Health News Roundup: Britain reports record COVID-19 prevalence as Omicron surges; French daily COVID cases hit new record and deaths also rise and more

The variant's reduced severity might be overridden by the volume of cases arising from its increased transmissibility, Fauci said at a White House briefing. Pandemic may affect infants' brain development; coronavirus can trigger kidney scarring The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New bird flu has higher risk of spread to humans - animal health director

A wave of bird flu in Asia and Europe has a greater risk of spreading to humans because of a high number of variants, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has raised concern among governments and the poultry industry after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds and trade restrictions.

Britain reports record COVID-19 prevalence as Omicron surges

Britain on Wednesday reported record COVID-19 prevalence for the last week of 2021, with one in 15 people in England infected, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said cases were increasing at the fastest rate ever. The increasing number of cases has put huge strains on public services such as hospitals, which face staff shortages and growing admissions.

French daily COVID cases hit new record and deaths also rise

France registered a record of more than 332,000 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the number of deaths also rose as the country battles a fifth wave of the virus. The final number of new French COVID cases stood at 332,252 - slightly below an earlier indication given to the French parliament from Health Minister Olivier Veran.

India confirms first Omicron-related death as COVID-19 cases jump

A diabetic man who died in the western state of Rajasthan was India's first fatality from the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the health ministry said on Wednesday, adding that overall infections had doubled to 58,097 over the past four days. The health ministry reported that total Omicron infections had risen to at least 2,135, just over a month since the first case was detected in the country.

U.S. doctors group calls out CDC for 'confusing' isolation guidance

The American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday criticized the government's guidelines on quarantine and isolation in the United States, saying the guidance was "confusing" and risked further spread of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stopped short of recommending a rapid antigen test for people seeking to end their COVID-19 isolation at five days.

COVID testing policy put under the microscope as Omicron sweeps world

Britain and Israel are overhauling their COVID-19 testing policies as governments seek to reduce the burden on laboratories and struggle with tight supplies of kits amid soaring infection rates fuelled by the Omicron variant. This time last year, vaccines offered hope that the pandemic could be over by now. But Omicron has brought new challenges, including overloading public health systems, even if - as many scientists say - it leads to less severe illness than the earlier Delta variant.

Pfizer, BioNTech to develop shingles shot, after COVID-19 vaccine success

Pfizer Inc and Germany's BioNTech SE will develop an mRNA-based vaccine for viral infection shingles, collaborating for the third time after the success of their COVID-19 vaccine based on the same technology. Pfizer, which is making an equity investment worth $150 million for the latest deal, partnered with BioNTech in 2018 for an Influenza vaccine and again in 2020 for the COVID-19 shot that has been used across the world and has brought in billions in sales for the companies.

Israel reports very few myocarditis cases among 12-15 year olds after booster

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Only two cases of myocarditis were reported in Israel among 44,000 youngsters aged 12 to 15 who received a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The heart inflammations developed by two male teens were both mild, the ministry said.

U.S. can't be complacent on Omicron despite reduced severity - Fauci

The United States cannot be complacent about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus despite signs of its lower severity compared to the Delta variant, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday. The variant's reduced severity might be overridden by the volume of cases arising from its increased transmissibility, Fauci said at a White House briefing.

Pandemic may affect infants' brain development; coronavirus can trigger kidney scarring

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. Pandemic may be affecting infants' brains