Health News Roundup: UK minister: no decision yet on COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children; New Zealand COVID-19 cases steady ahead of decision on easing curbs and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK minister: no decision yet on COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children

British vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Sunday said a decision had not yet been taken on whether healthy children aged 12- to 15-years-old should be vaccinated against COVID-19, following reports that a rollout could begin in the coming days.

Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on Friday declined to recommend vaccinations for children in that group, taking a precautionary approach due to a rare risk of heart inflammation, but adding the issue was finely balanced.

New Zealand COVID-19 cases steady ahead of decision on easing curbs

New Zealand reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 for a third day in a row on Monday, ahead of a decision on whether coronavirus restrictions would be eased in most of the country. All new cases were in Auckland, the epicentre of the current outbreak, and took the total number of infections to 821, the health ministry said in a statement.

Foxconn's Gou hopes for up to 9 million BioNTech shots for Taiwan this year

Taiwan could get up to 9 million doses of BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine this year, the founder of Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn said on Monday, laying out a delivery timetable for a vaccine order that became heavily politicised. Taiwan had blamed China, which claims the island as its own territory, for nixing an original order from the German firm this year - charges Beijing has angrily denied.

Israel to present COVID-19 booster shot data to FDA experts

Israel this month will present data from an extensive rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is weighing White House plans to begin a booster drive in the United States. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public health at Israel's Health Ministry, said the ministry had been asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to brief its advisors at a Sept. 17 meeting.

Sydney COVID-19 cases may hit peak next week as Australia steps up vaccine rollout

Authorities in Australia's New South Wales, the epicentre of the country's biggest coronavirus outbreak, said on Monday daily infections were expected to peak next week, as they look to speed up immunisations ahead of easing restrictions. Australia is trying to contain a third wave of infections that has locked down its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and its capital Canberra, putting more than half its 25 million population under strict stay-at-home restrictions.

Pfizer on track for U.S. vaccine boosters, Moderna lagging, Fauci says

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that officials were likely to soon get the regulatory go-ahead to administer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots made by Pfizer, although Moderna booster could take a little longer. Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation," about President Joe Biden's goal to give booster shots starting Sept. 20, Fauci said that "in some respects" that remained the plan.

Each COVID-19 surge poses a risk for healthcare workers: PTSD

Nurse Chris Prott's knees jump, his heart races, his mouth goes dry and his mind floods with dark memories when he talks about working in the Milwaukee VA Medical Center's intensive care unit (ICU) during pandemic surges. Prott shares a struggle common to many of the military veterans for whom he has cared for years: symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Born conjoined back-to-back, Israeli twins finally see each other after surgery

One-year-old twin Israeli girls who were born conjoined at the head, back to back, can make eye contact for the first time after undergoing rare separation surgery. The more than 12-hour operation at the Soroka Medical Centre took months of preparation and involved dozens of experts from Israel and abroad, the hospital said on Sunday.

India reports 42,766 coronavirus cases

India reported 42,766 new coronavirus infections overnight, the federal health ministry said on Sunday, taking its tally to 32.9 million cases. The death toll rose by 308 to 440,533, data from the ministry showed.

Vietnam sets deadline to vaccinate biggest cities' adults

Vietnam's coronavirus epicentre, Ho Chi Minh City, and capital Hanoi must vaccinate all of their adult residents with at least one shot by Sept. 15, the ministry of health said on Sunday. Vietnam has one of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the region, with only 3.3% of the country's 98 million people fully vaccinated with two shots, and 15.4% with one shot.

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