Health News Summary Roundup: New Zealand reports record daily cases as Delta spreads; Earlier breast cancer screening would narrow mortality gap for Black women, U.S. study finds and more

Compared with white women in the United States, Black women are younger at breast cancer diagnosis, are diagnosed more often with hard-to-treat or advanced-stage cancers, and are more likely to die from breast cancer, the study authors note. U.S. FDA to allow mixing and matching of COVID-19 boosters- NYT The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to allow Americans to get a different booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine than the one initially taken, the New York Times reported on Monday.


Reuters | Updated: 19-10-2021 10:43 IST | Created: 19-10-2021 10:30 IST
Health News Summary Roundup: New Zealand reports record daily cases as Delta spreads; Earlier breast cancer screening would narrow mortality gap for Black women, U.S. study finds and more
Representative Image Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New Zealand reports record daily cases as Delta spreads

New Zealand recorded on Tuesday the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic began last year, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads in its biggest city Auckland.

The South Pacific nation reported 94 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 87 were in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,099. There have been 28 deaths in total due to COVID-19 and 38 people are hospitalized over the virus.

Earlier breast cancer screening would narrow mortality gap for Black women, U.S. study finds

Racial disparities in breast cancer survival in the United States could be cut by more than half if Black women got mammograms every other year starting at age 40, according to findings from a model of simulated health outcomes published on Monday. Compared with white women in the United States, Black women are younger at breast cancer diagnosis, are diagnosed more often with hard-to-treat or advanced-stage cancers, and are more likely to die from breast cancer, the study authors note.

U.S. FDA to allow mixing and matching of COVID-19 boosters- NYT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is planning to allow Americans to get a different booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine than the one initially taken, the New York Times reported on Monday. The FDA in September authorized a booster dose of Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech's two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 65 and older and some high-risk Americans.

Analysis-Lack of vaccination passport, testing threaten Japan's reopening

Japan's lack of a vaccination passport and limited testing capacity is threatening ambitions to reopen the economy at a crucial year-end period when restaurants earn up to a half of their annual revenue and travel agencies are at their busiest. This means businesses, wary of another pandemic wave through winter, are not rehiring laid-off staff or ordering more supplies until they know more about what the reopening scheme will look like and how long they can stay open. Local authorities have been largely left to fend for themselves, creating a patchwork of rules and compliance schemes.

EU plans to boost reach of Pfizer COVID-19 shot

Europe's drug regulator said on Monday it was evaluating use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as five, while also taking steps to aid an increase in production and boost the shot's reach. The European Medicines Agency said it would review data, including results from an ongoing study, for the vaccine - known as Comirnaty. It has already been authorised for use in those 12 years of age and older in the European Union and United States.

Russian regions introduce QR codes for entry to public venues as COVID-19 cases hit record

Many Russian regions on Monday announced plans to keep cafes, museums and other public venues open only to those who have recently recovered from COVID-19, have proof of inoculation with a Russian vaccine or a negative coronavirus test, as new cases in the country hit a record. The round of unpopular measures that limits freedoms in Russia comes as the number of daily COVID-19 infections reached an all-time high of 34,325 despite the state-driven vaccination programme.

Australia's COVID-19 cases remain subdued as vaccinations rise

Australia's COVID-19 cases remained subdued on Tuesday as its largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, gradually move towards normality amid a surge in vaccinations, after being rocked by a third wave of infections from the Delta variant. Sydney and the national capital Canberra exited a months-long lockdown last week after racing through its inoculation targets while Melbourne is on track to lift its strict stay-home orders later this week as double-dose rates in the adult population pass 70%, 80% and 90%.

Northern Chinese city in soft lockdown amid latest COVID-19 outbreak

China reported nine new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for Oct. 18, the highest daily tally since the end of September, with a northern border city enforcing a soft lockdown to contain infections. Out of the nine local cases, two were found in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Tuesday.

South Africa regulator not authorising Russian COVID-19 vaccine for now

South Africa's drugs regulator said on Monday that it was not approving an emergency use application for Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 shot for now, citing concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV. South Africa has one of the world's highest HIV burdens, and some studies have suggested that administration of vaccines using the Adenovirus Type 5 (Ad5) vector - which Sputnik V does - can lead to higher susceptibility to HIV in men.

Vaccines less protective for multiple myeloma patients; beware of fake stem cell treatment claims for COVID-19

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Vaccines weaker than expected in multiple myeloma patients

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

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