Health News Roundup: India to ease lockdown rules as coronavirus case numbers decline; Australia's COVID-19 hotspot logs four new local cases and more

The new measures, which will be effective from Monday morning, include the closure of all educational institutions, some bans on travel, the shutdown of weekly open markets, and the suspension of church services. U.S. boosts Taiwan's COVID-19 fight with vaccines as senators visit The United States will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan as part of the country's plan to share shots globally, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth said on Sunday, offering a much-needed boost to the island's fight against the pandemic.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

India to ease lockdown rules as coronavirus case numbers decline

India reported 114,460 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, the lowest in two months, while the death toll increased by 2,677, as parts of the country prepared to ease movement restrictions. India has the world's second-largest number of coronavirus infections after the United States with total cases at 28.8 million, according to health ministry data. The country has suffered 346,759 deaths.

Too soon to say if English lockdown will end June 21, Hancock says

British health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday it was too early to say whether the government would stick to its plan to fully lift COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England on June 21. Hancock said there had been a "very significant" impact from the delta variant of COVID-19 first detected in India over the last month, which is now the dominant strain in England, according to official estimates.

U.S. administers 301.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines – CDC

The United States has administered 301,638,578 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 371,520,735 doses as of Sunday morning, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Those figures are up from the 300,268,730 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by June 5 out of 371,520,975 doses delivered.

Chinese city of Guangzhou reports seven new COVID-19 cases

The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Sunday reported seven new local confirmed COVID-19 patients for June 5, bringing the city's total since May 21 to 80 amid a resurgent outbreak. Overall, China reported 30 new mainland coronavirus cases for June 5, up from 24 a day earlier, the country's health authority said in a statement on Sunday. Of the new cases, 23 were imported.

Australia's COVID-19 hotspot logs four new local cases

Australia's second most populous state Victoria on Sunday reported two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, with the low number raising hopes that a hard lockdown in the state's capital Melbourne will be eased on June 10. Two other new cases were reported on Sunday by an aged care home, but the state had yet to confirm them.

Uganda re-imposes lockdown to beat back COVID-19 case surge

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday re-imposed a strict lockdown that included the closure of schools and the suspension of inter-district travel to help beat back a surge in COVID-19 cases in the East African country. The new measures, which will be effective from Monday morning, include the closure of all educational institutions, some bans on travel, the shutdown of weekly open markets, and the suspension of church services.

U.S. boosts Taiwan's COVID-19 fight with vaccines as senators visit

The United States will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan as part of the country's plan to share shots globally, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth said on Sunday, offering a much-needed boost to the island's fight against the pandemic. Taiwan is dealing with a spike in domestic cases but has been affected like many places by global vaccines shortages. Only around 3% of its 23.5 million people have been vaccinated, with most getting only the first shot of two needed.

In boost for Africa, Senegal aims to make COVID shots next year

Senegal could begin producing COVID-19 vaccines next year under an agreement with Belgian biotech group Univercells aimed at boosting Africa's drug-manufacturing ambitions, a source involved in funding the project told Reuters. As wealthy countries begin to reopen after securing vaccine supplies early, African nations are still struggling to acquire shots. On a continent of 1.3 billion, only about 7 million have been fully vaccinated.

Taiwan to quarantine workers to control COVID spike at tech firm

All foreign workers at a plant of major Taiwanese chip packager King Yuan Electronics in Taiwan's northern city of Miaoli will be quarantined as health workers try to stop an outbreak of COVID-19 there, the government said on Sunday. While cases had been concentrated in Taipei and neighbouring New Taipei, health authorities are now trying to stop an outbreak at two chip packagers in Miaoli, King Yuan and Greatek Electronics, as well as ethernet switch maker Accton Technology Corp.

UK's Johnson calls on G7 to vaccinate world by end of 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday called for leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations to make a commitment to vaccinate the entire world against COVID-19 by the end of 2022 when they meet in Britain next week. Johnson will host the first in-person summit in almost two years of G7 leaders - which follows a meeting of the group's finance ministers which wrapped up earlier in the day - and said he would seek a pledge to hit the global vaccination goal.

(With inputs from agencies.)