Health News Roundup: Black women fight their silent killer, heart disease; More than half of U.S. abortions done by medication as of 2020 -report and more

The J&J shot, which has not been approved in Japan, will join a list of three other shots that have been approved by regulators as sufficient for non-residents to enter, after a nearly two-year ban on such travellers. Texas high court questions clinics' challenge to abortion law Justices on Texas's high court on Thursday sharply questioned whether clinics can challenge a law that banned most abortions in the state because it is enforced by private individuals, just two months after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the case to move forward.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Black women fight their silent killer, heart disease

After her mother and sister died within 30 days from heart disease, Stephanie Johnson made it her mission to fight against the killer often brought on by high blood pressure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and the No. 1 killer of Black women, with an annual toll of nearly 50,000, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

More than half of U.S. abortions done by medication as of 2020 -report

Medication abortion accounted for more than half of all abortions in the United States as of 2020, a new survey found, a significant increase from prior years as the pills became more widely available and surgical abortions harder to obtain. Fifty-four percent of abortions administered in 2020 involved the two-pill method as opposed to a surgical procedure, according to a survey published on Thursday by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy research group.

China construction to build COVID facilities in virus-hit Hong Kong

Hong Kong has contracted mainland firm China State Construction International Holdings Ltd to build eight isolation and treatment facilities to help the global financial hub fight a worsening COVID-19 outbreak, the government said. The temporary facilities, with a combined capacity of 50,000 beds, will be spread across Hong Kong, including on private land lent for free by developers.

Japan to accept J&J COVID vaccine for border entry next month

Japan said on Thursday international travelers showing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination with the Johnson & Johnson shot would be allowed in and be eligible for a shorter time in quarantine when border controls are eased next month. The J&J shot, which has not been approved in Japan, will join a list of three other shots that have been approved by regulators as sufficient for non-residents to enter, after a nearly two-year ban on such travelers.

Texas high court questions clinics' challenge to abortion law

Justices on Texas's high court on Thursday sharply questioned whether clinics can challenge a law that banned most abortions in the state because it is enforced by private individuals, just two months after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the case to move forward. The clinics are suing over a law, known as SB8, that went into effect Sept. 1 and bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. It allows private citizens to sue anyone who performs and assists a woman in obtaining an abortion after embryo cardiac activity is detected.

Canada approves Medicago's plant-based COVID-19 vaccine for adults

Medicago's vaccine on Thursday became the world's first plant-based shot approved against COVID-19 after Health Canada cleared it for use in adults. The two-dose vaccine, which uses an adjuvant from GlaxoSmithKline to boost immune response, is the sixth COVID-19 shot to receive regulatory clearance in the country.

EMA backs Pfizer COVID booster for teens, Moderna shot for ages 6-11

The European Union's health regulator on Thursday backed giving a booster shot of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents aged 12 and over, as well as the expanded use of Moderna's shot in children ages six to 11. The recommendations by the European Medicine Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use will be followed by final decisions by the European Commission.

Mainland China posts highest number of imported COVID cases in nearly 2 years

China on Friday reported the highest daily count of COVID-19 cases arriving from outside the mainland in nearly two years, with infections mostly from Hong Kong as the financial hub grapples with a wave of infections. The mainland detected a total of 142 imported cases with confirmed symptoms for Thursday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Friday.

Japan's Shionogi seeks approval for COVID-19 pill

Drugmaker Shionogi & Co Ltd has applied for approval to make and sell its oral COVID-19 treatment in Japan, the firm said on Friday. Known as S-217622, the drug would become the country's third antiviral pill approved for coronavirus patients, following those developed by Pfizer Inc and Merck & Co.

Explainer-How the World Health Organization might face future pandemics

Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics will begin at the World Health Organization on Thursday, with a target date of May 2024 for a treaty to be adopted by the U.N. health agency's 194 member countries. A new pact is among more than 200 recommendations for shoring up the world's defences against new pathogens made by various reviewers following the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 6.2 million people in two years.

(With inputs from agencies.)