Health News Roundup: Air the house and disinfect, says French health chief; WHO chief says he will keep leading virus and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

French health chief: Air the house and disinfect after friends visit

People who invite friends to their home over the upcoming long Ascension weekend should wear masks, air out the house after their friends leave and disinfect contact surfaces such as doorknobs, France's health ministry chief said. Speaking for the first time since a strict nationwide lockdown ended on May 11, Jerome Salomon warned people to maintain a safe distance when socializing with friends and family not seen in weeks.

WHO chief says he will keep leading virus response after Trump threat

The World Health Organization's head said on Tuesday he would keep leading the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding and quit the body. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the agency's role after the United States again withheld full support for a resolution on the pandemic.

U.S. CDC reports 1,504,830 coronavirus cases, 90,340 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 1,504,830 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 24,481 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 933 to 90,340. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on May 18, compared with its count a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2SGLijD)

WHO chief for the Americas voices hope for continued U.S. support as virus surges

The World Health Organization's director for the Americas warned on Tuesday of a coronavirus surge across the region and voiced hope for continuing U.S. help to tackle the outbreak, despite President Donald Trump's threat to permanently halt WHO funding. Carissa Etienne, the head of the WHO-affiliated Pan American Health Organization, said U.S. contributions account for about 60% of the regional health agency's budget. She also pointed to successful past collaborations with the U.S. government to combat diseases like malaria and yellow fever.

Vaccine not only for rich, Cuomo says and decries leadership by tweet

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that any vaccine to prevent the coronavirus should be distributed fairly without regard for wealth and called for U.S. crisis leadership based on competence and not Twitter posts. "You have to know what you are doing now - not just look like what you are doing, not just sound like what you are doing," Cuomo said without naming U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican who frequently attacks his critics on Twitter.

Argentine scientists working on low-cost two-hour coronavirus test

Argentine scientists are producing what they call a fast and inexpensive coronavirus test, which according to the government has captured the interest of other countries. The new test, called "NEOKIT-COVID-19", allows detection of the virus in less than two hours, developers say.

Bolivian city gives out free doses of de-worming drug in bid to combat coronavirus

Officials in the Bolivian city of Trinidad launched a campaign on Monday to give out free doses of the anti-parasite drug ivermectin in a bid to combat the coronavirus in the country's hard-hit eastern region. Authorities will go house-to-house to pass out some 350,000 doses of the drug to residents in the region of Beni, where Trinidad is the capital. The area has 581 confirmed cases and 41 coronavirus-related deaths.

Trump administration signs up new company to make COVID-19 drugs in U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration awarded a contract worth up to $812 million for a new U.S. company to manufacture drugs and drug ingredients to fight COVID-19 on American soil, aiming to end dependence on other countries. The administration has been looking to build up the ability to produce drugs and their raw materials in the United States after the global pandemic exposed the industry's dependence on China and India for its supply chain.

Trump defends his use of unproven treatment for coronavirus

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his use of a prescription malaria drug to try to ward off the novel coronavirus despite medical warnings, saying it was up to individuals to make their own decisions. Without offering any evidence, Trump told reporters during a visit to the U.S. Capitol that he thinks hydroxychloroquine "gives you an additional level of safety," adding: "People are going to have to make up their own mind."

Early data on Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine insufficient: Stat News

Data from a small, early-stage safety trial testing Moderna Inc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine does not provide critical data to assess its effectiveness, Stat News reported on Tuesday, citing experts. The health news publication's report https://bit.ly/36kKerh pulled down shares of the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech and erased modest gains on the benchmark S&P 500 index.