Health News Roundup: U.S. CDC advisers to review data on COVID-19 vaccine boosters; Germany to stop free COVID-19 tests - report and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. CDC advisers to review data on COVID-19 vaccine boosters

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel will meet on Friday to discuss considerations for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines, as the United States deals with increasing cases from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The meeting of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will also discuss updates on additional doses in immune compromised individuals.

Germany to stop free COVID-19 tests - report

Germany wants to end free coronavirus tests in October, the RND group of newspapers reported on Monday, citing a draft proposal to be discussed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the country's 16 states. The government made the tests free for all in March to make a gradual return to normal life possible after a lockdown to break a third wave of COVID-19.

Pentagon to seek approval to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory

The Pentagon on Monday said that it will seek U.S. President Joe Biden's approval by mid-September to require 1.3 million military members to get vaccinated against COVID-19, anticipating full regulatory clearance for a vaccine by then. After setting COVID-19 rules for federal workers, Biden last month directed the Pentagon to look into "how and when" it would require members of the military to take the vaccine.

BioNTech says vaccine repeats beat devising new one for now

BioNTech said that repeat shots of its COVID-19 vaccine, of which more than a billion doses have now been supplied worldwide, was a better strategy than tailoring the product it developed with Pfizer to new variants. The German biotech firm said that offering a third dose of its established two-shot vaccine remained the best response to concerns over waning immune protection in the face of the highly contagious Delta variant, as worse strains may emerge.

Nearly 60% of Americans at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 - CDC

Nearly 60% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The agency said 195,222,906 people, or 58.8% of the total population, have had at least one shot while 157,888,305 people, or 61.1% of the adult population, are fully vaccinated.

Nine Russian coronavirus patients die after oxygen malfunction

Nine coronavirus patients died in a Russian hospital in the southern city of Vladikavkaz after an oxygen pipe burst underground, cutting supply to an intensive care ward, Russian news agencies reported on Monday. "Nine patients with coronavirus died due to a lack of oxygen," the TASS news agency cited the local health ministry as saying.

Rare bacterial outbreak kills one in Georgia: U.S. health body

One person in the U.S. state of Georgia died following a multi-state outbreak of melioidosis infection likely linked to imported products, health officials said on Monday. A total of four people were infected, one each in Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Moderna may be superior to Pfizer against Delta; breakthrough odds rise with time

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. Moderna's vaccine may be best against Delta

Delta variant pushes U.S. cases, hospitalizations to 6-month high

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the United States are at a six-month high, fueled by the rapid spread of the Delta variant across swathes of the country grappling with low vaccination rates. Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have averaged 100,000 for three days in a row, up 35% over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas reported the most new cases in the past week, based on population. (Graphic of U.S. coronavirus cases) https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-TRENDS/dgkvlgkrkpb

Gilead to require U.S. workers receive COVID-19 vaccine

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it will require all its employees and contractors in the United States to become vaccinated against COVID-19. The biotech company's move comes less than a week after U.S. drugmaker Pfizer said all its U.S. workers would need to get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing.

(With inputs from agencies.)