Health News Roundup: Australia's Victoria to ease COVID-19 curbs, Sydney cases rise; How the Delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus and more

U.S. agencies will coordinate to ensure people suffering from severe long-term health problems are protected after the end of their infections with the novel coronavirus, he said. U.S. issues 'Do Not Travel' advisories for Spain, Portugal over COVID-19 cases The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Department on Monday both warned against travel to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Kyrgyzstan because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those countries.


Reuters | Updated: 27-07-2021 10:36 IST | Created: 27-07-2021 10:28 IST
Health News Roundup: Australia's Victoria to ease COVID-19 curbs, Sydney cases rise; How the Delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus and more
Representative Image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia's Victoria to ease COVID-19 curbs, Sydney cases rise

Australia's Victoria state said on Tuesday it will lift a strict lockdown after curtailing the spread of COVID-19 while neighboring New South Wales faces an extension of restrictions after daily new cases spiked to a 16-month peak. More than half of Australia's near 26 million population has been in lockdown in recent weeks after an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant took hold in the New South Wales capital of Sydney and spread to three states.

How the Delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus

The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest, and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, according to virologists and epidemiologists. Vaccine protection remains very strong against severe disease and hospitalizations caused by any version of the coronavirus, and those most at risk are still the unvaccinated, according to interviews with 10 leading COVID-19 experts.

Moderna in talks with FDA to expand COVID-19 vaccine pediatric study

Moderna Inc is in talks with U.S. regulators to expand the size of an ongoing trial testing its COVID-19 vaccines in children aged between five and 11, the drugmaker said on Monday.

The objective of the discussion with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is to enroll a larger safety database, which increases the likelihood of detecting rarer events, the company said.

S.Korea begins COVID-19 vaccination for chip, electronics workers

South Korea on Tuesday launched COVID-19 vaccinations for workers at key computer chip and electronic businesses to minimize disruptions in the global supply chain amid struggles to keep up with its inoculation schedule. Major tech companies including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Samsung Display Co, SK Hynix Inc, and LG Display Co Ltd and their suppliers began in-house vaccination for their employees on Tuesday, the companies' spokesmen told Reuters.

Biden pushes for long COVID sufferers to be protected by law

President Joe Biden said Monday the White House is pushing for people with long-term symptoms of COVID-19 to be protected against discrimination, as he marked the anniversary of a landmark law for people with disabilities. U.S. agencies will coordinate to ensure people suffering from severe long-term health problems are protected after the end of their infections with the novel coronavirus, he said.

U.S. issues 'Do Not Travel' advisories for Spain, Portugal over COVID-19 cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Department on Monday both warned against travel to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and Kyrgyzstan because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those countries. The CDC raised its travel advisory to "Level Four: Very High" for those countries telling Americans they should avoid travel there, while the State Department issued "Do Not Travel" advisories.

Light-to-moderate drinking tied to lower risk of heart attack and death in patients with heart disease

Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and death among those with heart disease, according to a study published in the journal BMC Medicine on Monday. The largest benefit - a 50% reduction in risk compared with non-drinkers - was seen in people with heart disease who drank an average of 6 grams of alcohol per day. (A standard "unit" of alcohol is 8 grams in the UK, whereas the average drink in the United States contains 14 grams.)

OxyContin maker Purdue's creditors vote in favor of bankruptcy plan

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP said on Tuesday that creditors voted in favor of its reorganization plan that would provide billions of dollars to the governments that sued the company for its role in the U.S. opioid crisis. More than 95% of the 120,000-plus votes submitted were in favor of the plan, Purdue said, citing preliminary voting results.

Australia's New South Wales reports biggest daily COVID-19 caseload for 2021

New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, on Tuesday reported its biggest daily rise of locally acquired cases of COVID-19 for the year as total infections in the latest outbreak from the highly infectious Delta variant neared 2,400.

A total of 172 new local cases were detected in New South Wales, up from 145 a day earlier.

BioNTech aims to develop mRNA-based malaria vaccine

BioNTech wants to build on its success in COVID-19 by developing the first vaccine for malaria based on mRNA technology and aims to start clinical testing by the end of 2022, in an attempt to eradicate the mosquito-borne illness. The Mainz, the Germany-based company, which developed a COVID-19 vaccine with its partner Pfizer, said on Monday it is also exploring vaccine production in Africa as part of efforts to expand manufacturing capacity and increase global access.

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

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