Health News Roundup: UK COVID-19 death toll surpasses 50,000; Children are not big spreaders and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK COVID-19 death toll surpasses 50,000: Reuters tally

The United Kingdom's COVID-19 death toll surpassed 50,000 on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally of official data sources that highlighted the country's place as one of the worst-hit in the world. New data from Scotland brought the toll to 50,059, a dire milestone for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he tries to ease the stringent coronavirus lockdown.

Dutch coronavirus study: children are not big spreaders

A study by the Netherlands' National Institute for Health (RIVM) published on Wednesday concluded that children under the age of 12 play little role in transmitting the new coronavirus. The study in the country's leading medical journal Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde followed the progress of the disease in 54 families, including 227 people in all.

Trump without side effects after two-week course of anti-malaria drug, White House doctor says

U.S. President Donald Trump had no side effects from a two-week course of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that can cause heart problems, after using it as a preventive measure against the coronavirus, his White House physician said on Wednesday. The results of Trump's annual physical found that the 73-year-old president remains healthy but picked up a pound and now weighs 244 pounds (110.68 kg) compared to 243 pounds (110.22 kg)last year.

U.S. CDC reports 1,827,425 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday reported 1,827,425 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 24,955 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,045 to 106,202. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on June 2, versus its previous report released on Tuesday. (https://bit.ly/2z0ggwB)

WHO set to resume hydroxychloroquine trial in battle against COVID-19

The World Health Organization will resume its trial of hydroxychloroquine for potential use against the coronavirus, its chief said on Wednesday, after those running the study briefly stopped giving it to new patients over health concerns. The U.N. agency last month paused the part of its large study of treatments against COVID-19 in which newly enrolled patients were getting the anti-malarial drug to treat COVID-19 due to fears it increased death rates and irregular heartbeats.

Trump administration selects five coronavirus vaccine candidates as finalists: NYT

The Trump administration has selected five companies, including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc, as the most likely candidates to produce a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing senior officials. The other companies are Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co Inc, according to the paper.

Brazil health regulator approves clinical trials of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine

Brazil's health regulator Anvisa has approved human clinical trials for a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University and supported by AstraZeneca Plc, it said on Wednesday. With COVID-19 epidemics in Britain, mainland Europe and the United States coming down from their peak and transmission rates of the coronavirus dropping, scientists have turned to places like Brazil, where the disease is still rife, to test potential vaccines.

Malaria drug touted by Trump ineffective to prevent COVID-19 in high profile study

The malaria drug promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a treatment for COVID-19 was shown to be ineffective in preventing infection in people exposed to the coronavirus, according to a widely anticipated clinical trial released on Wednesday. The new trial found no serious side effects or heart problems from use of hydroxychloroquine.

Gilead's remdesivir could see $7 billion in annual sales on stockpiling boost: analyst

Gilead Sciences Inc's potential COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, could bring in more than $7 billion in annual sales by 2022, spurred by governments stockpiling the drug to guard against future outbreaks, SVB Leerink said on Wednesday. Remdesivir has shown improvement in COVID-19 patients in clinical trials and has been cleared for emergency use in severely ill patients in the United States, India and South Korea. Some European nations are using it in compassionate use.

Convalescent plasma not helpful in China study; hydroxychloroquine doesn't prevent infection

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Convalescent plasma disappoints in Chinese trial.

(With inputs from agencies.)