Health News Roundup: Germany's coronavirus cases rise by 667; France total death toll rises by 80 and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

The U.S. to allow states to distribute Gilead's remdesivir to fight COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Saturday it would allow state health departments to distribute Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir drug to fight COVID-19, and the United States would receive about 40% of the drug maker's global donation. Gilead has committed to supply approximately 607,000 vials of remdesivir over the next six weeks in the United States, and the U.S. state health department will distribute the doses to appropriate hospitals in their states, HHS said.

Rare syndrome tied to COVID-19 kills three children in New York, Cuomo says

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young. Both Cuomo and his counterpart in the neighboring state of New Jersey also spoke on Saturday about the pandemic's growing toll on mental health, another factor on the minds of governors as they weigh the impact of mounting job losses against health risks in moving to loosen restrictions on daily life.

Italy's daily coronavirus death toll and new cases fall

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 194 on Saturday, against 243 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to 1,083 from 1,327 on Friday. The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 30,395 the agency said, the third-highest in the world after those of the United States and Britain.

U.S. CDC reports 1,274,036 coronavirus cases, 77,034 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 1,274,036 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 25,996 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,557 to 77,034. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on May 8, compared with its count a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2YZZFUn)

South Korea reports 34 new coronavirus cases, highest in a month

South Korea reported 34 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest daily number in a month, after a small outbreak emerged around a slew of nightclubs that a confirmed patient had visited. Of the new cases, 26 were domestically transmitted infections and eight were imported cases, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

Mexican health ministry tallies nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases

Mexico's health ministry confirmed 1,938 new cases of coronavirus infection on Saturday, along with 193 additional deaths, as government models projected that infections could peak this weekend. Reported coronavirus cases in the country total 33,460, with 3,353 deaths attributed to the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus. But the true number for both is almost certainly much higher due to very little testing.

China reports 14 new coronavirus cases, high-risk area resurfaces

China's National Health Commission reported 14 new confirmed coronavirus cases on May 9, the highest number since April 28 and up from only one case a day earlier, according to data published on Sunday. Of the new cases, two were imported infections. The remaining 12 confirmed cases were locally transmitted, including 11 cases in the northeastern province of Jilin.

Three key U.S. coronavirus officials in self-quarantine after COVID-19 exposure: reports

Three key U.S. officials guiding the coronavirus response were in self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, according to spokesmen and media reports. Anthony Fauci, a high-profile member of the White House coronavirus response team, is considered to be at relatively low risk based on the degree of his exposure, according to a representative for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

France says the total death toll from coronavirus rises by 80 to 26,310

The number of people who have died from coronavirus infections in France rose by 80 to 26,310 on Saturday, the health ministry said, a much smaller daily increase than the previous day when it was 243. The ministry said the number of people in intensive care units - a key measure of a health system's ability to deal with the epidemic - fell by 56, or about 2%, to 2,812. That is less than half the peak of 7,148 seen on April 8.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 667 to 169,218: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 667 to 169,218, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 13 to 7,395, the tally showed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)