Health News Roundup: Majority of Japanese unhappy with progress of booster shots - survey; Italy reports 42,081 new coronavirus cases on Sunday and more

As Hong Kong builds isolation units and Europe retains social distancing and vaccine rules, Johnson will announce the repeal of any pandemic reqirements that impinge on personal freedoms, a day after Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the virus. Italy recommends fourth COVID vaccine dose for immunocompromised Italy's health ministry has recommended that people with a severely compromised immune system receive a fourth mRNA vaccine shot against COVID-19, provided that at least 120 days have passed from their previous booster, it said on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Majority of Japanese unhappy with progress of booster shots - survey

A vast majority of Japanese think the rollout of booster shots against COVID-19 is too slow and give mixed reviews to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, including last week's decision to ease border rules, polls show. Anger over the Japanese government's handling of the pandemic helped sink the administration of Kishida predecessor Yoshihide Suga, and Kishida faces a crucial election for the upper house of parliament in July.

Italy reports 42,081 new coronavirus cases on Sunday

Italy reported 42,081 COVID-19 related cases on Sunday, down from 50,534 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of deaths reported fell to 141 from 252. Some 372,776 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, well below the previous day's figure of 492,045, the health ministry said.

'Fortress Australia' to welcome tourists for first time under COVID

Australia will welcome international tourists on Monday after nearly two years of sealing its borders, relying on high COVID-19 vaccination rates to live with the pandemic as infections decline. "The wait is over," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a Sunday briefing at the Melbourne International Airport.

UK must cut spending on COVID testing, Johnson says

Britain wants to retain the capability to spot new coronavirus variants but it must stop spending so heavily on free testing as cases and fatalities fall, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday. Johnson will set out plans this week for the country to "live with COVID" amid suggestions that free coronavirus testing could be stopped, and some health studies halted.

UK's Johnson set to scrap COVID restrictions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Monday set out plans to scrap coronavirus restrictions as part of a "living with COVID" strategy that aims to achieve a faster exit from the pandemic than other major economies. As Hong Kong builds isolation units and Europe retains social distancing and vaccine rules, Johnson will announce the repeal of any pandemic requirements that impinge on personal freedoms, a day after Queen Elizabeth tested positive for the virus.

Italy recommends fourth COVID vaccine dose for immunocompromised

Italy's health ministry has recommended that people with a severely compromised immune system receive a fourth mRNA vaccine shot against COVID-19, provided that at least 120 days have passed from their previous booster, it said on Sunday. The special commissioner appointed by the government for the COVID-19 emergency will set the date for the recommendation to come into force based on the needs of the vaccine campaign, the ministry said.

Britain to set out plans to scrap COVID self-isolation laws

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to set out plans next week to remove self-isolation requirements for people infected with COVID-19, his office said on Saturday. Britain would become the first major European country to allow people who know they are infected with COVID-19 to freely use shops, public transport and go to work -- a move many of his health advisors think is risky.

Hong Kong's 'zero-COVID' success now worsens strains of Omicron spike

Hong Kong until recently had an enviable record battling COVID-19, but as an Omicron wave now overwhelms the city, the steps that saved lives are making life unbearable for many of its 7.4 million people. Like an immune system overreacting and harming the person it is meant to protect, the "dynamic zero-COVID" policies that had crushed the virus in Hong Kong have contributed to current woes, experts say. Patients lie in beds in cold, wet parking lots outside overflowing hospitals, isolation facilities are filling up and thousands queue for hours outside testing venues.

Mainland China reports 195 new COVID-19 cases vs 137 a day earlier

China reported 195 new COVID-19 cases in the mainland for Feb. 19, up from 137 cases a day earlier, the health authority said on Sunday. Ninety-four of the new infections were imported, the National Health Commission said in a statement, while 101 were locally transmitted, compared with 80 a day earlier. There were no new deaths.

Hong Kong in "all-out combat" to contain COVID outbreak with China support

Hong Kong is in "all-out combat" to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the city's number two official said on Sunday, with the ramping up of community isolation and treatment units helped by mainland Chinese construction teams. Scenes of people lying outside public hospitals in the rain and chilly weather have shocked many in the global financial hub, leading to an apology from authorities. Officials have now organised facilities to shelter patients amid a drop in temperatures as healthcare facilities are overwhelmed.