Health News Roundup: WHO body says COVID-19 vaccines may need to be updated for Omicron; Cathay Pacific to comply with Hong Kong probes into COVID-19 outbreak and more

Colombia, which according to government figures has had more than 5.3 million coronavirus infections and 130,460 deaths from COVID-19, previously mandated that people wait six months for their booster shots after completing their initial vaccinations. Indonesia rolls out booster shots, amid fears of Omicron spread Indonesia kicked off its COVID-19 booster programme for the general public on Wednesday, as the world's fourth-most-populous nation hit an almost three-month high in cases amid the rise of the Omicron variant.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO body says COVID-19 vaccines may need to be updated for Omicron

A World Health Organization technical body said on Tuesday that current COVID-19 vaccines may need to be reworked to ensure they are effective against Omicron and future variants of the coronavirus. The technical group, made up of independent experts, said it would consider a change in vaccination composition and stressed that shots needed to be more effective in protecting against infection.

Cathay Pacific to comply with Hong Kong probes into COVID-19 outbreak

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd will comply with two government investigations after two crew members who broke self-isolation rules sparked a COVID-19 outbreak in the city, Chairman Patrick Healy said. In a video to staff on Tuesday reviewed by Reuters, Healy said the airline apologised for the "disruption and anguish" caused by the outbreak, which has led Hong Kong to shut primary schools and has set back plans for cross-border travel with mainland China. Cathay has fired the crew members involved.

Biden wants U.S. agencies to mandate COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated employees by Feb 15

The Biden administration said on Tuesday that federal agencies should require weekly COVID-19 testing by Feb. 15 for unvaccinated government employees who are working on-site or interacting with the public. A vaccine mandate imposed by President Joe Biden in September covers about 3.5 million federal workers and required them to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22 or face potential discipline or even termination.

Coronavirus infections in Japan's Osaka to nearly triple to 1,700 -NHK

Japan's western prefecture of Osaka expects to record about 1,700 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, roughly tripling from a day earlier in their first rise beyond 1,000 since mid-September, public broadcaster NHK said. The prefecture had 613 cases on Tuesday, NHK added.

South Korea authorises use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

South Korea has authorised the use of Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, the food and drug safety ministry said on Wednesday. South Korean vaccine developer SK Bioscience Co Ltd said it will produce the Novavax vaccine.

U.S. FDA amends J&J vaccine fact sheet to include rare bleeding risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday amended the fact sheet for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine to include a rare risk of immune thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder. "Reports of adverse events following use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine under emergency use authorization suggest an increased risk of immune thrombocytopenia during the 42 days following vaccination," the regulator said in a letter to J&J's arm, Janssen Biotech Inc.

Biden, top officials defend COVID response amid Omicron surge

President Joe Biden and top health officials on Tuesday defended the government's response to the unrelenting pandemic as daily U.S. COVID-19 cases reached a new high, largely fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Biden, who has been accused of focusing on vaccinations at the expense of testing and support for struggling healthcare systems, told reporters on Tuesday he was "confident we're on the right track" to fight the pandemic.

Colombia reduces booster vaccine waiting time to four months

Colombia will let people get their coronavirus booster vaccines four months after completing their initial vaccination course, President Ivan Duque said on Tuesday. Colombia, which according to government figures has had more than 5.3 million coronavirus infections and 130,460 deaths from COVID-19, previously mandated that people wait six months for their booster shots after completing their initial vaccinations.

Indonesia rolls out booster shots, amid fears of Omicron spread

Indonesia kicked off its COVID-19 booster programme for the general public on Wednesday, as the world's fourth-most-populous nation hit an almost three-month high in cases amid the rise of the Omicron variant. Elderly and immunocompromised residents, who are being prioritised in the programme, queued up at local health centres to boost their defences against a virus that has infected more than 4 million Indonesians.

China's Omicron-hit Tianjin launches new round of tests

The Chinese city of Tianjin started a new round of testing of its 14 million residents on Wednesday to block the Omicron variant, as financial analysts warned of the growing economic costs on China of curbs to extinguish clusters of infections. China, which has stuck to what is effectively a "zero-COVID" policy, is scrambling to prevent the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday later this month and as Beijing prepares to stage the Winter Olympics from Feb. 4.

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