Health News Roundup: UK announces extra 5.4 billion pounds for NHS COVID response; Hundreds of health centres at risk of closure in Afghanistan - WHO and more

The study comes amid concerns about the Chinese vaccine's efficacy against Delta, which has become the dominant variant globally and is driving a surge in new infections even in the most vaccinated countries. India's Hetero gets emergency use nod to make Roche's COVID-19 drug Indian drug developer Hetero said on Monday it has received emergency use approval from the country's health authorities to make a generic version of Roche Holding AG's COVID-19 drug.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Sinovac booster shot reverses drop in antibody activities against Delta-study

A booster dose of Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine reversed a decline in antibody activities against the Delta variant, a study showed, easing some concerns about its longer-term immune response to the highly contagious strain of the virus. The study comes amid concerns about the Chinese vaccine's efficacy against Delta, which has become the dominant variant globally and is driving a surge in new infections even in the most vaccinated countries.

India's Hetero gets emergency use nod to make Roche's COVID-19 drug

Indian drug developer Hetero said on Monday it has received emergency use approval from the country's health authorities to make a generic version of Roche Holding AG's COVID-19 drug. Hetero expects to make the treatment, tocilizumab, available in India by the end of the month under the brand name Tocira. Tocilizumab has been facing a global shortage as the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant drives up cases in several countries.

Denmark cancels tender for domestic coronavirus vaccine production

Denmark has cancelled its previously announced plans for a public tender to establish a national COVID-19 vaccine production facility as it bets on a vaccine already under development by a Danish firm, the Business Ministry said on Monday. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced in April that Denmark aimed to produce COVID-19 mRNA-vaccines by 2022, and that a tendering process would be initiated within a few weeks.

UK announces extra 5.4 billion pounds for NHS COVID response

Britain's government announced on Monday it would set aside a further 5.4 billion pounds ($7.5 billion) to help the National Health Service (NHS) cover additional costs from the COVID-19 pandemic and to tackle the huge treatment backlog. "The NHS was there for us during the pandemic - but treating Covid patients has created huge backlogs," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

G20 urges COVID help for poor states, but short on new commitments

The group of 20 rich countries said on Monday more efforts were needed to help poor countries vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, but steered clear of making new numerical or financial commitments. Italy, which holds the G20 presidency this year, said after the gathering that the "Pact of Rome," where the meeting was held on Sunday and Monday, included a political agreement to increase support for poor nations and send them more vaccines.

Chilean health regulator approves CoronaVac use among children over age 6

The Chilean health regulator on Monday approved the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd for use in children over 6 years of age, allowing more people to be included in the country's rapid inoculation campaign. The South American country has already approved the use of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech vaccine for children over 12, with 654,053 receiving at least one dose since May.

BGI prenatal gene test under scrutiny for Chinese military links

Health regulators in five countries are examining a prenatal test that collects the DNA of women and fetuses for research, while some doctors that promoted it and clinics that sell it say they were unaware the company that produces it also conducts research with the Chinese military. The test, made by Shenzhen-based BGI Group and marketed under the brand name NIFTY, is sold in at least 52 countries. It screens for Down syndrome and more than 80 other genetic conditions, and has been taken by 8.4 million women globally.

EU regulator studying data on booster dose for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Europe's medicines regulator said on Monday it was evaluating data on a booster dose for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, to be given six months after the second dose in people aged 16 years and older. The European Medicines Agency said it would carry out a speedy evaluation of the data, with an outcome expected "within the next few weeks". It also added that it was also assessing data on the use of an additional dose of mRNA vaccines in people with weak immune systems.

Vietnam's capital ramps up testing after extending COVID-19 curbs

Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, extended COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for a further two weeks, as authorities launched a plan to conduct tests on the city's 8 million people to try to curb a climb in infections that started in late April. The Southeast Asian country dealt successfully with the virus for much of the pandemic, but the virulent Delta variant has proved more challenging in recent months.

Hundreds of health centres at risk of closure in Afghanistan - WHO

Hundreds of medical facilities in Afghanistan are at risk of imminent closure because the Western donors who finance them are barred from dealing with the new Taliban government, a World Health Organization official said on Monday. Around 90% of 2,300 health facilities across the country might have to close as soon as this week, the UN health agency's regional emergency director, Rick Brennan, told Reuters in an interview.

(With inputs from agencies.)