Health News Roundup: Hong Kong reports 1,047 new coronavirus infections; Abortions in U.S. rise, reversing a 30-year trend, new data show and more

Around 77 million people in the United States have received at least a two-dose course of Moderna's vaccine, which has long been available for people aged 18 and older. WHO looks into reports of monkeypox virus in semen The World Health Organisation is looking into reports that the monkeypox virus is present in the semen of patients, exploring the possibility that the disease could be sexually transmitted, a WHO official said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Hong Kong reports 1,047 new coronavirus infections

Hong Kong reported 1,047 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the first time the daily tally has topped 1,000 since mid-April, as cases crept up ahead of celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the city's handover to the mainland China.

Abortions in U.S. rise, reversing a 30-year trend, new data show

Abortions performed in the United States increased by 8% during the three years ending in 2020, reversing a 30-year trend of declining numbers, according to data released on Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights research group. The rise comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule this month in a case widely expected to end or severely curtail the right to the procedure, as indicated by a leaked draft of the court's opinion.

The Chinese capital has reported 327 COVID cases linked to bar-health official

China's capital Beijing has reported a total of 327 COVID cases linked to a bar as of Wednesday afternoon, a health official said. Beijing reported seven new local COVID cases on Wednesday up to 3 p.m., Liu Xiaofeng added. (This story corrects typo in par 1)

U.S. FDA advisers overwhelmingly back Moderna COVID vaccine for ages 6-17

Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday unanimously recommended that the agency authorize Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for children and teens aged 6 to 17 years of age. Around 77 million people in the United States have received at least a two-dose course of Moderna's vaccine, which has long been available for people aged 18 and older.

WHO looks into reports of monkeypox virus in semen

The World Health Organisation is looking into reports that the monkeypox virus is present in the semen of patients, exploring the possibility that the disease could be sexually transmitted, a WHO official said on Wednesday. Many cases in the current monkeypox outbreak, largely centered on Europe, are among sexual partners who have had close contact, and the agency reiterated that the virus is mainly transmitted via close interpersonal contact.

Pfizer stops enrollment in Paxlovid trial in a standard-risk population

Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it would halt enrollment in a trial for its COVID-19 antiviral drug, Paxlovid, in standard-risk patients after a study revealed the treatment was not effective in reducing symptoms in that group. The drug has emergency use authorization for high-risk groups in which it has been effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths.

Shanghai orders mass COVID testing each weekend until end-July

Shanghai will require all of its 16 districts to organize mass COVID testing for residents every weekend until the end of July, a city official said on Wednesday. Zhao Dandan said that all districts will organize "community screenings" each weekend.

Baby formula makers raced for FDA approval. They may be waiting a while

To ease the U.S. shortage of baby formula, Nature's One and Holle are poised to ship hundreds of thousands of pounds, if not millions of pounds, of additional formula into stores, company executives told Reuters. They may be waiting a while.

U.S. FDA panel weighs COVID vaccines for children as young as 6 months

Advisers to the U.S Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday will vote on whether to recommend authorization of two COVID-19 vaccines for the millions of children ages five years and under, an important step toward immunizing a group that has not been eligible for the shots during the pandemic. The U.S. government is planning for a June 21 start to its under-5 vaccination campaign should the vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer/BioNTech receive FDA authorization, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said last week.

Omicron sub-variants BA.4, BA.5 account for 21% of COVID variants in U.S. - CDC

The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are estimated to make up about 8.3% and 13.3% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of June 11, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday. The two fast-spreading sublineages were added to the World Health Organization's monitoring list in March and have also been designated as variants of concern in Europe.

(With inputs from agencies.)