Health News Roundup: WHO says COVID-19 deaths surge 43% week-on-week in Africa; Malaysia to stop using Sinovac vaccine after supply ends: minister and more

The New Jersey-based company said on Wednesday that consumers should stop using the products and discard them after internal testing identified low levels of benzene in some samples. Melbourne joins Sydney in lockdown as COVID-19 spreads in Australia The Australian state of Victoria was ordered into a five-day lockdown on Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 infections, joining Sydney as the country's two main population hubs battle an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO says COVID-19 deaths surge 43% week-on-week in Africa

Africa recorded a 43% rise in COVID-19 deaths this week compared with last week as infections and hospital admissions have jumped and countries face shortages of oxygen and intensive-care beds, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. The WHO said Africa's case fatality rate - the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases - currently stands at 2.6% against the global average of 2.2%.

Malaysia to stop using Sinovac vaccine after supply ends: minister

Malaysia's health ministry on Thursday said the country will stop administering the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac once its supplies end, as it has a sufficient number of other vaccines for its program. Malaysia's inoculation drive will be largely anchored by the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine moving forward, health minister Adham Baba told a news conference with other top ministry officials.

Grappling with 'worst-case scenario', Indonesia faces more COVID-19 pain

Indonesia is now fighting a "worst-case scenario" epidemic, a senior minister said on Thursday, adding the government was preparing for a further spike in coronavirus cases as the more virulent Delta variant spreads. The world's fourth most populous country is struggling to slow COVID-19 transmission even after imposing its toughest mobility curbs yet, while its immunisation rate is low, with just 5.8% of its 270 million people fully vaccinated.

J&J recalls sunscreens after carcinogen found in some sprays

Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand aerosol sunscreen products after detecting a cancer-causing chemical in some samples. The New Jersey-based company said on Wednesday that consumers should stop using the products and discard them after internal testing identified low levels of benzene in some samples.

China should provide raw data on pandemic's origins - WHO's Tedros

The head of the World Health Organisation said investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in China were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of its spread there. "We ask China to be transparent and open and to cooperate," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on Thursday.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Melbourne joins Sydney in lockdown

Germany calls on China to allow further investigations into COVID origins

German Health Minister Jens Spahn called on China to make it possible for investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue, saying more information was needed. Speaking during a visit to the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva on Thursday, Spahn also announced a 260 million euro ($307 million) donation to WHO's ACT-Accelerator program, which aims to ensure the entire world, including poorer countries, receive coronavirus vaccines and tests.

J&J recalls sunscreens after carcinogen found in some sprays

Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand aerosol sunscreen products after detecting a cancer-causing chemical in some samples. The New Jersey-based company said on Wednesday that consumers should stop using the products and discard them after internal testing identified low levels of benzene in some samples.

Melbourne joins Sydney in lockdown as COVID-19 spreads in Australia

The Australian state of Victoria was ordered into a five-day lockdown on Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 infections, joining Sydney as the country's two main population hubs battle an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. From midnight, the state of 6.6 million people was told to stay home except for grocery shopping, essential work, exercise, healthcare, and getting vaccinated. The lockdown in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne is it's fifth since the pandemic began a year and a half ago.

'Freedom day' or 'Anxiety day'? England to end COVID-19 curbs

As England's so-called "freedom day" draws near, excitement at the impending end of COVID-19 restrictions is tempered by worries of rising cases and downright fear among the vulnerable. Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to move England to Step 4 - the end of legal lockdown curbs - on Monday.