Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Geneva car show axed; coronavirus wipes $5 trillion off world markets

The rapid spread of coronavirus raised fears of a pandemic on Friday, with countries on three continents reporting their first cases and Swiss authorities cancelling the giant Geneva car show. World share markets crashed again, compounding their worst week since the 2008 global financial crisis and bringing the global wipeout to $5 trillion. U.S. CDC aggressively evaluating whether coronavirus survives on surfaces: agency chief

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield told the U.S. Congress on Thursday that his agency is aggressively evaluating how long coronavirus can survive and be infectious on surfaces. "On copper and steel its pretty typical, it's pretty much about 2 hours," Redfield said at a House of Representatives hearing on the government response to the fast-spreading virus. "But I will say on other surfaces - cardboard or plastic - it's longer, and so we are looking at this." Biotech group Novacyt announces deals for coronavirus test product

Biotechnology company Novacyt on Friday announced deals for its "Primerdesign" product which is aimed at testing for the coronavirus currently afflicting China and other parts of the world. Novacyt said it had signed its first major distribution agreement for the COVID-19 coronavirus test with a global life sciences company to supply the test to two Asian territories outside mainland China, sending its shares to record highs. Stocks plunge on coronavirus fears even as U.S. ramps up fight against spread

U.S. stocks plummeted on Thursday as fears about the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on economic growth flared even as U.S. officials pledged that they were stepping up efforts to safeguard Americans from the virus' spread. A day after President Donald Trump told Americans that the risk from coronavirus remained "very low," the S&P 500 logged its fastest drop of at least 10% in history in a sixth straight day of declines. The broad market average has lost 12% since hitting a record close on Feb. 19. Iran coronavirus death toll reaches 26, many Friday prayers canceled

Iran said on Thursday its death toll from coronavirus had risen to 26, by far the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people now stood at 245, including several senior officials. The outbreak prompted authorities to call off Friday prayers in the capitals of 23 of Iran's 31 provinces, including Tehran and the Shi'ite Muslim holy cities of Qom and Mashhad as well as some other infected areas, state TV reported. Exclusive: U.S. mulls using sweeping powers to ramp up production of coronavirus protective gear

President Donald Trump's administration is considering invoking special powers through a law called the Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing to combat the coronavirus in the United States, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The use of the law, passed by Congress in 1950 at the outset of the Korean War, would mark an escalation of the administration's response to the outbreak. The virus first surfaced in China and has since spread to other countries including the United States. Biohaven drug wins U.S. FDA approval for use in relieving migraine headaches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co Ltd's oral pill for relieving pain after the onset of migraine headaches, the drug developer said. The company's shares were up 5.3% at $40.82 in extended trading. Mixed messages, test delays hamper U.S. coronavirus response

Even as U.S. officials warn of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus in the United States, and are alerting Americans to take precautions, some health agencies charged with protecting the public appear unprepared to deal with the threat. Barely more than a handful of public health departments across the country are able to test for the novel virus, which began in China and has spread to at least 44 countries. The federal government has less than 10% of the protective masks required to protect healthcare workers and the public. And Washington still does not have adequate funding in place to support health departments' efforts, though more money is on the way. New coronavirus cases in mainland China fall to lowest since January

Mainland China had 327 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, the country's National Health Commission said on Friday, down from 433 cases a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 23. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 78,824. U.S. FDA says no medical device shortages due to virus outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday there were no reported shortages of medical devices within the country due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The FDA said it had contacted 63 companies, having 72 manufacturing facilities in China, which produce medical devices that may be prone to a potential shortage in the case of a supply disruption. (http://bit.ly/3abFNzL)