Health News Roundup: N.Korea reports 40,060 more people with fever symptoms amid COVID outbreak -KCNA; Pfizer COVID vaccines safe and effective for small children, FDA staff say and more

The FDA reviewers said in briefing documents published on Sunday evening that their evaluation did not reveal any new safety concerns related to the use of the vaccine in young children. Beijing halts offline sports events from June 13 due to COVID outbreak Beijing will suspend all offline sports events starting from June 13 citing high transmission risks of a recent COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in the city, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports said in a statement on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

N.Korea reports 40,060 more people with fever symptoms amid COVID outbreak -KCNA

North Korea on Sunday reported 40,060 new people showing fever symptoms and one death amid the isolated nation's first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, state media KCNA said.

Pfizer COVID vaccines safe and effective for small children, FDA staff say

U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers on Sunday said Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines were effective and safe for use in children aged 6 months to 4 years. The FDA reviewers said in briefing documents published on Sunday evening that their evaluation did not reveal any new safety concerns related to the use of the vaccine in young children.

Beijing halts offline sports events from June 13 due to the COVID outbreak

Beijing will suspend all offline sports events starting from June 13 citing high transmission risks of a recent COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in the city, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports said in a statement on Monday. As of June 12, some 166 cases have been linked so far to the outbreak at the Chaoyang Heaven Supermarket Bar, which emerged last week.

Venezuela confirms the first case of monkeypox

The Venezuelan government said on Sunday it had recorded its first case of monkeypox in a man who entered the country though its principal airport near Caracas after arriving from Madrid. Contact tracing is taking place, Health Minister Magaly Gutierrez said on Twitter.

China reports 220 new COVID cases for June 12 vs 275 day earlier

Mainland China reported 220 new coronavirus cases for June 12, of which 89 were symptomatic and 131 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Monday. That compared with 275 new cases a day earlier, 134 symptomatic and 141 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.