Health News Roundup: Highly mutated COVID variant found in new countries but pandemic in 'a different phase’; Nearly 2 million excess deaths followed China's sudden end of COVID curbs - study and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Highly mutated COVID variant found in new countries but pandemic in 'a different phase’

A highly mutated COVID variant called BA.2.86 has now been detected in Switzerland and South Africa in addition to Israel, Denmark, the U.S. and the U.K., according to a leading World Health Organization official. The Omicron offshoot carries more than 35 mutations in key portions of the virus compared with XBB.1.5, the dominant variant through most of 2023 - a number roughly on par with the Omicron variant that caused record infections compared to its predecessor.

Nearly 2 million excess deaths followed China's sudden end of COVID curbs - study

China's abrupt move to dismantle its strict COVID-19 regime, which unleashed the virus onto its 1.4 billion residents, could have led to nearly 2 million excess deaths in the following two months, a new U.S. study shows. The study by the federally funded Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle was taken from a sample of mortality data published by some universities in China and internet searches.

Charles River Lab signs joint agreement for protection of crabs used in medical tests

Charles River Laboratories has signed a joint agreement with four entities to enhance protections in South Carolina for horseshoe crabs and a bird that feeds on their eggs, they said on Thursday. The crabs, prized for their milky-blue blood that is used to detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs or implants, have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Cigna removes pre-authorization requirement for 25% of medical services

Health insurer Cigna Group said on Thursday it would remove the use of prior authorization or paperwork required to get approval for insurance coverage for 25% of medical services.

Health insurers have come under pressure as physicians claim that the pre-authorization requirements for some procedures are restrictive and increases their paperwork.

High demand, low supplies for Novo's weight-loss drug launch in Germany

Supplies of Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss drug Wegovy are limited in Germany less than a month after its launch in Europe's largest drug market, major drug distributors and doctors told Reuters. The volumes of the weekly injection that the Danish drugmaker has delivered to the country so far have fallen short of strong demand, the wholesalers said.

Legionnaires' outbreak in southern Polish city kills five

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the southern Polish city of Rzeszow has killed five people so far, a doctor said on Thursday, as authorities scrambled to find the source of the bacterial infection, which they believed was in the water supply. The most common form of transmission is inhalation of contaminated aerosols produced in conjunction with water sprays, jets or mists of contaminated water sources, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

EU approves Pfizer's RSV vaccine to protect infants and older adults

The European Commission on Thursday approved U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to protect both babies and older adults in the European Union. The approval makes the vaccine, which is sold under the brand name Abrysvo, the first to protect infants up to six months of age from the virus when given to pregnant women.

State laws, rising threats have chilling effect on transgender care

A Massachusetts healthcare center that provides gender-affirming care says it has allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect its staff and patients, amid a rise in threats and harassment against some treatment facilities in the United States. The center, which asked not to be identified to avoid attracting further aggression, said it raised $261,000 from five grants to put a security system in place to deal with menacing phone calls, harassment and the potential for more serious threats. It is planning to spend $98,000 a year on security going forward.

Planned Parenthood asks court to reconsider South Carolina's 'heartbeat' abortion ban

Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers on Thursday asked South Carolina's top court to reconsider its Wednesday ruling upholding the state's recent ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. In its petition, Planned Parenthood said that the South Carolina Supreme Court had left undecided whether fetal cardiac activity refers to the first regular contractions of heart tissue, which usually occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, or whether it requires the four chambers of the heart to be fully formed - which is usually not until 17 to 20 weeks.

Indian Immunologicals targets dengue vaccine launch by Jan 2026

Vaccine manufacturer Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) expects to commercially launch its dengue fever vaccine by early 2026, a top executive said, as the race to develop the country's first such vaccine heats up. Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, has over the last few years become a major public health concern in India, with 31,464 dengue cases and 36 related deaths reported between January and July 31, 2023.