Health News Roundup: S.Korean schools resume full in-person classes; New Zealand to end tough COVID curbs, adopt new virus-fighting system next week 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. UK reports 40,004 new COVID-19 cases, 61 deaths - daily data The United Kingdom reported 40,004 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the seven-day total to 287,205, a 9.4% rise over the previous seven-day period, official daily data showed.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

S.Korean schools resume full in-person classes

For the first time since South Korea began battling its coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, all schools across the country resumed full-time in-person classes on Monday. As the first country outside China to face a major outbreak of the virus, South Korea's schools have seen various stages of shutdowns, remote learning, and hybrid arrangements.

New Zealand to end tough COVID curbs, adopt new virus-fighting system next week

New Zealand will adopt a new system of living with the virus from Dec. 3, which will end tough coronavirus measures and allow businesses to operate in its biggest city, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Monday. New Zealand has been unable to beat an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 centred in Auckland, forcing Ardern to abandon her acclaimed elimination strategy and switch to a system of treating the virus as endemic.

China reports 38 new coronavirus cases for Nov 21 vs 17 day earlier

China reported 38 new confirmed coronavirus cases for Nov. 21, up from 17 a day earlier, its health authority said on Monday. Of the new infections, seven were locally transmitted cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, up from four a day earlier.

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.

U.S. administers 451.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States had administered 451,453,834 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed 566,964,025 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 449,955,588 doses the CDC said had been administered as of Nov. 20.

Australia to reopen to foreign visa holders in bid to revive economy

Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, the latest step to restart international travel and support its economy. Australia shut its international border in May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

Germany debates compulsory vaccination as fourth COVID wave rages

German politicians are debating making COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for citizens in light of soaring infections and low inoculation rates. Several members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc said on Sunday that federal and state governments should introduce compulsory vaccinations soon as other efforts to push up Germany's low inoculation rate of just 68% have failed.

Marines on track for worst vaccination record in U.S. military

The U.S. Marine Corps is set to have the worst vaccination record among military branches, with thousands of active-duty personnel set to miss the service's Nov. 28 deadline to be fully inoculated. About 91% of active personnel are fully vaccinated and 94% partially vaccinated as of Wednesday, according to a Marine Corps statement on Sunday.

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.

UK reports 40,004 new COVID-19 cases, 61 deaths - daily data

The United Kingdom reported 40,004 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the seven-day total to 287,205, a 9.4% rise over the previous seven-day period, official daily data showed. The data also showed 61 new deaths from the virus, as measured in deaths within 28 days of a positive test, were reported on Sunday, raising the seven-day toll to 1,029, a 5.9% drop compared with the previous seven days.

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