Health News Roundup: India vaccinates 3.8 million teens in new COVID-19 inoculation push; Omicron evades immunity better than Delta, Danish study finds and more

Coronavirus leaves survivors with self-attacking antibodies U.S. FDA authorizes Pfizer's COVID-19 booster for 12- to 15-year-olds The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the use of a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, and narrowed the interval for booster shot eligibility to five months from six.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India vaccinates 3.8 million teens in new COVID-19 inoculation push

India vaccinated more than 3.8 million teens aged between 15 and 18 years on Monday, as the country expanded an inoculation effort to protect its large adolescent population ahead of a looming wave of coronavirus infections. The teenagers, many wearing their uniforms, queued at schools and health centres across the country as health workers injected them with Bharat Biotech's Covaxin - the only COVID-19 vaccine so far approved by India for those below 18 years.

Interval between Moderna COVID-19 vaccine second shot and booster still six months - FDA

The interval between receiving a second dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose remains unchanged at six months, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock said on Monday. "Right now if you got J&J you get a booster after two months, if you got Pfizer as your primary series you can get a booster at five months or beyond, if you got Moderna you can get a booster at six months or beyond whatever you decide to get a booster of," Woodcock said on a press call.

Omicron evades immunity better than Delta, Danish study finds

The Omicron coronavirus variant is better at circumventing vaccinated peoples' immunity than the Delta variant, according to a Danish study published last week, helping explain why Omicron is spreading more rapidly. Since the discovery of the heavily mutated Omicron variant in November, scientists have been racing to find out whether it causes less serious disease and why it appears more contagious than the previously dominating Delta variant.

Sewage survey shows Omicron spreading to most regions in Italy

A survey of wastewater showed the Omicron coronavirus variant spreading to a majority of regions of Italy in December, the government's National Health Institute said on Monday. The research found the highly contagious variant in the sewage systems of 14 of the country's 20 regions between Dec. 19 and Dec. 25, the ISS said, compared to just one region earlier in the month.

COVID-19 infections soar in U.S. Congress amid Omicron surge

The U.S. Congress is experiencing an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, with the seven-day positivity rate at a congressional test site surging to 13% from just 1% in late November, the Capitol's attending physician said on Monday. Most coronavirus infections on Capitol Hill have been occurring among the vaccinated, with the Omicron variant representing about 61% and the Delta variant 38%, based on a limited sample as of Dec. 15, Dr. Brian Monahan told lawmakers and staff in a Jan. 3 letter.

Omicron 'plainly milder'; new measures not needed, UK's Johnson says

New measures are not needed now in Britain to fight the Omicron variant, which is "plainly milder" than earlier forms of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. "The way forward for the country as a whole is to continue with the path that we are on," he told broadcasters. "Of course we will keep all measures under review, but the mixture of things that we are doing at the moment is I think the right one."

Belgium agrees to buy 10,000 courses each of Pfizer, Merck COVID-19 pills

Belgium has agreed to buy 10,000 courses each of the COVID-19 antiviral oral treatments developed by Pfizer and Merck & CO, a spokesman for the health ministry told Reuters in an emailed statement on Monday. Governments around the world are scrambling to buy Paxlovid, the pill developed by Pfizer.

Virus leaves antibodies that may attack healthy tissues; B cell antibodies weakened, not defeated by Omicron

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. Coronavirus leaves survivors with self-attacking antibodies

U.S. FDA authorizes Pfizer's COVID-19 booster for 12- to 15-year-olds

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the use of a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, and narrowed the interval for booster shot eligibility to five months from six. The agency also authorized a third shot for children aged 5 through 11 years who are immunocompromised.

U.S. schools delay openings as Omicron pushes pandemic to record highs

Thousands of U.S. schools, including in some major cities, have delayed this week's scheduled return to classrooms following the holiday break or switched to remote learning as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus drives record levels of COVID-19. In New Jersey, which has seen some of the highest case rates of any state in recent weeks, most urban districts have implemented virtual classes to start the new year, including Newark, which has nearly 38,000 students.