Health News Roundup: U.S. cases and deaths from COVID-19 rise, so do vaccinations; Dominican Republic to kill thousands of pigs over swine fever outbreak and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Delta infections among vaccinated likely contagious; Lambda variant shows vaccine resistance in lab

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Delta breakthrough infections likely contagious

U.S. cases and deaths from COVID-19 rise, so do vaccinations -U.S. officials

Cases of COVID-19 along with hospitalizations and deaths from it have increased in the last week, U.S. officials said on Monday, even as vaccination rates grow amid concern over the highly contagious Delta variant. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters on a conference call that as of Saturday there were about 72,000 new cases per day of COVID-19 in the United States.

Abbott Labs to pay $160 million over kickbacks, false diabetes claims to Medicare

Abbott Laboratories will pay $160 million to resolve claims that two of its units submitted false claims to Medicare by providing kickbacks to diabetes patients, including "free" or "no cost" glucose monitors, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Monday's settlement resolves claims that Arriva Medical LLC - once the largest Medicare mail-order diabetes testing supplier - and its parent Alere Inc violated the federal False Claims Act from 2009 to 2016 by diverting Medicare funding from where it was needed.

Dominican Republic to kill thousands of pigs over swine fever outbreak

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country's 32 provinces, authorities said on Monday. Fernando Duran, administrator of the state-run Banco Agricola, told a news conference the government will pay pig farmers the market price of each animal slaughtered.

70% U.S. adults have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine - CDC

Nearly three out of four Americans above the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). President Joe Biden had originally aimed to administer at least one dose to 70% of U.S. adults by July 4.

Some U.S. states turn to vaccine mandates for key workers as COVID cases rise

New York's governor on Monday urged businesses to turn away unvaccinated customers while Florida grappled with an influx of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, both sparked by the surging Delta variant that could lead to new restrictions on daily life. Transport workers in New York and hospital, nursing home, and jail employees in New Jersey will face new requirements to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing, their governors announced Monday, while Denver's mayor said inoculation would be mandatory for the city's more than 11,000 employees.

Nigeria receives 4 million doses of covid-19 vaccines from U.S. government

Nigeria has received 4 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States government, its health minister said on Monday, as the West African country battles a third wave of infections. Osagie Ehanire said the vaccines, which arrived on Sunday, are undergoing validation by the country's drug regulator. He said the doses will be distributed to the local states once they are certified fit for use.

Delta spreads 'like wildfire' as doctors study whether it makes patients sicker

With a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people - mainly the unvaccinated - sicker than before. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, first identified in India and now dominant worldwide, is "likely more severe" than earlier versions of the virus, according to an internal report made public on Friday.

Soccer-Footballs should be sold with health warning, says dementia expert

The risk of developing neurodegenerative disease in former professional soccer players varies by position and career length but not by playing era, according to a landmark study. Research from Professor Willie Stewart, who leads the FIELD (Football's Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk) study, previously found that former footballers are 3.5 times more likely to die with dementia than the general public.

Germany to offer booster against COVID-19, vaccines for children

Germany will in September start to offer a booster shot against COVID-19 to vulnerable individuals such as pensioners and people with weak immune systems, the health ministers of the country's 16 states said in a statement on Monday. The vaccinations will be done using mRNA-vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna regardless of what was used previously, the ministers concluded after talks with Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn.

(With inputs from agencies.)