Health News Summary: Omicron cannot escape T cells; boosters protect Omicron households; Purdue bankruptcy judge extends temporary litigation protection for Sacklers and more

Here is a summary of the current health briefs.

Omicron cannot escape T cells; boosters protect Omicron households

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the results and that has not yet been certified by peer review. Omicron can’t escape the body’s second line defense

Purdue bankruptcy judge extends temporary litigation protection for Sacklers

Bankruptcy judge extended temporary opioid litigation protections for members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma until February 1 after another judge overturned the OxyContin maker’s bankruptcy settlement this month -this. U.S. bankruptcy judge Robert Drain in White Plains, New York, extended litigation protection on Wednesday, giving Purdue and the Sacklers time to discuss a way forward. The judge in September approved Purdue’s reorganization plan and underlying settlement that sought to resolve a widespread litigation accusing the company and the Sacklers of fueling the opioid epidemic in the United States through a deceptive marketing.

US CDC chief says hopes to decide on COVID boosters for 12-15 year olds soon

Approval of a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. children ages 12 to 15 could take days or weeks, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN on Wednesday. When asked when kids in this age group might get a booster shot, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into this right now. Of course. , the CDC will follow up quickly as soon as we hear from them, and I hope to hear from them in the days or weeks to come. “

Italy plans to relax isolation rules for COVID-19 contacts

The Italian government said on Wednesday it plans to do away with self-isolation rules for those who come in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus provided they have received a booster, have recently recovered or have been vaccinated.

The move comes after health experts urged the government to rethink its policies as the spread of the highly contagious variant of Omicron could cripple the country by forcing millions to stay at home.

France hit by “dizzying” daily record of more than 200,000 new cases of COVID-19

France is experiencing a “tsunami” of COVID-19 infections, with 208,000 cases reported in the past 24 hours, a new national and European record, Health Minister Olivier Veran told lawmakers on Wednesday. France has repeatedly broken infection records in recent days, with the 180,000 cases on Tuesday already being the highest for a country in Europe, according to data from Covidtracker.fr.

Ireland breaks daily record for COVID-19 cases

Ireland on Wednesday became the latest country to crush its previous record number of daily COVID-19 cases, reporting 16,428 new infections as those requiring hospital treatment also began to rise, the Department of Health said. health. That exceeded the 11,182 reported on December 24, with the rapidly spreading Omicron accounting for almost all cases and making testing difficult to obtain. There are 568 coronavirus patients in hospital, up sharply from the Dec.25 two-month low of 378.

Some countries seek to shorten isolation rules as Omicron tours the world

Global COVID-19 infections have reached an all-time high in the past seven days, Reuters data showed on Wednesday, as the Omicron variant spiraled out of control, forcing some governments to rethink their quarantine and testing rules. Almost 900,000 cases were detected on average each day worldwide between December 22 and 28, with a myriad of countries setting new all-time highs in the past 24 hours including the United States, Australia, many countries in Europe and Bolivia.

Coronavirus cases in US reach new high, hospitalizations rise

The average number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States has hit a record 258,312 in the past seven days, a Reuters tally showed on Wednesday, as US officials assess the impact of the more transmissible Omicron variant . The previous peak in the seven-day moving average was 250,141 confirmed cases recorded on January 8 of this year. Daily records were broken this week in at least seven European nations.

U.S. COVID-19 Deaths and ‘Comparatively’ Low Hospitalizations Despite Omicron Rise, CDC Director Says

COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations in the United States are relatively low despite an increase in the number of cases as the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle said on Wednesday. Walensky. The current daily seven-day average of cases is up 60% from the previous week to around 240,400 per day, she said. The average daily hospitalization rate for the same period is up 14% to about 9,000 per day and deaths are down from about 7% to 1,100 per day, Walensky told reporters in a briefing to the White House.

Analysis-No testing, no problem? Experts question new US CDC policy on COVID isolation period

New government rules that halve the isolation period for asymptomatic coronavirus infections lack guarantees that could lead to even more infections as the United States faces a record increase caused by the Omicron variant, said disease experts. This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic COVID to five days, from 10, after which they are asked to wear masks for an additional five days . The agency cited the extremely rapid spread of Omicron, which could force many other workers in all industries to stay at home in the coming weeks, even if they are not sick or infectious.

(With contributions from agencies.)