Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Shkreli, former company ask judge to find no wrongdoing in Daraprim lawsuit

Martin Shkreli, in jail on an unrelated matter, his former company Vyera Pharmaceuticals and others asked a judge Monday to find that they broke no laws in their handling of the drug Daraprim, which saw its price increase by more than 4,000% in one day. The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit in January 2020, alleging that the company that Shkreli once ran protected its dominance of the drug by restricting distribution to ensure generic drug makers could not get the samples needed to bring out a cheaper version of the drug. The company, formerly Turing Pharmaceuticals, also prevented potential competitors from buying an ingredient, the FTC said.

China's Xi pledges another 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for Africa

China will deliver another 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa and encourage Chinese companies to invest no less than $10 billion in the continent over the next three years, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. The country has already supplied nearly 200 doses to Africa, where vaccination rates have fallen behind amid growing concern over the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in southern Africa.

Biden warns against Omicron panic, pledges no new lockdowns

President Joe Biden urged Americans on Monday not to panic about the new COVID-19 Omicron variant and said the United States was making contingency plans with pharmaceutical companies if new vaccines are needed. Biden said the country would not go back to lockdowns to stop the spread of Omicron https://www.reuters.com/world/spread-omicron-variant-forces-nations-rethink-plans-global-travel-2021-11-29, and he would lay out his strategy on Thursday for combating the pandemic over the winter. He urged people to get vaccinated, get boosters and wear masks.

Canada's new COVID-19 variant count rises to three after Quebec discovers first case

Quebec has discovered its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, the Canadian province's health minister said on Monday, bringing Canada's total number of cases to three. Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube also told reporters that 115 travelers coming from countries impacted by the new variant, primarily South Africa, were called and asked to isolate and test for COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccine makers start work on Omicron-tailored shots

BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are working on vaccines that specifically target Omicron in case their existing shots are not effective against the new coronavirus variant, the companies said on Monday. The variant's emergence has triggered a strong global response as countries worried that it could spread fast even in vaccinated populations impose travel curbs and other restrictions.

U.S. steps up search for Omicron variant in domestic COVID-19 cases

The United States is enhancing its COVID-19 surveillance to distinguish domestic cases of the Omicron variant from the still-dominant Delta, the head of the association of state-run public health laboratories told Reuters on Monday. The new variant, first identified in southern Africa last week, has since been detected in 10 other countries. U.S. officials say it is only a matter of time before it turns up in the country.

White House says U.S. agencies can delay punishing unvaccinated federal workers

The White House told federal agencies on Monday they can delay punishing thousands of federal workers who failed to comply with a Nov. 22 COVID-19 vaccination deadline. On Wednesday, the Biden administration said a total of 92% of U.S. federal workers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

WHO flags Omicron risk, curbs tighten worldwide, Biden urges vaccination

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday the Omicron coronavirus variant carried a very high risk of infection surges as more countries closed borders, casting a shadow over economic recovery from the two-year pandemic. Big airlines acted swiftly to protect their hubs by curbing passenger travel https://www.reuters.com/world/travellers-edge-countries-tighten-rules-due-omicron-fears-travel-agents-2021-11-29 from southern Africa, fearing that a spread of the new variant would trigger restrictions from other destinations beyond the immediately affected regions, industry sources said.

Analysis-How fast does it spread?: Scientists ask whether Omicron can outrun Delta

As scientists race to understand the consequences of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, one of the most important questions is whether this new version of the coronavirus can outrun the globally dominant Delta variant. The World Health Organization on Friday designated Omicron a "variant of concern" just days after the variant was first reported in southern Africa. The WHO said it is coordinating with many researchers worldwide to better understand how the variant will impact the COVID-19 pandemic, with new findings expected within "days and weeks."

S.Africa's COVID-19 cases could triple this week, expert says

South Africa's daily COVID-19 infection rate could triple to more than 10,000 by the end of this week as the new Omicron variant spreads rapidly, an infectious disease expert said on Monday. Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the government's chief adviser during the initial response to the pandemic, also said that, while existing vaccines should be effective at preventing severe disease from the variant, South African hospitals could be under pressure from a flood of admissions within two to three weeks.

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