Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. China defends handling of coronavirus, backs review of global response under WHO

China's president called on Monday for an independent review of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic under the World Health Organization once the virus is under control, and defended Beijing's own handling of the pandemic. In a video message to a virtual meeting of the WHO's decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, President Xi Jinping also pledged $2 billion over two years to help with the COVID-19 response. WHO chief to review its pandemic handling, vows transparency

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that he would initiate an independent evaluation of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic at the "earliest appropriate moment" and vowed transparency and accountability. "We all have lessons to learn from the pandemic. Every country and every organisation must examine its response and learn from its experience. WHO is committed to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told its annual ministerial assembly. In race to COVID-19 drugs, EU may fast track remdesivir sale before U.S.

The European Union may give an initial green light in the coming days for sale of the drug remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment, the head of its medicines agency said on Monday, fast-tracking the drug to market amid tight global competition for resources. The United States, which has angered the EU with aggressive tactics in a procurement race during the global pandemic, has yet to issue a similar approval for the drug, made by U.S. pharmaceutical company Gilead. China's Wuhan says conducted 335,887 COVID-19 tests on May 17

The city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China, conducted 335,887 nucleic acid tests on May 17, the local health authority said on Monday, compared with 222,675 tests a day earlier. Wuhan kicked off a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers -- infected people who show no outward sign of illness -- after confirming earlier in May its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since it was released on April 8 from a virtual lockdown to contain the spread of the pathogen. Moderna's experimental COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in early-stage study

Moderna Inc said on Monday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced antibodies that could "neutralize" the new coronavirus in patients in a small early stage clinical trial, sending its shares up 25%. The levels of the antibodies were similar to those in blood samples of people who have recovered from COVID-19, early results from the study conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed. Russian army sets up mobile hospital to fight coronavirus at Siberian gold mine

Russia's defence ministry is setting up a mobile field hospital at the largest Siberian mine of the country's top gold producer, Polyus, to treat miners who contract the new coronavirus, the company said on Monday. Russia produces dozens of metals for global markets and the decision to open the field hospital at the mine underlines its concern to maintain smooth production amid the pandemic. Exclusive: U.S. probes PerkinElmer's role in massive Medicare fraud - sources

Medical diagnostic firm PerkinElmer Inc faces a federal investigation into its role in an alleged Medicare fraud involving tens of thousands of unnecessary genetic cancer tests, according to three sources with knowledge of the probe and documents reviewed by Reuters. The firm conducted the tests now under scrutiny over 18 months, earning millions of dollars, according to one of those sources and three others familiar with the company's lab operations. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Back on the road UK adds loss of smell and taste to COVID-19 symptom list

The United Kingdom has added the loss of smell and taste to its official list of COVID-19 symptoms including fever and new continuous cough - a step that it hopes could help pick up about 2 percent more cases of the novel coronavirus. "From today, all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or anosmia," the United Kingdom's four chief medical officers said in a joint statement. 'I'm lucky': Cancer surgery in midst of coronavirus pandemic

As Los Angeles begins to emerge from more than two months of coronavirus lockdown, 40-year-old Marisa Sullivan will have surgery this week to remove a malignant tumor from her left breast. Sullivan’s surgery is set for Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which suspended critical medical procedures for weeks to manage a wave of patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Now hospitals across the country are resuming care beyond the pandemic, introducing new precautions to convince people it is safe to seek treatment. For cancer patients in particular, the risk of contracting the virus in a healthcare facility is a top concern.