Health News Roundup: U.S. cancer death rates declining, report shows; Germany to declare Spain as COVID-19 risk area - report and more

Germany has previously designated only a few regions in Spain as risk areas. U.S. administers 332.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC The United States has administered 332,345,797 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Thursday morning and distributed 385,495,790 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. cancer death rates declining, report shows

Fewer Americans are dying from the most common types of cancer, especially lung, showed a report published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute on Thursday. Death rates between 2014 and 2018 fell for 11 of the 19 most common cancers among men, and 14 of the 20 most common among women, according to the report from the American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

Aerial images of expanding graves capture Indonesia's deadliest days

A morbid grid of graves widens as excavators dig deep, piling up soil to make space for Indonesia's pandemic dead to be laid to rest. Ambulances, lights flashing, deliver bodies to the Jakarta burial site as trucks carry away dirt beside rows of rectangles carved out of the brown earth.

U.S. FDA narrows use of Biogen Alzheimer's drug; shares rise

Biogen Inc on Thursday said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has narrowed use of its Alzheimer's drug after the agency drew sharp criticism for its broad approval of the drug last month without proof of clear benefit against the disease. The new label for Biogen's Aduhelm recommends that the treatment be used only for Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, the group that was tested in clinical trials. Biogen has estimated that around 1.5 million people in the United States would be eligible for Aduhelm, which is priced at $56,000 a year.

Analysis: UK PM Johnson's new COVID gamble worries some scientists

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to reopen England's economy from coronavirus lockdown on July 19, but if he does so, it won't be without disquiet from some of the scientists whose advice he has followed thus far. Despite one of the world's highest vaccination rates, Britain is facing a new wave of COVID-19. Johnson is taking a gamble: rather than shutting the country down, he is aiming to live with the virus in what is a world-first test case of the ability of vaccines to protect from the Delta variant. (Graphic on global vaccinations) https://tmsnrt.rs/3hG1IVb

Germany to declare Spain as COVID-19 risk area - report

Germany plans to declare all of Spain a coronavirus risk area, the Funke group of newspapers reported on Thursday, citing government officials, meaning tourists and returning Germans would need to present a negative test to avoid going into quarantine. The COVID-19 infection rate in Spain has more than doubled in a week as the Delta variant tears through unvaccinated younger adults. Germany has previously designated only a few regions in Spain as risk areas.

U.S. administers 332.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 332,345,797 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Thursday morning and distributed 385,495,790 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 331,651,464 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 7.

15 more U.S. states reach settlement in OxyContin maker Purdue bankruptcy

Fifteen more states reached an agreement with Purdue Pharma LP and members of its wealthy Sackler family owners that moved the OxyContin maker a step closer to resolving widespread opioid litigation and exiting bankruptcy protection. All but a handful of states nationwide now support Purdue's bankruptcy plan, with the latest agreement emerging after weeks of mediation.

U.S. COVID-19 cases rising, mostly among unvaccinated - officials

U.S. COVID-19 cases are up around 11% over the previous week, almost entirely among people who have not been vaccinated, officials said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta variant becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country. Around 93% of COVID-19 cases in recent days have occurred in counties with vaccination rates of less than 40%, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky told a media briefing.

Is COVID coming home? England at risk from Euro 2020 euphoria

"Football's coming home," is the chant of England soccer fans at this year's Euro 2020 tournament, but with it may come COVID-19. England face Italy on Sunday in the final at London's Wembley Stadium, which has already hosted two semi-finals over two days this week with crowds of around 60,000 people.

Argentina announces COVID-19 vaccine supply deal with Moderna

Argentina on Thursday announced it will sign a COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement with Moderna, as the country attempts to speed up the inoculation of its population and sidestep a possible third wave of the coronavirus. Cabinet chief Santiago Cafiero told Argentina's Congress that a deal would be signed with U.S.-based Moderna on Monday, but did not detail the number of doses being bought or the agreed delivery dates.