Health News Roundup: Almost a third of people report lingering symptoms 6-12 months after COVID-19 -study; Belgium set to remove almost all COVID restrictions and more

China will stick to preventing inbound COVID infections and the domestic resurgence of the disease while continuing to refine its epidemic measures, according to the report. Mexico reports 308 more COVID-19 deaths, 9,748 new cases Mexico reported 308 more fatalities from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total death toll since the pandemic began to 319,604, according to health ministry data.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Almost a third of people report lingering symptoms 6-12 months after COVID-19 -study

Almost a third of people report at least one ongoing symptom between 6 and 12 months after their coronavirus infection, a survey of 152,000 people in Denmark has found. The study includes one of the largest groups yet of people who were not hospitalised with COVID, and followed them for longer than other major studies, the researchers from Denmark's State Serum Institute (SSI) said.

Belgium set to remove almost all COVID restrictions

Belgium will remove almost all its coronavirus restrictions from Monday, ending a requirement to wear masks in almost all places and scrapping the need to show a COVID-19 pass for indoor venues from cafes to sports halls. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the major easing of measures has come almost exactly two years since the pandemic first struck the country, which is home to NATO and EU institutions.

FDA declines pediatric EUA for Ocugen's COVID vaccine Covaxin

Ocugen Inc said on Friday U.S. regulators have declined to issue an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Covaxin, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by its Indian partner Bharat Biotech, for use in individuals aged 2 to 18 years. Shares of Ocugen slumped 30% premarket on the news.

EU COVID vaccinations fall as pandemic worries ebb, Ukraine grabs spotlight

COVID-19 vaccinations in the European Union fell last week to their lowest level in more than a year, EU data show, as fears about the pandemic ebbed, governments relaxed restrictions and public attention shifted to the crisis in Ukraine. The pace of immunizations in the bloc began steadily falling since the start of the year amid a slowdown in infections. Some 72% of the EU's population has had two doses by now, leaving tens of millions still unvaccinated.

FDA approves expanded use of Bristol Myers cancer drug Opdivo

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved the expanded use of its cancer drug Opdivo along with chemotherapy as a treatment that patients with an aggressive form of lung cancer receive before surgery. The approval was based on data from a late-stage study showing the drug along with chemotherapy improved event-free survival and pathologic complete response compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer, the drugmaker said.

China to handle COVID clusters in a targeted, science-based manner

China will cope with local COVID-19 outbreaks in a "science-based, targeted" manner to maintain the normal order of life, according to a government work report released at the opening of the country's annual meeting of parliament on Saturday. China will stick to preventing inbound COVID infections and the domestic resurgence of the disease while continuing to refine its epidemic measures, according to the report.

Mexico reports 308 more COVID-19 deaths, 9,748 new cases

Mexico reported 308 more fatalities from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total death toll since the pandemic began to 319,604, according to health ministry data. The country also reported 9,748 new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total to 5,554,392.

Hong Kong reports 37,529 new COVID-19 cases, 150 deaths

Hong Kong reported 37,529 new coronavirus infections on Saturday and 150 deaths, as the city clings to a "zero-COVID" strategy despite spiraling cases that have spread through care homes and overwhelmed healthcare facilities. Many supermarket shelves were bare again on Saturday even as the government said there were plenty of fresh food supplies from the mainland and the public should not over-purchase.

England's estimated COVID R number roughly steady

The estimated range of England's COVID-19 reproduction "R" number is between 0.8 and 1.0, roughly steady compared to the previous week's range of 0.7 to 1.0, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday. An R number between 0.8 and 1.0 means that for every 10 people infected, they will on average infect between 8 and 10 other people.

Chinese city of Qingdao reports Omicron outbreak among students

The Chinese port city of Qingdao reported 88 new coronavirus cases for March 5, all of them of the Omicron variant, fuelling China's highest number of daily locally transmitted cases so far this year. China recorded 329 new coronavirus cases on the mainland on Saturday, 175 of them locally transmitted, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, compared with 102 local cases a day earlier.

(With inputs from agencies.)