Health News Roundup: New Zealand PM Ardern urges unity on COVID on Waitangi Day; Hong Kong reports record daily high of 351 coronavirus cases and more

Sputnik Light, the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine, can be used as a booster shot with other vaccines, RDIF said. S.Korea surpasses 1 million total COVID cases with daily record South Korea on Sunday surpassed one million cumulative COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections driven by an Omicron variant outbreak.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New Zealand PM Ardern urges unity on COVID on Waitangi Day

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders on Sunday to unite in their battle against COVID-19, as the pandemic forced the country to celebrate its national Waitangi Day online. A growing outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has pushed all commemorations online, prompting Ardern to urge vaccinations.

Hong Kong reports record daily high of 351 coronavirus cases

Hong Kong reported 351 cases of coronavirus on Saturday, a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic, further pressuring the government's "dynamic zero-COVID" strategy as other major cities opt to live with the virus. Health Secretary Sophia Chan said at a news conference she expects cases to rise "exponentially" following the Lunar New Year holiday due to an increase in family and social gatherings and appealed several times for people to stay indoors.

Britain reports COVID cases and deaths fell in last week

Britain reported 54,095 COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths in its daily official data on Sunday, with the seven-day figure for both falling compared with the week before. In the last week, infection numbers were down 5%, while deaths fell by 7% on the seven days before.

Russia eases COVID restrictions as daily cases hit record

Russia will ease some of its COVID-19 restrictions from Sunday, the consumer health watchdog announced on Saturday, despite reporting a record daily number of cases as the Omicron variant spreads across the country. The number of daily infections has been surging since January. But the highly transmissible Omicron variant has not led to a significant increase in deaths, and the Kremlin has recently dismissed concerns about the risk of new lockdowns.

WHO chief says discussed collaboration on COVID origins with Chinese premier

The head of the World Health Organization said on Saturday he had discussed with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang the need for stronger collaboration on the origins of COVID-19, a subject of controversy that has strained Beijing's relations with the West. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has previously pressed China to be more forthcoming with data and information related to the origin of the virus.

Italy reports 77,029 coronavirus cases on Sunday, 229 deaths

Italy reported 77,029 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from 93,157 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths decreased to 229 from 375. Italy has registered 148,771 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth highest in the world. The country has reported 11.62 million cases to date.

Russia says India approves one-shot Sputnik Light COVID vaccine

India has given regulatory approval to Russia's one-shot Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine after it authorized Russia's main vaccine - the two-dose Sputnik V - last year, the Russian Direct Investment Fund said on Sunday. Sputnik Light, the first component of the Sputnik V vaccine, can be used as a booster shot with other vaccines, RDIF said.

S.Korea surpasses 1 million total COVID cases with daily record

South Korea on Sunday surpassed one million cumulative COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections driven by an Omicron variant outbreak. South Korea saw its first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020, and soon became the first country outside China to battle a major outbreak.

U.S. coronavirus deaths surpass 900,000, driven in part by Omicron surge

The coronavirus pandemic reached a grim new milestone in the United States on Friday with the nation's cumulative death toll from COVID-19 surpassing 900,000, even as the daily number of lives lost has begun to level off, according to data collected by Reuters. The latest tally marks an increase of more than 100,000 U.S. COVID-19 fatalities since Dec. 12, coinciding with a surge of infections and hospitalizations driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus.

U.S. considers lengthening gap between first 2 COVID shots to 8 weeks

U.S. health officials on Friday said they are considering lengthening the recommended interval between the first two doses of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines to eight weeks to lower the risk of heart inflammation and improve their effectiveness. Dr. Sara Oliver, an official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the agency was considering making the recommendation for Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech shots during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of outside advisers to the CDC.

(With inputs from agencies.)