Herald section
The latest health reporting from The Belfast Herald.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the country's first monoclonal antibody cocktail drug (Ronapreve) developed by Regeneron and Roche to treat severe COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom.
The Indian government approves the emergency use of the ZyCoV-D vaccine made by Cadila Healthcare, which is the world's first three-dose DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announces a 10-day lockdown from 20 August 2021 to reduce transmission of the Delta variant, following record daily deaths and hospital overload.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett received a third dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine as Israel extended booster eligibility to people over 40. The move follows rising case numbers and declining vaccine efficacy against infection.
Malaysia reports a record for the second consecutive day of 22,242 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,489,460.
More than half of Australians aged 16 and over have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with a record 309,010 doses administered in a single day.
Sri Lanka enforces strict restrictions including closure of swimming pools, malls, gyms, and playgrounds due to a surge in infections. One person per household may leave only for emergencies, and public gatherings are banned.
Israel implements new rules requiring people over age three to show vaccination proof, a negative test, or recovery status to enter most indoor spaces, with capacity limits and testing access introduced.