Health News Roundup: WHO sees 'intense transmission' of virus; Florida reports record one-day increase in COVID deaths and more

Almost half of all cases reported so far are from just three countries." Florida reports record one-day increase in COVID-19 deaths Florida reported a record one-day increase in deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday with 173 lives lost, according to the state health department.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

WHO sees 'intense transmission' of virus in relatively few countries

The World Health Organization is seeing intense transmission of the coronavirus in relatively few countries, its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Thursday. "We continue to see intense transmission in a relatively small group of countries," he told a virtual briefing in Geneva. "Two-thirds of all cases are from 10 countries. Almost half of all cases reported so far are from just three countries."

Florida reports record one-day increase in COVID-19 deaths

Florida reported a record one-day increase in deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday with 173 lives lost, according to the state health department. Florida also reported that cases rose by 10,249, bringing its total cases to nearly 390,000. Total deaths rose to 5,632.

Could your Fitbit or Apple Watch detect early COVID-19 symptoms?

Fitbit and other wearable devices typically linked to exercise are being studied as ways to identify people who are potentially infected with COVID-19 before symptoms appear, when they can unknowingly spread the disease. Changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and other biometrics measured constantly by the devices may flag the early stages of virus infection, so an otherwise healthy-looking person knows to self-isolate and seek a COVID-19 diagnostic test, researchers say.

WHO chief denounces 'unacceptable' comments questioning his independence

The head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that reported comments by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo questioning his independence were untrue and would not distract the organization from its work in fighting the coronavirus. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come under criticism, especially from U.S. President Donald Trump and Pompeo, who have accused him of being pro-China.

BASF agrees to settle talc class action lawsuit for $72 million

German chemical company BASF SE on Thursday agreed to settle for $72.5 million a class action fraud lawsuit over allegations its talc contained asbestos and caused lung injuries and cancer, court documents showed. Under the agreement, compensation from the settlement fund can be received by anyone who filed a lawsuit against the company between March 1984 and March 2011 over asbestos-related injuries, but had their lawsuit dismissed or voluntarily dismissed it.

Moderna loses challenge to Arbutus patent on vaccine technology

Shares of Moderna Inc fell nearly 10% after it lost a bid to invalidate a U.S. patent owned by Arbutus Biopharma that poses a potential obstacle to Moderna's efforts to develop next-generation vaccines, including a coronavirus vaccine. An administrative court run by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected arguments by Moderna that an Arbutus patent known as the '069 patent should be revoked because it described obvious concepts.

U.S. sets global benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine price at around the cost of a flu shot

The U.S. government has set a benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine pricing in a $2 billion deal announced on Wednesday with Pfizer Inc and German biotech BioNTech SE that will likely pressure other manufacturers to set similar prices, industry analysts told Reuters. The deal, which is contingent on an approvable product, secures enough vaccine to inoculate 50 million Americans for about $40 a person, or about the cost of annual flu shots, and is the first to provide a direct window into likely pricing of successful COVID-19 vaccines.

French coronavirus new cases rise, death toll edges up

France's public health authority said on Thursday there had been a significant rise in confirmed, new cases of people suffering from COVID-19, as the number of deaths in the country edged up. The number of deaths in France from COVID-19 rose by 10 from the previous day to 30,182 - the sixth highest casualty toll in the world.

U.S. coronavirus cases pass four million as infections rapidly accelerate

The total number of coronavirus cases reported in the United States passed 4 million on Thursday, reflecting a rapid acceleration of infections in the country since the first case was recorded on Jan. 21, a Reuters tally showed. It took the country 98 days to reach 1 million cases, but just 16 days to go from 3 million to 4 million, according to the tally. The case total indicates that at least one in 82 people in the United States have been infected.

French hospital tests new breathalyser machine to detect COVID-19

A hospital in the southern French city of Lyon is testing patients with a new machine that enables them to breathe into a tube to see whether they have COVID-19 in a matter of seconds. The machine is entering a second trial phase after three months of use on dozens of people, among whom about 20 had the virus and the others did not. Unlike the uncomfortable standard PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, it is not invasive and provides an immediate result.

(With inputs from agencies.)