Health News Roundup: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus; Novavax CEO expects filing for COVID-19 vaccine approval in December and more

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Weekly COVID-19 cases in England decline for first time since July Some 6,115 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to August 19, down 8% on the week before and showing the first decrease since the start of July, figures from the government's test and trace operation showed on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. says testing not needed for some exposed to COVID-19, sparking outcry

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that people exposed to COVID-19 but not symptomatic may not need to be tested, shocking doctors and politicians and prompting accusations the guidance was politically motivated. The advice marks a reversal of the agency's previous position recommending testing for all close contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19.

Novavax CEO expects filing for COVID-19 vaccine approval in December: paper

Novavax Inc expects filing for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the United States in December, Chief Executive Stanley Erck said in an interview for Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny, released on Thursday. The company plans to produce part of the vaccine at its Czech plant, which will give the country access to the product once it is approved, the paper cited Erck as saying.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

Global COVID-19 cases topped 24 million, as per a Reuters tally, with India reporting a record daily jump of more than 75,000 infections. Even as the United States continues to report the biggest caseload, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people that were exposed to the virus but showed no symptoms may not need to be tested.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Weekly COVID-19 cases in England decline for first time since July

Some 6,115 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to August 19, down 8% on the week before and showing the first decrease since the start of July, figures from the government's test and trace operation showed on Thursday. A higher total of 7,941 people were transferred to the contact tracing system in the week, in part due to an operational delay in the prior week.

Novacyt launches test to differentiate COVID-19 and flu

Clinical diagnostics company Novacyt , one of many healthcare companies whose shares have surged during the pandemic, launched a test on Thursday to differentiate between COVID-19 and common winter diseases. Novacyt said its "Winterplex" test panel included two gene targets specific to COVID-19, as well as gene targets for influenza A&B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Poland to shorten coronavirus quarantine period to 10 days

Poland will shorten its quarantine period for those suspected of being infected with coronavirus to 10 days from 14 days, the health minister said on Thursday, amid a spike in new daily cases. "We will change the rules for quarantine and isolation... We would like to propose the shortening of quarantine to 10 days," health minister Adam Niedzielski told a press conference.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: France says it must move fast Swedish public health agency says can ease COVID rules for some public events

Rules over public gatherings in Sweden can be eased to allow up to 500 people to attend if they can be seated, the Public Health Agency said on Thursday, proposing such venues can be granted an exception from the current rule that sets a ceiling of 50 people. "The proposal relates to evens where there are numbered seats," the Agency's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told reporters.

EU signs contract with AstraZeneca on supply of potential COVID-19 vaccine

The European Commission said on Thursday it had signed a contract on behalf of EU states with British drugmaker AstraZeneca for the supply of at least 300 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The move follows an advance purchase agreement signed by Brussels with AstraZeneca earlier in August.

Stark photos highlight plight of Indonesia's vulnerable doctors

Photographs of a grieving wife bent over the coffin of her dead husband, an Indonesian medical doctor, have drawn attention to the high death toll of healthcare workers in the Southeast Asian nation. The photographs, taken at Wahidin Sudirohusodo hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday morning, and shared with Reuters by Indonesia's Medical Association (IDI), have been widely shared on social media.