Health News Roundup: Beijing reports 45 new symptomatic COVID cases, 8 new asymptomatic cases for May 6; China builds permanent COVID testing stations for life after lockdown and more

At present, nearly 25 million residents in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai remain under some form of lockdown as the city battles China's biggest ever coronavirus outbreak. WTO meeting on COVID vaccine rights waiver went 'very well' -chair The first World Trade Organization meeting to discuss a draft agreement to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines went "very well", its chair said on Friday, although some members voiced reservations.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Beijing reports 45 new symptomatic COVID cases, 8 new asymptomatic cases for May 6

Beijing reported 45 new symptomatic COVID-19 cases for May 6, down from 55 cases a day earlier, state television said on Saturday. China's capital also recorded 8 asymptomatic cases, versus 17 a day earlier, it said.

China builds permanent COVID testing stations for life after lockdown

China is setting up thousands of permanent PCR testing stations, with 9,000 already completed in Shanghai alone, as authorities seek to "normalise" tough pandemic controls even after the current round of lockdowns end. At present, nearly 25 million residents in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai remain under some form of lockdown as the city battles China's biggest ever coronavirus outbreak.

WTO meeting on COVID vaccine rights waiver went 'very well' -chair

The first World Trade Organization meeting to discuss a draft agreement to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines went "very well", its chair said on Friday, although some members voiced reservations. The WTO's 164 members on Friday discussed the "outcome document" that stems from months of negotiations between the main parties - the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa - in an effort to break an 18-month deadlock over the issue.

Obesity may weaken vaccine protection; unvaccinated Omicron patients face risk from variants

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. Obesity may weaken vaccine protection in the never infected

Beijing kicks off fresh round of COVID tests as Shanghai postpones crucial exams

China's capital Beijing kicked off a fresh round of mass testing for COVID-19 on Saturday and shut more bus routes and metro stations, as it seeks to avert the fate of Shanghai, where millions of residents have been locked down for over a month. The draconian movement curbs on Shanghai, an economic and financial hub, have caused frustration among its 25 million residents and triggered rare protests over issues such as access to food and medical care, loss of income and crowded as well as unsanitary conditions at central quarantine centres.

Third Ebola patient dies in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo

The third Ebola patient in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo has died, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, the latest fatality in an outbreak first reported last month. The 48-year-old man was the most recent confirmed case in Congo's 14th outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever, which has hit the city of Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province.

Shanghai reports 13 new COVID-related deaths for May 6, vs 12 a day earlier

China's eastern financial hub of Shanghai reported 13 new COVID-19 deaths for May 6, up from 12 a day earlier, the local government said in a statement on Saturday. The city reported 3,961 new local asymptomatic coronavirus cases on May 6, down from 4,024 a day earlier.

U.S. elections may thwart Democratic effort to cap insulin cost

U.S. lawmakers attempting to cut the cost of insulin for more than a million Americans to $35 per month are unlikely to succeed as November elections draw near and complicate bipartisan support, health policy and political experts say. The U.S. House of Representatives in March passed a bill capping monthly out-of-pocket insulin costs for those with health insurance at $35. Senators are drafting a wider bill that also provides incentive for drugmakers to lower list prices.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Alito's abortion history lesson in dispute

Justice Samuel Alito's draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide hinges on a contested historical review of restrictions on the procedure enacted during the 19th century. Lawyers and scholars backing abortion rights have criticized Alito's reading of history as glossing over disputed facts and ignoring relevant details as the conservative justice sought to demonstrate that a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy was wrongly recognized in the Roe ruling.

U.S. identifies 109 cases of severe hepatitis, including 5 deaths, in children

U.S. health officials on Friday said they are investigating 109 cases of severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children, including five reported deaths, updating a nationwide alert issued in April for doctors to be on the lookout for such cases of the liver disease. The cases have been identified over the past seven months in 25 states and territories, Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a conference call.

(With inputs from agencies.)