Health News Roundup: 'No excuse' for countries that fail in contact tracing, WHO's Tedros says; South Australia state cancels border reopening after virus spike and more

'No excuse' for countries that fail in contact tracing, WHO's Tedros says Tracing contacts of people with coronavirus infections is the most important step in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and countries that are failing to do so have no excuse, the World Health Organization chief said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

'No excuse' for countries that fail in contact tracing, WHO's Tedros says

Tracing contacts of people with coronavirus infections is the most important step in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and countries that are failing to do so have no excuse, the World Health Organization chief said on Monday. "Although many countries have made some progress, globally the pandemic is actually speeding up," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing.

'A recipe for disaster,' U.S. health official says of Americans ignoring coronavirus advice

A spike in U.S. coronavirus infections is fueled in large part by people ignoring public health guidelines to keep their distance and wear masks, the government's top infectious disease official said. A daily surge in confirmed cases has been most pronounced in southern and western states that did not follow health officials' recommendations to wait for a steady decline in infections for two weeks before reopening their economies.

South Australia state cancels border reopening after virus spike

South Australia, one of several states in the country to close domestic borders, on Tuesday canceled its scheduled reopening to some parts of the nation, citing a spike in coronavirus infections in neighboring Victoria. The country's fifth most-populous state had said it would remove restrictions on interstate arrivals on July 20 as part of a broader nationwide relaxation of curbs to contain the new coronavirus.

China reports 19 new COVID-19 cases, including seven in Beijing

China on Tuesday reported 19 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for June 29, up from 12 a day earlier, the health authority said. There were no new deaths. Of the new infections, seven were in Beijing, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

India's first COVID-19 vaccine candidate approved for human trials

Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for human trials, making it India's first domestic candidate to get the green light from the government's drug regulator as cases surge in a country with more than 1.3 billion people. The Drug Controller General of India has approved the company's application to conduct a Phase I and II clinical trial of Covaxin, which was developed along with the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Institute of Virology, the company said in a statement on Monday.

'Wear a mask!' Republicans split with Trump as virus cases surge

In a rare break with mask-averse President Donald Trump, fellow Republican leaders are advocating for face coverings as COVID-19 cases surge in some Republican-leaning states. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there should be no stigma attached.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 498 to 194,259: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 498 to 194,259, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The death toll rose by 12 to 8,973, the tally showed.

Gilead prices COVID-19 drug remdesivir at $2,340 per patient in developed nations

Gilead Sciences Inc on Monday priced its COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir at $2,340 per patient for wealthier nations and agreed to send nearly all of its supply of the drug to the United States over the next three months. The price tag is slightly below the range of $2,520 to $2,800 suggested last week by U.S. drug pricing research group the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) after British researchers said they found that the cheap, widely available steroid dexamethasone significantly reduced mortality among severely ill COVID-19 patients.

Thailand reports two imported coronavirus infections; no local cases in 36 days

Thailand on Tuesday confirmed two new coronavirus cases imported from abroad, marking 36 days without local transmission. The new cases were Thai nationals returning from Qatar who were in state quarantine, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre.

Chinese researchers warn of new virus in pigs with human pandemic risk

A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to humans and needs to be watched closely in case it becomes a potential "pandemic virus", a study said, although experts said there is no imminent threat. A team of Chinese researchers looked at influenza viruses found in pigs from 2011 to 2018 and found a "G4" strain of H1N1 that has "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus", according to the paper, published by the U.S. journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

(With inputs from agencies.)