Health News Roundup: Pfizer says COVID vaccine is highly effective against Delta variant; EU parliament passes resolution demanding right to safe abortion and more

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory groups, meeting to discuss reported cases of the heart condition after vaccination, found the inflammation in adolescents and young adults is likely linked to the vaccines, but that the benefits of the shots appeared to clearly outweigh the risk. EU parliament passes resolution demanding right to safe abortion European Union lawmakers on Thursday passed a resolution calling for the bloc's 27 countries to ensure the right to legal and safe abortion in a push to improve women's sexual and reproductive health.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

FDA to add warning about rare heart inflammation to Pfizer, Moderna vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it plans to move quickly to add a warning about rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults to fact sheets for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory groups, meeting to discuss reported cases of the heart condition after vaccination, found the inflammation in adolescents and young adults is likely linked to the vaccines, but that the benefits of the shots appeared to clearly outweigh the risk.

EU parliament passes resolution demanding right to safe abortion

European Union lawmakers on Thursday passed a resolution calling for the bloc's 27 countries to ensure the right to legal and safe abortion in a push to improve women's sexual and reproductive health. The non-binding resolution, passed by 378 to 255 votes, said the COVID-19 pandemic had limited access to many services crucial for sexual and reproductive health and rights, illustrating how the pandemic has affected women more than men.

Rastafari scorn of Western medicine fuels Jamaican vaccine hesitancy

At a Rastafari farming community high up in the hills above Jamaica's capital, dreadlocked locals gather at the temple to worship and celebrate with Bible readings and traditional drumming and chanting. No COVID-19 protocols are in place. This isolated community of around 100 people called the School of Vision has so far escaped the ravages of the pandemic. They credit traditional medicine, like root wine and herbs such as neem, bitterwood and ginger, for helping fend off the virus, and do not want to take the vaccine.

Venezuela receives first shipment of Cuban coronavirus vaccine

Venezuela received its first shipment of doses of leftist ally Cuba's Abdala coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the South American country's vice president said, while slamming wealthy countries for "sabotaging" the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. Authorities did not specify how many doses had arrived from Cuba, but did say that Venezuela had signed a contract to purchase 12 million doses of the shot. Cuba said earlier this week that the three-shot Abdala vaccine had proved 92.28% effective in last-stage clinical trials.

U.S. administers 320.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 320,687,205 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Thursday morning and distributed 379,248,700 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 319,872,053 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by June 24.

Pfizer says COVID vaccine is highly effective against Delta variant

The Pfizer-BioNTech >PFE.N< vaccine is highly effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19, a Pfizer official in Israel said on Thursday. First identified in India, Delta is becoming the globally dominant variant of the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization.

Lilly to seek accelerated FDA approval for Alzheimer's drug this year

Eli Lilly and Co said it will seek accelerated approval from the U.S. health regulator this year for its Alzheimer's candidate, weeks after a rival drug from Biogen Inc won the agency's endorsement using the same regulatory pathway. Lilly's shares jumped over 8% on Thursday, while Biogen fell nearly 5%.

Biden heads to North Carolina to tout vaccines as U.S. injections slow

President Joe Biden heads to North Carolina on Thursday to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations as the rate of inoculations slows despite a nationwide effort to get shots in arms to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The White House acknowledged this week that it would not meet a self-imposed deadline to get 70% of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, noting that those aged 18 to 26 have been especially reluctant to get the shots.

Exclusive-WHO estimates COVID-19 boosters needed yearly for most vulnerable

The World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that people most vulnerable to COVID-19, such as the elderly, will need to get an annual vaccine booster to be protected against variants, an internal document seen by Reuters shows. The estimate is included in a report, which is to be discussed on Thursday at a board meeting of Gavi, a vaccine alliance that co-leads the WHO's COVID-19 vaccine programme COVAX. The forecast is subject to changes and is also paired with two other less likely scenarios.

Swiss health ministry data shows vaccinated people seldom hit by COVID-19

Switzerland's move to allow large public events with 10,000-plus people from Saturday comes as government data appears to show vaccines are helping control new infections that are mostly hitting people who remain unprotected. Only 209 of 180,000 new infections recorded in Switzerland between Jan. 27 and June 21 were in people fully vaccinated with shots from Moderna or Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech, according to Swiss Federal Health Ministry data provided to Reuters on Thursday.

(With inputs from agencies.)