Health News Roundup: Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 4,585; To Belgrade and beyond: Beijing exports China model of virus management and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 4,585: health official

Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has risen to 4,585, with 111 deaths overnight, a health ministry official tweeted on Monday, adding the total number of infected cases had reached 73,303 in the most-affected Middle Eastern country. "Fortunately 45,983 of those infected with the virus have recovered ... There were 1,617 new infected cases in the past 24 hours," tweeted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister.

'Elbow to elbow:' North America meat plant workers fall ill, walk off jobs

At a Wayne Farms chicken processing plant in Alabama, workers recently had to pay the company 10 cents a day to buy masks to protect themselves from the new coronavirus, according to a meat inspector. In Colorado, nearly a third of the workers at a JBS USA beef plant stayed home amid safety concerns for the last two weeks as a 30-year employee of the facility died following complications from the virus.

To Belgrade and beyond: Beijing exports China model of virus management

Last month, six Chinese medical professionals stepped off an Air Serbia jet in Belgrade to a red-carpet welcome from President Aleksandar Vucic and an array of cabinet ministers. After elbow-bump greetings, Vucic kissed Serbia's flag, then China's. In Serbia, one of Beijing's closest European allies, and a handful of other friendly countries, China is providing on-the-ground guidance to help battle the coronavirus that has swept around the world.

Exclusive: South Korea set to ship coronavirus testing kits to U.S. - source

South Korea plans to send kits designed to run up to 600,000 coronavirus tests to the United States on Tuesday after an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump, a Seoul official said. Trump made the request in a telephone call with President Moon Jae-in on March 25, as the United States was grappling with fast-growing outbreaks in many states.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Restarting crucial industries Russian border becomes China's frontline in fight against second virus wave

China's northeastern border with Russia has become a frontline in the fight against a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic as new daily cases rose to the highest in nearly six weeks - with more than 90% involving people coming from abroad. Having largely stamped out domestic transmission of the disease, China has been slowly easing curbs on movement as it tries to get its economy back on track, but there are fears that a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of COVID-19.

South Korea reports more recovered coronavirus patients testing positive again

South Korea reported on Monday that at least 116 people initially cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again, although officials suggested they would soon look at easing strict recommendations aimed at preventing new outbreaks. South Korea reported only 25 new cases overall on Monday, but the rise in "reactivated" patients has raised concerns as the country seeks to stamp out infections.

Indonesia president says to rapidly expand coronavirus testing

President Joko Widodo said Indonesian will be able to conduct more than 10,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests a day for the new coronavirus after criticism of its testing rates. Widodo told foreign media on Monday that Indonesia had sourced new PCR kits from Switzerland and its extra testing capability would be on stream by next week, with plans to expand testing to 78 labs.

Brazil minister urges unified voice as Bolsonaro downplays coronavirus

Brazil's health minister urged the government to speak with a unified voice in its fight against the new coronavirus, calling out President Jair Bolsonaro for downplaying the threat ahead of what are likely to be the two toughest months for the outbreak. In an television interview airing late on Sunday, Health Minister Henrique Mandetta also criticized people for gathering in public without referring directly to Bolsonaro, who hit the streets over the weekend, drawing crowds and greeting followers.

Gaza resumes coronavirus testing amid shortages

Coronavirus testing has resumed in the Gaza Strip after Israel allowed five testing kits purchased by the World Health Organization (WHO) into the enclave, a Gaza health ministry spokesman said on Monday. But the spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidra, said the kits would be of "limited immediate help" because they could be used to test only about 500 people in a densely populated territory of two million.