Health News Roundup: Cold, lack of water overwhelm Texas; Argentina's new health minister pledges fair vaccine and more

Israel's COVID vaccination pass opens fast track to normal life Israel reopened swathes of its economy including malls and leisure facilities on Sunday, with the government saying the start of a return to routine was enabled by COVID-19 vaccines administered to almost half the population.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Cold, lack of water overwhelm Texas hospitals more than COVID-19 did

Texas doctor Natasha Kathuria has practiced medicine in 11 countries, worked through the 2014 "Snowmageddon" storm that ground Atlanta to a halt, and survived the past year's COVID-19 pandemic crush. But Kathuria and some other doctors in Texas are saying they have never seen a more harrowing week than this one.

Argentina's new health minister pledges fair vaccine access after scandal

Argentina's new Health Minister Carla Vizzotti was sworn in on Saturday after the country was rattled by a scandal over VIP coronavirus vaccine access, pledging to strengthen oversight and transparency of the inoculation program. Her predecessor stepped down on Friday after reports that people had been able to use connections to get priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, piling pressure on the center-left government of President Alberto Fernandez.

U.S. administers 61.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines: CDC

The United States has administered 61,289,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Saturday morning and delivered 79,128,495 doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The tally of vaccine doses are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, the agency said.

South Korea to begin using Pfizer coronavirus vaccines on Feb. 27, PM says

South Korea will begin administering the first of 117,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Feb. 27, a day after the country begins its first vaccinations with AstraZeneca's products, the prime minister announced on Sunday. Plans call for about 10 million high-risk people, including health care workers and staffers and some residents of assisted care facilities and nursing homes, to be inoculated by July.

UK to reopen in stages after driving down South African variant, Hancock says

Britain has started to drive down cases of the more infectious South African variant of coronavirus and will only emerge from lockdown in stages to make sure that does not change, the country's health secretary said on Sunday. A day before Prime Minister Boris Johnson sets out his plan to ease restrictions in England, Hancock said there was also early data showing that the faster-than-expected vaccine rollout was reducing transmissions and easing pressure on hospitals.

Fujifilm to restart clinical trial of Avigan to treat COVID-19: media

Fujifilm Holdings Corp will restart a clinical trial in Japan of its antiviral drug Avigan for the treatment of COVID-19, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Sunday. Domestic approval of the drug was delayed after a health ministry panel said in December that trial data was inconclusive. The new study will involve about 270 patients and Fujifilm will aim to seek approval again in October, Nikkei said.

Israel's COVID vaccination pass opens fast track to normal life

Israel reopened swathes of its economy including malls and leisure facilities on Sunday, with the government saying the start of a return to routine was enabled by COVID-19 vaccines administered to almost half the population. Shops were open to all. But access to gyms, hotels and theatres was limited to people with a "Green Pass": those who have had both doses of the vaccine more than a week prior, or recovered from the disease with presumed immunity.

Malaysia to start COVID-19 vaccination drive early as first doses arrive

Malaysia moved up its COVID-19 inoculation drive by two days as the first batch of vaccines arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on Sunday. Malaysia aims to vaccinate at least 80% of its 32 million people within a year as it pushes to revive an economy that, slammed by coronavirus-related curbs, recorded its worst slump in over two decades in 2020.

Australian PM Morrison gets COVID-19 vaccine in 'massive step' toward normal

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, calling the start of the nation's vaccination program a "massive step" that will enable it to return to normal. Up to 4 million Australians are expected to be inoculated by March, with Morrison among a small group receiving the first round of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

India's Serum Institute says prioritizing domestic vaccine needs, asks for patience

Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker by volume, on Sunday asked for patience from foreign governments awaiting their supply of COVID-19 shots, saying it had been directed to prioritize India's requirements. "...I humbly request you to please be patient," SII's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said in a tweet https://twitter.com/adarpoonawalla/status/1363346341275967488, adding the company "has been directed to prioritise the huge needs of India and along with that balance the needs of the rest of the world."