Health News Roundup: Trump optimistic coronavirus vaccine will be ready; Global recovery will come faster and more

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 5 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/30x9bOP) Ohio governor tests positive for COVID-19, cancels plans to greet Trump in Cleveland Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Thursday he had tested positive for COVID-19 as part of a safety protocol to greet U.S. President Donald Trump when he arrives in Cleveland to visit a Whirlpool washing machine factory.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Trump optimistic coronavirus vaccine will be ready this year, possibly by U.S. election

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was optimistic a coronavirus vaccine would be ready before the end of 2020, possibly in time for the Nov. 3 presidential election. Trump, speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to a Whirlpool washing machine factory in Ohio, said a vaccine release around the time of the election "wouldn’t hurt," but the goal of the effort was to save lives.

Global recovery will come faster if COVID vaccine available to all - WHO chief

Economic recovery around the world could come faster if any COVID-19 vaccine is made available to all as a public good, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday. He was speaking in an online panel discussion with members of the Aspen Security Forum in the United States moderated by the NBC network.

AbbVie agrees to pay $24 million to resolve Humira California lawsuit

AbbVie Inc has agreed to pay $24 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged insurance fraud by the drugmaker in promoting its blockbuster drug Humira, California's insurance regulator said on Thursday. AbbVie denied the allegations but agreed to look into how Humira is marketed to health care providers in the state.

The regulator said Government health experts warn U.S. cities of 'trouble ahead'

White House health experts are warning of an uptick in the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 in U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago, and Washington, urging local leaders to maintain health safety measures to avoid a surge. "This is a predictor of trouble ahead," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Thursday.

U.S. lifts global health coronavirus travel advisory

The U.S. State Department on Thursday lifted a global "Do Not Travel" advisory from March recommending U.S. citizens avoid all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, and instead issued individual high-level warnings for about 30 countries. "With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice," it said in a statement.

Quarantine 'checkpoint' opens at New York City's Penn Station to enforce travel rules

A few dozen travelers got off a train from Miami at New York City's Penn Station on Thursday and were greeted by a team of public health workers and mayoral office staff who handed them informational fliers about the state's new COVID-19 quarantine rules. The team, comprised of Mayor Bill de Blasio's public engagement unit and the city's COVID-19 Test & Trace Corps, were running a "checkpoint" starting at Penn Station on Thursday to ensure that visitors from any of the 35 states on New York's travel advisory were aware of the 14-day quarantine mandate.

Trump executive order to boost U.S. drug manufacturing: Navarro

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday will sign a long-awaited executive order aimed at boosting American production of medicines and medical equipment, and protecting the United States against shortfalls in a future pandemic, a top adviser said. It will include a "Buy America" provision mandating federal purchases of certain medical supplies and equipment deemed essential, moves to accelerate approval of new U.S. drugs, and steps to boost use of advanced manufacturing techniques, White House adviser Peter Navarro told reporters.

U.S. CDC reports 4,802,491 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 4,802,491 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 53,685 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,320 to 157,631. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 5 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/30x9bOP)

Ohio governor tests positive for COVID-19 cancels plans to greet Trump in Cleveland

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Thursday he had tested positive for COVID-19 as part of a safety protocol to greet U.S. President Donald Trump when he arrives in Cleveland to visit a Whirlpool washing machine factory. A statement issued on DeWine's Twitter feed said the governor, a Republican, had no symptoms at the present time and would return to the Ohio capital of Columbus to quarantine at home for the next 14 days. Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted also took the coronavirus test and tested negative, DeWine's statement said.

10 countries account for 80% of Africa COVID-19 testing: Africa CDC

Ten countries account for 80% of the new coronavirus testing taking place across Africa, a regional body said on Thursday, indicating that little testing is taking place in many countries around the vast continent. COVID-19 confirmed cases across Africa have accelerated and are close to hitting a million this week, and experts say low levels of testing in many countries mean infection rates are likely to be higher than reported.

(With inputs from agencies.)