil's health regulator Anvisa voted unanimously not to approve COVID-19 after technical staff warned of flaws in its development along with incomplete data regarding the vaccine's safety and efficacy.

Citing 'stunning progress' on coronavirus, Biden celebrates easing of mask rules

Fully vaccinated people can safely engage in outdoor activities like walking and hiking without wearing masks but should continue to use face-coverings in public spaces where they are required, U.S. health regulators and President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, while urging those who have not to get the shot. The updated health advice comes as more than half of all adults in the United States have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC does not see link between heart inflammation and COVID shots

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not seen a link between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday. "We have not seen a signal and we've actually looked intentionally for the signal in the over 200 million doses we've given," Walensky said in a press briefing.

U.S. administers 232.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 232,407,669 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Tuesday morning and distributed 297,543,635 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. Those figures are up from the 230,768,454 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Monday out of 290,692,005 doses delivered.

Scientists, doctors slam Hungarian government criticism of western vaccines

Hungarian scientists and doctors have warned against relying on numbers released by the government that suggested Russian and Chinese COVID-19 shots were more effective than Western ones, the latest twist in the country's unorthodox vaccine rollout. Hungary is the only European Union country to authorise and deploy Russian and Chinese jabs before they have been approved by the EU drugs regulator, while Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cultivated strong ties with both Russia and China.

Vital medical supplies reach India as COVID deaths near 200,000

Vital medical supplies began to reach India on Tuesday as hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds turned away coronavirus patients, and a surge in infections pushed the death toll close to 200,000. A shipment from Britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived in the capital New Delhi, though a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain had no surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to spare.

Venezuelans seek home care for COVID-19 amid crumbling health system

Venezuelan COVID-19 patients are paying doctors to come to their homes due to the high cost of private clinics and hospitals overflowing with patients and often lacking oxygen and medicine, doctors interviewed by Reuters said in recent weeks. Family members tend to chip in or launch crowdfunding campaigns for infected relatives, said Laura Martinez, a 55-year-old resident of the lower middle-class Las Acacias neighborhood in western Caracas, whose husband and elderly parents were treated at home. Patients who receive home treatment for the coronavirus generally purchase respirators, oxygen tanks and anti-viral drugs.