Health News Roundup: Merck seeks first U.S. authorization for COVID-19 tablet; AstraZeneca antibody cocktail succeeds in late-stage study to treat COVID-19 and more

New Zealand is fighting the highly infectious Delta outbreak that forced it to abandon its long-standing strategy of eliminating the new coronavirus amid persistent infections and is looking to live with the virus through higher vaccinations. Sydney emerges from pandemic lockdown, beer in hand Sydney's oldest pub opened one hour early on Monday to welcome back its regulars after the city emerged from a more than 100-day lockdown, allowing COVID-19 vaccinated locals to enjoy new freedoms including a morning beer at their favourite bar.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Merck seeks first U.S. authorization for COVID-19 tablet

Merck & Co Inc said on Monday it has applied for U.S. emergency use authorization for its tablet to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19, putting it on course to become the first oral antiviral medication for the disease. An authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could help change clinical management of COVID-19 as the pill can be taken at home.

AstraZeneca antibody cocktail succeeds in late-stage study to treat COVID-19

AstraZeneca's experimental COVID-19 drug has helped cut the risk of severe disease or death in a late-stage study, the British drugmaker said on Monday, a boost to its efforts to develop coronavirus medicines beyond vaccines. The drug, a cocktail of two antibodies called AZD7442, reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 or death by 50% in non-hospitalised patients who have had symptoms for seven days or less, meeting the main goal of the study.

'Freedom Day': Sydney reopens as Australia looks to live with COVID-19

Sydney's cafes, gyms and restaurants welcomed back fully vaccinated customers on Monday after nearly four months of lockdown, as Australia aims to begin living with the coronavirus and gradually reopen with high rates of inoculation. Some pubs in Sydney, Australia's largest city, opened at 12:01 a.m. (1301 GMT Sunday) and friends and families huddled together for a midnight beer, television footage and social media images showed.

Romania remains vaccine sceptical despite surge in COVID-19 cases

In leafy Romanian villages surrounding the capital Bucharest, few people realise one person has died from COVID-19 every six minutes in the country during the first 10 days of October, and vaccine scepticism remains high. These villages have some of the highest COVID-19 infection numbers and lowest vaccination rates in the country, which is being ravaged by the fourth wave of the pandemic, with ambulances queuing outside hospitals filled to the brim.

Canada's overworked healthcare sector braces for staff shortages as vaccine mandates loom

Canada's health and long-term care industries are bracing for staff shortages and layoffs, as deadlines for vaccine mandates loom across the country, with unions pushing federal and provincial governments to soften hard-line stances.

For hospitals and nursing homes, a shortage of workers would strain the already overburdened workforce dealing with nearly two years of the pandemic. The uncertainty sparked by vaccine mandates underscores the challenges on the road to recovery.

China launches crackdown on sales of illegal cosmetics

China's National Medical Products Administration said on Monday that it had launched a crackdown on online and offline sales of illegal cosmetics. The regulator said on its website that it would inspect medical claims made by cosmetic products and clean up sales of unregistered cosmetic products.

New Zealand makes COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for health workers

New Zealand will require teachers and workers in the health and disability sectors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, as she extended restrictions in Auckland, its largest city, for another week. New Zealand is fighting the highly infectious Delta outbreak that forced it to abandon its long-standing strategy of eliminating the new coronavirus amid persistent infections and is looking to live with the virus through higher vaccinations.

Sydney emerges from pandemic lockdown, beer in hand

Sydney's oldest pub opened one hour early on Monday to welcome back its regulars after the city emerged from a more than 100-day lockdown, allowing COVID-19 vaccinated locals to enjoy new freedoms including a morning beer at their favorite bar. Soon after doors opened at 9:00 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday), a handful of customers filled up one side of the bar at the Fortune of War, an almost two-century-old pub looking out towards Sydney's main ferry and cruise ship wharf in The Rocks precinct.

Russia's daily COVID-19 death toll hovers near all-time high

Russia reported 957 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, close to the all-time high of 968 reported two days earlier. The government coronavirus task force also said it hadrecorded 29,409 new cases in the last 24 hours, an increase from 28,647 cases on Sunday.

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