Health News Roundup: German expats in China will have access to BioNTech vaccine, says Scholz; Analysis-For China's COVID policy, change comes in small increments and more

The following describes the new coronavirus subvariants and how they may impact people. China reports 3,837 new cases for Nov 4 vs 4,045 a day earlier China reported 3,837 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 4, of which 657 were symptomatic and 3,180 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. flu hospitalizations highest in 10 years, officials say

An early fall spike in influenza cases has pushed U.S. hospitalization rates for the illness to the highest in a decade for this time of year, U.S. health officials said on Friday, noting that vaccination rates are down. The rising flu cases come alongside pressure on hospitals from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID cases, officials said, urging people to get vaccinated and offering to assist states that may need additional support.

Lilly, Boehringer say Jardiance slows kidney disease progression in trial

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly said their diabetes drug Jardiance was shown to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), as they seek to catch up with market segment leader AstraZeneca. In a statement on Friday, the two partners said Jardiance cut the risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular death by 28%, citing results from a late-stage trial which included people with and without diabetes.

Eli Lilly says some staff want to leave Indiana because of abortion ban - FT

Some Eli Lilly and Co employees have requested transfers from the drugmaker's Indiana operations after the U.S. state's lawmakers approved a bill that would ban most abortions there, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Some staff had asked to relocate outside the state even though an Indiana judge has temporarily halted the ban, the Indiana-based pharmaceutical firm's chief executive David Ricks told the newspaper in an interview.

German expats in China will have access to BioNTech vaccine, says Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced an agreement on Friday to let expatriates in China use the COVID-19 vaccine from Germany's BioNTech and pressed for Beijing to allow the shot to be made freely available to Chinese citizens. On his first visit to China since becoming chancellor and the first by a G7 leader since the pandemic, Scholz said China and Germany had different approaches to fighting the virus but had a joint responsibility to eliminate it.

Pfizer/BioNTech Omicron shot shows strong response after a month

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE said on Friday their Omicron-tailored shot targeting the BA.4/5 subvariants produced a strong antibody response in older adults than the original shot after one month. In October, the companies had released data which showed the vaccine produced higher virus-neutralizing antibodies in humans after a week, but did not disclose the levels of antibodies produced in the study.

Analysis-For China's COVID policy, change comes in small increments

China is sticking with a strict COVID-19 containment strategy nearly three years into the pandemic, potentially disappointing investors hoping for a quick reopening, although authorities are making ongoing if modest tweaks to managing the virus. Numerous analysts and experts say China is unlikely to begin significant easing of its outlier zero-COVID approach, which is squeezing the economy and fuelling widespread frustration, before an annual parliamentary session in March - at the earliest.

Factbox-What are the new BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 coronavirus variants, and why it matters

New offshoots of the dominant BA.5 subvariant of Omicron known as BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are gaining ground in the United States as the SARS-Cov-2 virus that triggered the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. The following describes the new coronavirus subvariants and how they may impact people.

China reports 3,837 new cases for Nov 4 vs 4,045 a day earlier

China reported 3,837 new COVID-19 infections on Nov. 4, of which 657 were symptomatic and 3,180 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Saturday. That compared with six-month-high 4,045 new COVID-19 infections reported the day before, of which 757 were symptomatic and 3,288 were asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

China posts 6-month high COVID count as it sticks with strategy

China on Sunday reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in six months, a day after health officials said they were sticking with strict coronavirus curbs, likely disappointing recent investor hopes for an easing. China recorded 4,420 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the National Health Commission said, the most since May 6 and compared up from 3,659 new local cases a day earlier.

New Mexico town delays banning abortion

The city commission of Clovis on Thursday put off a vote on an ordinance designed to ban abortions within the New Mexico town near the Texas border, fearing challenges to the move in a state where the procedure remains legal. Clovis was set to become the first town to pass a so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance in a state controlled by the Democratic Party, according to anti-abortion advocates, who say it is part of a national push into "blue" states.