Health News Roundup: Omicron-specific COVID shots could increase protection as boosters - EMA; U.S. orders 2.5 million more doses of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine for monkeypox and more

Following a meeting on Thursday, the EMA said global regulators had agreed on key principles for updating COVID-19 shots to respond to emerging variants. U.S. orders 2.5 million more doses of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine for monkeypox The U.S. government has ordered 2.5 million more doses of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine for use against monkeypox outbreaks, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Omicron-specific COVID shots could increase protection as boosters - EMA

Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to include the Omicron variant strain can improve protection when used as a booster, the European Medicines Agency and other global health regulators said on Friday. Following a meeting on Thursday, the EMA said global regulators had agreed on key principles for updating COVID-19 shots to respond to emerging variants.

U.S. orders 2.5 million more doses of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine for monkeypox

The U.S. government has ordered 2.5 million more doses of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine for use against monkeypox outbreaks, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Friday. The shot has already been cleared for both smallpox and monkeypox in the United States, where it is called Jynneos.

Novavax expects COVID vaccine targeting Omicron in fourth quarter

Novavax Inc said on Friday it expects to provide a COVID-19 vaccine targeting Omicron in the fourth quarter as it accelerates the development of shots to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. The U.S. FDA on Thursday recommended COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

Germany has two more African swine fever cases in farm pigs - ministry

Two more case of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in farm pigs in Germany, Germany's federal agriculture ministry said. One was in the western state of Lower Saxony which was previously free of the disease and one in the eastern state of Brandenburg where the disease has been found before.

Monkeypox symptoms differ from previous outbreaks - UK study

Patients with monkeypox in the UK have noticeably different symptoms from those seen in previous outbreaks, according to researchers in London, raising concerns cases are being missed. Patients reported less fever and tiredness and more skin lesions in their genital and anal areas than typically seen in monkeypox, the study of 54 patients at London sexual health clinics in May this year found.

Texas, Ohio top courts allow abortion bans to take effect

The top courts in Texas and Ohio on Friday allowed the Republican-led states to enforce restrictions and bans on abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the nationwide constitutional right to abortion. The Texas Supreme Court late on Friday allowed a nearly century-old abortion ban to take effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and erased women's constitutional right to abortion.

U.S. abortion ruling ignites retail interest in women contraceptive makers - Vanda

Retail investors have flocked to small biotech firms that make women contraceptives after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized the constitutional right to abortion, Vanda Research said on Friday.

The landmark decision has turned the spotlight on contraception access and led to a temporary spike in demand for over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills.

Eastern China cities tighten COVID curbs as new clusters emerge

Cities in eastern China tightened COVID-19 curbs on Sunday as coronavirus clusters emerge, posing a new threat to China's economic recovery under the government's strict zero-COVID policy. Wuxi, a manufacturing hub in the Yangtze Delta on the central coast, halted operations at many public venues located underground, including shops and supermarkets. Dine-in services in restaurants were suspended, and the government advised people to work from home.