Health News Roundup: California hospital admitting only COVID-19 patients; EU countries may bar U.S. travelers because of COVID failures and more

The rapid rise of hospitalizations in San Joaquin County comes as infections from the novel coronavirus continue to soar in California, which on Monday reported a record increase of over 6,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

California hospital admitting only COVID-19 patients as outbreak ravages state's breadbasket

The COVID-19 spike in California's agricultural breadbasket is so steep that a hospital in Lodi is not accepting some patients who have other illnesses, as infections mount at nearly four times the rate called for in state guidelines for reopening the economy. The rapid rise of hospitalizations in San Joaquin County comes as infections from the novel coronavirus continue to soar in California, which on Monday reported a record increase of over 6,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.

EU countries may bar U.S. travelers because of coronavirus failures: NY Times

European Union countries eager to revive their economies are prepared to bar entry to Americans because the United States has failed to control the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported from Brussels on Tuesday, citing draft lists of acceptable travelers. The United States, which has the most coronavirus cases in the world and is experiencing a surge in new infections, would be in the same category as No.2 hotspot Brazil and Russia, according to the Times, citing the proposal.

Explainer: What is a second wave of a pandemic, and has it arrived in the U.S.?

Infectious disease experts, economists, and politicians have raised concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections in the United States that could worsen in the coming months. But some, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease expert, said it is too soon to discuss a second wave when the United States has never emerged from a first wave in which more than 120,000 people have died and more than 2.3 million Americans have had confirmed infections with the novel coronavirus.

One meter or two? How social distancing affects COVID-19 risk

Britain on Tuesday announced an easing of social distancing rules from July 4, reducing the recommended gap from 2 meters to "1 meter plus" in England as it further loosened lockdown measures meant to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY?

Venezuela's Zulia state emerges as coronavirus hot spot

Venezuela's western Zulia state has emerged as a hot spot for the COVID-19 pandemic as poorly supplied hospitals and chronic shortages of water and power make it difficult to prevent the disease from spreading. The government of President Nicolas Maduro has identified Zulia as an epicenter of the pandemic, with official statistics showing 590 cases and 10 deaths in the sweltering border state that shares a frontier with neighboring Colombia.

Bayer close to glyphosate settlement worth $8-10 billion: Handelsblatt

Bayer AG is close to agreeing a settlement worth $8-10 billion over claims its glyphosate-based Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, German business daily Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday. The company's supervisory board was due to discuss and vote on the settlement, which includes a $2 billion buffer for future claims, in the coming days, paper cited company and negotiating partner sources as saying.

As U.S. coronavirus cases surge, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada hit new records

For a second consecutive week, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada set records in their coronavirus outbreaks, and 10 other states from Florida to California were grappling with a surge in infections. Texas reported over 5,000 new infections on Monday, a single-day record for the state. It has also seen COVID-19 hospitalizations hit record highs for 11 days in a row.

J&J loses bid to overturn baby powder verdict, but damages cut to $2.12 billion

A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday rejected Johnson & Johnson's bid to throw out a jury verdict in favor of women who blamed their ovarian cancer on its baby powder and other talc products but reduced damages by more than half, to $2.12 billion. The Missouri Court of Appeals lowered the original $4.69 billion verdicts from July 2018 after dismissing claims by some of the 22 women and their families who had sued.

U.S. coronavirus task force members: Trump hasn't asked us to slow testing

Four top U.S. public health officials and members of Donald Trump's coronavirus task force said on Tuesday that he has not asked them to slow down testing for the virus after the president suggested at a rally that it was a "double-edged sword." Testifying before the House Energy & Commerce Committee, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, and the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir all said that the president had not asked them to slow down the testing.

U.S. CDC reports 2,302,288 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 2,302,288 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 26,643 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 410 to 120,333. 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 22 versus its previous report on Monday.(https://bit.ly/2BROCTB)