Health News Roundup: U.S. puts a new warning on J&J coronavirus vaccine for an autoimmune disorder; BioNTech had planned five million vaccines to Taiwan by July, diplomat says and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. puts a new warning on J&J coronavirus vaccine for an autoimmune disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday added a warning to the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine saying that data suggests there is an increased risk of a rare neurological disorder in the six weeks after inoculation.

In a letter to the company, the FDA classified the chances of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after vaccination as being "very low." Still, it said J&J vaccine recipients should seek medical attention if they have symptoms including weakness or tingling sensations, difficulty walking or difficulty with facial movements.

BioNTech had planned five million vaccines to Taiwan by July, diplomat says

BioNTech SE had planned to send Taiwan five million COVID-19 vaccine doses by July under an original deal which collapsed in January, Taipei's top diplomat in Berlin said on Tuesday, detailing how the highly politicized agreement came apart. Taiwan had tried for months to get the vaccine from the German company until on Sunday BioNTech's Chinese sales agent, which also has the right to sell the shot to the island, said it would sell 10 million doses to two Taiwanese tech giants after Taiwan's government said they could negotiate on their behalf.

U.S. officials say fully vaccinated don't need booster

U.S. health officials, after meeting with vaccine maker Pfizer PFE.N>, reiterated on Monday that Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need to get a booster shot, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department said.

Pfizer said last week it planned to ask U.S. regulators to authorize a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

South Korea reports new coronavirus cases top 1,000 for 7th straight day

South Korea reported 1,150 new coronavirus cases for Monday, the day it implemented the toughest curbs it can apply on residents and business activity in Seoul as the country battles its worst-ever outbreak, spurred by the highly contagious Delta variant. Data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Tuesday showed the daily tally topped 1,000 for a seventh consecutive day, though it was below last week's peak at 1,378.

The U.S. starts national Medicare coverage policy review for Biogen's Aduhelm

The U.S. government on Monday started a review process for national Medicare coverage of Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, that was recently approved by the country's health regulator. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects to give a proposed decision within 6 months and a final decision within 9 months. (https://go.cms.gov/3hzMa6H)

Australian scientists develop pain-free blood sugar tests for diabetics

Australian scientists say they have developed the "holy grail" of blood sugar testing for diabetics, a non-invasive strip that checks glucose levels via saliva. For diabetics, managing their blood sugar levels typically means pricking their fingers multiple times a day with a lancet and then placing a drop of blood on a testing strip. Understandably, some diabetes sufferers avoid the painful process by minimizing their tests.

Japan to provide one million more COVID vaccine doses to Taiwan

Japan will send a third batch of donated COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan this week, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday, in a further show of support for the Chinese-claimed island which is now ramping up inoculations. Motegi told reporters that the AstraZeneca Plc shots would be sent on Thursday, which would bring the country's total donations to Taiwan so far to almost 3.4 million doses.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 646 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 646 to 3,737,135, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by 26 to 91,259, the tally showed.

Sydney's COVID-19 cases ease but lockdown extension still on cards

Australian authorities reported a slight easing in new COVID-19 cases in Sydney on Tuesday but left open the possibility of extending a lockdown in the country's largest city to douse an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the harbor city's more than 5 million residents not to become complacent as she reported 89 new locally transmitted cases, down from Monday's record high for the year of 112 cases.

Aptiv, Lear join Mexico's effort to ramp up vaccinations at the border

Auto part suppliers Aptiv PLC and Lear Corp turned their plants and parking lots in the northern Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez into COVID-19 vaccination centers on Monday, ushering in hundreds of workers from companies across the city to get shots. Mexico is ramping up inoculations in the country's north for people aged 18 and older after months of restrictions on border crossings into the United States amid concerns over local infection rates.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)