Health News Roundup: Hong Kong reports first potentially COVID-linked death in five months; Purdue Pharma bankruptcy mediator says Sacklers, US states closer to deal over opioid claims and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hong Kong reports first potentially COVID-linked death in five months

An elderly man who returned a positive test for COVID-19 in Hong Kong died on Tuesday, the city's Hospital Authority said, the city's first death potentially linked with the virus in five months as it struggles to cope with a worsening outbreak. The global financial hub is due to report a record of at least 1,160 new infections on Wednesday, broadcaster TVB reported, citing an unidentified source.

Purdue Pharma bankruptcy mediator says Sacklers, US states closer to deal over opioid claims

A mediator reported on Tuesday that members of the Sackler family that own Purdue Pharma and U.S. states opposed to the OxyContin-maker's bankruptcy exit plan are "even closer" to a settlement over claims that the company fueled a U.S. opioid epidemic. The mediator asked a bankruptcy judge to extend the deadline for negotiations to Feb. 16 from Feb. 7, saying that the two sides need more time to finalize a deal that would involve "substantial" additional money from the Sacklers, according to court documents filed on Tuesday. The new settlement would also include non-monetary concessions.

Exclusive-EU wants pandemic treaty to ban wildlife markets, reward virus detection

The European Union is pushing for a global deal aimed at preventing new pandemics that could include a ban on wildlife markets and incentives for countries to report new viruses or variants, an EU official told Reuters. International negotiators will meet for the first time on Wednesday to prepare talks for a potential treaty, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to media and so declined to be named.

Hong Kong to report at least 1,160 daily COVID cases - TVB

Hong Kong is due to report at least 1,160 daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a new record for the global financial hub that has been struggling to contain an outbreak of the Omicron variant, broadcaster TVB reported, citing an unidentified source.

New York state to drop indoor mask mandate this week -NYT

New York Governor Kathy Hochul plans to end her state's mask mandate for most indoor public places on Wednesday, The New York Times reported, joining several states lifting face-covering rules in the weeks ahead as the latest COVID-19 surge loosens its grip. The Democratic governor intends to let the mask mandate, which has been challenged in court, expire as scheduled rather than seeking to renew it, The Times reported on Tuesday, citing three individuals who the newspaper said were briefed on Hochul's decision.

Novavax underdelivers on COVID vaccine promises

Novavax Inc has delivered just a small fraction of the 2 billion COVID-19 shots it plans to send around the world in 2022 and has delayed first-quarter shipments in Europe and lower-income countries such as the Philippines, public officials involved in their government's vaccine rollouts told Reuters. Novavax said it has completed delivery of around 10 million vaccine doses to Indonesia and that shipments of several million shots arrived in Australia and New Zealand on Monday. The company declined to comment on the exact number of deliveries it has made but said it is moving as quickly as possible to ship its contracted supplies for this quarter.

Discovery of Omicron in New York deer raises concern over possible new variants

The discovery of the Omicron variant in white-tailed deer in New York has raised concerns that the species, numbering 30 million in the United States, could become hosts of a new coronavirus strain, a lead researcher said on Tuesday. Blood and some nasal swab samples from 131 deer captured on New York's Staten Island revealed that nearly 15% had virus antibodies. The finding suggested that the animals had previous coronavirus infections and were vulnerable to repeated reinfections with new variants, researchers led by Pennsylvania State University scientists said.

U.S. CDC stands by K-12 school masking guidance as states relax rules – Walensky

With COVID-19 cases still high nationwide, "now is not the moment" to drop mask mandates in schools and other public places, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Reuters on Tuesday. Her comments follow announcements by officials in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, California, and Oregon that they plan to lift indoor mask mandates for K-12 public schools and other indoor spaces in coming weeks, seeking a return to normalcy as infections spurred by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus ebb.

Global COVID response program 'running on fumes' amid budget shortfall

A global initiative to get COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines to poorer nations has only received 5% of the donations sought to deliver on its aims this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other aid groups. The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator budgeted $23.4 billion for its efforts from October 2021 to September 2022, of which it hoped $16.8 billion would come in the form of grants from richer countries.

Abortion clinics in liberal U.S. states expand, brace for more patients

Abortion providers in liberal states are expanding clinics, training more staff, and boosting travel assistance to prepare for an influx of patients from conservative states if the U.S. Supreme Court ends the constitutional right to the procedure. Planned Parenthood is enlarging several clinics in California and has purchased land to build a bigger clinic in Reno, Nevada. In Illinois, abortion providers have set up a logistics center to help make medical care arrangements for women from states where abortion is expected to be restricted.