Health News Roundup: Merkel warns of dramatic situation before talks to curb COVID-19 in Germany; S.Korea reports record new COVID-19 cases as serious infections cause worry and more

The FDA has cleared booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are immunocompromised, those aged 65 and older and for individuals at high risk of severe disease or who are regularly exposed to the virus. Companies make progress tackling drug-resistant infections, foundation says Drugmakers have made some progress in restraining antibiotics overuse, which leads to drug-resistant infections, but have fallen short in making antibiotics more widely available in low-income countries, an influential foundation said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Merkel warns of dramatic situation before talks to curb COVID-19 in Germany

Germany's coronavirus situation is dramatic, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday, calling for an extra push on vaccinations a day before federal and regional leaders meet to agree on measures to curb a fourth wave of the virus. Germany reported 52,826 new infections on Wednesday - a jump of a third from a week ago and another daily record, while 294 people died, bringing the total to 98,274, as the pandemic tightens its grip on Europe.

S.Korea reports record new COVID-19 cases as serious infections cause worry

South Korea reported a record high 3,292 new COVID-19 cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Thursday, as the country moves into the first phase of its "living with COVID-19" with loosened restrictions. A rise in cases was predicted by officials and experts after many social distancing restrictions were lifted earlier this month after the country surpassed its goal of vaccinating 70% of its 52 million people. More than 78.5% are now fully vaccinated, including more than 90% of adults.

Moderna seeks U.S. authorization of COVID-19 booster shots for all adults

Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it had applied with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for authorization of its COVID-19 booster vaccine for all adults aged 18 and older. The FDA has cleared booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are immunocompromised, those aged 65 and older and for individuals at high risk of severe disease or who are regularly exposed to the virus.

Companies make progress tackling drug-resistant infections, foundation says

Drugmakers have made some progress in restraining antibiotics overuse, which leads to drug-resistant infections, but have fallen short in making antibiotics more widely available in low-income countries, an influential foundation said. For the third time since 2018 and 2020, the non-profit Access to Medicine Foundation (AMF) has analysed how companies are dealing with the two-pronged challenge of making bacteria-fighting drugs more widely available in poor countries while also reining in the type of excess use that is known to foster superbugs.

Antibody protection after mild COVID-19 may not last; an estimated 100 million people have had long COVID

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 has yet to be certified by peer review. Antibody protection from mild COVID-19 may not last

'Life back to normal': More COVID-19 curbs eased in Melbourne

Melbourne's pubs and cafes can have unlimited patrons from Thursday night, while stadiums can return to full capacity as authorities lifted nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions for the vaccinated residents in Australia's second-largest city.

Victoria, the state that is home to Melbourne, has been gradually easing curbs when dual-dose inoculations reached 70%, 80% and 90%, with the latest relaxations part of a shift in strategy towards living with the coronavirus. The full vaccination level for the eligible population is expected to reach 90% over the weekend.

UK study suggests Delta subvariant less likely to cause symptoms

A subvariant of Delta that is growing in Britain is less likely to lead to symptomatic COVID-19 infection, a coronavirus prevalence survey found, adding that overall cases had dropped from a peak in October. The Imperial College London REACT-1 study, released on Thursday, found that the subvariant, known as AY.4.2, had grown to be nearly 12% of samples sequenced, but only a third had "classic" COVID symptoms, compared with nearly a half of those with the currently dominant Delta lineage AY.4.

Germans, Austrians line up for shots as COVID cases soar across Europe

Germans and Austrians are rushing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as infections soar across Europe and governments impose restrictions on the unvaccinated, figures showed on Wednesday. Germany and Austria have among the lowest rates of vaccination in western Europe and are now the epicentre of a

U.S. plans to invest billions in manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine

The United States plans to invest billions of dollars in expanding COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity and make available an additional one billion doses per year, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday. Activists have pressured President Joe Biden's administration to increase vaccine supply to poorer countries.

Canada to drop PCR COVID-19 test for some returning travelers -source

Canada is set to announce on Friday that it is no longer obliging Canadian travelers returning from short foreign trips to take expensive molecular COVID-19 tests, a government source said on Wednesday. The travel industry complains that the requirement to take PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, the most reliable commonly-used method of detecting COVID-19, is deterring tourism.

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