Health News Roundup: All pneumonia patients may have coronavirus, Moscow; Demand for thermal cameras soars and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Moscow, in U-turn, to assume all pneumonia patients may have coronavirus

The city of Moscow's health department said on Thursday it would begin regarding all pneumonia patients as potential sufferers of the new coronavirus and route them to hospitals accordingly, after doctors raised concerns about the accuracy of tests used to diagnose the virus. The policy change was made at the request of doctors at hospitals specially designated to treat the new coronavirus, which often causes pneumonia. Tests for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, were producing accurate results only 70%-80% of the time, the doctors said.

As fever checks become the norm in coronavirus era, demand for thermal cameras soars

The makers of specialized cameras to quickly scan for fevers as people enter crowded workplaces are grappling with soaring demand while confronting supply disruptions, forcing some to prioritize customers such as hospitals, executives told Reuters. Many businesses around the globe have halted or reduced operations to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus which causes the sometimes fatal COVID-19 respiratory illness.

Brazil minister resists calls for wider use of hydroxychloroquine

On the day he nearly lost his job for supporting strict social distancing measures, Brazil's health minister took another stand in defiance of President Jair Bolsonaro, refusing to endorse the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the novel coronavirus. Bolsonaro and U.S. President Donald Trump have touted the malaria drug as a potential silver bullet in treating the potentially deadly COVID-19 respiratory disease, despite a lack of scientific evidence and concerns about serious side effects.

Early testing helps Canada's British Columbia fight coronavirus, cases elsewhere soar

The Canadian province of British Columbia is flattening the curve of coronavirus infections, thanks to aggressive early testing and a bit of luck, even as cases elsewhere in the country soar. The Pacific coast province recorded Canada's first death from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, and its first case of community transmission. It shares the U.S.-Canada border with Washington state, where the first major outbreak in America occurred.

Macron visits Marseille doctor working on COVID-19 drug touted by Trump

President Emmanuel Macron visited a French doctor in Marseille on Thursday whose work on an anti-malaria drug has been promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential weapon against COVID-19 but has split medical opinion. Macron, who met Professor Didier Raoult at his Marseille hospital behind closed doors, did not endorse the treatment, his office said, adding that it was too early for the French government to assess its effectiveness.

'You can't relax': Vigilance urged as New York sees signs of coronavirus flattening

Americans must persevere with social distancing now that their efforts are showing signs of slowing the spread of coronavirus, U.S. medical and state officials said on Thursday, as New York hospitalizations ebbed while the state's death toll spiked again. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said new cases in hospitals fell to a fresh low of 200 in a sign that the disease's curve was flattening in the state, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. But at the same time, the state recorded a record-high 799 deaths on Wednesday, for a total of 7,067.

New York sees drop in new hospitalizations, deaths keep rising

New York state saw a sharp drop in the number of people newly admitted to a hospital in the past 24 hours to the lowest level since the coronavirus outbreak began, a sign that social distancing steps were working, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday. But Cuomo also disclosed that the number of deaths increased to 799 on Wednesday, a record high for a third day, and talked about a growing economic toll on the state that he said far exceeded the impact of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

U.S. detects its first case of virulent bird flu in commercial poultry since 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday confirmed the country's first case of virulent avian flu in commercial poultry since 2017. The agency found H7N3 avian influenza, a virulent or highly pathogenic strain, in a turkey flock in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, according to a statement. No human cases of the virus have been detected and there is no immediate public health concern, the USDA said.

Uber to give drivers millions of face masks to battle coronavirus

Uber Technologies Inc on Thursday said it plans to ship millions of face masks to its active drivers and food delivery people around the world to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The ride-hailing company's vice president of safety and insurance, Gus Fuldner, in a company blog post also said Uber plans to ship nearly half a million face masks to U.S. drivers located in the cities hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

NIH begins trial to test hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Thursday it was testing anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19, days after several U.S. doctors said they were using the drug on infected patients without evidence that it worked. The use of the decades-old drug, which has been touted by President Donald Trump as a potential weapon against COVID-19, has soared as the United States has quickly become the epicenter of the pandemic.