Health News Roundup: Rare upsurge in bird flu makes for the worst-ever crisis in France; Shanghai reports 4,144 new asymptomatic, 358 new symptomatic COVID cases for March 31 and more

By a vote of 232-193, with few Republicans supporting the measure, the House approved the bill that would cap patients' out-of-pocket costs at $35 a month for their insulin. As Shanghai expands COVID lockdown, life on hold in city of 26 million China's commercial hub of Shanghai ground to halt on Friday after the government locked down most of the city's 26 million residents to stop the spread of COVID-19, even as official numbers put local cases falling for the second day in a row.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Rare upsurge in bird flu makes for the worst-ever crisis in France

France is facing its worst bird flu crisis in history as a rare rebound in outbreaks of the highly contagious virus reached the country's largest poultry-producing regions with cullings topping more than 12 million birds. The spread of bird flu has raised concern among governments and the poultry industry due to the ravages it can cause to flocks, potential trade restrictions, and risk of human transmission.

Shanghai reports 4,144 new asymptomatic, 358 new symptomatic COVID cases for March 31

China's financial hub of Shanghai reported 4,144 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and 358 symptomatic cases for March 31, the city government said on its official WeChat account on Friday. That compared with 5,298 new asymptomatic cases and 355 new cases with symptoms reported a day earlier.

Analysis-Governments want COVID vaccine developers to aim higher in hunt for better shots

As governments prepare to live with COVID-19, some are questioning how much to rely on drugmakers to adapt vaccines to ward off future virus variants amid signs of tension between companies and regulators over the best approach, according to several sources familiar with the matter. Some vaccine experts say government agencies should fund and help develop a new generation of COVID shots, and seek innovation from smaller developers, as they did to identify current vaccines.

U.S. Senate negotiators near agreement on $10 billion round of COVID funds

U.S. Senate negotiators on Thursday were nearing a deal on a $10 billion COVID-19 bill to help the federal government acquire more vaccines and medical supplies as it prepares for future variants of the virus that upended American life. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said senators were "close to a final agreement" on a bill aiming to shore up stockpiles to be used both domestically and internationally.

Germany plans to relax COVID quarantine rules as cases soar

Germany plans to end mandatory quarantine for most people who catch COVID-19, the health ministry proposed on Thursday, as numbers isolated with the infection top four million. Under the existing rules, people with COVID must quarantine for at least seven days.

Depression, suicidal thoughts prevalent in high school students during pandemic -U.S. study

More than a third of high school students surveyed in the United States experienced stress, anxiety or depression, and nearly a fifth said they seriously considered suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. The first nationwide survey of its kind found that 44% of students reported feeling sad or hopeless every day for two consecutive weeks or more during the prior year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study.

U.S. House approves bill setting strict cap on insulin costs

The high cost of insulin to treat diabetes would be drastically reduced under legislation the U.S. House of Representatives passed on Thursday, in a rare example of drug price reform gaining traction in Congress. By a vote of 232-193, with few Republicans supporting the measure, the House approved the bill that would cap patients' out-of-pocket costs at $35 a month for their insulin.

As Shanghai expands COVID lockdown, life on hold in city of 26 million

China's commercial hub of Shanghai ground to a halt on Friday after the government locked down most of the city's 26 million residents to stop the spread of COVID-19, even as official numbers put local cases falling for the second day in a row. The city government late on Thursday extended an existing lockdown in eastern districts, just as western parts of the city were shut down as scheduled.

Bayer to invest 2 billion euros in drug production over next 3 years

German drugmaker Bayer said it would invest around 2 billion euros ($2.23 billion) at pharmaceutical manufacturing sites over the next three years, mainly to bolster the production of biotechnology drugs as well as cell and gene therapies. The sites to be upgraded include Berkeley, California, as well as Berlin, Leverkusen, and Bergkamen in Germany.

China reports 1,827 new COVID cases for March 31 vs 1,839 a day earlier

China reported 1,827 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 31, the national health authority said on Friday, compared with 1,839 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 1,787 were locally transmitted, the National Health Commission said, versus 1,803 a day earlier.