Health News Roundup: Shanghai to conduct mass COVID testing in 7 of its 16 districts at weekend; More than 1,000 monkeypox cases were reported to WHO - briefing and more

Those at increased risk of monkeypox include men who have sex with multiple male partners and infectious disease lab workers, the committee, known as STIKO, said. China COVID jitters flare up as parts of Shanghai resume lockdown Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alert on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub imposed new lockdown restriction and the city announced a round of mass testing for millions of residents.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Shanghai to conduct mass COVID testing in 7 of its 16 districts at weekend

The Chinese commercial hub of Shanghai will carry out mass testing for COVID-19 in seven districts over the weekend, a local health official said on Thursday. The districts to be tested are Pudong, Huangpu, Jingan, Xuhui, Hongkou, Baoshan and Minhang, the deputy director of Shanghai's health commission, Zhao Dandan, told a media briefing.

More than 1,000 monkeypox cases were reported to WHO - briefing

There have been more than 1,000 monkeypox cases reported to the World Health Organization in the current outbreak outside the countries in Africa where it more commonly spreads. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of monkeypox becoming established in these non-endemic countries was real but preventable at this point.

Age to buy cigarettes in England should rise every year, the review says

The legal age of sale for cigarettes in England should be raised by one year every year until eventually, no one can buy tobacco products, a government-commissioned review said on Thursday. Progressively increasing the minimum age from 18 was one of 15 recommendations in a review ordered by health minister Sajid Javid to help meet a target to be "smokefree" by 2030. Smoke-free is defined as 5% smoking prevalence or less in England.

CDC awards $215 million as part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative revival

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was awarding $215 million in first-year funding as part of reviving the erstwhile Obama administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative aimed at the prevention and control of the disease. The funding will be given to 86 recipients https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/about/foa-dp22-2202, including various U.S. states as well as indigenous tribes such as Cherokee Nation, Kaw Nation of Oklahoma and Navajo Nation, among others.

Biden administration 'not too worried' about the slow pace of pre-orders of child COVID vaccine

Pre-orders of vaccines for children under age 5 have been slow, but Biden administration senior officials say they are not alarmed and expect the pace to pick up after federal approvals later this month. The administration expects vaccinations of young children to begin in earnest as early as June 21, if the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the vaccines in separate meetings slated for next week, officials told reporters on Wednesday.

BioNTech to soon start mRNA vaccine factory construction in Rwanda

COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech said construction of an mRNA vaccine factory to serve Africa would start on June 23 in Rwanda. The groundbreaking ceremony in the capital city of Kigali is to be attended by Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, further heads of state as well as representatives from the African Union, the European Union, and the World Health Organization, the biotech firm said in a statement.

India reports the highest coronavirus daily cases since March 2

India reported 7,240 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, its highest number of daily cases since March 2. India's financial capital Mumbai, which has seen a rapid rise in cases, reported 1,765 new infections late on Wednesday, an increase of more than 500 cases from its Tuesday caseload.

Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus

Some parts of Shanghai and Beijing brought back a few COVID-19-related restrictions and delayed reopenings, while India saw its biggest jump in daily cases in more than three months. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

German vaccine authority recommends Imvanex for adults at risk of monkeypox

Germany's vaccine advisory committee recommends that people over 18 who have been exposed to or are at increased risk of monkeypox infection receive Bavarian Nordic's Imvanex vaccine, it said on Thursday. Those at increased risk of monkeypox include men who have sex with multiple male partners and infectious disease lab workers, the committee, known as STIKO, said.

China COVID jitters flare up as parts of Shanghai resume lockdown

Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh COVID-19 alerts on Thursday after parts of China's largest economic hub imposed new lockdown restrictions and the city announced a round of mass testing for millions of residents. The most populous district in the Chinese capital, meanwhile, announced the shutdown of entertainment venues, while news of the lockdown of Shanghai's Minhang district, home to more than 2 million people, pulled down Chinese stocks.