Health News Roundup: Lombardy becomes latest Italian region to start own coronavirus tests; African nations to get 300 ventilators from Jack Ma Foundation and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Lombardy becomes latest Italian region to start own coronavirus tests

The northern Italian region of Lombardy, at the epicentre of Europe's worst coronavirus outbreak, began an antibody testing programme on Thursday as it prepared to start opening up its economy following weeks of lockdown. The so-called serological tests on intravenous blood samples, using a kit designed by diagnostics specialist Diasorin, will be carried out in 14 of the worst-hit areas of Lombardy before being extended to the whole region next week.

What U.S. doctors wish they had known before the coronavirus outbreak

"What I did not recognize was the severity of illness that would be seen in patients who are older and the rapidity with which this illness would spread through elderly populations." As signs indicate the curve of new cases may be starting to flatten, doctors in the United States shared with Reuters what they wish they had known before the coronavirus outbreak began.

Face masks to strawberries: Abu Dhabi hospital keeps tabs on resources

Dozens of N95 protective face masks hang on a line in a room of an Abu Dhabi hospital to be decontaminated so they can be used again by medical staff should there be a shortage due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi this month started sterilizing N95 masks with ultraviolet light, a method used by other hospitals to extend the wearability beyond single use.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

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

Special Report: As virus advances, doctors rethink rush to ventilate

When he was diagnosed with COVID-19, Andre Bergmann knew exactly where he wanted to be treated: the Bethanien hospital lung clinic in Moers, near his home in northwestern Germany. The clinic is known for its reluctance to put patients with breathing difficulties on mechanical ventilators - the kind that involve tubes down the throat.

European firms step up COVID-19 vaccines work, UK team starts human trials

Scientists in Britain began clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday as other vaccine developers across Europe also stepped up work on their own experimental shots against the disease caused by the new coronavirus. A team at Britain's Oxford University dosed the first volunteers in a trial of their vaccine - called "ChAdOx1 nCoV-19" - while Italy's ReiThera, Germany's Leukocare and Belgium's Univercells said they were working together on another potential shot and aimed to start trials in a few months.

African nations to get 300 ventilators from Jack Ma Foundation

African nations that lack ventilators for the treatment of COVID-19 patients will receive some from a donation of 300 supplied by the Jack Ma Foundation, the head of the continent's disease control body said on Thursday. John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a branch of the African Union, said last week that ten unidentified African nations were facing the pandemic without a single ventilator.

Blood-pressure drugs are in the crosshairs of COVID-19 research

Scientists are baffled by how the coronavirus attacks the body - killing many patients while barely affecting others. But some are tantalized by a clue: A disproportionate number of patients hospitalized by COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have high blood pressure. Theories about why the condition makes them more vulnerable – and what patients should do about it – have sparked a fierce debate among scientists over the impact of widely prescribed blood-pressure drugs.

EMA warns against malaria drugs' side effects in COVID-19 use

The European Union's drug regulator warned again on Thursday against using two older malaria drugs to treat COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, outside trials or national emergency use programmes, citing potentially lethal side-effects. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) urged medical professionals to closely monitor COVID-19 patients receiving chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine and "carefully consider the possibility of side effects, particularly with higher doses". Extra caution was warranted if either were used with other drugs.

Itochu to recall masks after reports of defects in government handout

Japanese trading house Itochu said on Thursday that it will recall cloth face masks and tighten inspections of the following reports of defects in masks the government has delivered to households, although it is not known if Itochu's products were among those tainted. The government's effort to distribute protective cloth masks in its coronavirus battle has been marred by complaints about mold, insects, and stains, fuelling further concern that the government has botched its handling of the pandemic.