Health News Roundup: Ireland drops most of its remaining COVID restrictions; Hong Kong to enforce mass testing amid predicted surge in COVID infections and more

The country has been one of the most cautious in the European Union on the risks of COVID-k19, putting in place some of the longest-running curbs on travel and hospitality. Hong Kong to enforce mass testing amid predicted surge in COVID infections Hong Kong will roll out compulsory testing for COVID-19 starting in mid-March for its 7.4 million residents, leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday, as university researchers predicted new infections could peak at a staggering 180,000 a day next month.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Ireland drops most of its remaining COVID restrictions

Ireland on Tuesday said it will drop most of its remaining pandemic-linked restrictions from Feb. 28 as an Omicron-fuelled wave of infections ebbs. The country has been one of the most cautious in the European Union on the risks of COVID-k19, putting in place some of the longest-running curbs on travel and hospitality.

Hong Kong to enforce mass testing amid predicted surge in COVID infections

Hong Kong will roll out compulsory testing for COVID-19 starting in mid-March for its 7.4 million residents, leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday, as university researchers predicted new infections could peak at a staggering 180,000 a day next month. Stringent coronavirus rules would be in place until mid-April with schools breaking early for summer and resuming the new year in August, she said, as authorities battle an "exponential" rise in infections which have overwhelmed the healthcare system.

Moderna begins late-stage study of RSV vaccine using mRNA technology

Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it had begun a late-stage study of its vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) based on the same technology used to develop its COVID-19 shots. The only approved product using messenger RNA (mRNA)is COVID-19 vaccine, but Moderna and rival Pfizer are rushing to tap the potential of the technology to target diseases such as shingles and cancer.

GSK to name consumer healthcare unit 'Haleon' after spin-off

GlaxoSmithKline said on Tuesday its consumer healthcare venture with Pfizer will be named Haleon, as the British drugmaker confirmed the business will be spun off in mid-2022 as planned after having rejected overtures from Unilever. Last June, GSK announced plans to divest the business, which includes brands such as Sensodyne toothpaste and Advil painkillers, in its biggest shake-up in two decades to focus on its prescription drugs and vaccines business.

Very small blood clot risk after first AstraZeneca COVID shot - UK studies

A large study into rare blood clots linked with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine found between just one and three cases per million, and only after the first dose, shedding fresh light on the side-effects from the shot. Researchers have sought to analyse any link between COVID-19 vaccines and rare blood clots in the brain, arteries or veins - sometimes accompanied by low platelets, reports of which led many nations last year to pause use of the AstraZeneca shot, which was developed with Oxford University.

CDC taps Palantir to support COVID-19 drug supply in U.S

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Palantir Technologies Inc a $5.3 million contract to manage distribution of COVID-19 drugs in the United States, the software maker said on Tuesday. The contract for supporting distribution of therapeutics is for a duration of six months, Palantir said.

Reinfections with Omicron subvariants are rare, Danish study finds

Getting infected twice with two different Omicron coronavirus subvariants is possible, but rarely happens, a Danish study has found. In Denmark, a more infectious sublineage of the Omicron coronavirus variant known as BA.2 has quickly dethroned the "original" BA.1 variant, which is the most common worldwide, but it has remained unclear whether a person could get infected by both variants.

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Hong Kong will roll out compulsory testing for COVID-19 starting in mid-March for its 7.4 million residents, leader Carrie Lam said, as university researchers predicted new infections could peak at a staggering 180,000 a day next month. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

Philippines detects bird flu in duck, quail farms

The Philippines' agriculture department said on Tuesday it had recently detected outbreaks of avian influenza in some duck and quail farms near the capital, after getting rid of the disease more than a year ago. The latest cases involved the H5N1 strain, not the H5N6 strain found during outbreaks in recent years, although both are classified as highly pathogenic.

Antibody triggered by Sinopharm COVID booster wanes after six months - study

Antibodies triggered by a third dose of Sinopharm's COVID-19 shot given to those who completed its primary two-dose regimen dropped sharply after six months, and a fourth shot did not significantly boost them against Omicron, a Chinese study showed. The study, published on Monday before peer-preview, said repeated immunisation using inactivated vaccines such as the Sinopharm shot as a fourth booster may not be ideal to further increase antibody response against Omicron.

(With inputs from agencies.)