Health News Roundup: Sinovac booster shot reverses drop in antibody activities against Delta-study; UK announces extra 5.4 billion pounds for NHS COVID response and more

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.

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.

New Zealand 'very close' to deal for more COVID-19 vaccines

New Zealand is "very close" to procuring more coronavirus vaccines and a deal could be announced this week, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday, as the country looks to get on top of an outbreak of the Delta variant.

The government is in talks with several countries, Hipkins said, but he did not specify when it would make the announcement about a deal.

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.

Vaccination rates surge in Sydney's hard-hit suburbs as cases dip

COVID-19 daily infections in Sydney fell for a third straight day on Tuesday but still lingered near record levels as the outbreak spurred a spike in vaccination rates in the hard-hit western suburbs of Australia's largest city. Officials have promised residents in Sydney, the epicenter of Australia's worst coronavirus flare-up, more freedom once vaccinations reach first 70%, then 80%, as a lockdown now into its eleventh week fails to quash the Delta variant.

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.

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