Health News Roundup: Thailand reports eight new coronavirus cases; China reports six new COVID-19 cases and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Thailand reports eight new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand on Sunday reported eight new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, taking its total to 3,112 infections and 58 deaths since the outbreak began in January. The new cases had returned from overseas - five from the United Arab Emirates, two from Kuwait and one from India - and were in quarantine, where most of Thailand's recent cases have been detected, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, an assistant spokeswoman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre.

China reports six new COVID-19 cases, five asymptomatic cases

China reported six new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, three more than the previous day. Five of the new cases, recorded by late Saturday, involved travelers arriving from abroad, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on its website.

UK's Johnson eyes relaxation of COVID lockdown, extra spending

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to relax rules on outdoor dining and weddings, as well as speeding up government investment plans in a bid to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus, newspapers reported on Saturday. The Sunday Times said Johnson wanted to relax planning restrictions that stop many pubs, cafes, and restaurants from using outside areas, and also to make it legal to hold weddings outside - something currently limited to Jews and Quakers.

Fujifilm says COVID-19 drug research may drag on into July

Fujifilm Holdings Corp's research on Avigan as a potential treatment for COVID-19 may drag on until July, the company said on Sunday, a further setback in the Japanese firm's race to find a vaccine. "There is a possibility that clinical trials will continue in July," a Fujifilm spokesman said, responding to a Nikkei report that any approval will be delayed until July or later, due to a lack of patients for trials.

Global coronavirus cases near 7 million as outbreak grows in Brazil, India - Reuters tally

Global cases of the novel coronavirus neared 7 million on Saturday, as case numbers surge in Brazil and India, according to a Reuters tally. About 30% of those cases, or 2 million infections, are in the United States, though the fastest growing outbreak is in Latin America, which now accounts for roughly 16% of all cases.

Russia reports 8,984 new coronavirus cases, 134 deaths in the last 24 hours

Russia reported 8,984 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours on Sunday, pushing the total number of infections to 467,673. Officials said 134 people had died during the same period, bringing the official nationwide death toll to 5,859.

Philippine coronavirus death toll rises to 1,003

The Philippines on Sunday reported nine more fatalities related to the novel coronavirus, taking its death toll to 1,003. The Southeast Asian country also recorded 555 more infections, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 21,895, the Department of Health said in a bulletin.

Indonesia reports 672 new coronavirus infections, 50 deaths

Indonesia on Sunday reported 672 new coronavirus infections, taking the total to 31,186, said a health ministry official. There were 50 new deaths, taking the total to 1,851, while 10,498 people have recovered, the official, Achmad Yurianto, said.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 301 to 183,979 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 301 to 183,979, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 22 to 8,668, the tally showed.

Shanghai Junshi Biosciences in human tests for coronavirus antibody drug

Shanghai Junshi Biosciences has started an early-stage study in China to test a potential antibody treatment against the coronavirus in uninfected people, official paper Liberation Daily said on its online channel on Sunday. https://bit.ly/3eZhSWM The experimental drug, JS016, is also expected to begin human study in the United States in the second quarter of this year, through collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co.

(With inputs from agencies.)