Health News Roundup: Deliberate infection trial finds symptoms don't indicate viral shedding; Italy ends COVID-19 state of emergency, curbs to be lifted gradually and more

The findings underscore the difficulty in preventing community infections as the Word Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in cases. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic right now: As Shanghai expands lockdown, life on hold in city of 26 million Italy ends COVID-19 state of emergency, curbs to be lifted gradually Italy on Friday began to phase out its COVID-19 restrictions, ending a state of emergency public authorities declared more than two years ago that allowed it to bypass bureaucracy and swiftly impose rules via decrees.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Deliberate infection trial finds symptoms don't indicate viral shedding

The world's first "human challenge" trial in which volunteers were deliberately exposed to the coronavirus has found that symptoms had no effect on how likely an infected person is to pass the disease on to others. The findings underscore the difficulty in preventing community infections as the Word Health Organization (WHO) warns of a rise in cases.

Italy ends COVID-19 state of emergency, curbs to be lifted gradually

Italy on Friday began to phase out its COVID-19 restrictions, ending a state of emergency public authorities declared more than two years ago that allowed it to bypass bureaucracy and swiftly impose rules via decrees. The state of emergency was introduced on Jan. 31, 2020, but Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government announced plans in March to return to normal after deciding not to extend it. It officially ended on Thursday.

S.Korea likely to lift outdoor mask mandate, most COVID curbs this month

South Korea said on Friday it would further relax its social distancing rules next week and possibly scrap most pandemic-related curbs later this month, including an obligation to wear masks outdoors. From April 4, a curfew on eateries and other businesses will be pushed back to midnight from 11 p.m., and private gatherings of up to 10 people will be allowed, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said.

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.

England's COVID-19 prevalence hits record high – ONS

The prevalence of COVID-19 among people in England rose to its highest since the pandemic began in 2020, data from Britain's Office for National Statistics showed on Friday. One 1 in 13 people were believed to have the coronavirus in the week ending March 26, the fourth consecutive increase and higher than 1 in 16 recorded in the previous week. The ONS estimated 4.1 million people in England had COVID-19.

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. 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.

Sanofi to list drug ingredients business on May 6

Sanofi expects to list its drug ingredients business EUROAPI on May 6, having received approval from French stock market regulator, the pharmaceutical giant said on Friday. The listing is set to take place shortly after a May 3 shareholder meeting, at which Sanofi's stakeholders will vote on the listing.

Hong Kong reports 5,823 new daily coronavirus infections

Hong Kong reported 5,823 new coronavirus infections on Friday down from 6,646 on Thursday, as daily infections continued a steady decline and authorities began easing some of the city's stringent COVID-19 measures. Health authorities also reported 116 deaths on Friday.

With carrot and stick, China presses ahead with COVID vaccinations for elderly

In China's southern Guangdong province, a teacher was told by her school that she must somehow find four unvaccinated individuals aged 60 or older and get them to take COVID shots to help boost the district's elderly inoculation rate. Otherwise, her performance review would be affected.