Health News Roundup: COVID-19 pandemic is 'far from over' -WHO official; Neurological problems no higher after vaccination; depression, anxiety risk tied to COVID severity and more

President Guillermo Lasso said the government made the decision to end two years of pandemic containment measures because Ecuador has reached its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population above five years old. Bristol Myers sues AstraZeneca over cancer-treatment patents Bristol Myers Squibb Co, in a lawsuit made public on Friday, said AstraZeneca's cancer treatment Imfinzi violates patents related to its blockbuster cancer drug Opdivo.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

COVID-19 pandemic is 'far from over' -WHO official

A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Friday that the end of the COVID-19 pandemic was a long way off, citing a rise in cases in its latest weekly data. The U.N. health agency has previously said that the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year but it would depend on how quickly we meet its target to vaccinate 70% of the population in each country, among other factors.

U.S. FDA approves new Bristol Myers cancer immunotherapy

Bristol Myers Squibb Co said on Friday that U.S. regulators approved the first drug in a new class of cancer immunotherapies as an initial treatment for advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The company said it expects the treatment to eventually garner annual sales of more than $4 billion.

'Dangerous moment:' huge effort begins to curb polio after Malawi case

The world is at a 'dangerous moment' in the fight against diseases like polio, a senior World Health Organization official said, as efforts begin to immunize 23 million children across five African countries after an outbreak in Malawi. In February, Malawi declared its first case of wild poliovirus in 30 years, when a three-year old girl in the Lilongwe district was paralysed as a result of her infection.

CDC reports fewer COVID-19 pediatric deaths after data correction

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 966,575 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday after it corrected the data earlier this week, which reduced the death tallies in all age-groups, including children. The health agency, in a statement to Reuters, said it made adjustments to its COVID Data Tracker's mortality data on March 14 because its algorithm was accidentally counting deaths that were not COVID-19-related.

Ecuador ends COVID limits on gatherings after hitting vaccination goal

Ecuador's president on Friday announced an end to coronavirus limits on public and private gatherings, but the South American country will continue to require foreign visitors to show proof of vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test. President Guillermo Lasso said the government made the decision to end two years of pandemic containment measures because Ecuador has reached its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population above five years old.

Bristol Myers sues AstraZeneca over cancer-treatment patents

Bristol Myers Squibb Co, in a lawsuit made public on Friday, said AstraZeneca's cancer treatment Imfinzi violates patents related to its blockbuster cancer drug Opdivo. The lawsuit https://tmsnrt.rs/3ieYLvz in Delaware federal court said that the use of Imfinzi to treat lung and bladder cancer infringes several patents on Bristol's immunotherapy Opdivo.

China reports first COVID deaths in over a year

Mainland China reported its first COVID deaths in over a year on Saturday, said a post on the National Health Commission's website. The two deaths happened in China's northeastern region of Jilin that borders North Korea and Russia, where case numbers make up over two thirds of total domestic infections.

Neurological problems no higher after vaccination; depression, anxiety risk tied to COVID severity

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Neurological risks not higher after COVID-19 vaccines

EU health body recommends free COVID tests, vaccines for Ukrainian refugees

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Friday that countries should provide free COVID-19 testing for refugees from Ukraine to avoid outbreaks as more than three million people flee their war-stricken homeland.

Infectious diseases and conflict often go hand-in-hand, and the risk of infections spreading could be further exacerbated as COVID vaccination rates in Ukraine have been low overall at 35% versus the EU average of 71.7%.

U.S. FDA approves Marinus Pharma's drug to treat seizures; shares jump

The U.S. health regulator has approved Marinus Pharmaceuticals Inc's lead drug to treat seizures associated with a rare genetic disorder in patients two years of age and older, the company said on Friday, sending its shares soaring around 36%. The oral drug, which will be sold under the brand name Ztalmy, is for treatment of seizures associated with CDKL5 deficiency disorder, a rare genetic epilepsy.

(With inputs from agencies.)