Health News Roundup: WHO says no evidence healthy children, adolescents need COVID-19 boosters; India's new COVID-19 cases hit eight-month high, full impact weeks away and more

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. India's new COVID-19 cases hit eight-month high, full impact weeks away India reported new coronavirus infections at an eight-month high on Wednesday and a government scientist warned it will take weeks before data on hospitalisations and deaths will show how severe the latest wave driven by the Omicron variant will be.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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

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.

India's new COVID-19 cases hit eight-month high, full impact weeks away

India reported new coronavirus infections at an eight-month high on Wednesday and a government scientist warned it will take weeks before data on hospitalisations and deaths will show how severe the latest wave driven by the Omicron variant will be. The federal authorities have said Omicron was causing fewer hospitalisations and deaths than the Delta variant, which killed hundreds of thousands last year.

Japan poised to widen COVID-19 curbs as Omicron drives record infections

Japan was poised on Wednesday to widen COVID-19 curbs to the capital, Tokyo, and a dozen regions covering half the population as the Omicron variant of coronavirus drives record new infections. Already in effect in three regions, the measures, set to run from Friday until Feb. 13, are expected to be approved by the prime minister after getting the sign-off from an expert panel.

Betting Omicron has peaked, England set to lift COVID rules

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce the end of most COVID-19 measures introduced to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in England as he looks to live with the virus after an apparent peak in cases. Britain was the first country to limit international travel over the Omicron variant, raising alarm bells about its mutations, and in December introduced work at home advice, more mask-wearing and vaccine passes to slow its spread.

U.S. to make 400 million N95 masks available for free to fight COVID-19 pandemic -official

The U.S. government will make 400 million non-surgical N95 masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public starting next week, a White House official said, marking the Biden administration's latest effort to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The face masks will be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers this week, the official said, and available for pickup late next week.

England's COVID-19 prevalence falls back from record high

The estimated COVID-19 prevalence in England fell back from a record high in the week ending January 15, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday, with an estimated 1 in 20 people infected. The ONS Infection Survey showed that prevalence had fallen back from the estimated 1 in 15 people who had COVID-19 over the previous two weeks.

Austrian coronavirus cases shatter record as Omicron spreads - chancellor

Austria's new daily coronavirus infections have shattered the previous record as the extremely contagious Omicron variant continues to spread, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Wednesday. "We have close to 30,000 infections. That is a frighteningly high figure," Nehammer told a news conference. The previous record for new daily cases published by the interior and health ministries was 17,006, set a week ago.

Germany surpasses 100,000 daily COVID-19 cases for first time

Germany reported 112,323 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a fresh single-day record as the health minister said the peak had not been reached and compulsory vaccination should be introduced by May. Germany's tally of COVID-19 infections now stands at 8,186,850, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious disease said. The death toll also rose by 239 on Wednesday to reach 116,081.

Are hospital admissions still the best way to gauge the COVID crisis?

Using the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 to gauge the severity of the pandemic may not give an accurate picture in the Omicron era as more and more patients with the virus are being admitted for other reasons, some scientists say.

Governments have focused on hospitalisations to determine the need for restrictions but the data does not typically differentiate between people admitted because of COVID-19, and those who test positive on wards during routine checks.

Gilead says counterfeit HIV drugs ended up with patients

Gilead Sciences Inc said an unauthorized network of drug distributors and suppliers sold pharmacies more than $250 million of counterfeit versions of its HIV treatments over the last two years, endangering patients. The drugmaker said it found 85,247 bottles that had been tampered with or faked, including versions of its Biktarvy and Descovy treatments.

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