UK says 5 million get second shot as COVID daily deaths fall to 10

LONDON - Britain reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Saturday, the lowest daily figure since early September, as its vaccine rollout reached another milestone.

Official data also showed 31,301,267 people had received their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, with five million now having had both doses in what is the fastest rollout in Europe.

"Our spectacular vaccination program has now delivered over five million second doses, giving those most vulnerable to COVID - including half of all those aged over 80 - the best possible protection," health minister Matt Hancock said in a statement.

Britain remains on track to hit the government's target of offering a vaccine shot to all over-50s by mid-April and all adults by the end of July, the government said.

The latest data also showed there were 3,423 new cases, a slight rise from 3,402 reported the day before, though unlike countries such as France and Germany which are battling a third wave of the coronavirus, infections in Britain have been steadily falling.

Strict lockdown measures in England began to be eased on March 29 and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to update the country with further details about lifting restrictions on Monday, including whether outdoor hospitality can reopen on April 12 as planned. 

-reuters

Hong Kong widens vaccine scheme to people over 30, domestic helpers

HONG KONG - Hong Kong authorities said on Monday that the city's vaccine scheme would be widened to include those aged between 30-60 years old and domestic helpers, as they aim to increase take up amongst residents in the Asian financial hub.

People have been relatively slow to come forward for vaccination since Hong Kong began unrolling its program in February, starting with a vaccine made by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd. The Pfizer/BioNTtech vaccine was added earlier this month.

Around 190,000 people have received their first vaccination dose, around 2.5 percent of the city's population.

At least 6 people have died and several fallen seriously ill after receiving a vaccination by China's Sinovac. The government said no direct link was established between the the vaccine and the first two deaths, while the other deaths were still being analyzed.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan told a news briefing that the city faced a critical moment in controlling COVID-19 and that vaccinating Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents would help resume normality and relax social distancing measures.

The widening of the scheme will enable around 5 million residents to be vaccinated, she said.

"I urge members of the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself and others and increase inoculation rates," she said.

The US Consulate said on Monday two employees had tested positive for COVID-19 and the office had been closed for disinfection, with contact tracing under way.

While the pair do not work in offices that interact with the public, services for US citizens and visa applicants would be cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday, it added.

The consulate said it has abided by all Hong Kong government requirements for the arrival, testing and quarantine of all diplomatic personnel and their families since the start of the pandemic.

The former British colony has recorded around 11,200 total coronavirus cases, far lower than other developed cities. 

-reuters

Vaccine could virtually eliminate cervical cancer – study

PARIS, France – The rapid scale-up of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could virtually eliminate cervical cancer in a handful of rich countries within three decades, and in most other nations by century’s end, researchers said Wednesday.

Without screening and HPV vaccination, more than 44 million women will likely be diagnosed with the disease over the next 50 years, they reported in The Lancet Oncology, a medical journal.

Two thirds of these cases — and an estimated 15 million deaths — would occur in low- and medium-income countries.


By contrast, the rapid deployment starting in 2020 of screening and vaccination could prevent more than 13 million cervical cancers by mid-century worldwide, and lower the number of cases to below four-per-100,000 women, the study found.

“This is a potential threshold for considering cervical cancer to be eliminated as a major public health problem,” the authors said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 570,000 new cases worldwide in 2018, making it the fourth most common cancer for women after breast, colon and lung cancer.

The disease claims the lives of more than 300,000 women every year, mostly in lower income nations.

“Despite the enormity of the problem, our findings suggest that global elimination is within reach,” said lead author Karen Canfell, a professor at the Cancer Council New South Wales, in Sydney.

Achieving that goal, however, depends on “both high coverage of HPV vaccination and cervical screening,” she added.

Transmitted sexually, HPV is extremely common and includes more than 100 types of virus, at least 14 of them cancer-causing.

The viruses have also been linked to cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina and penis.

It takes 15 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop in women with normal immune systems. If the immune system is weak or compromised — by HIV infection, for example — the cancer can develop far more quickly.

Clinical trials have shown that HPV vaccines are safe and effective against the two HPV strains — types 16 and 18 — responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

The study’s projections presume the vaccination of 80 percent of girls 12 to 15 years old starting in 2020, and that at least 70 percent of women undergo screening twice in their lifetime.

This would push the prevalence of the disease below the bar of 4/100,000 women in countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain and France by 2059, and in mid-income countries such as Brazil and China by 2069, the authors calculate. /cbb

source: technology.inquirer.net