Health News Roundup: US coronavirus cases cross 2 million; New cases hit daily record in Mexico and more

Mexico confirms 4,883 coronavirus cases in new daily recordMexico's health ministry reported a record 4,883 new confirmed coronavirus infections along with 708 additional fatalities on Wednesday, bringing the total in the country to 129,184 cases and 15,357 deaths.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mexico confirms 4,883 coronavirus cases in new daily record

Mexico's health ministry reported a record 4,883 new confirmed coronavirus infections along with 708 additional fatalities on Wednesday, bringing the total in the country to 129,184 cases and 15,357 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is significantly higher than the official count.

U.S. coronavirus cases now over 2 million: Reuters tally

Total U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 2 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as health officials urge anyone who took part in massive protests for racial justice to get tested. Nationally, new infections are rising slightly after five weeks of declines, according to a Reuters analysis. Part of the increase is due to more testing, which hit a record high on June 5 of 545,690 tests in a single day but has since fallen, according to the COVID-Tracking Project.

U.S. could reach 200,000 coronavirus deaths in September, expert says

The United States may see 200,000 deaths because of the coronavirus at some point in September, a leading expert said, while total U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 2 million on Wednesday as governments relax restrictions. Ashish Jha, the head of Harvard's Global Health Institute, told CNN in an interview on Wednesday that without drastic action, the number of U.S. deaths would march on.

Special Report: Pandemic exposes systemic staffing problems at U.S. nursing homes

One night in April, as coronavirus swept through the Hammonton Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, Robyn Esaw, a double amputee, signaled for help with her bedpan. She said she hit the bedside button that turns on a red hallway light. None of the few remaining staff showed up - and one of them turned the light off. Esaw only got help, eventually, by wheeling herself to the nursing station and yelling. On another night in another room of the New Jersey home, Barbara Grimes noticed her roommate sitting in a puddle of urine, which seeped into a wound on her tailbone. No one checked on the roommate for three hours. The woman, Grimes said, had given up on calling for help.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise 555 to 185,416, RKI says

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 555 to 185,416, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. The reported death toll rose by 26 to 8,755, the tally showed.

Cuba to test visitors for coronavirus, limit tourism to keys

Cuba will test all visitors for coronavirus when it reopens to international tourism, which will be limited at first to the beach resorts at the keys of the Caribbean's largest island, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said on Wednesday. Unveiling cautious plans for lifting Cuba's partial lockdown, Marrero Cruz said specialists would conduct epidemiological monitoring at hotels, where occupation would be limited. Excursions would be restricted to the keys.

Exclusive: Lilly COVID-19 treatment could be authorized for use as soon as September - chief scientist

Eli Lilly and Co could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 authorized for use as early as September if all goes well with either of two antibody therapies it is testing, its chief scientist told Reuters on Wednesday. Lilly is also doing preclinical studies of third antibody treatment for the illness caused by the new coronavirus that could enter human clinical trials in the coming weeks, Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Skovronsky said in an interview.

South Korean doctors find risk factors for severe COVID-19 cases

South Korean doctors have found certain underlying conditions that may make some COVID-19 patients more severely affected by the disease, a professor at Yeungnam University Medical Center said on Wednesday. The findings could help doctors identify and prioritize high-risk patients at an early stage of the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, Ahn June-hong, professor of internal medicine, told Reuters.

Thailand reports no new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand on Thursday reported no new coronavirus infections or deaths, maintaining a total of 3,125 confirmed cases and 58 fatalities. It was the first time in nearly three weeks that no cases were reported and the 17th day without local transmission. All recent cases have been found in quarantine among Thais returning from abroad.

U.S. states accuse 26 drugmakers of generic drug price-fixing in sweeping lawsuit

Twenty-six drug manufacturers were sued on Wednesday by the attorneys general of most U.S. states and several territories, which accused them of conspiring to reduce competition and drive up generic drug prices. The lawsuit accused Novartis' Sandoz unit, Teva Pharmaceuticals' Actavis unit, Mylan, Pfizer Inc, and other drugmakers of conspiring to rig the market between 2009 and 2016 for more than 80 drugs.