Reuters Health News Summary

Worsening U.S. outbreak prompts tough actions as new coronavirus cases hit record New Jersey adopted a stringent coronavirus face-mask order on Wednesday, and New York City unveiled a plan to allow public school students back into classrooms for just two or three days a week, as newly confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases soared to a daily global record.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. New $1 billion fund aims to steer antibiotic companies in tough market

A new $1 billion fund backed by 20 drugmakers including Merck & Co Inc and Pfizer Inc is aiming to bolster struggling antibiotic companies and sustain a pipeline for new treatments, an industry group said on Thursday. Antibiotic makers have struggled with anemic investment and bankruptcies, even after the approval of new drugs, as fears of drug-resistant microbes force hospitals to adopt a more conservative approach toward such treatments. Greek researchers say close to launching own, cheaper COVID-19 test

Researchers in Greece say they are close to launching a molecular test to detect COVID-19 which could provide a cheaper alternative to imported kits and uninterrupted access to supplies. Greece currently uses diagnostic kits imported from a variety of suppliers abroad. The potential new test would use nasal swab samples, two researchers said, and could be available "in the coming future". Worsening U.S. outbreak prompts tough actions as new coronavirus cases hit record

New Jersey adopted a stringent coronavirus face-mask order on Wednesday, and New York City unveiled a plan to allow public school students back into classrooms for just two or three days a week, as newly confirmed U.S. COVID-19 cases soared to a daily global record. Officials in New Jersey and New York, the hardest-hit states at the outset of the U.S. outbreak, are trying to preserve progress in curtailing spread of the virus in the face of a resurgence elsewhere across the country, especially the South and West. Indonesia posts worst daily rise in COVID-19 cases after outbreak among military cadets

Indonesia reported its biggest single-day rise in coronavirus infections on Thursday, with almost half of the 2,657 new cases detected at a military training centre in West Java. So far, the world's fourth most populous country has recorded 70,736 cases. Public health researchers suspect that due to the limited scope of testing so far, the actual case total could be far higher, though the government denies this, and has told people not to panic. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Brazil's drug debate Moderna signs deal with Spain's Rovi to supply potential COVID-19 vaccine outside U.S.

Moderna Inc said on Thursday it has signed an agreement with Spain's Laboratorios Farmacéuticos Rovi SA to scale up the manufacturing and production of its potential COVID-19 vaccine to supply markets outside the United States. ROVI will procure a new production line and equipment for vial filling and packaging, automatic visual inspection and labeling, and hire more staff to support the production of millions of doses of Moderna's vaccine candidate, the companies said. Proportion of COVID-19 contacts reached by English tracing scheme falls again

The proportion of the contacts of positive COVID-19 cases reached by England's test and trace system fell again in its fifth week of operation, figures from the health ministry showed on Thursday. The Department of Health said 4,347 people had their cases transferred to the system between June 25 and July 1. There were 14,892 people identified as close contacts, and 70.8% were reached and asked to self isolate. WHO sets up panel to review handling of COVID-19 pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that it was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments. The announcement follows strong criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which accused the WHO of being "China-centric", and U.S. formal notification on Tuesday that it was withdrawing from the U.N. agency in a year's time. EU raises its bet on blood plasma in search for COVID-19 therapy

The European Union wants to fast-track funding to treat COVID-19 patients with blood plasma collected from survivors, an EU document seen by Reuters shows, in a sign of the bloc's growing confidence in the experimental treatment. The move also highlights the more assertive approach being taken by the 27-nation union in the race to find effective drugs and vaccines against the new coronavirus, after the United States scooped up several promising candidates. Africa urged to test more as coronavirus cases exceed 500,000

African countries must carry out more coronavirus testing and make people use masks, a regional disease control body said on Thursday as cases topped half a million in the continent. New cases in Africa were up 24% over the past week, with data from governments and the World Health Organization showing it had 512,499 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 11,930 deaths.