Health News Roundup: Soccer: Will the player of the future be 'plant-based'?; U.S. Supreme Court hears Obamacare contraception mandate dispute and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Soccer: Will the player of the future be 'plant-based'?

The days of English football's once notorious drinking culture are long gone and few professionals would now list the once obligatory 'steak and chips' as their favourite meal but things are moving to a different level entirely when it comes to what players used to call 'looking after yourself'. Whether it be the influence of dieticians, sports scientists or foreign coaches and team mates, you only need to look at the physique of modern Premier League players to realise they take health and nutrition very seriously.

Genetic mutation study finds new coronavirus spread swiftly in late 2019

A genetic analysis of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with COVID-19 suggests the new coronavirus spread quickly around the world late last year and is adapting to its human hosts, scientists said on Wednesday. A study by scientists at University College London's (UCL)Genetics Institute found almost 200 recurrent genetic mutations of the new coronavirus - SARS-CoV-2 - which the researchers said showed how it may be evolving as it spreads in people.

Behind closed doors, France's COVID-19 death toll likely to jump

In April, an elderly resident living in Seine-Saint-Denis, France's poorest commune on the edge of Paris, went to hospital worried they had COVID-19. The test returned negative and the pensioner was sent home. Ten days later they were found dead. For now, the death does not appear in France's official COVID-19 death toll, which includes only those who die in hospitals and nursing homes.

What you need to know about coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Post-pandemic workspace makeover U.S.

FDA extends review of Bristol Myers' cancer therapy acquired in Celgene deal

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Wednesday the U.S. drug regulator had extended the review of its experimental blood cancer therapy by three months after the drugmaker submitted additional information to the agency. The company said the information was considered a major amendment to its marketing application and it would work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as it reviews the therapy.

U.S. Supreme Court hears Obamacare contraception mandate dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to hear a bid by President Donald Trump's administration to implement federal rules allowing employers to obtain religious exemptions from an Obamacare requirement that health insurance that they provide to employees covers women's birth control. At issue is a challenge by the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the administration's 2018 rule that permits broad religious and moral exemptions to the contraception mandate of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, and expands accommodations already allowed.

Who can make Gilead's coronavirus drug, licence free?

Gilead Sciences Inc is in talks with chemical and drug makers to produce its experimental drug remdesivir, a potential coronavirus treatment, for Europe, Asia and the developing world, the firm has said. Its patent gives the U.S. company exclusive rights to make the antiviral. But international trade rules allow nations defined by the United Nations as least-developed countries (LDCs) to ignore the patent and make drugs such as remdesivir more affordable in their markets.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus

More than 3.67 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 255,848 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0510 GMT on Wednesday.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Dutch coronavirus cases rise to 41,319, with 36 new deaths: Officials

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 232 to 41,319 on Wednesday, with 36 new deaths, health authorities said. The country's death toll stands at 5,204, the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The RIVM cautioned that it only reports confirmed cases, and actual numbers are higher.

E-cigarette maker Juul Labs to exit South Korea after year of health controversies

U.S. e-cigarette maker Juul Labs said on Wednesday it would end operations in South Korea, a year after it entered the market there but failed to gain traction amid government health warnings. In a statement, the company said since the beginning of the year it had entered a restructuring process aimed a re-establishing a viable business in South Korea by significantly reducing costs and making changes to its products.