Health News Roundup: Indonesia reports 21 new coronavirus deaths; China reports three new coronavirus cases and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Indonesia reports 21 new coronavirus deaths, 526 new cases

Indonesia confirmed on Sunday 526 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 22,271 cases, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto. Yurianto reported 21 new deaths, taking the total to 1,372.

China reports three new coronavirus cases after the first day with none

China recorded three new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland for May 23, following the first day with no new cases since the outbreak began, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement on Sunday. Of the new cases, two were imported while one was a local transmission, the NHC said.

Brazil registers 965 new coronavirus deaths, confirmed cases hit 347,398

Brazil registered 965 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of fatalities to 22,013, the Health Ministry said. The country now has 347,398 confirmed cases, according to the ministry, up 16,508 from Friday, when it surpassed Russia to become the world's virus hot spot behind the United States.

Singapore's health ministry confirms 548 more coronavirus cases

Singapore's health ministry said on Sunday it had confirmed 548 more coronavirus cases, taking its tally of infections to 31,616. The vast majority of the newly infected people are migrant workers living in dormitories, the ministry said in a statement. Three are permanent residents.

Russia reports 153 coronavirus deaths, highest daily toll yet

Russia on Sunday reported 153 coronavirus deaths over the previous 24 hours, the epidemic's highest daily toll, raising total fatalities to 3,541, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said It also said 8,599 new cases had been documented, fewer than on the previous day, pushing the nationwide tally of infections to 344,481.

Project leader: Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has a 50% chance of success - Telegraph

The University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has only a 50% chance of success as the coronavirus seems to be fading rapidly in Britain, the professor co-leading the development of the vaccine told the Telegraph newspaper https://bit.ly/2LQTNos. Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop the vaccine, said that an upcoming trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return "no result" due to low transmission of COVID-19 in the community.

U.S. CDC reports a total of 1,595,885 coronavirus cases, 96,002 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 1,595,885 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 24,268 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,852 to 96,002. 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 22, compared with its count a day earlier.

Thailand reports no new coronavirus cases for the fourth time this month

Thailand on Sunday reported no new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, maintaining the total to 3,040 confirmed cases and 56 fatalities since the outbreak began in January. Sunday was the fourth day in this month that there were no new daily cases, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government's coronavirus task force.

First signs if a COVID-19 vaccine works possible in autumn: GAVI

First indications of the effectiveness of a potential vaccine against coronavirus may be available in the autumn, the head of the GAVI vaccine alliance told a Swiss newspaper, forecasting a long road from there to broad availability. "Unfortunately, we really do not know which vaccine will work and whether there will be one at all. If we're lucky, we'll receive indications in autumn as to (a potential vaccine's) effectiveness," GAVI head Seth Berkley told NZZ am Sonntag in an interview published on Sunday.

Philippines' coronavirus cases surpass 14,000, death toll rises to 868

The Philippines' tally of coronavirus cases surpassed 14,000 on Sunday and the number of fatalities rose to 868, the health ministry said. The Department of Health reported 258 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total 14,035. It also reported five additional deaths.