Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
EMA lists rare spinal condition as side effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot
A safety panel of the European drug regulator on Friday recommended adding a rare spinal inflammation called transverse myelitis as a side effect of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has faced several setbacks, including production delays, probes by regulators following rare cases of severe side effects such as blood clots with low platelets, which led to several countries restricting or stopping its use.
Factbox-Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic asked an Australian court to block his deportation ahead of the Australian Open after the government cancelled his visa for the second time over COVID-19 entry regulations. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers gathered on the banks of India’s Ganges river for a holy bathe despite a 30-fold rise in coronavirus cases in the past month.
S.African study suggests Omicron less severe even for unvaccinated
Unvaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus may be less prone to severe illness and requiring hospital care or dying than was the case with previous variants, a South African study showed on Friday. The study, by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in the Western Cape region, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, concluded.compared about 11,600 patients from the first three COVID-19 waves with about 5,100 from the Omicron-driven wave that began in November.
Brazil reels as Omicron spreads, weighing on hospitals and economy
Brazil is suffering a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads through the country, putting pressure on health services and weighing on an already sputtering economy. Insufficient testing and a data blackout caused by hackers have made it harder for experts to track the spread of Omicron in Brazil, but there are increasingly clear signs that the variant is hitting Latin America’s largest nation hard.
J&J booster 85% effective against Omicron hospitalisation, S.Africa says
A Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shot is 85% effective in protecting against being hospitalised by the Omicron variant for 1-2 months after it is received, the head of South Africa’s Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said on Friday. Glenda Gray presented the findings of a SAMRC study at a South African health ministry briefing on the COVID-19 fourth wave, which has been driven by the new variant.
Frustration over COVID-19 restrictions in increasingly isolated Hong Kong
Hong Kong is following mainland China’s zero-tolerance approach to control COVID-19, rankling many residents of the international financial hub as much of the world shifts towards living with the coronavirus. Hong Kong effectively closed its borders and imposed social restrictions this month to deal with a spurt in COVID-19 infections due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Thailand and Indonesia unveil plans to develop molnupiravir COVID-19 pill
Thailand’s health minister said on Friday the country planned to develop the anti-viral pill molnupiravir to combat COVID-19 infections amid rising infections driven by the Omicron variant. The molnupiravir COVID-19 treatment pill for adult patients at risk of developing severe illness was jointly developed by U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
COVID-19 Omicron variant now dominant in Italy, health body says
The highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant is now predominant in Italy, the National Health Institute (ISS) said on Friday, accounting for 81% of cases in a flash survey on Jan. 3. The previous survey showed Omicron at just 28% of cases on Dec. 20.
Bhutan reports first cases of Omicron coronavirus variant
Bhutan has reported its first 14 cases of Omicron coronavirus variant, a health official said on Friday, amid a surge of the pandemic in the Himalayan kingdom that has so far been relatively successful at keeping the disease at bay. Sonam Wangchuk, chief of the Royal Centre for Disease Control (RCDC), said all cases were samples collected from quarantine facilities where travellers from abroad stay.
EU excess deaths in November hit highest in a year – Eurostat
Around 27% more people died in the European Union than usual during November, the biggest increase in a year as a fresh wave of COVID-19 swept the region, official data showed on Friday. Excess mortality – the increase in total number of deaths, from any cause, compared with the same time in previous years – continued to vary across member states, EU statistics office Eurostat said.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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