Health News Roundup: Beijing ramps up testing capacity; Indonesia reports 1,1198 new coronavirus cases and more

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.

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.

California orders some bars to close as U.S. posts record COVID cases

California on Sunday ordered some bars to close as that state and a dozen others face the worst surge in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. Governor Gavin Newsom's order for bars to close in seven counties, including Los Angeles, is the first major rollback of efforts to reopen the economy in the most populous U.S. state. On Friday, Texas and Florida ordered all bars to close.

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 a 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 centre said 104 people had died of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 9,073.

Australia's Victoria state mandates coronavirus testing for travelers

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.

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.

U.S. to extend Texas testing capabilities as long as state leaders want: Pence

U.S. Vice President Pence on Sunday said the federal government would extend support for coronavirus testing in Texas as long as necessary amid a dangerous surge in new cases after U.S. health officials had moved to curb some sites in various localities. Pence said the decision to transition from some federal testing sites was made "several weeks ago," before the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, telling reporters at a news conference in Dallas: "We'll be extending that every bit as long as Texas wants us to."

(With inputs from agencies.)