Health News Summary: Colombia extends coronavirus lockdown measures until July 15; Australia reports first COVID-19 death in more than a month 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.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 24-06-2020 10:58 IST | Created: 24-06-2020 10:29 IST
Health News Summary: Colombia extends coronavirus lockdown measures until July 15; Australia reports first COVID-19 death in more than a month and more
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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.

Colombia extends coronavirus lockdown measures until July 15

Colombia's lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus will continue until July 15, President Ivan Duque said in a nightly broadcast on Tuesday. The Andean country has reported more than 73,500 cases of coronavirus and 2,404 deaths.

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 the 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.

Australia reports first COVID-19 death in more than a month

Australia's second-most populous state on Wednesday said a man in his 80s died overnight from the coronavirus, the country's first death from the virus in more than a month, as the state logged a double-digit rise in cases for the eighth straight day. Victoria state reported 20 overnight cases, Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne, taking the state tally to nearly 1,900 after recording 17 on Tuesday and 16 the day before.

Coronavirus surges in Latin America as deaths surpass 100,000

Latin America's death toll from the coronavirus pandemic surpassed 100,000 on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, with few signs of the outbreak easing in a region marked by crowded cities and high poverty levels. Latin America has seen an alarming spike in cases and deaths even as the tide of infection recedes in Europe and parts of Asia. The number of infections, at 2.2 million, has doubled in less than a month.

Japan's success in curbing COVID-19 cases now hampers search for cures

As nations race to develop treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, Japan has become a victim of its own success as slowing new infections has led to a shortage of patients to enroll in clinical trials. Clinical trials are underway for more than a dozen potential vaccines, including at least six in China, but Japan's first human trials are expected to start next month.

U.S. hospitals lose legal challenge to Trump price transparency rule

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a challenge by hospital groups to a federal rule requiring them to disclose prices they quietly negotiate with insurers, in a victory for White House efforts to make healthcare pricing more transparent to patients. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, D.C. said the rule was reasonably related to the government's interest in lowering healthcare costs and giving consumers more pricing data to help them decide on treatment.

Washington state makes face masks mandatory as some states see new coronavirus surge

The governor of Washington state on Tuesday ordered residents to wear face masks in public as officials across the country sought new means to control the coronavirus pandemic while easing clamp-downs on residents and reopening the economy. The move by Washington Governor Jay Inslee came as Arizona, California, Mississippi, and Nevada reported record numbers of new cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Texas set a record on Monday.

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.

Tokyo expects 'large number' of new virus cases Wednesday: governor

Tokyo will record "quite a large number" of new coronavirus cases on Wednesday after a cluster of infections was discovered at an office, Governor Yuriko Koike said. "Clusters in the workplace have become a big problem lately," Koike told reporters, adding that test results from the same unnamed company were expected to add to the seven infections found there previously.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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