Health News Roundup: U.S. reports 1,551,095 COVID cases, 93,061 deaths; Britain to buy 10 million antibody tests from Roche and Abbott and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. CDC reports 1,551,095 coronavirus cases, 93,061 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 1,551,095 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 22,860 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,397 to 93,061. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on May 20, compared with its count a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2SGLijD)

Britain to buy 10 million antibody tests from Roche and Abbott

Britain said on Thursday it had agreed to acquire over 10 million coronavirus antibody tests from Roche and Abbott which would be rolled out to health and care workers from next week. Mass antibody testing is being considered by many countries as a way to speed the reopening of economies devastated by lockdowns and to introduce more tailored social distancing measures.

France's coronavirus death rate, new cases slow

The growth rate of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in France slowed slightly on Thursday, with health authorities reporting an additional 318 known infections, an increase of 0.2% over 24 hours. The rate of increases in reported deaths also slowed a little, with 83 COVID-19 fatalities in the past day, bringing the total to 28,215. That represented a rise of 0.3%.

Rare child syndrome linked to COVID-19 now in 13 countries: New York governor

The number of countries that have reported cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 and impacting children has nearly doubled in the past week to 13, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a daily briefing on Thursday. New York, which has taken a lead in tracking the so-called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in the United States, is one of 25 U.S. states with reported cases of the syndrome, Cuomo said.

CVS Health ramps up COVID-19 drive-through test sites in 14 U.S. states

CVS Health Corp said on Thursday it was expanding drive-through testing sites for COVID-19 to 350 locations in 14 U.S. states with an aim to open 1,000 sites nationwide by the end of May. The drugstore chain, which has been operating large-scale testing sites since early April, said the objective is to process up to 1.5 million tests per month, subject to availability of supplies and lab capacity.

U.N. rejects U.S. claim it is using coronavirus to promote abortion

The United Nations rejected on Thursday an accusation by the United States that the world body was using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to promote access to abortion through its humanitarian response to the deadly global outbreak. The U.N. is seeking some $6.7 billion for its coronavirus response plan and has so far received $1 billion, of which $172.9 million was given by the United States. A Reuters tally shows the coronavirus or COVID-19 has infected some 5 million people globally and caused almost 327,000 deaths.

Exclusive: A quarter of Americans are hesitant about a coronavirus vaccine - Reuters/Ipsos poll

A quarter of Americans have little or no interest in taking a coronavirus vaccine, a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Thursday found, with some voicing concern that the record pace at which vaccine candidates are being developed could compromise safety. While health experts say a vaccine to prevent infection is needed to return life to normal, the survey points to a potential trust issue for the Trump administration already under fire for its often contradictory safety guidance during the pandemic.

UK confident COVID-19 tracking system will be place before lockdown eased

Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday he was confident that a COVID-19 track and trace system would be operating by June 1, allowing lockdown rules to be eased without risking a spike in infections. Health workers have warned that any failure in Britain's ability to track and trace people with the novel coronavirus and their contacts would result in a second deadly wave.

U.S. secures 300 million doses of potential AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The United States has secured almost a third of the first one billion doses planned for AstraZeneca's experimental COVID-19 vaccine by pledging up to $1.2 billion, as world powers scramble for medicines to get their economies back to work. While not proven to be effective against the coronavirus, vaccines are seen by world leaders as the only real way to restart their stalled economies, and even to get an edge over global competitors.

U.S. FDA says 27 coronavirus antibody tests no longer comply with its rules

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has removed 27 makers of coronavirus antibody tests from its list of vendors who have notified the agency that they were selling a test and plan to apply for emergency use authorization. Under the FDA's current rules, a vendor must notify the agency it is selling a test, label it as unapproved and submit a request for emergency use authorization within 10 business days from when the test was validated by a certified lab.

(With inputs from agencies.)