Health News Roundup: Becton Dickinson begins selling new at-home rapid COVID-19 test; Vietnam to vaccinate children against COVID-19 from next month and more

The panel's vote is an important regulatory step in getting the vaccine into the arms of millions of children in the United States where schools are largely open for in-person learning. France says it has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck's COVID-19 antiviral pill France has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck & Co's experimental COVID-19 antiviral drug for adults, the country's health minister Olivier Veran told a hearing at the French Senate on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Becton Dickinson begins selling new at-home rapid COVID-19 test

Becton Dickinson and Co has partnered with Amazon.com Inc to begin shipment of a new at-home rapid COVID-19 test that can confirm results using an entirely automated smartphone app.

The BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test, which was authorized by U.S. regulators in August, also automatically reports results to federal and state public health authorities.

Vietnam to vaccinate children against COVID-19 from next month

Vietnam will begin inoculating children against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from next month, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the Southeast Asian country begins reopening its schools following months of lockdown. Children aged 16 and 17 will be offered the shot with parental consent, initially "in the areas that had been under movement restrictions and densely populated areas where the infection risks are high," the ministry said in a statement.

Vaccinated but stuck: Indians await WHO nod for homegrown shot to travel abroad

Stuck in a village in southern India for nine months and unable to return to his job in Saudi Arabia, Sugathan P.R. is hoping the World Health Organization will approve the Indian COVID-19 shot Covaxin, paving the way for his trip back. Like Sugathan, millions of Indians have taken Covaxin and many have complained of travel struggles as the vaccine has not been recognised for international travel by several countries.

Exclusive-African Union to buy up to 110 million Moderna vaccines -officials

The African Union (AU) intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House, which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal, officials told Reuters. The AU's doses will be delivered over the coming months, with 15 million arriving before the end of 2021, 35 million in the first quarter of next year and up to 60 million in the second quarter.

U.S. FDA advisers weigh Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children

An expert panel will weigh authorization of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 on Tuesday as it prepares to vote on a recommendation for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The panel's vote is an important regulatory step in getting the vaccine into the arms of millions of children in the United States where schools are largely open for in-person learning.

France says it has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck's COVID-19 antiviral pill

France has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck & Co's experimental COVID-19 antiviral drug for adults, the country's health minister Olivier Veran told a hearing at the French Senate on Tuesday. "France positioned itself very early in pre-ordering. France ordered 50,000 doses of the drug," Veran told lawmakers about molnupiravir, which is Merck & Co's experimental antiviral pills to treat COVID-19 ailments.

In Kabul children's hospital, medics struggle with staff shortages

In Kabul's main children's hospital, the crumbling of Afghanistan's health system is reflected in the eyes of exhausted staff as they eke out fast-diminishing stocks of medicines. As crowds of mothers and sick children fill waiting rooms in the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital, medical staff are squeezing three babies into a single incubator and doubling them up in cot-like infant warmer beds.

Bahrain approves Sinopharm vaccine for children aged 3-11

Bahrain has approved the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 3 and 11 years from October 27, the state media office said on Tuesday. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine would soon be approved for children between 5 and 11, it also said.

Swedish death toll in COVID-19 pandemic passes 15,000

Sweden has registered 9 new COVID-19 deaths since Friday, pushing the death toll since the start of the pandemic past 15,000, data showed on Tuesday. The grim milestone was reached with deaths having started to creep up again after a summer lull in the pandemic, although they remain far below the peak levels seen last winter.

Explainer: What to know about the COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering authorizing a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. The vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE has been available in the United States to kids aged 12 to 15 since May. Here is what you need to know about the vaccine and children:

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