Health News Roundup: Russia vaccine roll-out plan prompts virus mutation worries; What you need to know about the coronavirus right now and more

New York City ahead of curve on COVID-19, but faces risks going into fall: experts New York City, once an epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has managed to contain the virus as it reopens, but faces risks of an uptick in cases in the fall, public health experts told Reuters.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

England's small rise in COVID cases levelled off: statistics office

A small increase in the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in England in July appears to have levelled off, Britain's statistics office said on Friday. In the week of Aug. 7 to Aug. 13, around one in 2,200 individuals tested positive in England, it said.

Lebanon enforces new partial lockdown in effort to curb COVID-19

Lebanon imposed a partial lockdown for two weeks starting on Friday in an effort to counter COVID-19 infections which have spiralled since the catastrophic explosion at Beirut port. The spread of COVID-19 is compounding the woes of a country still reeling from the Aug. 4 blast that killed at least 179 people and wounded some 6,000, and a financial meltdown that has devastated the economy since October.

New York City ahead of curve on COVID-19, but faces risks going into fall: experts

New York City, once an epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has managed to contain the virus as it reopens, but faces risks of an uptick in cases in the fall, public health experts told Reuters. The city's success comes from a mix of high rates of compliance with local and federal public health guidance and also substantial immunity among the general population, a result of the severity of the outbreak in March and April, according to public health experts based in New York City.

COVID-19 era highlights U.S. 'black hole' compensation fund for pandemic vaccine injuries

A U.S. government program that compensates people who say they have been harmed by an emergency vaccine has paid out on fewer than 10% of claims, raising questions whether the process should be used to address any potential side effects from a coronavirus shot, according to some lawyers who have filed such claims. The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), run by an agency under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has been designated to handle any issues with a COVID-19 vaccine.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: New, milder, virus variant found Spain seeks to shut brothels to curb coronavirus contagion

Spanish Equality Minister Irene Montero has asked regions to order the closure of brothels in a bid to prevent new coronavirus outbreaks, a week after the government shut most nightlife establishments and imposed various other restrictions. The ministry has sent a letter asking "regions to specifically act on places where prostitution is exercised, like brothels", she told radio station RNE on Friday.

Russia vaccine roll-out plan prompts virus mutation worries

Russia's plan to roll-out its "Sputnik-V" COVID-19 vaccine even before full trials show how well it works is prompting concern among virus experts, who warn a partially effective shot may encourage the novel coronavirus to mutate. Viruses, including the pandemic SARS-CoV-2, are known for their ability to mutate all the time - and often this has little or no impact on the risk posed to people.

Pfizer, BioNTech shares gain as more data backs vaccine candidate

Shares of Pfizer Inc and U.S.-listed shares of partner BioNTech SE rose on Friday after they released additional data for their experimental coronavirus vaccine and reiterated they were on track to seek a regulatory review in October. Pfizer has said repeatedly since June that it was targeting October for its application and the companies started a large late-stage study last month of the candidate vaccine, one of the few globally in later stages of development.

West Nile virus outbreak kills two in southern Spain

The death toll in an outbreak of West Nile virus in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia has risen to two, after an 85-year old woman died in hospital, the regional health service said on Friday. Twenty-five people in Seville province have tested positive for West Nile fever - the disease caused by the virus - with 23 admitted to hospital and seven in intensive care, the authorities said.

Explainer: Reaching herd immunity in a viral pandemic

The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought "herd immunity" to the public consciousness, kindling hope the phenomenon can help slow or even end the outbreak. Herd immunity refers to a large portion of a community developing a degree of immunity to a virus, thereby reducing person-to-person spread. As a result, the whole community gains protection, not just those who are immune.

(With inputs from agencies.)