Health News Roundup: Bayer says it makes progress in settlement talks over weedkiller; Bachem lifts Propofol production to 24/7 as pandemic hikes demand and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Bayer says it makes progress in settlement talks over weedkiller

Bayer said on Monday it had made progress seeking a settlement over claims its glyphosate-based Roundup weedkiller causes cancer after Bloomberg reported the company reached a verbal agreement on about 50,000 to 85,000 cases. The drugs and pesticides group is keen to draw a line under the legal dispute, which it inherited via its $63 billion takeovers of Monsanto in 2018. In April, Bayer's management regained shareholder support for its handling of the litigation process.

Putin back in Kremlin, Russia looks to ease lockdown in some regions

President Vladimir Putin made a rare lockdown appearance in the Kremlin on Monday after officials said improvements in the coronavirus situation may allow Russia to re-open some tourist resorts soon and relax restrictions in many regions. Russia, which has reported the world's third most coronavirus cases, confirmed 8,946 new infections on Monday, bringing its nationwide tally to 353,427. Officials reported 92 new deaths, pushing the toll to 3,633.

Bachem lifts Propofol production to 24/7 as pandemic hikes demand

Switzerland's Bachem has begun round-the-clock production of Propofol, a drug needed to sedate ventilated patients whose plight during the pandemic -- prone, unconscious, hospitalized -- has become emblematic of COVID-19's hit to healthcare systems. Bachem, a drug ingredients supplier based near Basel, said on Monday that worldwide demand for the anesthetic agent has skyrocketed, prompting it to staff production lines in Vionnaz in southern Switzerland 24 hours a day, seven-days-a-week, as well as to invest in new equipment to guarantee supply.

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 spend holiday at beaches and parks as virus death toll nears 100,000

Americans sunbathed on beaches, fished from boats and strolled on boardwalks this holiday weekend, even as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 fast approaches 100,000. 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.

COVID-19 deaths in Sweden top 4,000: Public Health Agency

The death toll from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Sweden has topped 4,000, statistics published by the Public Health Agency showed on Monday. The data published on the agency's website showed that deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, had risen to 4,029 from 3,998 a day earlier while the number of confirmed cases amounted to 33,843 up from 33,459.

Malaysia reports 172 new coronavirus cases, most of them foreigners

Malaysia reported 172 new coronavirus cases on Monday, most of them foreigners held at immigration depots, and taking the total number of infections in the country to 7,417. The Ministry of Health said the number of deaths remained unchanged at 115.

Dutch government: second case of mink transmitting coronavirus to human

The Dutch agriculture ministry on Monday said it had found what it believes to be a second case of a human becoming infected with the new coronavirus after coming in contact with a mink that had the virus. In a letter to parliament, minister Carola Schouten repeated that the country's National Institute for Health believes the risk of animal-to-human transmission of the virus outside the farms on which they are kept is "negligible."

Syria records 20 new coronavirus cases in largest single-day increase

Syria reported 20 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, the largest single-day increase to date, the health ministry said. The war-torn country has recorded 106 infections and four deaths so far, and new cases have increased in recent days with the return of Syrians from abroad, the ministry said.

Hospital in English tourist town stops taking patients due to COVID spike

A hospital in southwest England has temporarily stopped admitting new patients, including to its emergency department, because of a high number of coronavirus cases, it said on Monday. Britain, Europe's worst-hit country with some 43,000 deaths from COVID-19, is in the process of gradually easing social distancing measures and scientists are closely monitoring data on new infections.