Health News Roundup: Delta, Kappa variants surge in Italy to nearly 17% of cases, health institute says; The booster may be needed for J&J shot as Delta variant spreads, some experts already taking them and more

Saturday's data includes 17 infections in the country's most populous state that were already announced on Friday, taking the number of infections linked to the Bondi outbreak to 80. U.S. FDA adds warning about rare heart inflammation to Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines The U.S. drug regulator on Friday added a warning to the literature that accompanies Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccine shots to indicate the rare risk of heart inflammation after its use.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Delta, Kappa variants surge in Italy to nearly 17% of cases, health institute says

The Delta coronavirus variant and it's sibling Kappa have surged in Italy in the past month, accounting for nearly 17% of total COVID-19 cases, the national health institute ISS said on Friday. The Delta variant was becoming dominant, it said.

The booster may be needed for J&J shot as Delta variant spreads, some experts already taking them

Infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA-based vaccines for Americans who received Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant. A few say they have already done so themselves, even without published data on whether combining two different vaccines is safe and effective or backing from U.S. health regulators. Canada and some European countries are already allowing people to get two different COVID-19 shots.

U.S. administers 321.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 321,199,379 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Friday morning and distributed 380,222,670 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 320,687,205 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by June 24 out of 379,248,700 doses delivered.

Germany declares Portugal, Russia virus-variant zones, restricts travel

Germany declared Portugal and Russia to be "virus-variant zones", a measure that will trigger severe restrictions on travel to and from both countries. Germany's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute, made the announcement on Friday evening.

U.S. lawmakers to investigate approval, pricing of Alzheimer's drug from Biogen

U.S. lawmakers on Friday announced an investigation into the approval and pricing of Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, amid concerns over its steep price and doubts if the clinical evidence proves the drug works. The drug, which has a list price of $56,000 per year, was approved by the U.S. regulators as the first treatment to attack a likely cause of Alzheimer's on June 7.

AstraZeneca's diabetes drug study shows benefit in adolescents

AstraZeneca Plc's diabetes drug significantly reduced blood sugar levels in adolescents aged 10–17 with type 2 diabetes in a late-stage study, the UK-based drugmaker said on Friday. In type 2 diabetes, the body cannot properly use or make enough of the hormone insulin to convert blood sugar into energy.

Just give us the vaccines, WHO pleads, as poor countries go wanting

Rich countries are opening up societies and vaccinating young people who are not at great risk from COVID-19, while the poorest countries cruelly lack doses, the World Health Organization said on Friday, condemning a global failure. The situation in Africa, where new infections and deaths jumped by nearly 40% last week compared to the previous week, is "so dangerous" as the Delta variant spreads globally, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Canada says COVID-19 Delta variant could cause greater than expected surge

Canada projects COVID-19 infections will decline rapidly over the next two months, but the more contagious Delta variant risks causing a greater-than-expected resurgence of cases later this year, public health officials said on Friday. Canadian provinces are opening up businesses again as vaccinations advance rapidly. More than 76% of eligible Canadians have had at least a first dose, and more than 26% have had a second, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday.

Sydney's COVID-19 cases grow, more restrictions loom

Australia's New South Wales state reported 29 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with the authorities signaling more restrictions may be imposed on the partially locked Sydney as exposure sites increased. Saturday's data includes 17 infections in the country's most populous state that were already announced on Friday, taking the number of infections linked to the Bondi outbreak to 80.

U.S. FDA adds warning about rare heart inflammation to Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines

The U.S. drug regulator on Friday added a warning to the literature that accompanies Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccine shots to indicate the rare risk of heart inflammation after its use. For each vaccine, the fact sheets for healthcare providers have been revised to include a warning that reports of adverse events suggest increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly after the second dose and with the onset of symptoms within a few days after vaccination, the FDA said.