Health News Roundup: US CDC drops five-day COVID isolation guidelines; CVS, Walgreens to begin selling abortion pill this month and more

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the world's biggest vaccine maker by the number of doses, told Reuters that he expects the vaccine to be a part of the government's programme by year-end. US CDC drops five-day COVID isolation guidelines The U.S. CDC on Friday dropped its five-day COVID-19 isolation recommendations under a new guidance, instead suggesting that people return to normal activities if symptoms improve and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without needing medicines.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

South Korea publicly orders some doctors who walked off the job back to work

South Korea's government late on Friday publicly ordered 13 doctors, at least some of whom have been vocal about a walkout by roughly 9,000 physicians over a health system reform plan, to return to work or face penalties. The public legal notice is the latest sign of the South Korean government's continued hardline stance toward trainee doctors participating in the walkout or criticising the reform plan, after local police raided officials of a doctor's association on Friday, a public holiday in South Korea.

CVS, Walgreens to begin selling abortion pill this month

CVS and Walgreens, the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, will start selling abortion pill mifepristone at stores in several states this month, drawing praise from President Joe Biden who has made access to abortion a key election campaign issue. The announcement Friday comes as a legal challenge to the pill, brought in Texas by anti-abortion groups and doctors, was due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this month. The court ended its recognition of a constitutional right to abortion in 2022 when it overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade precedent.

India's Serum boosts supply of cervical cancer shots ahead of government's mass drive

Serum Institute of India aims to significantly boost supply of its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as it gears up to provide its shots to the government at cheaper rates for an immunisation campaign this year against the cancer-causing virus. Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the world's biggest vaccine maker by the number of doses, told Reuters that he expects the vaccine to be a part of the government's programme by year-end.

US CDC drops five-day COVID isolation guidelines

The U.S. CDC on Friday dropped its five-day COVID-19 isolation recommendations under a new guidance, instead suggesting that people return to normal activities if symptoms improve and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without needing medicines. The guidelines had not been updated since December 2021, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had shortened the recommended isolation time for Americans with asymptomatic cases to five days from 10 days.

(With inputs from agencies.)