Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Several eastern Chinese areas in mass COVID testing to curb new waves of infections
Parts of eastern China are running fresh rounds of mass COVID-19 testing, as the country faces new waves of infections while recovering from the impact of the spring outbreaks that hit Beijing and Shanghai. China continues to demand local authorities detect and contain new infections as soon as possible in its “dynamic COVID zero” strategy, although it has warned against expanding strict curbs unnecessarily as it struggles to revive the economy.
Sanofi launches global health brand with non-profit treatments
French drugmaker Sanofi will make 30 of its treatments, including insulin, available on a not-for-profit basis in 40 lower-income countries in the first step of its plan to increase access to its medicines worldwide. The treatments will be provided under the new Impact brand, part of Sanofi’s global health unit launched last year, which sits outside the commercial business.
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.
Macau steps up COVID testing as infections surge
Macau kicked off a new round of COVID-19 testing for its more than 600,000 residents on Monday, as officials in the world’s biggest gambling hub raced to limit spiraling infections in the city’s worst outbreak since the pandemic began. All residents face three rounds of tests this week, in addition to rapid antigen tests, as Monday’s 68 new infections took the tally in the former Portuguese colony to 852 since the middle of June. About 12,000 people are in quarantine.
German health minister in move to boost use of COVID treatment Paxlovid
Germany’s health minister said on Sunday he will push for more prescriptions of Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid by family doctors to reduce severe cases of the disease. “A system involving family doctors will be prepared to administer this far too rarely-used COVID life saver more routinely,” he wrote https://twitter.com/Karl_Lauterbach/status/1543582226788634624 on Twitter on Sunday, adding that sufficient stockpiles were available.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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