Health News Roundup: India reports record daily jump of 77,266 coronavirus infections; COVID-19 cases spike in U.S. Midwest as deaths reach over 180,000 and more

COVID-19 cases spike in U.S. Midwest as deaths reach over 180,000 Several U.S. Midwest states reported record one-day increases in the number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday as nationwide deaths from the virus topped 180,000 and officials braced for the possibility of another surge with school openings.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Singapore battles record dengue outbreak with more mosquitoes

From the high balcony of a Singapore public housing block, an environment official steadies his mosquito launcher, the latest contraption authorities have devised to combat a record outbreak of the tropical disease dengue. With the click of a button and a whirr of a fan, a hatch opens and 150 lab-reared male mosquitoes are sent flying, off in search of a female companion with whom they can mate but not reproduce.

Japan, eyeing Olympics, lines up half-billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Japan is making an aggressive move to grab enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate its population four times over, a push the government hopes will instil confidence that it can host a delayed summer Olympics next year. Like other rich countries, Japan is signing multiple deals because some of the vaccines could fail in clinical trials or require more than one dose, an approach some experts consider prudent.

Severe or fatal COVID-19 very rare in children, study finds

Children and young people are far less likely than adults to get severe cases of COVID-19 infection, and death from the pandemic disease among children is exceptionally rare, according to UK research published on Thursday. A study of COVID-19 patients admitted to 138 hospitals in Britain found that less than 1% were children, and of those fewer than 1% - or six in total - died, all of whom were already suffering serious illness or underlying health disorders.

COVID-19 cases spike in U.S. Midwest as deaths reach over 180,000

Several U.S. Midwest states reported record one-day increases in the number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday as nationwide deaths from the virus topped 180,000 and officials braced for the possibility of another surge with school openings. Meanwhile, the governors of several states said they would not reduce testing as recommended the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a change many health officials say was based on political pressure and not science.

India reports record daily jump of 77,266 coronavirus infections

India reported a record daily jump of 77,266 coronavirus infections on Friday, taking its total to 3.39 million, as cases surged across the country, data from the federal health ministry showed. India has reported the highest single-day caseload in the world every day since Aug. 7, a Reuters tally showed, and is the third-most affected country behind only the United States and Brazil.

COVID-19 deaths to cross 317,000 in U.S. by December 1: IHME

The University of Washington on Thursday expanded the forecast of its widely cited model, projecting 317,697 deaths in the United States by Dec. 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases climb in many states. The new forecast, by the university's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reflects an increase of about 8,000 deaths from its previous forecast.

Trump administration to purchase 150 million Abbott COVID-19 tests for $750 million

The Trump administration will purchase 150 million rapid coronavirus tests from Abbott Laboratories for about $750 million, a White House spokeswoman said on Thursday. The portable antigen tests, which can deliver results within 15 minutes and will sell for $5, received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday.

California, Florida, New York, Texas will not follow new U.S. COVID-19 testing plan

Several large U.S. states are not heeding new federal health officials' calls to reduce COVID-19 testing of some exposed to the virus, joining a broad rebuke of the Trump administration by public health leaders. Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey and New York all plan to continue to test asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID-19, despite new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that such tests may not be needed.

South Korea stops short of toughest coronavirus measures despite case rise

South Korean authorities stopped short of shifting the country up to the highest level of social distancing measures on Friday, despite recording another triple-digit increase in daily new coronavirus cases. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instead said the government would extend the current Phase 2 social distancing, which was due to expire this weekend, for at least another week.

Australia's COVID-19 hotspot expects fewer than 100 cases a day by next week

Australia's second most populous state - the epicentre of the country's latest COVID-19 outbreak - said on Friday it expects to soon report just double digit daily rises in new infections, as a stringent lockdown slows the spread of the virus. Victoria state said it has detected 113 new cases in the past 24 hours, unchanged from the previous day, and well below the one-day record of 725 cases reported in early August.