Health News Roundup: WHO head urges world not to drop guard; Over half of people tested in Italian city of Bergamo and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO head urges world not to drop guard as pandemic still growing

The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries on Monday to press on with efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, noting the pandemic was worsening globally and had not peaked in central America. More than 136,000 cases were reported worldwide on Sunday, "the most in a single day so far", WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Over half of people tested in Italian city of Bergamo have COVID-19 antibodies

A sample survey has shown that more than half the residents of the northern Italian city of Bergamo have COVID-19 antibodies, city health authorities said on Monday. Of 9,965 residents who had blood tests between April 23 and June 3, 57% of them had antibodies indicating they had come into contact with the coronavirus, the survey showed.

Global Blood Therapeutics to seek to expand label for sickle cell treatment

Global Blood Therapeutics Inc said on Monday it plans to ask U.S. regulators to greenlight the use of its sickle cell treatment, Oxbryta, in children aged 4 to 11, expanding on an earlier approval for patients 12 and over. The South San Francisco, California-based company recently met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and plans to submit a formal application for expanded approval next year, it said in a statement.

U.S. CDC reports 1,938,823 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 1,938,823 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 17,919 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 474 to 110,375. 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 7, versus its previous report released on Sunday.

Exclusive: U.S. Navy test shows 60 percent of carrier crew have coronavirus antibodies

A U.S. Navy investigation into the spread of the coronavirus aboard the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has found that about 60 percent of sailors tested had antibodies for the virus, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, suggesting a far higher infection rate than previously known. In April, the Navy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started conducting serology tests to look for the presence of specific antibodies that are created by the immune system's attack response to the presence of the virus and remain in the blood for a period of time.

France's new confirmed cases of coronavirus slow down

France's coronavirus deaths were four times higher on Monday than a day earlier but the increase of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were at a one-week low. In a statement, the health ministry said the country's death toll rose by 54, or 0.2%, to 29,209, the fifth-highest total in the world. On Sunday, 13 COVID-19 deaths were reported.

Europe wants to make its own drugs, but it needs American blood plasma

Europe wants to be master of its own destiny in producing essential drugs and finding COVID-19 treatments, but it's got a problem. It relies on the United States for a critical ingredient: blood plasma. As global mistrust deepens, European Union officials are casting around for ways to reduce the bloc's dependence on American plasma, the liquid component of blood used in a host of drugs, and now widely applied in COVID-19 experimental therapies.

Symptoms can last for weeks even in mild cases, lockdowns likely saved millions of lives

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. Symptoms can linger for weeks after mild coronavirus infection.

COVID-19 in UK care homes coming under control says minister

The COVID-19 epidemic in British care homes is coming under control, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday after announcing that all remaining adult care homes would have access to testing for residents and staff. The announcement means that working-age care homes will have access to a full COVID-19 testing service, in addition to care homes for the elderly, which had been prioritized previously.

EU watchdog aims for speedy approval of remdesivir as COVID-19 treatment

The European health regulator said on Monday it would look to fast-track the approval of Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral remdesivir as a potential COVID-19 treatment in Europe after the U.S. drugmaker submitted its marketing application. Remdesivir, the first drug to show improvement in COVID-19 patients in formal trials, has been cleared for emergency use in severely-ill patients in the United States, India and South Korea. Some European nations are also using it under compassionate programs.