Health News Roundup: CDC recommends pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccine; Turkey to start face-to-face education this year -health minister and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. CDC recommends pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccine Pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

CDC recommends pregnant women get COVID-19 vaccine

Pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The CDC said it has found no safety concerns for pregnant people in either the new analysis or earlier studies. It said miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to the expected rate. Pregnant women can receive any of the three vaccines given emergency authorization -- Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

Turkey to start face-to-face education this year -health minister

Turkey will start face-to-face education as scheduled, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, and unvaccinated adults will have to be tested regularly against COVID-19. "It is not possible for us to compromise face-to-face education ... We will take necessary measures to protect students and their families," Koca said in a speech following the coronavirus science council meeting.

EU looking into new possible side-effects of mRNA COVID-19 shots

Three new conditions reported by a small number of people after vaccination with COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are being studied to assess if they may be possible side-effects, Europe's drugs regulator said on Wednesday. Erythema multiforme, a form of allergic skin reaction; glomerulonephritis or kidney inflammation; and nephrotic syndrome, a renal disorder characterised by heavy urinary protein losses, are being studied https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update-spikevax-previously-covid-19-vaccine-moderna-11-august-2021_en.pdf by the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to the regulator https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update-comirnaty-11-august-2021_en.pdf.

Moderna doubles size of COVID-19 vaccine pediatric study

Moderna Inc is planning to double the size of an ongoing trial testing its COVID-19 vaccines in children aged six months to less than 12 years. According to updated details on clinical trial record site clinicaltrials.gov, the study will now enroll an estimated 13,275 participants, nearly double the earlier target of 6,975 participants. (https://bit.ly/3ACoHIn)

California becomes first state to order teachers to get COVID vaccine or test

California on Wednesday became the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19, a move Governor Gavin Newsom called "a responsible step" to ensure the safety of children. The move comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott's statewide ban on mask mandates hit its second legal setback after a judge in Dallas County temporarily blocked it from being enforced amid a nationwide rise in coronavirus cases.

Elderly Chileans line up for booster jabs to reinforce CoronaVac vaccine

Chile on Wednesday began administering booster shots to those already inoculated with Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to lock in early success following one of the world's fastest mass vaccination drives. Lines of elderly citizens eager to participate in the campaign began forming at vaccination centers in neighborhoods across the capital Santiago on a cool winter morning in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kids with COVID-19 often have no symptoms; smoking linked to vaccine response

Here is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Asymptomatic COVID-19 very common

United CEO expects more companies will heed Biden's call to vaccinate

United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby said he believes more U.S. companies and organizations will begin requiring COVID-19 vaccinations after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the topic on Wednesday. "A few weeks from now, this is going to be something that's widespread across the country because it's really just a basic safety issue," Kirby said told CNN after the meeting.

WHO-led trial to study three anti-inflammatory drugs for COVID-19 patients

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday a clinical trial in 52 countries would study three anti-inflammatory drugs as potential treatments for COVID-19 patients. "These therapies - artesunate, imatinib and infliximab – were selected by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalised COVID-19 patients," it said in a statement on the Solidarity PLUS trial.

PAHO to boost vaccine access as Delta variant spreads across Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is preparing to increase COVID-19 vaccine availability for member countries, officials said on Wednesday, as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads through the region. PAHO's "Revolving Fund" is receiving requests from regional countries for vaccines for the last three months of 2021 and 2022, said PAHO director Carissa Etienne. More than 20 countries have formally expressed interest.