Health News Roundup: Germany assessing the reliability of antibody tests for Omicron - minister; Vaccine pass better than a mandatory order, says French govt spokesman and more

In a letter to Bolsonaro made public late Saturday, retired rear admiral Antonio Barra Torres asked the president to back up his statement that there were undisclosed "interests" behind the vaccine decision or else retract his words. Australia vows to 'push through' Omicron wave as infections cross 1 million Australia must "push through" the fast-moving Omicron outbreak, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as infections surpassed 1 million, more than half in the past week alone, throwing a strain on hospitals and supply chains.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Germany assessing the reliability of antibody tests for Omicron - minister

Germany will study how reliable rapid antigen tests are in detecting the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Sunday. "We do not know exactly how well these tests work for Omicron," Lauterbach said on public broadcasting channel ARD, adding the results of the assessment would become available within the next few weeks.

Vaccine pass better than a mandatory order, says, French govt spokesman

A mandatory order would not be the most efficient way to encourage those not vaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot and that plans to toughen health pass conditions were already yielding results, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said. People in France already have to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter restaurants and bars and use inter-regional trains. But with Omicron infections surging, parliament is debating legislation that will drop the test option.

Relying on more home COVID tests, Israel looks to lower costs

Israel sought on Sunday to ease access to home COVID-19 tests after a decision to allow most vaccinated people to use the kits to decide whether or not to quarantine led to shortages in shops and complaints about high prices. "We are mindful of the public's distress," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the weekly cabinet meeting, announcing that every child in kindergarten or elementary school in Israel would be issued will three free kits in the coming days.

India's COVID-19 cases multiply, vulnerable groups given vaccine boosters

India began administering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to frontline workers and vulnerable elderly people on Monday, with the fast-spreading Omicron variant fuelling an almost eight-fold rise in daily infections since the start of the year. India reported 179,723 new cases on Monday, most of them in the country's biggest cities - Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata - where Omicron has overtaken Delta as the most prevalent strain of the virus.

Virgin Australia to cut capacity by 25% as COVID-19 cases rise

Virgin Australia said on Monday it would reduce capacity across its network by around 25% for the rest of January and for February due to reduced travel demand and staff being required to isolate as COVID-19 case numbers rise in Australia. The airline, which competes against Qantas Airways Ltd, said it would cut some flight frequencies and suspend 10 routes temporarily.

India's new COVID-19 cases surge to 179,723

India reported 179,723 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the most since late May, health ministry data showed, taking the total to 35.71 million. Deaths rose by 146 to 483,936.

Brazil health regulator asks Bolsonaro to retract criticism over vaccines

The head of Brazil's health regulator Anvisa has asked the country's vaccine-skeptic President Jair Bolsonaro to retract statements he made criticizing the agency for authorizing the vaccination of children against COVID-19. In a letter to Bolsonaro made public late Saturday, retired rear admiral Antonio Barra Torres asked the president to back up his statement that there were undisclosed "interests" behind the vaccine decision or else retract his words.

Australia vows to 'push through' Omicron wave as infections cross 1 million

Australia must "push through" the fast-moving Omicron outbreak, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as infections surpassed 1 million, more than half in the past week alone, throwing a strain on hospitals and supply chains. Although aggressive lockdowns and tough border controls kept a lid on infections earlier in the pandemic, Australia is now battling record infections in its effort to live with the virus after higher vaccination rates.

Italy to receive 40,000 Merck antiviral drug doses next week - official

Italy will receive around 40,000 doses of Merck & Co's COVID-19 antiviral drug next week, which will add to nearly 12,000 already distributed to hospitals, the special COVID-19 commissioner said on Sunday. "They are intended for clinical cases that risk a serious outcome of the disease," Commissioner Francesco Figliuolo told a television program on Italy's RAI 3 channel.

UK records 141,472 new COVID-19 cases, 97 deaths

Britain reported 141,472 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 146,390 cases on Saturday, while the number of new deaths reported fell to 97 from 313, official figures showed. Britain has seen a surge of cases linked to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in recent weeks, though death rates have been lower than during previous waves of the disease.

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