Health News Roundup: South Korea drops outdoor mask rule but many prefer to keep them on; Setback for Shanghai's COVID battle as Beijing ramps up mass testing and more

Health authorities lifted the mandate on Monday in the latest step to relax distancing curbs, even amid opposition from the transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol which has called the decision premature. Setback for Shanghai's COVID battle as Beijing ramps up mass testing China's commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday as authorities reported 58 new COVID-19 cases outside areas under strict lockdown, while Beijing pressed on with testing millions of people on a May Day holiday few were celebrating.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

South Korea drops outdoor mask rule but many prefer to keep them on

South Korea has loosened rules requiring masks to be worn outdoors as COVID-19 cases drop, but many people are not taking them off yet due to pervasive Omicron infections. Health authorities lifted the mandate on Monday in the latest step to relax distancing curbs, even amid opposition from the transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol which has called the decision premature.

Setback for Shanghai's COVID battle as Beijing ramps up mass testing

China's commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday as authorities reported 58 new COVID-19 cases outside areas under strict lockdown, while Beijing pressed on with testing millions of people on a May Day holiday few were celebrating. Tough coronavirus curbs in Shanghai have stirred rare public anger, with millions of the city's 25 million people stuck indoors for more than a month, some sealed inside fenced-off residential compounds and many struggling for daily necessities.

Poland has no 'rationale to invoke force majeure in Pfizer vaccine deal -EU official

Poland has no "coherent rationale" to invoke force majeure in an existing contract in order to stop paying for more COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, a European Commission official told Reuters. In April Poland's health minister Adam Niedzielski said Warsaw had informed the European Commission and Pfizer that it would no longer take or pay for COVID-19 vaccines under a supply contract co-negotiated by the EU, acknowledging this would trigger a legal conflict.

U.S. FDA declines to approve two more China-tested drugs

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration declined to approve two China-tested cancer treatments on Monday, raising concerns over the future of drugs tested in single-country trials. The decisions could add pressure on Chinese stocks, especially biotech companies, at a time shares of several U.S.-listed Chinese companies have been falling on the potential risk of being de-listed.

Bird flu puts organic chickens into lockdown from Pennsylvania to France

Organic and free-range chickens have been thrown into lockdown. Egg-laying hens that normally have access to the outdoors can no longer roam as freely or feel the sun on their beaks as some U.S. and European farmers temporarily keep flocks inside during lethal outbreaks of bird flu, according to egg producers and industry representatives. The switch comes as a surprise to shoppers already shelling out more money for eggs due to cullings of infected flocks. Consumers pay extra for specialty eggs, thinking they come from hens that can venture out of barns.

Beijing's Chaoyang district to carry out three more rounds of COVID mass testing

Beijing's Chaoyang district will carry out another three rounds of COVID-19 tests between May 3 and 5, a local official said in a press briefing on Monday afternoon. Chaoyang district had earlier said it would conduct two rounds of mass testing on May 1 and 3.

U.S. FDA declines to approve third China-tested cancer therapy

The U.S. drug regulator has declined to approve a cancer drug tested mainly in China, the third rejection of a China-developed drug in a little over a month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a complete response letter to the therapy for treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a type of head-and-neck cancer, that was developed by U.S.-based Coherus BioSciences Inc and Chinese partner Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co Ltd, the companies said on Monday.

China reports 7,822 new COVID cases on May 1, down from the previous day

Mainland China reported 7,822 new COVID-19 cases on May 1, including 865 symptomatic cases and 6,957 asymptomatic infections, the National Health Commission said on Monday. That was down from 8,329 new cases a day earlier, of which 920 were symptomatic and 7,409 were asymptomatic.

Moderna says its vaccine for ages under 6 will be ready for U.S. review in June

Moderna Inc's chief medical officer said on Sunday the company's vaccine for children under 6 years old will be ready for review by a Food and Drug Administration panel when it meets in June. Moderna sought emergency use authorization from the FDA on Thursday.

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China's commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday as authorities reported 58 new COVID-19 cases outside quarantine areas while Beijing pressed on with testing millions of its people on a May Day holiday few were celebrating. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

(With inputs from agencies.)