Health News Roundup: Sydney posts record daily COVID-19 cases, police powers extended to enforce lockdown; India reports 43,509 new COVID-19 infections and more

The move followed guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 community transmission. CDC says nearly 67% of U.S. counties have substantial, high COVID-19 transmission The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that 66.6% of U.S. counties had transmission rates of COVID-19 high enough to warrant indoor masking and should immediately resume the policy.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sydney posts record daily COVID-19 cases, police powers extended to enforce lockdown

The COVID-19 Delta outbreak in Australia's biggest city Sydney grew by 239 cases on Thursday, the highest daily rise since the pandemic started, forcing authorities to increase police powers to shut down businesses not complying with lockdown measures. More than two million residents in eight Sydney hotspots will now be forced to wear masks outdoors and must stay within 5 km (3 miles) of their homes.

India reports 43,509 new COVID-19 infections

India reported on Thursday 43,509 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the government said in a statement.

Cambodia to impose COVID-19 lockdowns in areas bordering Thailand

Cambodia is set to launch a lockdown in eight provinces bordering Thailand from midnight on Thursday, in a bid to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in the Southeast Asian country. Prime Minister Hun Sen signed an order late on Wednesday for the lockdown, which bans people from leaving their homes, gathering in groups and conducting business, except for those involved in operating airlines.

White House tells agencies to mandate masks in federal buildings in hot spots

Numerous U.S. federal agencies on Wednesday mandated masks at federal buildings in COVID-19 hot spots in line with instructions issued by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to an OMB email seen by Reuters. The move followed guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high COVID-19 community transmission.

CDC says nearly 67% of U.S. counties have substantial, high COVID-19 transmission

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that 66.6% of U.S. counties had transmission rates of COVID-19 high enough to warrant indoor masking and should immediately resume the policy. The transmission rate was up from 63.4% as of Tuesday. In total, 49.9% of U.S. counties have high COVID-19 community transmission rates and 16.7% have substantial rates, the CDC said. The CDC reversed its mask guidance policy for vaccinated Americans on Tuesday.

Emergent to resume J&J COVID-19 vaccine production at Baltimore plant

Emergent Biosolutions said on Wednesday it would resume production of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine at its troubled Baltimore facility, where operations were stopped in April after millions of doses were found to be contaminated. "We are proud to be resuming production of bulk COVID-19 vaccine batches following additional reviews and collaboration with FDA and our manufacturing partners," Chief Executive Officer Robert Kramer said.

China reports 49 new COVID-19 cases amid Delta outbreak in Nanjing

China reported on Thursday 49 new COVID-19 cases, down from 86 a day earlier, according to the national health authority, amid an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant in the eastern city of Nanjing. Local infections accounted for 24 of the cases that were detected on Wednesday, down from 55 the previous day, the National Health Commission said.

J&J says U.S. FDA agrees to extend shelf life of its COVID-19 vaccine

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration extended the shelf life for Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine to six months from four-and-a-half months, the company said late Wednesday. The FDA's decision is based on data from ongoing studies, which showed the vaccine is stable at six months when refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36–46 degrees Fahrenheit), the drugmaker said. (https://bit.ly/3ypgpTT)

Games-related COVID-19 cases hospitalised in pandemic-hit Tokyo

Two people attending the Tokyo Olympics from overseas have been hospitalised with COVID-19, a Tokyo 2020 spokesperson said on Thursday, amid concerns the Games will add to the strains on Japan's medical system. Neither case is serious and a third hospitalised person has already been discharged, spokesperson Masa Takaya added.

U.S. House panel seeks J&J documents on baby powder bankruptcy plans

A U.S. congressional panel has asked Johnson & Johnson to provide it all documents related to the company's plans to put its talc liabilities into bankruptcy, according to a letter sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters. Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform's subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, wrote that the panel is trying to learn how J&J's plans may affect people who have said they were harmed by the company's baby powder.

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