Health News Roundup: Global coronavirus cases surpass 6 million; CDC reports a total of 1,737,950 coronavirus cases and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Brazil has record new coronavirus cases, surpasses France in deaths

Brazil reported a record 33,274 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, its health ministry said, and the death toll surpassed that of France and now ranks only below the United States, Britain, and Italy. The South American nation has now reported 498,440 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, a level of contagion second only to the United States.

China reports two new coronavirus cases for May 30

China recorded two new confirmed cases of coronavirus on May 30, down from four the day before, data from the country's health authority showed on Sunday. Both cases were imported in the Chinese province of Shandong, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement on its website.

Trump cutting U.S. ties with the World Health Organization over the virus

The United States will end its relationship with the World Health Organization over the body's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday, accusing the U.N. agency of becoming a puppet of China. The move to quit the Geneva-based body, which the United States formally joined in 1948, comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over the coronavirus outbreak. The virus first emerged in China's Wuhan city late last year.

Coronavirus deaths top 50,000 in Latin America: Reuters tally

Latin America hit a grim milestone on Saturday as coronavirus deaths topped 50,000 and cases neared 1 million, with countries such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru struggling to stem the tide, according to a Reuters tally. Coronavirus deaths in Latin America totaled 50,105 and cases stood at 976,425, with Brazil counting for over half of deaths and infections, according to the tally.

Lack of protective gear leaves Mexican nurses battling pandemic in fear

As a nurse on the front lines of Mexico's coronavirus battle, Gisela Hernandez has stayed away from her children for nearly two months, sleeping in a hotel and even her car to avoid infecting them because she feels inadequately protected at work. At night, she video calls Santiago, 5 and Renata, 9, who are both asthmatic, to hear about what they've done during the day and remind them how much she misses them.

Mexico counts 9,779 coronavirus deaths, 87,512 cases

Mexico on Saturday registered 2,885 new cases of coronavirus and 364 more deaths, bringing the total numbers to 87,512 cases and 9,779 fatalities, according to data from health authorities. Drugs standards group nixes plan to kick pharma's crab blood habit

Horseshoe crabs' icy-blue blood will remain the drug industry's standard for safety tests after a powerful U.S. group ditched a plan to give equal status to a synthetic substitute pushed by Swiss biotech Lonza and animal welfare groups. The crabs' copper-rich blood clots in the presence of bacterial endotoxins and have long been used in tests to detect contamination in shots and infusions.

U.S. CDC reports a total of 1,737,950 coronavirus cases, 102,785 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported a total 1,737,950 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 18,123 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,074 to 102,785. 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. EDT on May 29 versus its previous report released on Friday.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 286 to 181,482

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 286 to 181,482, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday. The reported death toll rose by 11 to 8,500, the data showed.

Global coronavirus cases surpass 6 million

Global coronavirus cases surpassed 6 million on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as Latin America reported a grim milestone of 50,000 deaths from the disease. Countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico are struggling to stem the spread of the virus, which initially peaked in China in February before large-scale outbreaks followed in Europe and the United States.