Health News Roundup: Italy reports 49 coronavirus deaths, 11,555 new cases; Czechs report highest daily coronavirus cases since pandemic start and more

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he had commissioned a review of the issue after learning that oximeters, which measure blood oxygen levels and are key to assessing COVID patients, give less accurate readings for patients with darker skin. Brazil reports 217 COVID deaths in 24 hours, toll average lowest since April 2020 -ministry Brazil has had 8,833 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 217 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said on Saturday, as vaccination reduces contagion and fatalities to levels not seen since the first weeks of the pandemic last year.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Italy reports 49 coronavirus deaths, 11,555 new cases

Italy reported 49 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 48 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 11,555 from 10,544. Italy has registered 133,131 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.9 million cases to date.

Czechs report highest daily coronavirus cases since pandemic start

The Czech Republic reported 22,936 new coronavirus cases for Friday, its biggest daily tally since the pandemic began, health ministry data showed on Saturday. Earlier in the week the country tightened restrictions on people who have not had COVID-19 shots to encourage more vaccinations and to ease the burden on hospitals.

U.S. administers 449.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States had administered 449,955,588 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 567,081,775 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 448,155,906 vaccine doses the CDC said had been administered as of Nov. 19 out of 562,868,095 doses delivered.

Explainer-All U.S. adults qualify for COVID-19 boosters; which is best?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday expanded availability of COVID-19 booster shots to all American adults, hoping to preserve vaccine protection against the fast-spreading Delta variant. Previously, the agency had recommended booster shots only for people age 65 and older, or at high-risk from COVID, and said they could choose a different vaccine from the one they received for their initial inoculation.

China reports 17 new coronavirus cases for Nov 20 vs 23 day earlier

China reported 17 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Nov. 20, down from 23 a day earlier, its health authority said on Sunday. Of the new infections, four were locally transmitted cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, up from three a day earlier.

Hong Kong authorises Sinovac vaccine for children aged 3-17

Hong Kong has approved lowering the age limit for the COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech to three years old, down from 18 years of age, as it pursues a broader campaign to incentivise its 7.5 million residents to get vaccinated. "Adolescents aged 12 to 17 will be accorded priority to receive the CoronaVac vaccine, with a view to extending to children of a younger age group at a later stage," Hong Kong's Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) Sophia Chan said in a statement published on Saturday.

Singapore relaxes tight COVID-19 social curbs from Monday

Singapore's government is easing some of the tight social curbs it imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, after infections stabilised in the city-state over the past month. From Monday, limits on social interactions and dining out will be expanded to five people from the current rule of up to two vaccinated people, government ministers told a news conference on Saturday.

UK calls for action on racial bias in medical devices

Britain called on Sunday for international action on the issue of medical devices such as oximeters that work better on people with lighter skin, saying the disparities may have cost lives of ethnic minority patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he had commissioned a review of the issue after learning that oximeters, which measure blood oxygen levels and are key to assessing COVID patients, give less accurate readings for patients with darker skin.

Brazil reports 217 COVID deaths in 24 hours, toll average lowest since April 2020 -ministry

Brazil has had 8,833 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 217 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said on Saturday, as vaccination reduces contagion and fatalities to levels not seen since the first weeks of the pandemic last year. The ministry said 70% of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated and 90% has received a first dose. On Saturday, the ministry launched a campaign to reach 21 million Brazilians who have not returned for a second shot.

Ski resorts in northern Italy reopen amid COVID-19 worries

Ski resorts in northern Italy are reopening for the winter season after prolonged shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although a recent rise in infections is spreading worries over possible new restrictions. Fabio Sacco, the president of the Skirama consortium that brings together several resorts in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, said he had been waiting to restart since March last year, when Italy imposed a lockdown.

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