Health News Roundup: India reports over 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, experts count millions more; Danish COVID tally could be twice as high as registered, blood donor data suggests and more

In a letter filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, attorneys for J&J and LTL Management LLC, a bankrupt subsidiary that the company set up to hold its talc liabilities, claimed that lawyers for two committees representing plaintiffs shared at least two confidential documents with the news organization. Australia may use defence forces to help COVID-hit aged-care sector Australia could use its defence forces to help manage a COVID-19 outbreak in the aged-care sector that has stretched staffing and forced many homes into lockdowns, the prime minister said on Friday as national infection numbers remained on a downtrend.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India reports over 500,000 deaths from COVID-19, experts count millions more

India's death toll from COVID-19 crossed 500,000 on Friday, a level many health experts say was breached last year but obscured by inaccurate surveys and unaccounted dead in the hinterlands, where millions remain vulnerable to the disease. The country, which has the fourth-highest tally of deaths globally, recorded 400,000 deaths by July last year after the devastating outbreak from the Delta variant of the coronavirus, according to official data. Some experts believe the figures were much higher.

Danish COVID tally could be twice as high as registered, blood donor data suggests

The number of adult Danes infected with COVID-19 maybe double the official tally, Danish scientists said on Thursday, after releasing data suggesting one-third of the adult population has been infected in the past three months. By screening blood donations for certain antibodies, Danish scientists say they have come closer to determining how many people are actually infected, following the emergence of the more infectious Omicron variant.

EU to ease rules on COVID pass to remove hurdle for vaccine trials

The European Commission proposed on Thursday a change to rules on COVID-19 certificates that would allow participants in vaccine trials to get a valid pass despite having received unapproved shots. The move follows concerns raised by Germany's BioNTech and Spain's Hipra about difficulties in enrolling volunteers for their COVID-19 vaccine trials because participants could face limitations to access public spaces and to travel.

In world first, S.Africa's Afrigen makes mRNA COVID vaccine using Moderna data

South Africa's Afrigen Biologics has used the publicly available sequence of Moderna Inc's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to make its own version of the shot, which could be tested in humans before the end of this year, Afrigen's top executive said on Thursday. The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer. It is also the first mRNA vaccine designed, developed and produced at lab scale on the African continent.

Germany's health experts divided over COVID curbs as infections hit record

Germany's health experts are divided over whether the country is ready to ease COVID-19 restrictions as its neighbors start dialing back curbs. Germany on Thursday reported a record of 236,120 new daily cases thanks to the more-infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but some health experts say it is time to put a "freedom plan" for how restrictions will be eased gradually.

Price of COVID treatments from Pfizer, Merck, GSK align with patient benefits -report

The prices of drugs used to treat COVID-19 for those at risk of serious illness are "reasonably aligned" with how much they help patients, according to a draft report from drug-pricing research organization the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). The report assessed Pfizer Inc's Paxlovid and Merck & Co's molnupiravir - both recently authorized antiviral pills - as well as sotrovimab, an intravenous monoclonal antibody drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Vir Biotechnology Inc.

J&J claims lawyers for talc plaintiffs leaked documents to Reuters

Johnson & Johnson on Thursday accused attorneys for people who have sued the pharmaceutical giant over its talc products of sharing confidential documents with Reuters in what it called a "calculated effort" to try its subsidiary's bankruptcy case in the press. In a letter filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, attorneys for J&J and LTL Management LLC, a bankrupt subsidiary that the company set up to hold its talc liabilities, claimed that lawyers for two committees representing plaintiffs shared at least two confidential documents with the news organization.

Australia may use defence forces to help COVID-hit aged-care sector

Australia could use its defense forces to help manage a COVID-19 outbreak in the aged-care sector that has stretched staffing and forced many homes into lockdowns, the prime minister said on Friday as national infection numbers remained on a downtrend. The government has come under pressure over the spread of the Omicron variant in aged-care homes, with Richard Colbeck, Minister for senior Australians and aged care services, drawing criticism after he attended a cricket match instead of appearing before a parliamentary committee looking into the outbreaks.

U.S. to cover cost of over-the-counter COVID tests through Medicare

People enrolled in the U.S. government's Medicare program can get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for free starting early spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Thursday. The Biden administration laid out plans last month that require private insurance companies to cover the cost of eight over-the-counter at-home tests per person each month, but said nothing about such coverage for Medicare beneficiaries.

S.Korea extends social distancing rules as Omicron cases spike

South Korea extended COVID-19 social distancing rules on Friday for an additional two weeks as Omicron variant infections soar, including a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants and a six-person limit on private gatherings. The restrictions were due to end on Sunday but Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the extension was necessary to slow the spread of Omicron amid fears the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended on Wednesday, may have fuelled infections.