Health News Roundup: Australia to lift outbound travel ban for vaccinated residents from next week; Germany reports bird flu outbreak at goose farm and more

An authorization for that age group would be would be an important regulatory step toward reaching about 28 million children for inoculation, most of them back in school for in-person learning. Merck signs pact to broaden generic manufacturing of COVID-19 pill Merck & Co has signed a licensing agreement with the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) that will allow more companies to manufacture generic versions of its experimental oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment, the U.S. drugmaker and the organization announced on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia to lift outbound travel ban for vaccinated residents from next week

All fully-vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to leave the country without a special exemption from Nov. 1, authorities said on Wednesday, as Australia eases coronavirus restrictions amid a rise in vaccination rates. Australians have been unable to travel abroad for more than 18 months without a government waiver, while thousands of fully-vaccinated residents living abroad have been unable to return due to a cap on arrivals to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Germany reports bird flu outbreak at goose farm

Germany reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at a goose farm in the northern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Wednesday. The outbreak at a farm of 663 birds in Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein, started on Oct. 22 and was confirmed on Oct. 23, the OIE said, citing a report from German authorities.

Cortexyme's Alzheimer's treatment fails to meet main goals in study

Cortexyme Inc said on Tuesday its experimental oral pill failed to meet the main goals of improving cognitive and functional abilities in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease in a study. The drug, atuzaginstat, is designed to target the P. gingivalis bacteria found in the brain of patients suffering from the memory robbing disease.

China's growing COVID-19 outbreak tests vulnerable border towns

China has reported nearly 250 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 since the start of the current outbreak 10 days ago, with many infections in remote towns along porous international borders in the country's northwest. China had 50 new local cases for Oct. 26, the highest daily count since Sept. 16, official data showed on Wednesday.

Factbox-Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 244.58 million, death toll at 5,194,820

More than 244.58 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 5,194,820​ have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

U.S. FDA advisers back Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children

An expert panel on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recommend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, saying the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks. An authorization for that age group would be would be an important regulatory step toward reaching about 28 million children for inoculation, most of them back in school for in-person learning.

Merck signs pact to broaden generic manufacturing of COVID-19 pill

Merck & Co has signed a licensing agreement with the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) that will allow more companies to manufacture generic versions of its experimental oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment, the U.S. drugmaker and the organization announced on Wednesday. Merck said the royalty-free license would apply to 105 low- and middle-income countries. It allows manufacturers selected by MPP to make generic versions of molnupiravir, the antiviral pill Merck has developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

Novavax files for COVID-19 vaccine's UK authorization

Novavax Inc said on Wednesday it had completed the real-time submission of an application for the authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the United Kingdom. The submission is based on data from a late-stage trial in 15,000 volunteers in the United Kingdom, showing that the experimental vaccine was 96.4% effective against the original coronavirus strain.

Sweden to extend COVID booster shots to all aged 65 or above

Sweden will start offering COVID-19 booster shots to people aged 65 or older as well as many care workers and plans to gradually extend the third jabs to most Swedes in the coming months, the government said on Wednesday. The booster shots of mRNA vaccine will be gradually extended to cover all people in the Nordic country aged 16 or older during the winter and spring, Health Minister Lena Hallengren told a news conference.

Polish COVID cases surge above 8,000 for first time since April

Poland reported 8,361 daily COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said, with the number of new cases reaching the highest level since late April. Central and eastern Europe, where vaccination rates are lower than in the west of the continent, has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks, with officials in Poland urging the public to get vaccinated and follow the restrictions in place.

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