Reuters Health News Summary

WHO says China team interviewed Wuhan scientists over virus origins A World Health Organization team in China to probe the origins of COVID-19 had "extensive discussions" and exchanges with scientists in Wuhan where the outbreak was first detected, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

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. Clorox won't have enough disinfecting wipes until 2021, its CEO says

Grocery shelves won't be fully stocked with Clorox's disinfecting wipes until next year, CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters on Monday, as the world's biggest cleaning products maker struggles with overwhelming pandemic-led demand for its top product. Since the start of global lockdowns, makers of hygiene goods have seen a sustained boom in sales. While California-based Clorox typically holds aside excess supply for flu seasons, it says it has been unable to keep up with a six-fold increase in demand for many of its disinfectants. Military helps worn-out nurses, sicker patients in California COVID-19 effort

All day long, as Air Force nurse Major Pinky Brewton cares for patients struggling to breathe in California's COVID-19 ravaged San Joaquin Valley, fears for her family simmer underneath her cool exterior. Once back in her Stockton hotel room, seeing her seven-year-old on Facetime, the relief is overwhelming. Special Report: Local governments 'overwhelmed' in race to trace U.S. COVID contacts

The soaring number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has far outstripped many local health departments’ ability to trace the contacts of those infected, a step critical in containing the virus’ spread. With the pandemic claiming about a thousand American lives a day, many city and county departments say they lack the money and staff to expeditiously identify people who have been exposed, according to a Reuters survey of 121 local agencies, as well as interviews with dozens of state and local officials, epidemiologists and tracers. Abiomed heart pump gets second FDA emergency use nod for COVID-19 patients

Medical device maker Abiomed Inc said on Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted its left-sided heart pumps emergency use authorization to help patients suffering from COVID-19-related heart and lung failures. COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, causes widespread inflammation which could impair or damage the left ventricle of the heart and lead to heart failure or excess fluids in the lungs. Vietnam capital short of test kits as national coronavirus cases climb

Vietnam reported 10 new COVID-19 infections and two deaths on Tuesday, lifting its total cases to 652, with eight dead, as the capital Hanoi said it was running short of the rapid testing kits being used to keep a new outbreak at bay. Targeted testing and strict quarantining had helped Vietnam contain earlier outbreaks, but it is battling a new cluster of infections after going more than three months without detecting any domestic transmission. Taiwan provisionally approves dexamethasone as coronavirus treatment

Taiwan provisionally approved the use of dexamethasone, a cheap and widely-used steroid, to treat the new coronavirus, as the island faces a shortfall of the antiviral drug remdesivir after the United States bought nearly all global supplies. Taiwan Centres for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang told reporters on Tuesday that medical experts had decided to provisionally allow dexamethasone to be listed as a COVID-19 treatment but that procedures still needed to be completed before it could be given to any patients. Second COVID wave 'highly likely' to hit France this year, scientists say

A second wave of the coronavirus epidemic is "highly likely" to hit France in the autumn or winter, the government's top scientific body warned on Tuesday, as authorities seek to contain an increase in new cases over the past two weeks. After strict lockdown measures pushed down infection rates, many European countries are now watching numbers creep back up, a consequence of easing curbs to try to limit economic damage and greater social mixing in the holiday season. WHO says China team interviewed Wuhan scientists over virus origins

A World Health Organization team in China to probe the origins of COVID-19 had "extensive discussions" and exchanges with scientists in Wuhan where the outbreak was first detected, a spokesman said on Tuesday. The talks included updates on animal health research, he said. China shut down a wildlife market in Wuhan at the start of the outbreak, a day after discovering some patients were vendors or dealers. Sun Pharma latest to sell COVID-19 drug favipiravir in India

India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd said on Tuesday it would soon begin selling its version of favipiravir, becoming the latest generic drugmaker to supply the antiviral to treat COVID-19 in the world's third worst-hit nation. Favipiravir, along with another antiviral, remdesivir, has emerged as one of the most sought-after drugs at hospitals fighting COVID-19 in India, which saw a surge of 50,000-plus infections for the sixth straight day on Tuesday.