Reuters Health News Summary

Risk of new lockdowns rises with fear of second COVID-19 wave Fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections grew on Friday with a record daily increase in India, warnings against complacency in Europe and word from half a dozen U.S. states that their hospital beds were filling up fast.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Factbox: Global surge in coronavirus cases raise fears about second wave

A second wave of the coronavirus could derail efforts by governments to reopen economies and ease lockdown restrictions. Here is a rundown of countries and regions with the highest infection rates and measures taken to curb infection rates. INDIA Chinese capital reports new coronavirus cases for second day

China's capital reported two new coronavirus infections on Friday, a day after it declared its first case in nearly two months, prompting officials to delay plans for some students to return school. The new cases, from a different part of Beijing than Thursday's infection, involved two men working at a meat research center, state media said. Risk of new lockdowns rises with fear of second COVID-19 wave

Fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections grew on Friday with a record daily increase in India, warnings against complacency in Europe and word from half a dozen U.S. states that their hospital beds were filling up fast. Health officials worldwide have expressed concerns in recent days that some countries grappling with the devastating economic impact of lockdowns may lift restrictions too swiftly, and that the coronavirus could spread during mass anti-racism protests. German insurers propose multi-billion euro pandemic fund: Der Spiegel

German insurers are putting together plans for a multi-billion euro public-private fund to deal with catastrophes like pandemics, magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday. A working group of the nation's major insurers has written a discussion paper that says the fund needs to have a volume of more than 10 billion euros ($11.32 billion), the magazine reported. Fears of second U.S. coronavirus wave rise on worrisome spike in cases, hospitalizations

About half a dozen states including Texas and Arizona are grappling with a rising number of coronavirus patients filling hospital beds, fanning concerns that the reopening of the U.S. economy may spark a second wave of infections. The rally in global stocks came crashing down on Thursday over worries of a pandemic resurgence. The last time the S&P 500 and Dow fell as much in one day was in March, when U.S. coronavirus cases began surging. Germany well-placed to avoid second wave of virus infections: Scholz

Germany is well placed to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Friday, warning that the absence of a vaccine meant social distancing as well as testing and tracing measures were necessary. "We are living with the virus, which I describe as a new normal. And it will only change when we have new medical therapies and when we have a vaccine," Scholz said. "As long as this is not the case, we have to organize our lives so as to avoid a second wave." Exclusive: Bottlenecks? Glass vial makers prepare for COVID-19 vaccine

Drugmakers are warning of a potential shortage of vials to bottle future COVID-19 vaccines, but their rush to secure supplies risks making matters worse, some major medical equipment manufacturers warn. Schott AG, the world's largest maker of speciality glass for vaccine vials, says it has turned down requests to reserve output from major pharmaceutical firms because it does not want to commit resources before it is clear which vaccines will work. Quarantine rules are to protect public health, says UK PM's spokesman

Britain's government have brought in quarantine rules to protect public health, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday, declining to comment on legal action brought by British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. "I would emphasize that we've obviously brought these quarantine rules into place to protect public health and ensure we don't import the virus as cases in the community reduce," the spokesman told reporters, adding that the government does not comment on "ongoing legal matters". 'This is about livelihoods': U.S. virus hotspots reopen despite second wave specter

Facing budget shortfalls and double-digit unemployment, governors of U.S. states that are COVID-19 hotspots on Thursday pressed ahead with economic reopenings that have raised fears of a second wave of infections. The moves by governors of states such as Florida and Arizona came as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States could not afford to let the novel coronavirus shut its economy again and global stocks tanked on worries of a pandemic resurgence. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Second-wave fears