Health News Roundup: Mandatory COVID shots could deepen German nurse shortage, say care companies; Sierra Oncology's bone marrow cancer drug meets study main goal and more

Implementation of the measure, which would significantly expand eligibility now limited to the over-60s and other high-risk groups, is subject to approval by the ministry's director-general. Australia marks two years since first COVID case with another high death count Australia on Tuesday recorded one of its highest number of deaths in a day from COVID-19 as an outbreak of the highly-infections Omicron variant tore through the country which marked two years since its first infection of the coronavirus.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mandatory COVID shots could deepen German nurse shortage, say care companies

As Germany gears up to make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory in the healthcare sector, the industry fears that resistance among some workers will exacerbate staffing shortages and leave many families reliant on carers in the lurch. Around 90% of medical staff in Germany are vaccinated, compared to about 70% in the general population, but that still leaves hundreds of thousands not vaccinated.

Sierra Oncology's bone marrow cancer drug meets study main goal

Sierra Oncology Inc said on Tuesday its experimental drug for anemic patients with a type of bone marrow cancer met the main goal of reducing disease symptoms and also cut patients' dependence on blood transfusions, in a late-stage trial. The company acquired the drug, momelotinib, from Gilead Sciences Inc in 2018 for $198 million including milestone payments. It belongs to a class of anti-inflammatory treatments called JAK inhibitors, such as Incyte Corp's Jakafi.

U.S. COVID peak may be over but not the pain as deaths rise

Even as COVID-19 cases drop and hospitalizations show signs of plateauing in hard-hit pockets of the United States, the still-rising death toll from the Omicron variant highlights the trail of loss that follows every virus surge. Coronavirus deaths hit an 11-month high on Sunday, climbing 11% in the past week when compared to the prior week, according to a Reuters.

J&J expects COVID vaccine sales to jump as much as 46% in 2022

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it expects to generate as much as $3.5 billion from the sale of its COVID-19 vaccine this year compared to $2.39 billion in 2021, in a sign of easing manufacturing problems and increasing demand. Delivery delays and an uneven demand during last year resulted in the drugmaker narrowly missing its goal of garnering $2.50 billion in vaccine sales in 2021.

S.Korea's daily infections top 8,000 in a first driven by Omicron

South Korea's daily new coronavirus infections topped 8,000 for the first time on Tuesday, as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads rapidly, despite the extension of tough social distancing rules. The figure of 8,571 on Monday exceeded the previous peak of 7,848 in December, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said, as Omicron became dominant in the country last week, though it is less deadly than previous variants.

Cannabis compound CBD stops coronavirus in test tube, but can it treat COVID?

Early research suggesting that a popular non-psychoactive compound derived from marijuana might help prevent or treat COVID-19 warrants further investigation in rigorous clinical trials, researchers say. Several recent laboratory studies of cannabidiol, or CBD, have shown promising results, attracting media attention.

Saudi Arabia agrees deal with GSK to develop healthcare sector - tweet

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment signed an agreement with GSK on Monday to boost the kingdom's healthcare and life sciences sector, it said on Twitter.

Pfizer and BioNTech launch trial of Omicron-targeted COVID vaccine

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen. The companies plan to test the immune response generated by the Omicron-based vaccine both as a three-shot regimen in unvaccinated people and as a booster shot for people who already received two doses of their original vaccine.

Israel mulls offering 4th COVID vaccine dose to all adults

An Israeli government advisory panel has recommended offering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to all adults, on condition that at least five months have passed since they received the third or recovered from the illness, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Implementation of the measure, which would significantly expand eligibility now limited to the over-60s and other high-risk groups, is subject to approval by the ministry's director-general.

Australia marks two years since first COVID case with another high death count

Australia on Tuesday recorded one of its highest number of deaths in a day from COVID-19 as an outbreak of the highly-infections Omicron variant tore through the country which marked two years since its first infection of the coronavirus. Though Australia's states and territories are refraining from a return to the lockdowns which have defined the country's pandemic response, the most populous state, New South Wales, extended a mask mandate by a month, an example of the continuous disruption brought by the virus.

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