Health News Roundup: India reports 43,733 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours; England to scrap self-isolation for children, fully vaccinated after COVID contact and more

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out plans on Monday to end social and economic COVID-19 restrictions in England on July 19, a test of whether a rapid vaccine rollout offers enough protection from the more infectious Delta variant. U.S. administers 331.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC The United States has administered 331,214,347 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Tuesday morning and distributed 383,068,840 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India reports 43,733 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

India on Wednesday reported 43,733 new cases in the last 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed, with active cases at 459,920.

England to scrap self-isolation for children, fully vaccinated after COVID contact

People who have been fully vaccinated and children will from Aug. 16 no longer have to self-isolate after close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, health minister Sajid Javid said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out plans on Monday to end social and economic COVID-19 restrictions in England on July 19, a test of whether a rapid vaccine rollout offers enough protection from the more infectious Delta variant.

U.S. administers 331.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 331,214,347 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Tuesday morning and distributed 383,068,840 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 330,604,253 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 4 out of 383,068,740 doses delivered.

Sydney locked down for another week as Delta COVID variant spreads

The leader of Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state on Wednesday ordered a week-long extension of Sydney's COVID-19 lockdown, warning new cases are bound to rise as the country's biggest city grapples with the highly infectious Delta variant. Sydney, home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million people, was plunged into lockdown on June 26 as a Delta variant outbreak persuaded officials to tighten restrictions in a country that has been slow to vaccinate. Strict stay-at-home orders were due to end on Friday but now remain in place until July 16.

Philippines' FDA allows wider gap between Sputnik V doses

The Philippines will allow a 42-day interval between doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, the head of its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday, though still below the 90-day interval recommended by the vaccine manufacturer. FDA Chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told Reuters the Gamaleya Institute's request to widen the time interval between two vaccine doses to 90 days from 21 would have to be "re-evaluated" as the Russian vaccine maker submitted more data to support it.

WHO recommends Roche, Sanofi drugs for COVID-19 to cut death risk

The World Health Organization on Tuesday recommended using arthritis drugs Actemra from Roche and Kevzara from Sanofi with corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients after data from some 11,000 patients showed they cut the risk of death. A WHO group evaluating therapies concluded treating severe and critical COVID patients with these so-called interleukin-6 antagonists that block inflammation "reduces the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation".

EU orders nearly 40 million additional J&J COVID vaccines

European Union countries have ordered nearly 40 million additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson, a spokesman for the EU Commission said, despite the company's supply shortfalls in the first half of the year. The move is a sign of confidence in the single-dose vaccine but it also shows a cautious approach as the order placed is far below what was possible under the contract.

New Zealand health regulator approves use of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine

New Zealand said on Wednesday that its health regulator Medsafe has given provisional approval for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Janssen, the pharmaceutical unit of Johnson & Johnson. The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine was approved for individuals 18 years of age and older, COVID-19 Minister Chris Hipkins said in an announcement.

Mass-testing reduced Liverpool COVID-19 cases by a fifth, study finds

A mass rapid-testing scheme reduced COVID-19 cases in the English city of Liverpool by more than a fifth, researchers said on Wednesday, arguing it was an effective public health intervention despite concerns over the accuracy of the devices. The community testing pilot scheme launched in November and offered everyone in the city tests whether or not they had symptoms, in an attempt to find a new way to use testing to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Singapore not counting Sinovac shots in COVID-19 vaccination tally

Singapore has excluded those who received Sinovac Biotech's shots from its national COVID-19 vaccination count, according to the city-state's health ministry. "The national vaccination numbers reflect only those vaccinated under the national vaccination program," the ministry said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.