Health News Roundup: WHO says pandemic 'far from over' as daily cases hit record high; U.S. CDC reports 1,938,823 coronavirus cases and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 252 to 184,193 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 252 to 184,193, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by 16 to 8,674, the tally showed.

Thailand reports two new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand on Tuesday reported two new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing its total to 3,121 confirmed cases, of which 58 were fatalities. The two cases were quarantined Thai nationals returning from Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre.

Closing in on all sides: Cuba nears declaring coronavirus victory

Reina Paula, a saleswoman at Havana's La Epoca supermarket, said the same day that a worker tested positive for the coronavirus, local authorities sent the rest of the staff in a fleet of state vehicles to isolation facilities for testing. Healthcare providers traced their relatives and sent them into quarantine, while state news outlets publicly appealed to anyone who had had close contact with them to come forward to prevent the virus from spreading.

WHO says pandemic 'far from over' as daily cases hit record high

New coronavirus cases had their biggest daily increase ever as the pandemic worsens globally and has yet to peak in Central America, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, urging countries to press on with efforts to contains the virus. "More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online briefing.

Over half of people tested in Italy's Bergamo have COVID-19 antibodies

More than half the residents tested in Italy's northern province of Bergamo have COVID-19 antibodies, health authorities said on Monday, citing a sample survey. Of 9,965 residents who had blood tests between April 23 and June 3, 57% 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: In Navy study, 60 percent of carrier volunteers 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 the roughly 400 sailors tested had antibodies for the virus, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. All 4,800 sailors on the Roosevelt aircraft carrier were tested for the coronavirus previously, and about a quarter tested positive. But in April the Navy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started conducting a serology test to look for the presence of specific antibodies.

Mexico reports nearly 3,000 new coronavirus cases, total infections at 120,000

The Mexican government reported 2,999 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing total confirmed infections to 120,102, according to data from the health ministry. The country's official coronavirus death toll rose to 14,053, up from 13,699 on Sunday.

University of Washington forecasts 145,000 U.S. COVID-19 deaths by August

University of Washington researchers estimated on Monday that 145,728 people could die of COVID-19 in the United States by August, raising their grim forecast by more than 5,000 fatalities in a matter of days. On Friday, the widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and evaluation at the university projected 140,496 deaths by August from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Researchers did not give a reason for the abrupt revision.