Health News Roundup: Next big COVID-19 treatment; New Jersey governor retightens restrictions and more

Fauci says states seeing surge in COVID-19 cases should reconsider some lockdown measures The U.S. government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Monday said states with high coronavirus case counts should reconsider imposing lockdown restrictions, emphasizing the need to get cases to a low baseline before the fall flu season.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Next big COVID-19 treatment may be manufactured antibodies

As the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine, the next big advance in battling the pandemic could come from a class of biotech therapies widely used against cancer and other disorders - antibodies designed specifically to attack this new virus. Development of monoclonal antibodies to target the virus has been endorsed by leading scientists. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, called them "almost a sure bet" against COVID-19.

New Jersey governor retightens restrictions on indoor gatherings after COVID-19 surge

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Monday announced he was retightening restrictions on indoor gatherings after a recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state that officials have, in part, linked to house parties and indoor events. Murphy said such events will now be limited to 25% of a room's capacity with a maximum of 25 people, down from the previous limit of 100.

Fauci says states seeing surge in COVID-19 cases should reconsider some lockdown measures

The U.S. government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Monday said states with high coronavirus case counts should reconsider imposing lockdown restrictions, emphasizing the need to get cases to a low baseline before the fall flu season. In some states with moderate case counts, experts are seeing "that same insidious increase in percent positive that we had seen and pointed out ... in states like Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota and others", Fauci said during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

California governor says COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, trending down

The rates of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions were all trending downward in California in the latest counts, the governor said on Monday. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said that despite that good news, the state's Central Valley agricultural region was still being hit hard by the coronavirus. He said the data had yet to reach a point for lifting pandemic restrictions.

U.S. COVID-19 deaths rise for fourth week, new cases drop 5%

U.S. deaths from COVID-19 rose for a fourth week in a row to more than 8,500 people in the seven days ended Aug. 2, while the number of new cases fell for a second straight week, a Reuters analysis found. Last week's death toll was 36% higher than the previous week, though deaths are a lagging indicator and can continue to rise weeks after new infections drop.

COVID-19 long-term toll signals billions in healthcare costs ahead

Late in March, Laura Gross, 72, was recovering from gall bladder surgery in her Fort Lee, New Jersey, home when she became sick again. Her throat, head, and eyes hurt, her muscles and joints ached and she felt like she was in a fog. Her diagnosis was COVID-19. Four months later, these symptoms remain.

Florida to provide 15-minute COVID-19 test results at two sites

Florida will provide COVID-19 antigen test results within 15 minutes at two sites in Miami-Dade county starting on Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference. Only those who show symptoms or who are over 65 years old will be eligible for the rapid turnaround test, he said.

Anxious WHO implores world to 'do it all' in long war on COVID-19

The World Health Organization warned on Monday that there might never be a "silver bullet" for COVID-19 in the form of a perfect vaccine and that the road to normality would be long, with some countries requiring a reset of strategy. More than 18.14 million people around the world are reported to have been infected with the disease and 688,080​ have died, according to a Reuters tally, with some nations that thought they were over the worst experiencing a resurgence.

Engineered decoys trap virus in test tube study; healthcare workers at high risk even with protections

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Open https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/yxmvjqywprz/index.html in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines and treatments in development.

New York's Cuomo calls federal COVID-19 response 'worst government blunder in modern history'

New York Governor Cuomo on Monday criticized the federal government and other states for failing to take the COVID-19 crisis seriously after seeing the devastation it caused his state in the spring. Cuomo said that states where cases are currently spiking, including Texas and Florida, followed the federal government's lead in playing down the epidemic, which led them to reopen their economies too soon.

(With inputs from agencies.)