Health News Roundup: Fauci says 'prudent' to have Omicron vaccine, but may not be needed; COVID is less severe with Omicron than Delta, U.S. study suggests and more

Banking on volunteers in the United States, 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.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

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 analysis.

New Mexico Guard members teach in COVID-hit schools, governor next

National Guard members in New Mexico have begun substitute teaching and the governor said she would do the same in a bid to keep students in classrooms during a COVID-19 surge.

Parents and public workers are volunteering in schools across the country to address teacher shortages. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico's Democratic governor, went further in asking National Guard members to volunteer as substitutes.

Exclusive-U.S. funding to WHO fell by 25% during pandemic -document

U.S. financial contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) have fallen by 25% during the coronavirus pandemic, provisional data show, with Washington's future support to the United Nations agency under review. The large drop in funding versus the previous two-year period arose from cuts decided by former U.S. President Donald Trump that reveal for the first time the scale of the Trump administration's retreat from the U.N. body.

Rhode Island, in reversal, to settle opioid claims against U.S. drug distributors

Rhode Island on Tuesday reversed course and threw its support behind a $21 billion nationwide settlement it originally declined to back resolving lawsuits alleging that three large drug distributors fueled the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's announcement marked the latest instance of a holdout state opting into the settlement with the big three drug distributors McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc.

Explainer-Germany plans vaccine mandate amid qualms over rights

German lawmakers are due to debate introducing a bill making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory. The idea is facing resistance from politicians as well as ordinary Germans. Some of the main issues:

COVID is less severe with Omicron than Delta, U.S. study suggests

The Omicron variant appears to result in less severe COVID-19 than seen during previous periods of high coronavirus transmission including the Delta wave, with shorter hospital stays, less need for intensive care and fewer deaths, according to a new U.S. study. However, the fast-spreading Omicron variant has led to record numbers of infections and hospitalizations, straining the U.S. healthcare system.

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.

Fauci says 'prudent' to have Omicron vaccine, but may not be needed

A COVID-19 vaccine specifically targeting the Omicron variant would be "prudent" even if it ultimately may not be needed, the top U.S. infectious disease official said on Tuesday as Pfizer announced trials for such a vaccine. "It makes sense to think in terms of at least having ready an Omicron specific boost," Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser and a member of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, told MSNBC.

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. Banking on volunteers in the United States, 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.

(With inputs from agencies.)