Health News Roundup: Norway reports its first case of monkeypox; Cuba lifts mask mandate as vaccination rate soars and deaths plummet and more

The regulator said it was looking at the data submitted and assessing the benefits and risks of recommending a booster shot administered at least six months after basic immunisation for children between ages 5 and 11. U.S. doctors reconsider Pfizer's Paxlovid for lower-risk COVID patients Use of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid spiked this week, but some doctors are reconsidering the pills for lower-risk patients after a U.S. public health agency warned that symptoms can recur after people complete a course of the drug, and that they should then isolate a second time.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

After two months, a scarred Shanghai's COVID-19 lockdown ends

Following two months of frustration, despair and economic loss, Shanghai's draconian COVID-19 lockdown ended at midnight on Wednesday morning, prompting celebrations tempered with fear that an outbreak could return. Most of Shanghai's 25 million residents can now freely leave home, return to work, use public transport and drive their cars - a moment that for many in China's largest and most cosmopolitan city felt like it would never arrive.

Factbox-Global baby formula makers send products to restock U.S. shelves

Global companies that make baby formula are bringing products into the United States after the country's health regulator relaxed its import policy to address a nationwide shortage partly triggered by Abbott Laboratories' manufacturing plant in Michigan recalling some products in February. Importers include Neocate maker Danone SA, while New Zealand's dairy giants Fonterra and a2 Milk have submitted applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for supplying baby formula to the United States.

Explainer-What to know about COVID vaccines for small children

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are due to meet in June to decide on whether to recommend authorizing Moderna Inc's vaccine for children below 6 years old, and Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE's COVID-19 vaccine for children below 5 years old. Here is a look at some of the factors expected to be considered in this decision concerning the last age groups not yet covered by previous U.S. regulatory authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines.

 Cuba on Tuesday lifted a mask mandate in place for two years following a successful vaccination drive that health officials say has contributed to a sharp drop in cases and nearly three weeks without a single death from COVID-19. The island, whose communist government has long sought to stand out by providing a free healthcare system that focuses on preventative treatment such as vaccinations, developed its own COVID vaccines and became the first country in the world to begin the mass vaccination of kids as young as age 2.

Norway reports its first case of monkeypox

Norway has identified its first case of monkeypox, the Institute of Public Health (FHI) said on Tuesday. The infected person had recently travelled abroad, and the case is linked to the ongoing outbreak in Europe, the FHI said.

Hungary reports first case of monkeypox

Hungary has confirmed its first case of monkeypox, Surgeon General Cecilia Muller told state news agency MTI on Tuesday. The patient is a 38-year-old man and health authorities are still investigating whether he travelled abroad recently, she said.

WHO aims to contain monkeypox outbreak by minimizing human transmission

It is not clear yet whether the spread of monkeypox can be contained completely, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, adding that its goal was to contain the outbreak by stopping human-to-human transmission to the maximum extent possible. "Tools to manage it – including readily available diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics – are not likely to be immediately or widely accessible to countries," it said in a statement.

Swissmedic weighing new COVID booster recommendation for children

Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Tuesday it is reviewing an application from pharmaceutical company Pfizer for a new dosage recommendation for a COVID-19 booster shot for children. The regulator said it was looking at the data submitted and assessing the benefits and risks of recommending a booster shot administered at least six months after basic immunisation for children between ages 5 and 11.

U.S. doctors reconsider Pfizer's Paxlovid for lower-risk COVID patients

Use of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid spiked this week, but some doctors are reconsidering the pills for lower-risk patients after a U.S. public health agency warned that symptoms can recur after people complete a course of the drug, and that they should then isolate a second time. More quarantine time "is not a crowd-pleaser," Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, an infectious disease specialist at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, told Reuters. "For those people who really aren't at risk ... I would recommend that they not take it."

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

A top airline industry official called on Tuesday for calm surrounding recent travel chaos at some airports as people resume flying after the pandemic, blaming the gridlock on temporary delays in getting clearances for new staff. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

(With inputs from agencies.)