Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca's Enhertu wins keenly-anticipated U.S. breast cancer nod; Russia's official toll of COVID-related deaths exceeds 820,000 and more

(2200 GMT) after authorities said the COVID situation was "very severe" and people's movements were being restricted. China shortens suspensions for international flights linked to COVID cases China has shortened the suspension time for inbound international flights on routes found to have COVID-19 cases starting on Aug. 7.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca's Enhertu wins keenly-anticipated U.S. breast cancer nod

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo on Friday secured U.S. approval that broadens the use of their therapy Enhertu, for patients with breast cancer, and paves the way for billions in sales. This is the first-ever U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a medicine specifically targeting patients with so-called HER2-low breast cancer, the agency said.

Russia's official toll of COVID-related deaths exceeds 820,000

Russia has registered a total of 820,307 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic in the country in April 2020, the state statistics service Rosstat said on Friday. It said 4,991 people had died of COVID-19 or related causes in June, down from 7,098 in May.

U.S. administers over 7,300 Novavax vaccine doses - CDC

The United States has administered more than 7,300 doses of Novavax Inc's COVID-19 shot, which health officials hope will convince more people to opt for vaccinations as it is based on a technology that has been in use for decades. Over 330,000 doses of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed in the United States, and more than 2,300 people have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated on Thursday.

China's Sanya holiday hotspot shuts duty-free malls, and venues to curb COVID

Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty-free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak. Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Hainan's duty-free industry has boomed, becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach, La Mer to L'Oreal to reach Chinese shoppers.

Chinese tourist hot spot Sanya imposes COVID lockdown

The southern Chinese resort city of Sanya imposed a lockdown on Saturday and restricted transport links to try to stem a COVID-19 outbreak that comes as some 80,000 visitors were enjoying its beaches during peak season. The curbs came into force at 6 a.m. (2200 GMT) after authorities said the COVID situation was "very severe" and people's movements were being restricted.

China shortens suspensions for international flights linked to COVID cases

China has shortened the suspension time for inbound international flights on routes found to have COVID-19 cases starting on Aug. 7. The country's aviation regulator said in a statement on Sunday that flights on a route with an identified coronavirus case will be suspended for one week if 4% of passengers test positive, and two weeks if 8% of passengers test positive.

'Early signs' monkeypox outbreak plateauing in UK, health authority says

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday there were "early signs" that the monkeypox outbreak is plateauing across the country and that its expansion has slowed.

"While the most recent data suggests the growth of the outbreak has slowed, we cannot be complacent," Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA, said.

(With inputs from agencies.)