Health News Roundup: China finds heavy coronavirus traces in seafood; U.S. CDC reports 2,155,572 and more

There have been nearly 200,000 people infected with the new coronavirus in the Islamic Republic and the number deaths in a single day from the pandemic topped 100 for the first time in two months on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China finds heavy coronavirus traces in seafood, meat sections of Beijing food market

China has found the trading sections for meat and seafood in Beijing's wholesale food market to be severely contaminated with the new coronavirus and suspects the area's low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors, officials said on Thursday. Their preliminary report comes as the country's capital tackles a resurgence of COVID-19 cases over the past week linked to the massive Xinfadi food center, which houses warehouses and trading halls in an area the size of nearly 160 soccer pitches.

U.S. CDC reports 2,155,572 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 2,155,572 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 22,834 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 754 to 117,632. 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 17 versus its previous report on Wednesday.(https://bit.ly/2BROCTB)

Blood type, genes tied to risk of severe COVID-19: European study

A person's blood type and other genetic factors may be linked with severity of coronavirus infection, according to European researchers looking for further clues about why COVID-19 hits some so much harder than others. The findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, suggest people with type A blood have a higher risk of being infected with the coronavirus and developing worse symptoms.

Exclusive: EU in advanced talks with Johnson & Johnson on COVID-19 vaccine deal - sources

The European Commission is in advanced talks with pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson to reserve or make an up-front purchase of its COVID-19 vaccine under development, two officials familiar with the talks told Reuters. The move would be the first arranged by the European Union executive since it was mandated by the 27 EU national governments to use an emergency fund of more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) to strike deals with up to six vaccine producers.

Iran's death toll from coronavirus outbreak approaches 10,000

Iran is approaching 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak in the country, according to official figures from the Ministry of Health. There have been nearly 200,000 people infected with the new coronavirus in the Islamic Republic and the number deaths in a single day from the pandemic topped 100 for the first time in two months on Sunday.

UK ditches homegrown COVID-19 tracing app to use Google-Apple model

Britain will switch to the Apple and Google model for its COVID-19 test-and-trace app, ditching an attempt to develop an app by itself after the homegrown system did not work well enough on Apple's iPhone, the government said on Thursday. The test-and-trace program is key to reopening the country but has been dogged by problems. A smartphone app developed by the National Health Service (NHS) was initially expected to be rolled out nationwide in May but did not materialize.

WHO hopes for hundreds of millions of vaccine doses this year, 2 billion next year

The World Health Organization hopes hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine can be produced this year and 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Thursday. The WHO is drawing up plans to help decide who should get the first doses once a vaccine is approved, she said.

California orders residents to wear masks outside the home

California on Thursday ordered residents to wear masks at nearly all times outside the home, saying the strict new rule was necessary because too many Californians were neglecting to cover their faces during the coronavirus pandemic. The mandate is one of the broadest of any U.S. state, requiring Californians to wear masks any time they leave the home, with exceptions made for people eating and drinking in restaurants or exercising outdoors, as long as they maintain 6 feet of physical distance.

Canada hits 100,000 coronavirus cases, major challenges remain

Canada officially racked up 100,000 cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday and although the outbreak is slowing, health experts said major challenges remain. Authorities admit they were not prepared for how fast the pandemic ripped through nursing homes, where more than 80% of the deaths occurred.

Shopify, BlackBerry develop COVID-19 app; Canada to roll out voluntary tests

Canadian technology firms Shopify Inc and Blackberry Ltd are developing a mobile contact testing app for the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday. The voluntary app is set to roll out nationally after launching in Ontario, Canada's most populous province, slated for July 2.