Health News Roundup: Hong Kong's daily COVID-19 infections surge to record; Exclusive-EU wants pandemic treaty to ban wildlife markets, reward virus detection and more

Johnson ended almost all COVID-19 restrictions in England last July, and last month lifted "Plan B" measures that had been temporarily imposed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. Poland cuts COVID isolation to seven days Poland will shorten the isolation period for people infected with COVID-19 to seven days from 10 and will abolish quarantine for people who have come into contact with an infected person, health minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hong Kong's daily COVID-19 infections surge to record

Hong Kong's daily COVID-19 infections nearly doubled to a record 1,161 cases on Wednesday, authorities said, as the global financial hub battles a rapid surge that is shaping as the biggest test yet of its 'dynamic zero' policy. The city has reported close to 4,000 infections over the past two weeks, up from just two in December, taking its tally to more than 17,000 since the outbreak began in 2020, with 215 deaths, although the figures are lower than other major cities in the world.

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 authorised to speak to media and so declined to be named.

Japan to extend COVID-19 curbs for 13 regions by three weeks

Japanese Prime Minister said on Wednesday that the government would extend COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo and 12 prefectures by three weeks as the Omicron variant continued to spread. Japan has been breaking daily records for coronavirus cases and deaths amid a surge in infections driven by the Omicron variant.

Canadian authorities scramble to end anti-vaccine mandate protests

Canadian authorities are scrambling to find ways to end the 12-day-long occupation of the national capital's downtown, hoping a combination of criminal charges, traffic tickets and the prospect of losing access to fuel will end the blockades. The number of protesters in Ottawa against public health measures to fight COVID-19 is dropping, police say, in the face of tougher policing and a 10-day injunction to silence honking - something residents say kept them up at night with incessant noise.

COVID infections, deaths on the rise in Middle East - WHO

Middle Eastern countries have seen a rise in coronavirus infections in the last six weeks because of low vaccination rates, officials at the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office said on Wednesday. Reported COVID-19 cases rose to a daily average of 110,000 in the past six weeks, while average daily deaths rose to 345 in the last three weeks, WHO regional director Ahmed Al-Mandhari said on Wednesday.

New York state set to drop indoor mask mandate

New York Governor Kathy Hochul will on Wednesday announce the end of her state's mask mandate for most indoor public places, The New York Times reported, joining several states due to lift face-covering rules as the latest COVID-19 surge eases. The Democratic governor intends to let the mask mandate, which has been challenged in court, expire rather than seeking to renew it, the newspaper said, citing three individuals briefed on the move.

UK PM Johnson says to end COVID self-isolation requirement this month

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he intended to end the legal obligation for people in England to self-isolate if they test positive for COVID-19 later this month when he sets out the government's strategy for living with the disease. Johnson ended almost all COVID-19 restrictions in England last July, and last month lifted "Plan B" measures that had been temporarily imposed to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

Poland cuts COVID isolation to seven days

Poland will shorten the isolation period for people infected with COVID-19 to seven days from 10 and will abolish quarantine for people who have come into contact with an infected person, health minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday. The shortened isolation period will come into effect from Feb. 15, Niedzielski said.

EU ramps up collection of public health data to improve drug reviews

The European Medicines Agency has set up a new centre to collect and mine more public health data from EU member states to improve the review of new drugs and provide them more quickly to patients. So-called Real World Evidence (RWE) from hospitals and physicians' practices have been used before for regulatory reviews of drug candidates, but advances in data processing technology offer a far greater potential.

Russia's daily coronavirus cases hit new record high

Russia reported 183,103 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a record daily high, as the Omicron variant continued to spread. Russia also confirmed 669 deaths in the past 24 hours, the government coronavirus task force said.

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