Health News Roundup: U.S. to send more COVID-19 vaccines to Haiti soon; Greece orders testing of unvaccinated tourism staff on islands and more

Mykonos, Santorini, Ios, Paros and the cities of Rethymnon and Heraklion on the island of Crete have all seen rapid increases in cases in recent days, Deputy Citizen's Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told a news conference. WHO's Tedros to set out follow-up study into COVID-19 origins - director Ryan WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus will share proposals for a phase 2 study into the origins of the coronavirus with member states on Friday, its emergency director Mike Ryan said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biogen Alzheimer's drug hits roadblocks with some hospitals, insurers

Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, the first new treatment for the memory-robbing disease in nearly 20 years, hit new barriers on Thursday with some large hospitals declining to use it and health insurers delaying a decision while awaiting coverage terms from Medicare. Cleveland Clinic, one of the country's best-known health systems, and New York's Mount Sinai Health System on Thursday confirmed they had decided not to carry the new drug, called Aduhelm.

U.S. to send more COVID-19 vaccines to Haiti soon -White House

The United States will send a 'significant' additional amount of coronavirus vaccines to Haiti soon, the White House said on Thursday, a day after the troubled Caribbean nation received 500,000 U.S.-donated doses. "We will send a significant amount of additional doses to Haiti soon in consultation with local health authorities," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

Greece orders testing of unvaccinated tourism staff on islands

Unvaccinated workers in restaurants and tourism companies on some of Greece's main holiday islands will be regularly tested for COVID-19 after the Delta variant fuelled a surge in infections, a minister said on Thursday. Mykonos, Santorini, Ios, Paros and the cities of Rethymnon and Heraklion on the island of Crete have all seen rapid increases in cases in recent days, Deputy Citizen's Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias told a news conference.

WHO's Tedros to set out follow-up study into COVID-19 origins - director Ryan

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus will share proposals for a phase 2 study into the origins of the coronavirus with member states on Friday, its emergency director Mike Ryan said. "We look forward to working with our Chinese counterparts on that process and the director-general will outline measures to member states" on Friday, Ryan told a news conference in Geneva on Thursday.

DaVita, former CEO indicted on labor market collusion charges

Dialysis provider DaVita and its former CEO Kent Thiry were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on charges they conspired with competitors not to hire each other's key employees, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday. DaVita allegedly had an agreement with Surgical Care Affiliates LLC, which was charged in January. The case is pending, the department said.

U.S. administers 336.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 336,054,953 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Thursday morning and distributed 388,738,495 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Those figures are up from the 335,487,779 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 14 out of 388,295,385 doses delivered.

Pharmacies pull J&J sunscreens off shelves after carcinogen found in some sprays

The two biggest U.S. pharmacy chains CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc began pulling Johnson & Johnson's sunscreen products off their shelves after J&J said it had detected a cancer-causing chemical in some samples. Pharmaceutical and consumer goods company J&J on Wednesday voluntarily recalled five Neutrogena and Aveeno brand aerosol sunscreens and advised consumers to stop using the products and discard them after internal testing found low levels of benzene in some sprays.

As COVID wards fill again, Spanish doctor warns young they're vulnerable

A week ago, the COVID-19 hospital ward in Barcelona where doctor Inmaculada Lopez Montesinos works had just a few patients. Now it is full and the Hospital del Mar has opened two extra floors for such patients as a surge in infection driven by the more contagious Delta variant rips through Spain's mostly younger, unvaccinated population.

U.S. Surgeon General says COVID-19 misinformation comes from individuals, a few "bad actors"

The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Thursday that COVID-19 misinformation comes mostly from individuals but also a few "bad actors." "There is misinformation that is coming from bad actors, but what is also important to point out is that much of the misinformation that is circulating online is often coming from individuals," Murthy said at a White House news briefing.

In boost for Bolsonaro, most Brazilians say pandemic is under control, poll shows

For the first time, a clear majority of Brazilians think the country's coronavirus pandemic is no longer "out of control," a Datafolha poll published on Thursday showed, in what could be a boost for President Jair Bolsonaro, who is almost certain to seek re-election next year. Bolsonaro has seen his polls numbers sag due to his handling of the world's second deadliest outbreak, in which over half a million Brazilians have died from the virus, second only to the United States.