Health News Roundup: France has lowest daily rise in new COVID cases; China reports three new coronavirus cases and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 25-05-2020 02:40 IST | Created: 25-05-2020 02:28 IST
Health News Roundup: France has lowest daily rise in new COVID cases; China reports three new coronavirus cases and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

France has lowest daily rise in new coronavirus cases and deaths since lockdown

French authorities reported the smallest daily rise in new coronavirus cases and deaths on Sunday since before a lockdown began on March 17, raising hopes that the worst of the epidemic is over in France. The number of confirmed cases rose by 115 to 144,921, health ministry data showed, and the death toll increased by 35 to 28,367 - an increase of just 0.1% for both tallies.

China reports three new coronavirus cases after 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.

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 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 total of 1.6 million coronavirus cases and 97,049 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 1,622,114 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 26,229 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,047 to 97,049. 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 23, compared with its count a day earlier.

Americans soak up sun on beaches as coronavirus death toll nears 100,000

Americans sunbathed on beaches, fished from boats, and strolled on boardwalks this holiday weekend, but the occasional person wearing a mask was a constant reminder that the world is still battling the coronavirus pandemic. The Memorial Day weekend that signals the start of the U.S. summer is normally a time when cemeteries across the nation fill with American flags and ceremonies to remember those who died in U.S. wars. This year the holiday week is when the U.S. death from COVID-19 is expected to exceed 100,000.

Chile's hospitals under strain as coronavirus cases near 70,000, president says

Chile's healthcare system is under strain and "very close to the limit," President Sebastian Pinera said on Sunday, as the number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections approaches 70,000 after a rapid increase in recent days. The Ministry of Health reported 3,709 new cases in the last day, bringing the total to 69,102. The death toll is at 718.

Thailand reports no new coronavirus cases for 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.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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