Health News Roundup: Russia's daily new coronavirus cases fall; Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million and more

Brazil coronavirus cases rise past 1.3 million, deaths total 57,070 Brazil recorded 38,693 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours and 1,109 additional deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Beijing ramps up testing capacity, reaching a third of city's population so far

Beijing has ramped up coronavirus testing efforts and has tested about a third of the Chinese capital's population so far, a city official said on Sunday, as authorities seek to control an outbreak stemming from a wholesale market in mid-June. As of Sunday noon, Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing's municipal committee, told a press conference.

Indonesia reports 1,198 new coronavirus cases, 34 new deaths

Indonesia reported 1,198 new coronavirus cases and 34 deaths on Sunday, taking the total number of infections to 54,010 and fatalities to 2,754, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation.

Russia's daily number of new coronavirus cases falls, death toll tops 9,000

Russia on Sunday reported 6,791 new coronavirus cases, a figure that keeps the daily rise below 7,000 for the third day in a row for the first time since late April. The new cases take the cumulative nationwide tally to 634,437. The country's coronavirus response center said 104 people had died of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 9,073.

Texas mayor orders curfew, as states hard-hit by COVID-19 backtrack on reopening

A small city on the outskirts of Houston, Texas has instituted a curfew starting Saturday night due to surging cases of the novel coronavirus, the latest move by officials in some southern and western states to backtrack on their reopening plans. The mayor of Galena Park, a community of 10,000 people east of Houston, said she was heeding a warning from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who on Friday raised the public threat level to its most severe, a sign people should shelter at home.

Australia's Victoria state mandates coronavirus testing for travellers

Australia's Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travelers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, the state's premier said on Sunday. The country's second-most populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday, its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of double-digit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections.

Brazil coronavirus cases rise past 1.3 million, deaths total 57,070

Brazil recorded 38,693 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours and 1,109 additional deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. The nation has now registered 1,313,667 total confirmed cases of the virus and 57,070 deaths.

Tokyo reports 60 new coronavirus infections Sunday: TBS

Tokyo on Sunday recorded 60 new coronavirus infections, hitting the highest daily total since May 4, broadcaster TBS said.

Chinese firm says coronavirus vaccine candidate shows promise in human test

China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said on Sunday that early human test results for a coronavirus vaccine candidate suggested it could be safe and effective, the second vaccine candidate from the firm to show encouraging results in a clinical trial. The experimental shot, developed by a Beijing-based unit of CNBG, has induced high-level antibodies in all the inoculated participants in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial involving 1,120 healthy people, according to preliminary data of the trial, CNBG said in a posting on the social media platform WeChat, without disclosing specific readings.

Czech Republic's daily number of new coronavirus cases highest since April 8

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic jumped to 260, the highest since April 8, mainly due to surge in an eastern mining region, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. That latest daily increase is nearly triple the 93 new cases recorded on Thursday. In total, the country of 10.7 million has confirmed 11,298 cases of the COVID-19 illness, with 347 deaths as of the end of Saturday.