Health News Roundup: India coronavirus cases surge to 3.6 million; New Zealanders wear face masks as Auckland lockdown lifted

Mexico joined in early June the WHO's global COVAX plan, which aims to deliver at least 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of next year and ensure "equitable access." U.S. CDC reports coronavirus deaths increase by 1,006 to 182,149 The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus rose by 1,006 to 182,149 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday, reporting a total of 5,934,824 cases, an increase of 44,292 from its previous count.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Global coronavirus cases surpass 25 million: Reuters tally

Global coronavirus cases surged past 25 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, as India marked a worldwide record for daily new cases in the COVID-19 pandemic. The data showed steady global growth as the disease's epicentre shifts again, with India taking centre stage from the United States and Latin America.

India coronavirus cases surge to 3.6 million

India reported 78,512 new novel coronavirus infections on Monday, slightly fewer than its record set the previous day when it posted the biggest, single-day tally of infections of any country in the pandemic. On Sunday, India's total of 78,761 new cases exceeded the previous record of 77,299 in the United States on July 16, a Reuters tally of official data showed.

COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy: Mexico courts allies across ideological spectrum

Mexico is pressing ahead with an effort to forge COVID-19 vaccine alliances across a wide ideological spectrum of countries from France to Cuba as a World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine initiative will fall short of its needs. Mexico joined in early June the WHO's global COVAX plan, which aims to deliver at least 2 billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of next year and ensure "equitable access."

U.S. CDC reports coronavirus deaths increase by 1,006 to 182,149

The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus rose by 1,006 to 182,149 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday, reporting a total of 5,934,824 cases, an increase of 44,292 from its previous count. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 29 versus its previous report a day earlier.

AstraZeneca diabetes drug improves survival in kidney disease patients study shows

AstraZeneca said its Farxiga drug improved survival chances for patients suffering from kidney disease, underscoring the medicine's role outside its established field of diabetes. The British drugmaker said Farxiga was shown in a study to cut the risk of dying from any cause for people suffering from chronic kidney disease by 31% when compared to a group on placebo.

COVID-19 cases in Australia's hotspot fall to seven-week low

The state at the epicentre of Australia's second-wave of COVID-19 infections said on Monday the number of new cases fell to a near two-month low, allowing authorities to detail in a week's time how stringent lockdown measures will be lifted. Victoria said it has detected 73 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, the lowest since July 3.

U.S. coronavirus cases top six million as Midwest, schools face outbreaks

U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed six million on Sunday as many states in the Midwest reported increasing infections, according to a Reuters tally. Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have recently reported record one-day increases in new cases while Montana and Idaho are seeing record numbers of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Mexico's coronavirus death toll surpasses 64,000

Mexico's health ministry on Sunday reported 4,129 new confirmed novel coronavirus infections and 339 additional fatalities, bringing the total number to 595,841 cases and 64,158 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the number of confirmed cases.

FDA commissioner says willing to fast-track COVID-19 vaccine: FT

The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is willing to fast-track a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, the Financial Times reported him as saying in an interview published on Sunday. Dr. Stephen Hahn, the FDA Commissioner, said his agency was prepared to authorize a vaccine before Phase Three clinical trials were complete, as long as officials are convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks, the newspaper reported.

New Zealanders wear face masks as Auckland lockdown lifted

Schools and businesses reopened in Auckland on Monday after the lifting of a lockdown in New Zealand's largest city to contain the resurgence of the coronavirus, but face masks were made mandatory on public transport across the country. The Pacific nation of 5 million people had appeared to have succeeded in halting community transmission of COVID-19, but a fresh outbreak in Auckland prompted the government to place the city back in lockdown earlier this month.