Health News Roundup: Sydney lockdown extended statewide, fines hiked as Australia faces 'worst' COVID episode; Mississippi hospital puts beds in parking garage to cope with COVID-19 surge and more

With an overload of coronavirus patients and a shortage of healthcare workers in the state, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) opened up a 20-bed field hospital in its parking garage on Friday morning. Egypt gets new AstraZeneca vaccine batch via COVAX Egypt received a new batch of about 1.7 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses through the global COVAX initiative, the health ministry said late on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sydney lockdown extended statewide, fines hiked as Australia faces 'worst' COVID episode

Australian police hiked fines for people breaking lockdown rules in Sydney and the rest of its home state on Saturday and strict stay-at-home orders were extended statewide amid a record jump in daily new COVID-19 infections. State police will fine up to A$5,000 ($3,700) anyone breaching stay-at-home orders or for lying to contract-tracing officials, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Previously breaching quarantine orders had carried a A$1,000 fine.

Mississippi hospital puts beds in parking garage to cope with COVID-19 surge

The crush of new COVID-19 infections in Mississippi has become so dire that the state has turned to efforts reminiscent of the earliest days of the U.S. pandemic, when a field hospital was set up in New York's Central Park and a medical ship was moored in the Hudson River. With an overload of coronavirus patients and a shortage of healthcare workers in the state, the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) opened up a 20-bed field hospital in its parking garage on Friday morning.

Egypt gets new AstraZeneca vaccine batch via COVAX

Egypt received a new batch of about 1.7 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses through the global COVAX initiative, the health ministry said late on Friday. The new shipment, the third of its kind, brings the total number of AstraZeneca shots received by Egypt via COVAX to about 4.3 million doses.

Booster shot aids transplant patients; one in 10 UK patients caught COVID in hospital

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. Third vaccine dose 'substantially' aids transplant patients

Russia releases worst pandemic death numbers to date

Russia's daily COVID-19 deaths hit a new record of 819 on Saturday, a day after Moscow's health department reported the highest number of monthly deaths in the city since the start of the pandemic. Russia's daily coronavirus deaths are on the rise after infections peaked in July. Authorities blame the infectious Delta variant and a slow vaccination rate.

Canada enters supply deal with Moderna for COVID-19 vaccine beyond 2021

The Canadian government said on Friday it had signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for additional supply of its COVID-19 vaccine for 2022 and 2023, with an option to extend into 2024. Canada will receive 40 million doses, as per the deal, with an option for an additional 65 million doses. The agreement will allow access to new COVID-19 vaccine adaptations.

U.S. FDA declines to approve Sesen Bio's bladder cancer treatment, shares plunge

The U.S. drug regulator has declined to approve Sesen Bio Inc's lead therapy candidate for a type of bladder cancer, the company said on Friday, sending its shares down more than 80%. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified the drug developer that it cannot approve the marketing application for the drug, Vicineum, in its present form.

Pfizer expands recall of anti-smoking drug over carcinogen presence

Pfizer Inc said on Friday it is recalling four additional lots of its anti-smoking treatment, Chantix, after finding elevated levels of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines in the pills. In June, the drugmaker said it was pausing distribution of certain lots of the anti-smoking drug out of an abundance of caution and pending further testing.

China's new locally transmitted COVID cases down for the 4th straight day

China on Saturday reported 30 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Aug. 13, down for the fourth consecutive day, offering fresh signs that a month-long outbreak may be waning. The country reported 66 coronavirus infections in the mainland, down from 99 a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. There were 36 imported cases.

U.S. authorizes third shot of COVID-19 vaccines for the immunocompromised

U.S regulators authorized a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer Inc-BioNTech and Moderna Inc on Friday for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-additional-vaccine-dose-certain-immunocompromised its emergency use authorization for both vaccines on Thursday, paving the way for people who have had an organ transplant, or those with a similar level of weakened immune system, to get an extra dose of the same shot they have initially received.

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