Health News Roundup: Beijing city reports 3 new local COVID cases on Monday as of 3 p.m; Omnia sees Africa increasing farm input support amid food security fears and more

The study comes as China, which has approved only locally developed COVID shots including the Sinopharm vaccine, strives to improve vaccination rates, maintaining a "dynamic zero COVID" policy aimed at eradicate all outbreaks while many countries have adopted an approach of learning to live with the virus. Pfizer to buy 8.1 percent stake in French vaccines company Valneva U.S. healthcare giant Pfizer has agreed to invest 90.5 million euros ($95.24 million) to buy an 8.1% percent stake in French vaccines company, as the companies announced developments in their partnership to tackle the Lyme disease.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Beijing city reports 3 new local COVID cases on Monday as of 3 p.m

Chinese capital Beijing reported three new local COVID-19 cases on Monday as of 3 p.m., a local health official said. The three were already isolated for medical observation before confirmation of their infection, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director at Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told a news briefing.

Omnia sees Africa increasing farm input support amid food security fears

Fertilizer manufacturer Omnia Holdings says African governments are increasing support for smallholder farmers amid fears that input costs, driven higher after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, could cut crop production and worsen food insecurity. Omnia supplies fertilizer to both commercial and smallholder farmers in several sub-Saharan African countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Saudi lifts COVID-19 travel restrictions to Turkey, India, Ethiopia, and Vietnam

Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus travel restrictions on Monday on its citizens traveling to Turkey, India, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, the state news agency SPA reported. Earlier this month, the kingdom lifted measures imposed to prevent the spread of the virus, including a requirement to wear, face masks indoors.

Lebanon announces first monkeypox case - state news agency

Lebanon announced on Monday its first case of monkeypox, the state news agency NNA reported, quoting the health ministry.

The patient had come from abroad and is currently quarantining at home, NNA quoted a ministry statement as saying.

Macau shuts most businesses amid COVID outbreak, casinos stay open

The world's biggest gambling hub Macau began its second day of mass COVID-19 testing on Monday after dozens of locally transmitted cases were discovered over the weekend, with most businesses shut but casinos remaining open. The testing of Macau's roughly 600,000 residents is expected to end on Tuesday as the Chinese-ruled former Portuguese colony adheres to China's "zero COVID" policy aiming to eradicate all outbreaks at just about any cost.

Some Omicron sub-variants escaping antibodies from Sinopharm shot -Chinese study

A small Chinese study detailed in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal showed neutralizing antibodies against some Omicron sub-variants were largely undetectable after two doses of a Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, with a booster shot only partly restoring them. The study comes as China, which has approved only locally developed COVID shots including the Sinopharm vaccine, strives to improve vaccination rates, maintaining a "dynamic zero COVID" policy aimed at eradicating all outbreaks while many countries have adopted an approach of learning to live with the virus.

Pfizer to buy 8.1 percent stake in French vaccines company Valneva

U.S. healthcare giant Pfizer has agreed to invest 90.5 million euros ($95.24 million) to buy an 8.1% percent stake in a French vaccines company, as the companies announced developments in their partnership to tackle the Lyme disease. Pfizer will buy the stake in Valneva, which is also working on its COVID-19 vaccine, at a price of 9.49 euros per share, via a reserved capital increase.

(With inputs from agencies.)