Health News Roundup: U.S. website to order free COVID-19 tests up and running; Britain reports 438 new COVID-19 deaths, highest since February and more

U.S. households can secure four tests at no cost when ordering from the website, with shipping expected within seven to 12 days of ordering, the White House said on Friday. Britain reports 438 new COVID-19 deaths, highest since February Britain reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in almost a year on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government considers relaxing measures introduced to reduce the spread of Omicron variant.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. website to order free COVID-19 tests up and running

The U.S. government's new COVIDTests.gov website, set up for American households to order four free COVID-19 tests amid the Omicron variant surge, is up and running ahead of its official launch on Wednesday, the White House said. U.S. households can secure four tests at no cost when ordering from the website, with shipping expected within seven to 12 days of ordering, the White House said on Friday.

Britain reports 438 new COVID-19 deaths, highest since February

Britain reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in almost a year on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government considers relaxing measures introduced to reduce the spread of Omicron variant. Britain reported 438 new deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily total since Feb. 24 last year.

WHO says no evidence healthy children, adolescents need COVID-19 boosters

(Reuters) - There is no evidence at present that healthy children and adolescents need booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday. Speaking at a news briefing, she said that while there seems to be some waning of vaccine immunity over time against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, more research needs to be done to ascertain who needs booster doses.

UK PM's former adviser to be questioned over claims Johnson lied about party - Mirror

A former senior adviser to Boris Johnson who claims the British prime minister lied about a party held at his residence during a COVID-19 lockdown will be questioned by an investigation into allegations of rule-breaking, the Mirror reported. British media have reported that at least 11 gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street - the prime minister's official residence and office - or in other government departments between May 2020 and April 2021, when COVID-19 rules limited how many people could meet socially. An internal investigation is being carried out to establish the facts.

Drug distributor executive accused of 'greed' in opioid trial

Prosecutors on Tuesday urged a jury to convict Rochester Drug Co-operative Inc (RDC) Chief Executive Laurence Doud, saying that he funneled addictive opioids to "bad pharmacies" and street-level drug dealers out of "greed." Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Burnett said during opening statements in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday that Doud directed employees to continue selling oxycodone and fentanyl to pharmacies and doctors despite "clear signs" that the drugs were being sold to street dealers and opioid addicts.

EU regulator finds mRNA COVID-19 shots safe during pregnancy

COVID-19 vaccines made using mRNA technology do not cause pregnancy complications for expectant mothers and their babies, the European Union's drug regulator said on Tuesday, following a detailed review of several studies. The review based on studies involving around 65,000 pregnancies at different stages did not find any sign of higher risk of complications, miscarriages, preterm births or severe side-effects on the unborn babies from mRNA shots, the European Medicines Agency said.

Exclusive: Britain preparing for end-June switch to paid COVID tests - document

British health officials are aiming to be ready to start charging Britons for COVID-19 tests that are currently free at the end of June, a document seen by Reuters shows, in what could be a risky gambit for the government. Britain has been increasingly dependent on rapid testing to try to tackle the more-transmissible Omicron variant, which has spread rapidly through the population but is less severe.

U.S. CDC warns against travel to 22 destinations over COVID-19

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday advised against travel to 22 nations and territories because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases, including for Israel, Australia, Egypt, Albania, Argentina and Uruguay. The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to "Level Four: Very High," telling Americans they should avoid travel to those destinations, which also include Panama, Qatar, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Suriname, Saint Lucia and Bolivia.

Explainer-N95? KF94? Which mask is best at protecting against COVID-19

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said Americans should wear the most protective mask they can, but stopped short of recommending an N95 or similar face covering. Here are some facts to consider when choosing a mask:

Gilead says counterfeiting network sold $250 million worth of its HIV drugs

Gilead Sciences Inc said on Tuesday that tampered and counterfeit versions of its HIV treatments worth $250 million were sold to pharmacies over two years by a network of drug distributors and suppliers. The drugmaker said in August that distributors not authorized by Gilead to sell its HIV treatments, Biktarvy and Descovy, have sold counterfeits to pharmacies where genuine Gilead bottles have been tampered with a counterfeit foil induction seal or label and contain incorrect tablets.