Health News Roundup: Biden to push for insulin cost caps, but unlikely to secure Congressional approval; Australia to expand rollout of fifth COVID vaccine shot and more

Back then they only needed 10 Republican votes in the U.S. Senate to pass it. Japan to end blanket COVID testing for Chinese travellers -FNN Japan is arranging to relax border control measures for visitors from China as early as this month, Japanese broadcaster FNN reported on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Biden to push for insulin cost caps, but unlikely to secure Congressional approval

U.S. President Joe Biden will call for a nationwide cap of $35 a month on out-of-pocket insulin costs during his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, but is unlikely to get his wish as it lacks enough Congressional support. Democrats failed to pass a similar measure last year when they controlled both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Back then they only needed 10 Republican votes in the U.S. Senate to pass it.

Australia to expand rollout of fifth COVID vaccine shot

Australia will roll out a fifth dose of COVID-19 vaccine later this month to all citizens aged 18 and above who have not contracted coronavirus or been vaccinated in the past six months, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Wednesday. The decision expands eligibility for the booster shot to include about 14 million people, more than half the country's population, who will be offered Omicron variant-specific vaccines from Feb. 20, Butler said.

Japan to end blanket COVID testing for Chinese travellers -FNN

Japan is arranging to relax border control measures for visitors from China as early as this month, Japanese broadcaster FNN reported on Wednesday. Japan plans to end blanket testing of COVID-19 for all travellers from China upon arrival, the broadcaster said. It will continue requiring negative COVID tests before departure, it said.

Doctor accused of spreading deadly meningitis arrested in Mexico

Mexican police detained a medical doctor and two others on Tuesday, all implicated in causing a meningitis outbreak in northern Mexico, after a surge of local cases in recent months led to the death of at least 35 women. Another 79 people have been hospitalized with signs of infection.

Owner of Spain's Cosentino admits negligence over silicosis in workers - documents

A Spanish businessman has admitted in court that he covered up the dangers of his company's star product, which allegedly led to nearly 1,900 workers contracting the occupational lung disease silicosis, court documents showed on Tuesday. Francisco Martinez, who owns Spain's leading kitchen worktop manufacturer Cosentino, accepted a six-month suspended prison sentence for five counts of serious injury due to gross negligence in a plea bargain with the court in the northwestern region of Galicia.

WHO says Syria, already in crisis, needs massive humanitarian aid after quake

Senior officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that Syria's humanitarian needs where the highest after a major earthquake killed thousands there and in southern Turkey. Adelheid Marschang, WHO Senior Emergency Officer, said Turkey had a strong capacity to respond to the crisis but that the main unmet needs in the immediate and mid-term would be across the border in Syria, already grappling with a years-long humanitarian crisis due to the civil war and a cholera outbreak.

Texas sues Biden administration for asking pharmacies to fill reproductive health prescriptions

Texas sued the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday to prevent it from asking pharmacies to fill reproductive health prescriptions. The Biden administration said in July 2022 that refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs that could be used to terminate a pregnancy could violate federal law, regardless of various state bans on the procedure.

White House opposes bill to lift foreign air visitor vaccination rule

The White House said Tuesday it opposes legislation before Congress that would end a requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the bill on Wednesday.

Yanomami health crisis in Brazil can only be solved by expelling miners, official says

The medical emergency the Yanomami people of Brazil are suffering can only be overcome if illegal gold miners that invaded their reservation are evicted, an indigenous health official said on Tuesday. "The malnutrition crisis continues to be extremely serious. We believe the reopening of medical units can only be done when the miners are all removed," Indigenous Health Secretary Ricardo Weibe Tapeba told a news conference.

Canada pledges C$46.2 billion in new funding to fix strained healthcare system

Canada's federal government will provide an additional C$46.2 billion ($34.4 billion) in new funding for the country's public healthcare system over 10 years, it said on Tuesday following a meeting with its provincial and territorial counterparts to hammer out a deal to fix the overburdened system. Canada's public healthcare systems have been under strain thanks in part to the pandemic and staffing shortages that have left hospitals stretched to the breaking point.

(With inputs from agencies.)