Health News Roundup: Coronavirus spreads among fruit and vegetable; U.S. could reach 200,000 coronavirus deaths in September and more

China offering coronavirus candidate vaccines to state workers, Global Times saysChina is offering candidate vaccines for the new coronavirus to employees at state-owned firms travelling overseas, as it seeks more data on their efficacy, state media Global Times reported on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China offering coronavirus candidate vaccines to state workers, Global Times says

China is offering candidate vaccines for the new coronavirus to employees at state-owned firms travelling overseas, as it seeks more data on their efficacy, state media Global Times reported on Thursday. No proven vaccines have been developed yet for the virus, although mass trials for a number of candidate vaccines are expected to get underway soon in countries around the world.

Coronavirus spreads among fruit and vegetable packers, worrying U.S. officials

From apple packing houses in Washington state to farmworkers in Florida and a California county known as "the world's salad bowl," outbreaks of the novel coronavirus are emerging at U.S. fruit and vegetable farms and packing plants. A rising number of sick farm and packing house workers comes after thousands of meat plant employees contracted the virus and could lead to more labor shortages and a fresh wave of disruption to U.S. food production.

Britain publishes COVID-19 safety guidance for airlines and airports

Britain published new guidance for airlines and airports on how to operate safely to minimize the risks from coronavirus, adding to hopes that the country will soon agree to deals to allow quarantine-free travel. Passengers and staff should wear face coverings in airports and on aircraft, while passengers should check in all luggage including handbags, and remain seated for as much of the flight as possible, said the Department for Transport on Thursday.

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.

England's test and trace system reaches 26,985 in first week

England's new track and tracing system was able to contact two-thirds of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 and were referred to it in its first week, and then succeeded in contacting 85% of their contacts to ask them to self isolate. Of the 8,117 who were transferred to the system, 2,710 were not reached and did not provide details of their recent contacts, illustrating the challenge faced by a program which is seen as a key tool to help loosen blanket lockdown measures.

Outbreak quashed, China launches test lab spending spree

China is building hundreds of testing laboratories and stocking up on tests to ramp up screening for the coronavirus, even in healthy people, having all-but stamped out the local transmission of the disease. China is looking to make testing universal, available in every corner of the mainland. Beijing city reports first confirmed COVID-19 case in nearly two months

Beijing has confirmed a new coronavirus case on Thursday, a Chinese official and ruling Communist Party-backed media reported, the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the capital in nearly two months. The patient, a 52-year-old man, checked into a clinic on Wednesday due to a fever, according to the official party newspaper People's Daily. The patient said he has not left Beijing or been in contact with anyone who travelled from overseas in the last two weeks, the report said.

Moderna to start final testing stage of coronavirus vaccine in July

Moderna Inc on Thursday confirmed it plans to start a trial of 30,000 volunteers of its much-anticipated coronavirus vaccine in July as the company enters the final stage of testing. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech said the primary goal of the study would be to prevent symptomatic COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The key secondary goal would be the prevention of severe disease, as defined by keeping people out of the hospital.

Europe sets sights on dud antibody tests amid COVID-19 free-for-all

The market for COVID-19 antibody tests is red-hot. It has ballooned in a matter of months as hundreds of products flood the world for people who want to find out whether they've already had the virus. The problem is, some of them don't work properly.

In Paraguay's coronavirus war, isolation centers exact a heavy toll

Paraguay's coronavirus camps, obligatory for anyone entering the South American country, have garnered praise from international health bodies for helping stem the spread of the epidemic. The government calls them the "first line of defense". Yet half a dozen people interviewed by Reuters who passed through the camps or monitored them raised concerns about the conditions of the hundreds of returning citizens held there. Some said dormitories were cramped, risking the spread of the virus, and people could be confined for many weeks with scarce information.