Reuters Health News Summary

The White House Office of Management and Budget called the provision in a U.S. House of Representatives spending bill requiring the masks "overly restrictive." It added that "such decisions should be left to states, local governments, transportation systems, and public health leaders." Seasonal flu reports hit record lows amid global social distancing Global social distancing rules targeting coronavirus have pushed influenza infection rates to a record low, early figures show, signalling that the measures are having an unprecedented impact on other communicable diseases.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Birx says COVID-19 shifting to U.S. Midwest, South shows signs of hope

The coronavirus outbreak in the United States appears to be shifting to the Midwest as the surge in the South shows signs of abating, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx said on Thursday. Birx, in an interview on Fox News, said an uptick in coronavirus cases is appearing in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, likely driven by Americans traveling in the summer season. Vietnam reports biggest jump in COVID-19 cases, mobilises health team

Vietnam on Friday reported 45 new coronavirus infections in the city of Danang, marking the country's biggest single-day jump in cases, as the health ministry sent more health experts to the central city in a bid to combat the outbreak. The new patients, aged between 27 and 87, are linked to three hospitals and two clinics in Danang, a tourism hot spot where Vietnam last week detected its first locally transmitted infections in more than three months, the ministry said in a statement. White House opposes requirement for passengers to wear masks on planes, trains

The White House on Thursday said it opposed language in a bill before Congress that would require airline, train and public transit passengers and workers to wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. The White House Office of Management and Budget called the provision in a U.S. House of Representatives spending bill requiring the masks "overly restrictive." It added that "such decisions should be left to states, local governments, transportation systems, and public health leaders." Seasonal flu reports hit record lows amid global social distancing

Global social distancing rules targeting coronavirus have pushed influenza infection rates to a record low, early figures show, signalling that the measures are having an unprecedented impact on other communicable diseases. In China, where the earliest wide-scale lockdown measures began, new reports of diseases including mumps, measles and some sexually transmitted diseases, have declined significantly, though influenza cases have seen the sharpest drop off. U.S. government to launch 'overwhelming' COVID-19 vaccine campaign by November

The Trump administration anticipates launching a far-reaching promotions campaign by November to encourage Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, contingent on evidence that a successful vaccine will be available roughly by year end, a senior administration official said. The campaign will likely be compressed into a short period of time, around four to six weeks, to eliminate any lag between when Americans are alerted to the vaccine and then they can get vaccinated, the official said during a press conference. Philippines extends coronavirus restrictions, makes vaccine pledge

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday extended novel coronavirus restrictions in the capital, Manila, until mid-August and said the country would be given priority in supplies if China made a breakthrough with a vaccine. The Philippines this month recorded Southeast Asia's biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths and biggest single-day increase of confirmed infections, overwhelming healthcare workers and hospitals in some cities. Exclusive: Chinese-backed hackers targeted COVID-19 vaccine firm Moderna

Chinese government-linked hackers targeted biotech company Moderna Inc, a leading U.S.-based coronavirus vaccine research developer, earlier this year in a bid to steal valuable data, according to a U.S. security official tracking Chinese hacking activity. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department made public an indictment of two Chinese nationals accused of spying on the United States, including three unnamed U.S.-based targets involved in medical research to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The indictment states the Chinese hackers "conducted reconnaissance" against the computer network of a Massachusetts biotech firm known to be working on a coronavirus vaccine in January. Australian state flags new steps to control surging COVID-19 cases

Australia's Victoria state recorded its second-highest day of new coronavirus infections on Friday, one day after logging record deaths, as the state's leader flagged the prospect of more rigorous steps to contain the spread of the disease. Victoria, whose capital Melbourne is under a reimposed six-week lockdown, reported 627 new infections on Friday, down from a record of 723 new infections on Thursday. Eight people died, including two men in their fifties, down from a record of 14 also recorded on Thursday. As Cubans let guard down, coronavirus rebounds slightly

Just 10 days ago, Cuba registered zero new coronavirus cases for the first time since the start of its outbreak, burnishing its reputation for a textbook handling of disasters like hurricanes and now the fearsome pandemic. On Thursday though, top epidemiologist Francisco Duran berated Cubans in his daily briefing for letting their guard down too quickly, resulting in several new focal points of local transmission. WHO warns partying youngsters not to 'let down guard' on COVID-19

Young people letting down their guard to enjoy the summer holidays are partly driving a spike in new COVID-19 cases in some countries, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. A fresh jump in cases in parts of Europe, the United States and Asia has fuelled fears of a second wave of new coronavirus infections and prompted some countries to impose new restrictions on travel.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)