Health News Roundup: Italian study shows COVID-19 infections, deaths plummeting after jabs; French COVID-19 daily deaths, number of critical patients drops and more

By the end of June we expect to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses from Johnson & Johnson," the minister, Zweli Mkhize, said during a webinar on Sunday. Indonesia pauses distribution of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccine Indonesia has suspended distribution of a batch of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to run tests for sterility and toxicity following the death of a 22-year-old man a day after immunisation, the health ministry said on Sunday.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 17-05-2021 02:37 IST | Created: 17-05-2021 02:30 IST
Health News Roundup: Italian study shows COVID-19 infections, deaths plummeting after jabs; French COVID-19 daily deaths, number of critical patients drops and more
Representative image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India promises more vaccines as daily COVID-19 deaths stay above 4,000

Some Indian states said on Sunday they would extend COVID-19 lockdowns to help contain the pandemic, which has killed more than 270,000 people in the country, as the federal government pledged to bolster vaccine supplies. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in India has risen more than 4,000 for the fourth time in a week, with Sunday's 311,170 new infections representing the lowest single-day rise in more than three weeks.

Top Indian virologist quits government panel after airing differences

A top Indian virologist has resigned from a forum of scientific advisers set up by the government to detect variants of the coronavirus, he told Reuters on Sunday, weeks after questioning the authorities' handling of the pandemic. Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of the forum known as INSACOG, declined to give a reason for his resignation.

Italian study shows COVID-19 infections, deaths plummeting after jabs

COVID-19 infections in adults of all ages fell by 80% five weeks after a first dose of Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine, according to Italian research published on Saturday. The first such study by a European Union country on the real-world impact of its immunisation campaign was carried out by Italy's National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Ministry of Health on 13.7 million people vaccinated nationwide.

French COVID-19 daily deaths, number of critical patients drops

France reported 4,255 people in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Sunday, down by 16 from the day before and the 13th day in a row the number of patients needing ICU treatment has dropped. France also reported 81 deaths in hospital among people who had tested positive for the coronavirus, down from 112 on Saturday.

Disney World and other U.S. theme parks update mask rules

Disney World and other U.S. amusement parks updated their mask policy following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week. Masks have been made optional in outdoor areas and pool decks at Walt Disney Inc's Disney World in Orlando, Florida, effective May 15, but are still needed for entering rides and at indoor locations, according to the guidelines posted on its website.

CDC recommends U.S. schools continue to use masks

Schools in the United States should continue to use masks for the 2020-2021 academic year as all students will not be fully vaccinated, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Saturday. The CDC in its latest guidance https://bit.ly/3olfGyP said all kindergarten through grade 12 schools "should implement and layer prevention strategies and should prioritize universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing."

South Africa targets 5 million elderly people in phase 2 of COVID-19 vaccine rollout

South Africa will launch phase two of its vaccine rollout on Monday with the aim of inoculating five million citizens aged over 60 by the end of June, its health minister said. "This is provided that the supply of vaccines flows as anticipated. By the end of June we expect to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses from Johnson & Johnson," the minister, Zweli Mkhize, said during a webinar on Sunday.

Indonesia pauses distribution of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccine

Indonesia has suspended distribution of a batch of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine to run tests for sterility and toxicity following the death of a 22-year-old man a day after immunisation, the health ministry said on Sunday. The "CTMAV547" batch consists of 448,480 vaccine doses that arrived in the Southeast Asian nation last month - part of a delivery of more than 3.85 million doses from the COVAX Facility, backed by the World Health Organization.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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