Health News Roundup: U.S. website to order free COVID-19 tests is now up and running; British ministers to decide on lifting England's COVID curbs and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. U.S. website to order free COVID-19 tests is now up and running The U.S. government's new COVIDTests.gov website, set up for American households to order four free COVID-19 tests amid the Omicron variant surge, is up and running ahead of its official launch on Wednesday, the White House said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. website to order free COVID-19 tests is now up and running

The U.S. government's new COVIDTests.gov website, set up for American households to order four free COVID-19 tests amid the Omicron variant surge, is up and running ahead of its official launch on Wednesday, the White House said. U.S. households can secure four tests at no cost when ordering from the website, with shipping expected within seven to 12 days of order, the White House said on Friday.

British ministers to decide on lifting England's COVID curbs

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet with his Cabinet on Wednesday to review restrictions to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in England as he seeks to move attention away from parties held at his residence during coronavirus lockdowns.

The restrictions, known as "Plan B" measures, were introduced by the government last month as the Omicron strain spread rapidly across Britain. They included guidance to work from home where possible, masks for indoor settings and vaccine passports for mass events.

China reports fewest daily local confirmed COVID-19 cases in two weeks

China reported the lowest daily count of local confirmed COVID-19 infections in two weeks on Wednesday after cities sealed up areas of virus risk, quarantined infections and conducted mass testing. Mainland China reported a total of 55 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, according to official data on Wednesday, lower than 127 a day earlier and marking the fewest since Jan. 4.

WHO says no evidence healthy children, adolescents need COVID-19 boosters

(Reuters) - There is no evidence at present that healthy children and adolescents need booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday. Speaking at a news briefing, she said that while there seems to be some waning of vaccine immunity over time against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, more research needs to be done to ascertain who needs booster doses.

Japan poised to widen COVID-19 controls as Omicron drives record infections

Japan was poised on Wednesday to widen COVID-19 controls to cover half its population as the Omicron variant drives new infections to record levels. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to officially approve the plan after it was cleared by an expert panel.

Mild COVID cases still lead to attention and memory issues - study

People with mild COVID-19 who do not suffer any other traditional "long COVID" symptoms can still exhibit deteriorated attention and memory six to nine months after infection, a study by Britain's Oxford University has found. Cognitive issues impacting concentration levels, along with forgetfulness and fatigue, are features of long COVID - a condition that afflicts some after an initial bout of infection - but it has not been established how widespread issues with attention span might be following COVID-19 infection.

Exclusive: Britain preparing for end-June switch to paid COVID tests - document

British health officials are aiming to be ready to start charging Britons for COVID-19 tests that are currently free at the end of June, a document seen by Reuters shows, in what could be a risky gambit for the government. Britain has been increasingly dependent on rapid testing to try to tackle the more-transmissible Omicron variant, which has spread rapidly through the population but is less severe.

Hong Kong's COVID-19 hamster cull sparks fear of owners abandoning pets

A mass hamster cull in Hong Kong sparked fears among animal welfare groups on Wednesday that panicky people would abandon their pets after 11 of the rodents from one petshop in the city tested positive for COVID-19. The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which runs veterinary clinics, told Reuters it received "numerous" enquiries from worried pet owners, asking what to do about the latest scare.

Explainer-N95? KF94? Which mask is best at protecting against COVID-19

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said Americans should wear the most protective mask they can, but stopped short of recommending an N95 or similar face covering. Here are some facts to consider when choosing a mask:

Gilead says counterfeit versions of its HIV drugs ended up with patients

Gilead Sciences Inc said an unauthorized network of drug distributors and suppliers sold pharmacies more than $250 million of counterfeit versions of its HIV treatments over the last two years, endangering patients. The drugmaker said it found 85,247 bottles that had been tampered with or faked, including versions of its Biktarvy and Descovy treatments.

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