Health News Roundup: Doctors scale rockslides, invoke gods to vaccinate Himalayan villages; England's COVID R number dips, epidemic could be shrinking and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Doctors scale rockslides, invoke gods to vaccinate Himalayan villages

To visit the Indian village of Malana deep in the Himalayas, a COVID-19 vaccination team scrambled over a landslide that blocked the road the day before, scaled a retaining wall and then began a three-hour trek down and up a river valley. Despite the hostile terrain, the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, where Malana is located, earlier this month became the first in India to administer at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose in all its adults.

England's COVID R number dips, epidemic could be shrinking

England's COVID-19 weekly reproduction "R" number was estimated to have fallen to between 0.8 and 1.0, the government said on Friday, and the epidemic could be shrinking in the country. An R number between 0.8 and 1.0 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 8 and 10 other people. Last week the R number was estimated between 0.9 and 1.1.

Biden to address COVID-19 response, vaccinations on Friday

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will deliver remarks on the nation's COVID-19 response, including vaccinations, the White House said in a statement. Biden is scheduled to speak at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT).

Pfizer in talks over full license for COVID-19 vaccine in Singapore

Pfizer Inc is in discussions with Singapore's Health Sciences Authority regarding obtaining a full license application for its COVID-19 vaccine, the company said in response to a query from Reuters. Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has interim authorisation under the pandemic special access route in Singapore. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the vaccine last month.

Australia hits vaccine milestone as Melbourne cases hover near record levels

More than half of Australia's adult population were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, authorities said, as they step up inoculations in hopes of easing restrictions while cases linger near daily record levels in Victoria. Australia is grappling with a third wave of infections from the highly infectious Delta variant that has led to lockdowns in its two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital, Canberra, affecting nearly half the country's 25 million people.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: South Korea reports record daily cases

Mexico to use Pfiz COVIDer-19 vaccine on at-risk kids

The COVID-19 vaccine by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer will be the only one used in Mexico for at-risk children aged 12-17, Mexico Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell said on Friday. Mexico is expanding its vaccine campaign to children with health issues that make them vulnerable to the virus.

South Korea to set new record COVID count with 2,924 cases as of 9pm Friday - Yonhap

South Korea is expected to set another record high coronavirus daily count with 2,924 cases as of 9 p.m. on Friday, Yonhap news agency reported. The count already exceeds the country's current record for daily COVID-19 cases at 2,434 as of the previous midnight.

U.S. CDC backs COVID-19 boosters for high-risk workers, director breaks with panel

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday backed a booster shot of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions and adults in high-risk working and institutional settings. The move comes after an advisory panel to the agency on Thursday did not recommend that people in high-risk jobs, such as teachers, and risky living conditions should get boosters. The panel had recommended boosters for elderly and some people with underlying medical conditions.

Tunisia to lift COVID-19 curfew

Tunisia will entirely lift its nightly curfew against COVID-19 from Saturday, the presidency said on Friday, after about a year in force. Tunisian COVID-19 cases spiked sharply in July but have since fallen as the country has carried out a vaccination campaign.

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