Health News Roundup: China reports 2,000 new symptomatic COVID cases for Dec 14 vs 2,291 a day earlier; China Meheco to distribute Pfizer's COVID treatment in China and more

The push comes as the World Health Organisation also raised concerns that China's 1.4 billion population was not adequately vaccinated and the United States offered help in dealing with a surge in infections. India's Indegene files for IPO, Carlyle to sell stake Carlyle-backed Indian life science technology company Indegene Ltd has filed for an initial public offering, draft papers submitted to the country's market regulator showed on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China reports 2,000 new symptomatic COVID cases for Dec 14 vs 2,291 a day earlier

China reported 2,000 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections for Dec. 14, compared with 2,291 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said on Thursday. Excluding imported infections, China reported 1,944 new local symptomatic cases, down from 2,249 a day earlier.

China Meheco to distribute Pfizer's COVID treatment in China

China Meheco Group Co Ltd said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc to import and distribute the U.S. drugmaker's oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid in mainland China, as the country braces for a surge in COVID patients after scaling back its "zero COVID" policy. The agreement is valid between Dec. 14 and Nov. 30, 2023, China Meheco said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange.

China pushes vaccines as retreat from 'zero-COVID' turns messy

China raced to vaccinate its most vulnerable people on Thursday in anticipation of waves of COVID-19 infections, with some analysts expecting the death toll to soar after it eased strict controls that had kept the pandemic at bay for three years. The push comes as the World Health Organisation also raised concerns that China's 1.4 billion population was not adequately vaccinated and the United States offered help in dealing with a surge in infections.

India's Indegene files for IPO, Carlyle to sell stake

Carlyle-backed Indian life science technology company Indegene Ltd has filed for an initial public offering, draft papers submitted to the country's market regulator showed on Thursday. The IPO consists a fresh issue of shares worth 9.5 billion rupees ($114.82 million) and a sale of up to 36.3 million shares by existing shareholders, including a Carlyle entity, the filing showed.

Biden administration offers U.S. households more free COVID-19 tests for winter

U.S. households can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests from the government website COVIDTests.gov beginning on Thursday as part of the Biden administration's efforts to tackle coronavirus infections over the winter. The White House said it would use existing funding to pay for the tests since it has been unsuccessful so far in getting Congress to pass a bill to put more money towards the U.S. COVID-19 response.

Medical staff in China's hospitals say COVID-19 ripping through their ranks

A growing number of China's doctors and nurses are catching COVID-19 and some have been asked to keep working, as people showing mostly moderate symptoms throng hospitals and clinics, according to medical staff and dozens of posts on social media. China's health authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment on infections among medical staff.

J&J and Merck Ebola vaccines produce lasting antibodies in children and adults -studies

Ebola vaccines developed by Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co produced virus-fighting antibodies and appear to be safe in children and adults, according to data from two studies published on Wednesday. Both companies' vaccines produced antibodies 14 days after the first of two shots and were detectable at varying levels in both children and adults for one year, data from the studies conducted in Western Africa showed.

'What a tragic day': British nurses strike in bitter pay dispute

National Health Service nurses in Britain staged a strike on Thursday, their first ever national walkout, as a bitter dispute with the government over pay ramps up pressure on already-stretched hospitals at one of the busiest times of year.

An estimated 100,000 nurses will strike at 76 hospitals and health centres, cancelling an estimated 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries in Britain's state-funded NHS.

Japan unit of Britain's Jazz Pharma starts phase III trial of cannabis drug

The Japanese unit of Britain's Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC said on Thursday it had started a phase III trial of a cannabis-based drug for epilepsy. The trial follows a recommendation by a health ministry panel in September to revise Japan's drug laws to allow for the importation and use of medical marijuana products.

China's COVID scare sparks run on flu medicines, test kits as far away as Australia

The rising alarm over COVID-19 spreading in China was felt in pharmacies in Hong Kong, Macau, and in some neighbourhoods in Australia, as people hunted for fever medicines and virus test kits to send to family and friends on the mainland. China's sudden easing of strict COVID rules last week triggered a surge in demand for these items on the mainland, with queues forming outside pharmacies and online platforms quickly selling out.