Health News Roundup: Coronavirus spreading like never before in Americas, health agency says; Starbucks suspends vaccine, test requirement after U.S. court ruling and more

The seven-day moving average of new cases jumped to a new record high of more than 320,000, after breaking 300,000 on Tuesday. Betting Omicron has peaked, PM Johnson drops COVID rules in England British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the end of COVID-19 measures including mandatory face masks in England as he looks to live with the virus after a peak in cases caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India's expert panel advises full approval for Covishield, Covaxin

The Indian drug regulator's subject expert committee on Wednesday recommended full approval for Covishield and Covaxin, the two COVID-19 vaccines that have dominated the country's inoculation drive. Covishield, developed by the University of Oxford and Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc, is produced in India by the Serum Institute of India. Covaxin, India's first home-grown coronavirus shot, was developed by privately owned Bharat Biotech.

Coronavirus spreading like never before in Americas, health agency says

COVID-19 infections are reaching new peaks in the Americas with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths in the last week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday. "The virus is spreading more actively than ever before," PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a briefing.

Study casts doubt on reliability of rapid antigen tests in kids; COVID transmission through breastmilk unlikely

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. Rapid antigen tests may be unreliable in children

France reports more than 400,000 new COVID-19 cases for second day in a row

France registered more than 436,000 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, after reporting a record 464,769 new cases on Tuesday, health ministry data showed. The seven-day moving average of new cases jumped to a new record high of more than 320,000, after breaking 300,000 on Tuesday.

Betting Omicron has peaked, PM Johnson drops COVID rules in England

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the end of COVID-19 measures including mandatory face masks in England as he looks to live with the virus after a peak in cases caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Johnson's light touch approach to dealing with Omicron saw him introduce work-at-home advice and vaccine passes as well as more mask-wearing on Dec. 8, although he stopped short of more onerous restrictions seen globally.

Vaccine group GAVI says additional $5.2 billion needed to ensure supply

The chairman of the GAVI vaccine alliance, Jose Manuel Barroso, said on Wednesday that an additional $5.2 billion is needed to continue to deliver vaccines at scale. Speaking at a news briefing, Barroso said it was critical to continue to keep up the pace of vaccine supply through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing programme, as more than 3 billion people in the world are yet to receive their first dose.

Prior COVID infection more protective than vaccination during Delta surge -U.S. study

People who had previously been infected with COVID-19 were better protected against the Delta variant than those who were vaccinated alone, suggesting that natural immunity was a more potent shield than vaccines against that variant, California and New York health officials reported on Wednesday. Protection against Delta was highest, however, among people who were both vaccinated and had survived a previous COVID infection, and lowest among those who had never been infected or vaccinated, the study found.

Starbucks suspends vaccine, test requirement after U.S. court ruling

Starbucks Corp suspended COVID-19 vaccine-or-test requirement for U.S. employees that had been mandated by the government, according to a memo sent to workers on Tuesday, following an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The coffee giant had said earlier this month it would require its around 220,000 U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.

U.S. to distribute 400 million free N95 masks at CVS, Walgreens in COVID fight

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, as the Biden administration tries to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Snug-fitting N95 face masks, so-called because they filter at least 95% of particulate matter from the air, will be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers this week, the official said, and available for pickup late next week.

Valneva says early studies show COVID-19 vaccine effective against Omicron

French biotech firm Valneva said on Wednesday that preliminary studies showed that three doses of its inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate neutralised the Omicron variant of the disease. All of the serum samples tested presented neutralizing antibodies against the ancestral virus and Delta variant, it said, while 87% of samples did so against the Omicron variant.