Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. New York coronavirus deaths, hospitalizations lowest in more than one week

The number of people hospitalized for the novel coronavirus and related deaths fell to their lowest levels in more than a week, evidence that the hardest-hit state was controlling its spread, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday. Cuomo also told a daily briefing that he would extend an order closing businesses and schools by two weeks until at least May 15 in coordination with other states in the region. Report says COVID-19 patients respond to Gilead's remdesivir, shares surge

Gilead Sciences Inc's shares surged 16% in after hours trading on Thursday following a media report detailing encouraging partial data from trials of the U.S. company's experimental drug remdesivir in severe COVID-19 patients. A University of Chicago hospital participating in a study of the antiviral medication said it is seeing rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms, with nearly all patients discharged in less than a week, according to medical news website STAT https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/early-peek-at-data-on-gilead-coronavirus-drug-suggests-patients-are-responding-to-treatment. New Zealand cites new deaths in case against lifting coronavirus lockdown

New Zealand justified its tough lockdown policies despite a significant drop in the number of coronavirus cases on Friday, with officials citing two new deaths as evidence of the risk from lifting social restrictions too soon. The country reported just eight fresh COVID-19 cases, the first single digit increase in weeks, taking to the total to 1,409. China's Wuhan city revises up total coronavirus death toll by 1,290

China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, said on Friday it had revised up its total coronavirus death toll by 1,290, according to state-run CCTV. Wuhan also revised up confirmed cases by 325. Exclusive: FDA may have dropped standards too far in hunt for chloroquine to fight coronavirus - sources

On March 21, two days after President Donald Trump first touted chloroquine drugs as a “gamechanger” in the fight against COVID-19, administration officials privately described what they felt was a “win” in the president’s efforts to build an emergency stockpile of the drugs: a hefty donation of pills from Bayer AG. In an exchange of enthusiastic emails among federal health officials reviewed by Reuters, Keagan Lenihan, chief of staff of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cautioned that “3-4 days” of testing would be needed. Cuba will send medical team to Honduras to fight the coronavirus: health minister

Honduran Health Minister Alba Consuelo Flores said on Thursday that a Cuban medical brigade would join local medics in the fight against the novel coronavirus as it spreads in the poor Central American country. Communist-run Cuba has sent its "armies of white robes" to disaster sites around the world largely in poor countries since its 1959 revolution. It also sent doctors to Italy to help the fight against the coronavirus. Coronavirus prompts Canada to roll out safe drugs for street users

Canada's Pacific province of British Columbia was already battling an opioid epidemic when the new coronavirus hit, compounding the threat to drug users, many of whom are homeless and particularly vulnerable during the pandemic. In March, the Canadian government urged provinces to lower barriers to prescription medications - allowing doctors to provide prescriptions for controlled substances by phone and pharmacists to deliver them - to better help citizens to practice physical distancing and self-isolation. Pence says more than 5 million Americans will have been tested for coronavirus by end of April

Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that he expects more than 5 million Americans will have been tested for the novel coronavirus by the end of April. "We'll continue to scale those resources," Pence said at a news conference. "Testing and medical supplies will continue to be an ongoing partnership with our states, and we want our healthcare workers and people all across the country to know of our commitment to that." Mainland China reports new coronavirus cases drop to two-week low

Mainland China reported on Friday that new confirmed cases of the coronavirus fell to a two-week low, as infections involving travellers arriving from abroad sharply fell. China recorded 26 new cases of the coronavirus in the mainland on Thursday, down from 46 cases a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission. Thailand reports 28 new coronavirus cases, one more death

Thailand on Friday reported 28 new coronavirus cases and one more death, an 85-year-old woman who had other health complications. Of the new cases, 16 were linked to previous cases, five had no links to old cases, and seven are awaiting investigation, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration.