Health News Roundup: Two die in Japan after shots from suspended Moderna vaccines - Japan govt; India's new COVID-19 cases jump to two-month high and more

There were no reports of deer showing symptoms of infection, the USDA said. U.S. resumes supply of Lilly's COVID-19 antibody combo to some states U.S. health officials on Friday decided to resume the supply of Eli Lilly's COVID-19 antibody cocktail to states where variants resistant to it are low, saying the therapy could work against the fast-spreading Delta variant based on lab studies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Two die in Japan after shots from suspended Moderna vaccines - Japan govt

Two people died after receiving Moderna Inc COVID-19 vaccine shots that were among lots later suspended following the discovery of contaminants, Japan's health ministry said on Saturday. The men in their 30s died this month within days of receiving their second Moderna doses, the ministry said in a release. Each had a shot from one of three manufacturing lots suspended on Thursday. The causes of death are being investigated.

Genes may add to ethnic COVID-19 disparities; sickest patients unwell a year later

Here is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that have yet to be certified by peer review. Genes may explain some ethnic differences in COVID-19 impact

India's new COVID-19 cases jump to two-month high

India on Saturday reported 46,759 new coronavirus infections, the most in nearly two months, as cases surged in the southern state of Kerala after a big festival. The South Asian country's total COVID-19 cases reached nearly 32.7 million and deaths rose by 509 to 437,370 in the last 24 hours, government data showed.

U.S. COVID-19 tests again in short supply as infections soar, schools reopen

U.S. companies are scrambling to boost production of coronavirus tests increasingly in short supply as COVID-19 cases soar and schools and employers revive surveillance programs that will require tens of millions of tests, according to industry executives and state health officials. Test manufacturers including Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson and Co, and Quidel Corp in recent months scaled back production of rapid COVID-19 tests, which can produce results on-site in minutes, as well as test kits that are sent to laboratories for analysis. The move followed a nearly 90% decline in testing and a similarly large drop in COVID-19 cases in the United States.

Delta variant poses twice the risk of hospitalisation - study

People who get the Delta variant of the coronavirus are twice as likely to be hospitalized as those who were infected by the Alpha variant which was first detected in England last year, a study showed on Friday. The study, based on more than 43,000 COVID-19 cases of mostly unvaccinated people in England, compared the risk of hospitalization for people infected with Delta, which was first detected in India, with people who caught Alpha.

Australia logs record COVID-19 cases, driven by New South Wales

Australia reported a record 1,126 coronavirus infectious on Saturday, the vast majority in New South Wales, the epicenter of the Delta-fuelled outbreak. More than half of Australians have been in weeks-long lockdowns as officials in Sydney and Melbourne, the country's largest cities, and the capital Canberra struggle to quell the outbreak.

England gets ready for mass COVID inoculations for 12- to 15-year-olds

Britain's government said on Saturday it had told England's health service to get ready for a mass COVID-19 vaccination programme for children aged between 12 and 15 starting in September, if vaccination experts give the green light. A first vaccine dose has already been offered to all 16- and 17-year-olds in England as well as to 12- to 15-year-olds with specific underlying health conditions and those who live with someone who is immuno-suppressed.

Official guidance for COVID booster shot remains eight months - White House

Official U.S. guidance about when to get a COVID booster shot remains eight months after the last one, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday. President Joe Biden said earlier Friday that officials were considering shrinking that time period to as little as five months.

U.S. reports world's first deer with COVID-19

The U.S. government said on Friday it had confirmed the world's first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of Ohio, according to a statement. There were no reports of deer showing symptoms of infection, the USDA said.

U.S. resumes supply of Lilly's COVID-19 antibody combo to some states

U.S. health officials on Friday decided to resume the supply of Eli Lilly's COVID-19 antibody cocktail to states where variants resistant to it are low, saying the therapy could work against the fast-spreading Delta variant based on lab studies. The Department of Health and Human Services narrowed the scope of authorization for the dual-antibody therapy, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, to states including Colorado, Connecticut and Illinois, Indiana. With the Delta variant becoming the dominant strain, the prevalence of variants resistant to the therapy is steadily decreasing, the agency said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)