Reuters Health News Summary

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus The European Commission said it would contribute 400 million euros ($475 million) to an initiative led by the World Health Organization to buy COVID-19 vaccines, but did not clarify whether EU states would acquire shots through the WHO scheme.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Explainer: How common cold viruses are being used in vaccines from Russia, China

The modified common cold viruses behind high-profile COVID-19 vaccine candidates from China's CanSino Biologics and Russia's Gamaleya Institute have been studied for decades, but are still not widely used. The following are some details of their development, how they work and past and potential future uses: Russia to vaccinate high risk groups against COVID-19 towards end of year - agencies

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Monday that mass vaccination of high risk groups in the country against COVID-19 would begin in November-December this year, Russian news agencies reported. Russia this month became the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, prompting international experts to question its safety and efficacy. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Global records Nestle pays $2 billion to secure Aimmune's allergy treatment

Nestle plans to pay $2 billion to gain full ownership of peanut allergy treatment maker Aimmune Therapeutics, as the Swiss company expands its fast-growing health science business. Known for its KitKat chocolate bars and Nescafe instant coffee, Nestle set up Nestle Health Science (NHS) in 2011 to open up a new area of business between food and pharma. EU offers 400 million euros to WHO-led COVID-19 vaccine initiative

The European Commission said it would contribute 400 million euros ($476 million) to an initiative led by the World Health Organization to buy COVID-19 vaccines, but did not clarify whether EU states would acquire shots through the WHO scheme. The initiative, dubbed COVAX, aims to purchase for all countries in the world 2 billion doses of potential COVID-19 shots from several vaccine makers by the end of 2021. Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

The European Commission said it would contribute 400 million euros ($475 million) to an initiative led by the World Health Organization to buy COVID-19 vaccines, but did not clarify whether EU states would acquire shots through the WHO scheme. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Scientists see downsides to top COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China

High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. CanSino Biologics' vaccine, approved for military use in China, is a modified form of adenovirus type 5, or Ad5. The company is in talks to get emergency approval in several countries before completing large-scale trials, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. GSK, partner Vir join race to find COVID-19 antibody treatment

GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir Biotechnology have started testing their experimental antibody on early-stage COVID-19 patients, entering the race to find a winner in a promising class of antiviral drugs to combat the pandemic. The British drugmaker said on Monday the long-acting single injection will be tested on recently diagnosed high-risk cases for its ability to prevent hospitalization, typically a life threatening disease stage. 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. COVID-19 can wipe out health care progress in short order: WHO

More than 90% of countries have seen ordinary health services disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with major gains in medical care attained over decades vulnerable to being wiped out in a short period, a World Health Organization survey showed. The Geneva-based body has frequently warned about other life-saving programs being impacted by the pandemic and has sent countries mitigation advice, but the survey yielded the first WHO data so far on the scale of disruptions.