Health News Roundup: Organisers to ban Olympic spectators as Tokyo declares coronavirus emergency report; Pharmacy exec in deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak gets stiffer, 14-1/2 year prison term and more

Those figures are up from the 331,214,347 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 6. Sydney sees worst day of 2021 as Delta COVID-19 outbreak spreads Australia's New South Wales state on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant in Sydney.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Organizers to ban Olympic spectators as Tokyo declares coronavirus emergency-report

Olympic organizers are set to ban all spectators from the Games, the Asahi daily said on Thursday, as Japan prepared to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo that will run through its hosting of the event to curb a new wave of coronavirus infections. Organizers were set to formally reach the decision on the spectators during five-way talks between key parties to be held on Thursday evening, the newspaper said, citing people involved in the Games.

Pharmacy exec in deadly U.S. meningitis outbreak gets stiffer, 14-1/2 year prison term

A founder of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose mold-tainted drugs sparked a deadly U.S. fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 was resentenced on Wednesday to 14-1/2 years in prison after a federal appeals court overturned his earlier 9-year term. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston said the appellate court at least implicitly deemed as too light the original sentence for Barry Cadden, the co-founder and former president of the now-defunct New England Compounding Center (NECC).

Germany to donate all remaining AstraZeneca vaccines in Aug

Germany will give all its remaining doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to less developed countries in August, the government decided on Wednesday. The cabinet decided that at least 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be given to the COVAX consortium, which aims to ensure poor countries get access to vaccines. Almost all vaccination has taken place in rich countries so far.

COVID Delta variant could ruin summer, French government warns

The highly contagious Delta variant now represents around 40% of new COVID-19 infections in France and could ruin the summer if a fourth wave of infections is allowed to build, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Wednesday. Attal said forging ahead with vaccinations was the best way to avoid a return to tough curbs on movement and socialising. He urged any hesitant citizens to get the shot.

Delta variant already dominant in U.S., CDC estimates show

The Delta variant is already the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States, according to data modeling done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the health agency's estimates the Delta variant became dominant in the country over the two weeks ended July 3, with 51.7% cases linked to the variant that was first identified in India.

COVID-19 infections in England have quadrupled since June, study finds

COVID-19 infections in England have quadrupled in a month since early June, a large prevalence study showed on Thursday, ahead of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to fully re-open the economy in two weeks' time. Johnson said he aimed to end most legal coronavirus restrictions on July 19, even though models suggested cases would rise, saying that he was reconciled to more deaths from COVID-19 but that life needed to return to normal.

German COVID-19 cases rise again after two months of decline

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany ticked up again on Wednesday after more than two months of steady decline and most new cases have been of the Delta variant since the end of June, according to official data. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported 985 new infections to bring the total to 3.73 million, a rise of 177 cases compared to the daily increase a week ago.

U.S. administers 331.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 331,651,464 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 331,214,347 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 6.

Sydney sees worst day of 2021 as Delta COVID-19 outbreak spreads

Australia's New South Wales state on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant in Sydney. New South Wales (NSW) reported 38 new local cases, up from 27 a day earlier, as its capital Sydney prepares for a third week of a lockdown.

Spain's youth infection rate increases, as health minister urges caution

Spain's health minister warned on Wednesday that young people can develop severe cases of COVID-19 and asked for their cooperation in taming an infection rate that has more than doubled in a week as the Delta variant tears through unvaccinated younger adults. "One in every 100 cases in 20 to 24-year-olds is admitted to hospital," Carolina Darias told a news conference on Wednesday, adding that the majority of recent outbreaks were linked to end-of-term student parties.