Health News Roundup: Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID; NY governor says 5-year old died and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID-19 fight: WHO's Ryan

Countries must return to "basic principles" of public health surveillance if they are to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the World Health Organization's (WHO) top emergency health expert said on Friday. The WHO, which said it is facing a $1.3 billion funding deficit for its effort to tackle COVID-19, issued the call for more surveillance as many countries including the United States, Switzerland, Mexico and Germany have turned their efforts toward re-opening economies battered by the pandemic.

New York governor says 5-year old died from rare COVID-related complications

A 5-year old boy has died in New York from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, highlighting a potential new risk for children in the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday. Cuomo told a daily briefing that the boy died in New York City on Thursday and that health officials were looking at other deaths involving children under similar circumstances to see if there is a link to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

NIH begins study of remdesivir with anti-inflammatory drug to treat COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health said on Friday it has started a clinical study to test a combination of Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir and anti-inflammatory treatment baricitinib in COVID-19 patients. The trial is currently enrolling adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States and is expected to study the treatment combination in more than 1,000 participants. (https://bit.ly/2YM0tfp)

Sorrento ties up with New York's Mount Sinai for COVID-19 antibody cocktail

Sorrento Therapeutics Inc on Friday partnered with New York City's Mount Sinai Health System to develop an antibody cocktail to potentially treat or prevent COVID-19, with the aim of starting human trials in the third quarter. There are currently no treatments or vaccines approved for the coronavirus and several drugmakers have been rushing to develop new treatments or repurpose existing drugs to treat patients.

Exclusive: Iran-linked hackers recently targeted coronavirus drugmaker Gilead - sources

Hackers linked to Iran have targeted staff at U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc in recent weeks, according to publicly-available web archives reviewed by Reuters and three cybersecurity researchers, as the company races to deploy a treatment for the COVID-19 virus. In one case, a fake email login page designed to steal passwords was sent in April to a top Gilead executive involved in legal and corporate affairs, according to an archived version on a website used to scan for malicious web addresses. Reuters was not able to determine whether the attack was successful.

WHO readies coronavirus app for checking symptoms, possibly contact tracing

The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to launch an app this month to enable people in under-resourced countries to assess whether they may have the novel coronavirus, and is considering a Bluetooth-based contact tracing feature too, an official told Reuters on Friday. The app will ask people about their symptoms and offer guidance on whether they may have COVID-19, the potentially lethal illness caused by the coronavirus, said Bernardo Mariano, chief information officer for the WHO. Other information, such as how to get tested, will be personalized according to the user's country.

FDA authorizes first at-home saliva test for COVID-19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has authorized the first diagnostic test for the new coronavirus that allows patients to collect saliva samples at-home. The decision is part of the FDA's efforts to expand testing capabilities for the fast-spreading virus, which has caused over 70,000 deaths in the United States.

White House's Birx to take key role in coronavirus drug distribution

U.S. coronavirus task force response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx will have a leading role in how the first drug to demonstrate a benefit in treating COVID-19 patients will be distributed to hospitals, the White House said on Friday. Birx, who has been a fixture in televised task force media briefings, will be one of the chief consultants on how Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir will be supplied, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters.

Abbott coronavirus test is accurate; infected mother's breast milk may protect infants

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. New coronavirus antibody test highly accurate.

`I'm never going to be the same': Medics grapple with mental trauma on COVID-19 front line

Anne Messman, a veteran emergency room physician in Detroit, knew something was wrong when she developed insomnia and became unusually irritated with people she loved. She began experiencing persistent sleepless nights in late March, around the time seven COVID-19 patients died in a single nine-hour shift. But she did not think her insomnia was due to the dramatic one-day death toll. As an ER doctor, death was no stranger to her.