Health News Roundup: Moderna to build new vaccine facility in Britain; Moderna booster candidate shows strong response against Omicron subvariants and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Moderna to build new vaccine facility in Britain

U.S. biotech firm Moderna will build a new research and manufacturing center in Britain to develop vaccines against new COVID-19 variants, and other respiratory illnesses and help improve readiness for any future pandemics. The facility is expected to start producing shots in 2025 and Britain has made a commitment to buy Moderna's vaccines for the next decade under the agreement.

Moderna booster candidate shows strong response against Omicron subvariants

Moderna Inc said on Wednesday that an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine designed to target the Omicron variant also generated a strong immune response against the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which have gained a foothold in the U.S. in recent weeks. The updated vaccine, which Moderna is hoping will be approved for use as a booster shot for the fall, is a bivalent vaccine, meaning it contains a vaccine designed to target two different coronavirus variants - the original variant from 2020 and the Omicron variant that was circulating widely last winter.

S.Korea confirms first case of monkeypox

South Korea confirmed on Wednesday its first case of the monkeypox virus, an official of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency told a news conference.

U.S. COVID vaccines start to roll out for young children

The United States has begun distributing COVID vaccines for children as young as six months around the country, and availability of the shots will improve in the coming days, according to White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. U.S. regulators authorized Moderna Inc's two-dose vaccine for children aged six months to five years and the Pfizer-BioNTech three-shot regimen for children aged six months to four years late last week.

France is facing a new COVID-19 wave - French vaccination chief

France is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by new variants of the disease, French vaccination chief Alain Fischer said on Wednesday, as daily new cases reached an almost two-month peak the day before at more than 95,000. Speaking on France 2 television, he said there was no doubt there was once again an upsurge of the pandemic in the country, adding he was personally in favour of reinstating mandatory face mask-wearing on public transport.

Poliovirus found in London sewage, but risk of contraction considered low

The poliovirus has been detected in several sewage samples in the British capital, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the country. Authorities have not found any cases of polio, which causes paralysis in children in under 1% of infections. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the risk was low because of high vaccination coverage.

Universal Beijing Resort to reopen on June 25 as COVID cases drop

The Universal Beijing Resort said on Wednesday it will reopen on June 25 after being closed for nearly two months, as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Chinese capital falls. The resort said on its official WeChat account that after it reopens, all visitors must show a negative PCR test taken within the past 72 hours and wear masks at all times.

Moderna CEO: COVID variant vaccine to be ready for shipping in August

Moderna's COVID-19 variant vaccine will be ready to ship in August as the company has been making shots ahead of approval, Chief Executive Stephane Bancel told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the only bottleneck to supply was a regulatory one. "Our goal is as early as August given we're going to file all the data in June, by the end of June... hopefully in the August timeframe, the vaccine is authorized," Bancel said in an interview.

COVID-19 vaccine scheme for world's poorest pushes for a delivery slowdown

Leaders of the global scheme aiming to get COVID-19 vaccines to the world's poorest are pushing manufacturers including Pfizer and Moderna to cut or slow deliveries of about half a billion shots so doses are not wasted. COVAX, the World Health Organization-led scheme, wants between 400 and 600 million fewer vaccine doses than initially contracted from six pharmaceutical companies, according to internal documents seen by Reuters.

Denmark to offer fourth COVID vaccine dose to people over 50 years

Denmark plans to offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose in the autumn to those who are over 50 years old, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday as she announced a strategy to curb the spread of the disease over the coming months. Although COVID infections are still at low levels, Denmark has seen an increase in the number of cases after the new BA.5 subvariant of Omicron, which seems to spread more quickly than other variants, became dominant in the Nordic country.