Health News Roundup: U.S. child vaccination rates dip during pandemic; G20 agrees to set up global pandemic preparedness fund and more

The Biden administration is keen to show it is taking action on a worsening U.S. opioid crisis, which fueled more than an estimated 106,854 drug overdose deaths in the year to November 2021, a 15.6% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. CDC warns US doctors to report cases of hepatitis in children U.S. health officials have sent out a nationwide health alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of hepatitis in children linked with an adenovirus infection - a virus that causes the common cold.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Some Canadian hospitals face COVID cancellations - again

Some hospitals in Canada's most populous provinces are cancelling or postponing medical procedures in the face of another wave of the coronavirus pandemic, increasing backlogs of procedures that health practitioners say will take years to work through and could cost more lives. There are some signs the sixth COVID-19 wave may be peaking in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. But hospitals are facing a double whammy of new COVID infections and, to a much greater degree, health workers off sick or isolating due to COVID just as some had begun to tackle pandemic backlogs.

Shanghai people 'not free to fly' out of homes as COVID cases tick back up

Shanghai authorities said on Thursday tough restrictions would remain in place for now even in districts which managed to cut COVID-19 transmission to zero, prolonging the agony for many residents who have been stuck at home for most of this month. That sober assessment, prompted by an unexpected rise in the number of cases outside quarantined areas, came after health officials earlier in the week had fuelled hopes of some return to normal by saying that trends in recent days showed Shanghai had "effectively curbed transmissions".

CureVac, GSK's experimental COVID variant vaccine effective in mice -study

CureVac and GSK's second-generation vaccine candidate targeting two recent COVID-19 variants has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies on mice, CureVac said, as it seeks to catch up with rivals' development work. A study in mice showed that the bivalent vaccine candidate, designed to address the Beta and Delta variants of the coronavirus, elicited neutralizing antibody levels that were comparable to the monovalent vaccine candidates targeting only one of the variants.

U.S. warns doctors to look for hepatitis in children as probe widens

U.S. health officials have sent out a nationwide alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of pediatric hepatitis, possibly linked with a cold virus, as part of a wider probe into unexplained cases of severe liver inflammation in young children. The warning follows investigations in the United States and Europe of clusters of hepatitis in young children.

Biden to unveil new U.S. drug addiction and overdose strategy

U.S. President Joe Biden will unveil a new strategy for dealing with drug addiction and overdoses on Thursday that aims to expand access to medications for opioid overdoses, increase funding for law enforcement, and expand sanctions against traffickers. The Biden administration is keen to show it is taking action on a worsening U.S. opioid crisis, which fueled more than an estimated 106,854 drug overdose deaths in the year to November 2021, a 15.6% increase from the same period a year earlier, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

CDC warns US doctors to report cases of hepatitis in children

U.S. health officials have sent out a nationwide health alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for symptoms of hepatitis in children linked with an adenovirus infection - a virus that causes the common cold. The alert directs doctors to report any suspected cases of the disease that occur with unknown origin to their state and local health departments.

U.S. extends COVID vaccine requirements for non-citizens at land borders

The United States government said on Thursday it was extending a requirement that non-U.S. citizens crossing land or ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders must be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The requirements were first adopted in November as part of reopening the United States to land crossings by foreign tourists after the borders had been closed to most visitors since March 2020. The vaccination requirements had been set to expire on Thursday https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/24/2022-01403/notification-of-temporary-travel-restrictions-applicable-to-land-ports-of-entry-and-ferries-service unless they were extended.

Hong Kong reopens venues, extends dining hours as COVID cases fall

Hong Kong reopened gyms, beauty parlours, theme parks and cinemas on Thursday for the first time in more than four months, as authorities relaxed some of the world's toughest COVID-19 curbs, which have weighed on people and businesses. Some in the global financial hub flocked to salons and massage parlours, while others visited temples and churches which had also been shut. Many schools have also resumed in-person learning after months of online instruction.

G20 agrees to set up global pandemic preparedness fund

G20 countries have provisionally agreed to set up a global fund for pandemic preparedness, likely to be housed at the World Bank. The US and Indonesia have been pushing for the establishment of such a fund to help the world be better prepared to tackle future pandemics, but others have been concerned the fund could weaken the World Health Organization or other global health mechanisms.

U.S. child vaccination rates dip during pandemic -study

Child vaccination rates in the United States fell during the COVID-19 pandemic as many children skipped doctors appointments and states eased vaccine requirements during remote learning, according to a government study released on Thursday. During the 2020–21 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners nationwide for three required vaccines was approximately 1% lower than the previous school year, according to the study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).