Health News Roundup: Vietnam reports new coronavirus infection in 9 days; Coronavirus cases in Russia rise by record and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Roche wins U.S. nod for COVID-19 antibody test, aims to boost output

Roche has won emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to determine whether people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Sunday. Thomas Schinecker, Roche's head of diagnostics, said the company aims to more than double production of tests from about 50 million a month to significantly more than 100 million a month by the end of the year.

Vietnam reports first new coronavirus infection in 9 days, taking its tally to 271

Vietnam reported its first new coronavirus infection in nine days on Sunday, a British oil expert who was quarantined on arrival, the health ministry said. The Southeast Asian country has registered a total of 271 coronavirus cases and has reported no deaths, the ministry said in a statement. Over 30,500 people have been quarantined, and 261,000 tests have been carried out.

Easing lockdown measures, Bulgaria to allow movement outside local communities

Bulgaria plans to lift a ban on people traveling outside their local communities next week as it begins easing coronavirus restrictions, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Sunday. Checkpoints controlling intercity travel would be most probably removed on Wednesday when Bulgaria marks St George's Day, Borissov said.

New York's Cuomo warns against 'blindly' reopening states

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday pushed back against what he called premature demands that he reopen the state, saying he knew people were struggling without jobs but that more understanding of the new coronavirus was needed. As governors in about half of the United States partially reopen their economies over this weekend, Cuomo said he needed much more information on what the pandemic was doing in his state, the hardest hit by the disease, before he loosens restrictions aimed at curbing its spread.

South Korea to relax social distancing rules further, starting May 6

South Korea will further relax social distancing rules from May 6, allowing a phased re-opening of businesses, as the nation has largely managed to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Sunday. Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing, and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the spread of the virus rather than rely on the lengthy lockdowns seen elsewhere.

Coronavirus cases in Russia rise by record daily amount, mortality rate slows

Russia on Sunday recorded its highest daily rise in confirmed coronavirus cases with 10,633 new cases, bringing the total to 134,687, with more than half of cases and deaths in Moscow. But the mortality rate has slowed in recent days and remains much lower, in relative terms, than many other countries.

Spaniards head outdoors for first time in 7 weeks as coronavirus deaths fall

Spaniards reveled in their new-found freedom this weekend after coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased to allow healthy adults out to play sports and take walks for the first time in seven weeks. Sigrid Cervera, 44, was heading for the sea on Sunday with her surfboard in Gavà, a town outside Barcelona whose council has permitted access to the beach.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus

More than 3.44 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 243,015 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0200 GMT on Sunday.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

Dutch coronavirus cases rise 335 to 40,571 with 69 new deaths: health authorities

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the Netherlands has increased by 335 to 40,471, Dutch health authorities said on Sunday. The National Institute for Public Health reported 69 new deaths, taking total COVID-19 fatalities to 5,056. The authorities stress that the actual number of infections is likely higher because not all suspected COVID-19 patients are being tested.

Indonesia reports 349 new coronavirus cases, 14 new deaths

Indonesia reported 349 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the Southeast Asian country to 11,192, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said on Sunday. Yurianto said 14 new coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed, bringing the total to 845.