Health News Roundup: Pfizer to supply U.S. with 10 million more courses of COVID-19 pills; Amid Omicron surge, UK PM Johnson resists another lockdown and more

As the super-spreading Omicron variant spread nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week shortened the recommended isolation time for Americans with asymptomatic COVID-19 cases to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days. Pfizer to supply U.S. with 10 million more courses of COVID-19 pills The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer Inc's oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the company and the White House said on Tuesday, providing the government a total of 20 million courses as it fights a record surge in COVID-19 cases.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. health officials weigh tests amid shorter COVID quarantines

U.S. health officials are weighing the role of COVID-19 tests as part of their new guidelines shortening quarantines for people without symptoms, saying more details could come within days. As the super-spreading Omicron variant spread nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week shortened the recommended isolation time for Americans with asymptomatic COVID-19 cases to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.

Pfizer to supply U.S. with 10 million more courses of COVID-19 pills

The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer Inc's oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, the company and the White House said on Tuesday, providing the government a total of 20 million courses as it fights a record surge in COVID-19 cases. The White House now expects some 4 million treatment courses of the pills to be available by the end of January and 10 million by June, three months sooner than previously planned, according to an administration official.

Amid Omicron surge, UK PM Johnson resists another lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said that England could withstand a surge in COVID-19 infections without shutting down the economy as Britain reported another record daily high in cases, fuelled by the Omicron variant. Johnson has resisted imposing stringent lockdown measures in England, betting that a vaccine booster drive and caution among the population would be enough to constrain the latest wave.

Biden administration finalizing purchase of COVID tests, to be distributed for free

The Biden administration is finalizing contracts for 500 million rapid COVID-19 tests that it plans to distribute for free to Americans who request them, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. Psaki said the website to be used to request the free tests will be up and running later this month.

WHO sees more evidence that Omicron causes milder symptoms

More evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants and resulting in a "decoupling" in some places between soaring case numbers and low death rates, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday. "We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike other ones, the lungs who would be causing severe pneumonia," WHO Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud told Geneva-based journalists.

U.S. reports nearly 1 million COVID-19 cases in a day, setting global record

The United States set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, nearly double the country's peak of 505,109 hit just a week ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant shows no sign of slowing. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, a Reuters analysis showed, the first time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago.

Brazilians favor COVID-19 vaccinating of children, oppose need for prescription - hearing

Brazil's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that most participants in a public hearing on vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 for COVID-19 disagreed with the need for a doctor's prescription, but it will still recommend it. The government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, a vaccine skeptic, has opposed the vaccination of children, even though Brazil's health regulator Anvisa has authorized the use of vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc.

Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose boosts antibodies five-fold in Israeli study, PM says

A fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday, citing preliminary findings of an Israeli study. "A week into the fourth dose, we know to a higher degree of certainty that the fourth dose is safe," Bennett said at Sheba Medical Center, which is giving second booster shots in a trial among its staff amid a nationwide surge in Omicron variant infections.

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy not linked to complications at birth - U.S. study

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy was not associated with preterm delivery or underweight newborns, in a study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday. Rates of preterm birth were 4.9% among more than 10,000 women who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 7.0% for roughly 36,000 unvaccinated women, researchers said on Tuesday in The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Biden urges vaccines, says not even the White House is immune to COVID-19

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that COVID-19 cases were rising even at the White House as he urged unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated and others to get booster shots. "Unvaccinated are taking up hospital beds and crowded emergency rooms and intensive care units," Biden said at the White House as he met with his COVID-19 response team.