Health News Roundup: New Zealand's Māori ask anti-vaccine protesters to stop using haka; Bird flu spreads in Europe and Asia and more

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has accused McKesson, Cardinal Health Inc and AmerisourceBergen Corp of creating a public nuisance by failing to prevent the diversion of prescription pills into illegal channels. Britain to extend COVID booster rollout to over-40s Britain's COVID-19 booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people aged between 40 and 49, officials said on Monday, in a bid to boost waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

New Zealand's Māori ask anti-vaccine protesters to stop using haka

A Māori tribe that claims New Zealand's most famous haka as its heritage on Monday told anti-vaccine protesters to stop using the traditional performance to promote their message. Vaccine protesters have performed the "Ka Mate", a Māori haka composed in about 1820 by Te Rauparaha, war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe, at their rallies over the past few weeks against vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions.

Bird flu spreads in Europe and Asia

Several outbreaks of severe bird flu in Europe and Asia have been reported in recent days to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in a sign the virus is spreading quickly again. The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has put the poultry industry on alert after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds. Outbreaks also often lead to trade restrictions.

McKesson, drug distributors face $95 billion opioid trial in Washington state

A trial pitting Washington state against McKesson Corp and two other drug distributors accused of fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic is slated to kick off on Monday, after the state's attorney general declined to join a $26 billion nationwide settlement. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has accused McKesson, Cardinal Health Inc and AmerisourceBergen Corp of creating a public nuisance by failing to prevent the diversion of prescription pills into illegal channels.

Britain to extend COVID booster rollout to over-40s

Britain's COVID-19 booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people aged between 40 and 49, officials said on Monday, in a bid to boost waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months. Currently all people aged 50 and above, those who are clinically vulnerable and frontline health workers are eligible for boosters, and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said that the rollout would be extended.

Spain's Hipra gets green light for Phase II COVID vaccine trials

Spain's medicines agency has authorised Catalonia-based pharmaceutical group Hipra to test a COVID-19 vaccine it is developing on more than 1,000 volunteers, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday. Hipra will carry out the so-called Phase II trial - the second stage of a three-round trial process - on volunteers at 10 hospitals around Spain, Sanchez said.

China fights biggest Delta outbreak as cases grow in city of Dalian

China is battling the spread of its biggest COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Delta variant, according to numbers announced on Monday, with travellers from a city where infections have grown faster than elsewhere in the country subject to tough quarantine rules in nearby areas. Chinese authorities said 32 new domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms have been reported for Nov. 14, most of which were in northeastern Dalian city. That brings the tally of local cases since Oct. 17 to 1,308, Reuters calculations based on official data showed, surpassing the 1,280 local cases from a summer Delta outbreak.

UK PM Johnson says no need to move to COVID "Plan B"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he saw no need at the moment to move to a "Plan B" of mask mandates, vaccine passes and work from home orders, even though he was cautious of rising coronavirus cases in parts of Europe. "We don't see anything in the data at the moment to suggest that we need to go to Plan B," Johnson said in a broadcast clip on Monday. "We're sticking with Plan A. But what we certainly have got to recognise is there is a storm of infection out there in parts of Europe."

German coronavirus infections hit new high, tighter measures planned

Germany's coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, as the three parties in talks to form a new government plan an expansion of measures to tackle the pandemic. The seven-day incidence rate - the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week - rose to 303 from 289 the previous day, figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.

Austria locks down unvaccinated as COVID cases rise across Europe

Austria slapped a lockdown on people unvaccinated against the coronavirus on Monday as winter approaches and infections rise across Europe, with Germany considering tighter curbs and Britain expanding its booster programme to younger adults. Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, prompting some countries to consider re-imposing restrictions in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.

CVS, Walgreens, Walmart set for closing arguments in Ohio opioid trial

A jury is set to hear closing arguments on Monday in a trial in federal court in Cleveland focused on claims by two counties in Ohio that three major retail pharmacy chains - CVS, Walgreens and Walmart - fueled the U.S. opioid epidemic by failing to stop addictive painkilling pills from reaching the black market. The arguments will cap off a trial in a lawsuit by Lake and Trumbull counties accusing CVS Health Corp, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and Walmart Inc of bearing responsibility for the deadly effects of the epidemic in those communities.

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