Health News Roundup: Trump says coronavirus under control; Novavax coronavirus vaccine induces immune response and more

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.

Trump says coronavirus under control as U.S. death toll rises

President Donald Trump said the coronavirus outbreak is as under control as it can get in the United States, where more than 155,000 people have died amid a patchy response to the public health crisis that has failed to stem a rise in cases. The Republican president continued to press for U.S. schools to reopen in an overnight Twitter post and defended his administration's response to the virus in an interview with the Axios news website released late on Monday.

Novavax coronavirus vaccine induces immune response in small study

Novavax Inc said on Tuesday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced antibodies against the novel coronavirus and appears to be safe, according to initial data from a small, early-stage clinical trial. The Maryland-based biotechnology company said its vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, produced higher levels of the antibodies in healthy volunteers after two doses than those found in recovered COVID-19 patients, raising hopes for its eventual success.

Ireland delays full reopening of bars again after COVID-19 rate doubles

Ireland announced a new three-week delay on Tuesday to the full reopening of bars and nightclubs, and further restricted travel after a doubling of COVID-19 infections left the country in what the government described as a "precarious situation." Ireland has reported an average of 46 cases per day over the past seven days, up from an average of 19 the previous week.

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.

Brazil, hotbed for COVID-19 vaccine testing, may struggle to produce its own

Brazilian officials say they can start making COVID-19 vaccines developed by British and Chinese researchers within a year. Experts say it will take at least twice as long, leaving Brazil reliant on imports to slow the world's second-worst outbreak. If Brazil's underfunded medical institutions are unable to meet their ambitious goals, it would mark the latest failure by President Jair Bolsonaro's government to control the virus. It would also leave Brazil vulnerable to a frenzied global scramble for vaccine supplies.

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.

Coronavirus risks wiping years of health gains in Americas: WHO director

The new coronavirus is interrupting vaccination programs and frontline care for other diseases which risked wiping out years of health progress in the Americas, the World Health Organization's regional director said on Tuesday. The official, Carissa Etienne, said at a weekly press briefing that the pandemic was reducing frontline care for chronic conditions such as diabetes and infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis.

State attorneys general urge U.S. to increase supply, lower price of Gilead COVID-19 drug

A bipartisan group of state attorneys general on Tuesday urged the U.S. government to allow other companies to make Gilead Sciences' COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, to increase its availability and lower the price of the antiviral drug. The coalition of more than 30 state attorneys general called on the government to act or allow states to do so, saying in a letter to U.S. health agencies that Gilead "has not established a reasonable price" for remdesivir.

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.

Proportion of youth with COVID-19 triples in five months: WHO

Young people who are hitting nightclubs and beaches are leading a rise in fresh coronavirus cases across the world, with the proportion of those aged 15 to 24 who are infected rising three-fold in about five months, the World Health Organization said. An analysis by the WHO of 6 million infections between Feb. 24 and July 12 found that the share of people aged 15-24 years rose to 15% from 4.5%.