Health News Roundup: Johnson tells Tory MPs tiered restrictions have senset; UK secures 2 million more doses of Moderna's and more

Mexico posts more than 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases: health ministry Mexico reported 10,008 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 586 additional deaths on Saturday, health ministry data showed, bringing the official number of cases to 1,100,683 with a total death toll of 105,459.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 29-11-2020 11:00 IST | Created: 29-11-2020 10:28 IST
Health News Roundup: Johnson tells Tory MPs tiered  restrictions have senset; UK secures 2 million more doses of Moderna's and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK's Johnson tells Tory MPs tiered restrictions have sunset of Feb. 3: Sky News

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country's new tiered system of COVID-19 restrictions "have a sunset of 3 February," the Sky News reported https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-boris-johnson-tells-tory-mps-tiered-restrictions-have-sunset-of-3-february-12145525 on Saturday, citing his letter to MPs of his Conservative Party. Johnson insisted the tiered measures for local areas would be reviewed every fortnight, the report added.

UK secures 2 million more doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Britain has secured two million doses of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, to be available in Europe as early as the spring, the government said on Sunday, in addition to the 5 million doses it secured from the U.S. company two weeks ago. The new deal came a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson named Nadhim Zahawi, a junior business minister, to be minister responsible for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

U.S. CDC reports 263,956 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 12,999,664 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 176,572 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,283 to 263,956. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Nov. 27 versus its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/36f8EUx)

China reports 11 new COVID-19 cases vs six a day earlier

China on Sunday reported 11 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Nov. 28, compared with six cases a day earlier, the health authority said. All of the new infections were imported cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement. There were no new deaths.

U.S. vaccine plans take shape but no let-up on restrictions

U.S. health authorities will hold an emergency meeting next week to recommend that a coronavirus vaccine awaiting approval be given first to healthcare professionals and people in long-term care facilities. The meeting, announced on Friday by a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee on immunizations, suggests that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may be close to authorizing distribution of the long-awaited medication, at least to those considered most vulnerable.

Mexico posts more than 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases: health ministry

Mexico reported 10,008 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 586 additional deaths on Saturday, health ministry data showed, bringing the official number of cases to 1,100,683 with a total death toll of 105,459. Health officials have said the real number of both is likely to be significantly higher due to little testing.

UK regulator set to approve COVID-19 vaccine next week - FT

Britain is set to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc next week and deliveries would begin within hours of the authorisation, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. The first immunisations using the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine could take place from Dec. 7, the FT said, citing unnamed sources. https://on.ft.com/3o6JrSG

Serum Institute CEO sees AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as "very good" candidate

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer, sees AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine candidate as a "very good" option, giving it a major vote of confidence after some experts raised questions around its trial data. Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with the British drugmaker to conduct trials on its COVISHIELD vaccine in India and produce the vaccine candidate if it secures approval, plans to apply for an emergency use licence for the vaccine in the next two weeks, said SII's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla.

Canada blocks bulk exports of some prescription drugs in response to Trump import plan

Canada on Saturday blocked bulk exports of prescription drugs if they would create a shortage at home, in response to outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to allow imports from Canada to lower some drug prices for Americans. "Certain drugs intended for the Canadian market are prohibited from being distributed for consumption outside of Canada if that sale would cause or worsen a drug shortage," Health Minister Patty Hajdu said in a statement.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 14,611: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 14,611 to 1,042,700, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 158 to 16,123, the tally showed.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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