Health News Roundup: Coronavirus cases in Australian state stay stubbornly high; Federal judge blocks part of Tennessee 'heartbeat' abortion law and more

Young, healthy adults with mild COVID-19 also take weeks to recover: CDC Young, previously healthy adults can take weeks to fully recover from even a mild COVID-19 infection, with about a fifth of patients under 35 years reporting not returning to their usual state of health up to 21 days after testing positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Coronavirus cases in Australian state stay stubbornly high

Australia's Victoria state recorded an increase in new coronavirus cases on Saturday as officials laid out new directives to protect people in retirement homes and help contain the second wave of infections. Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, recorded 357 new cases overnight, and five deaths, up from 300 on Friday when it saw its highest ever death toll of 7, but lower than Wednesday's record daily increase of 483 cases, state officials said.

Federal judge blocks part of Tennessee 'heartbeat' abortion law

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked parts of a new Tennessee law that bans abortions once a heartbeat is detected in a fetus, one of the tightest restrictions on the procedure in the United States. Tennessee lawmakers last month passed the measure, which prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected at around six weeks. That is often before a woman realizes she is pregnant.

Trump signs orders to lower prescription drug prices

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed four executive orders aimed at lowering the prices Americans pay for prescription drugs, as he faces an uphill re-election battle and criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has previously proposed most of the changes made by the executive orders he signed on Friday, but this is the first time they have made it into signed executive orders.

Mainland China reports 34 new coronavirus cases, including 20 in Xinjiang

China reported 34 cases of the new coronavirus in the mainland for July 24, up from 21 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Saturday. Of the new infections, 20 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the National HealthCommission. Nine were in the northeastern province of Liaoning, while the remaining five were imported cases.

South Korea reports 113 new coronavirus cases, most since March

South Korea reported 113 cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, the largest one-day increase since March, bringing the country's total to 14,092. Of the new cases, 86 were imported and 27 were domestic infections.

Vietnam back on coronavirus alert after first local infection in 3 months

Vietnam was back on high alert for the novel coronavirus on Saturday after medical officials in the central city of Danang detected what appears to be the first local COVID-19 case in the Southeast Asian country for three months. Thanks to strict quarantine measures and an aggressive and widespread testing program, Vietnam has kept its virus total to an impressively low 415 cases, and had reported no locally transmitted infections for 100 days.

Young, healthy adults with mild COVID-19 also take weeks to recover: CDC

Young, previously healthy adults can take weeks to fully recover from even a mild COVID-19 infection, with about a fifth of patients under 35 years reporting not returning to their usual state of health up to 21 days after testing positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A telephone survey across 13 states of symptomatic adults with mild COVID-19 found 35% had not returned to their usual state of health when interviewed two to three weeks after testing, the CDC reported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Friday.

U.S. panel charged to plan fair distribution of eventual COVID-19 vaccine

U.S. public health officials on Friday charged a group of independent scientists and ethicists with developing guidelines to determine who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, once one becomes available. The guidelines are aimed at developing an equitable framework that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can use to develop a plan to distribute the first doses of vaccine, which U.S. officials expect to be ready by the end of the year.

As U.S. coronavirus surges, Trump officials press back-to-school plan

With just weeks to go before U.S. schools begin to open, federal health and education officials on Friday stressed the need for children to get back into the classroom despite fears about safety as coronavirus infections surge. Administration officials said reopening schools was critical for children's mental and emotional well-being, as well as for allowing parents to get back to work to boost the economy, a priority for President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election in November.

Moderna says patent ruling not to affect COVID-19 vaccine development

Moderna Inc said on Friday its formula used in developing a COVID-19 vaccine was not covered under patents owned by Arbutus Biopharma. An administrative court run by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday rejected Moderna's arguments to invalidate a U.S. patent owned by Arbutus, sparking worries over its efforts to develop next-generation vaccines, including a coronavirus vaccine.