Health News Roundup: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus; COVID-19 antibodies present in patients four months after recovery and more

Trump administration sending rapid COVID tests to states, CDC bars evictions The Trump administration will send most of its newly purchased 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests to U.S. states for schools and critical services, a White House official said on Tuesday, as New York City pushed back reopening classrooms in a deal with union leaders.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. CDC issues sweeping halt on residential evictions to combat virus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a sweeping nationwide order temporarily halting millions of U.S. renters from being evicted, in a bid to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The order covers all 43 million U.S. residential renters as long as they meet income eligibility requirements, although an administration official said the government does not expect an "overwhelming" use of the program.

U.S. to send millions of rapid COVID-19 tests to states to support school reopening, other tasks

The U.S. government will send an "overwhelming majority" of the rapid COVID-19 tests it purchased from Abbott Laboratories last week to governors of states and territories to support school reopenings and other critical tasks, an administration official said at a press briefing. Other top priorities for the newly purchased tests include day care centers, first responders, and "critical infrastructure," said Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

New York City's public school system, the country's largest, will delay the opening of classes by 11 days to Sept. 21, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Everyone could be a carrier: Covering the pandemic in rural India

"Every person you meet is a potential carrier of the disease," a doctor said to me when I visited the town of Bhagalpur and its nearby villages to cover the raging coronavirus pandemic in India's countryside. Dr. Kumar Gaurav, a psychiatrist who conveyed that warning, was put in charge of the main hospital in Bhagalpur after the epidemic struck down some of his colleagues and others refused the job.

COVID-19 antibodies present in patients four months after recovery: study

Antibody levels against the novel coronavirus rose and then held steady for up to four months in more than 90% of recovered COVID-19 patients in Iceland, according to a study published on Tuesday. In previous studies, antibody levels dropped sharply within a few months after COVID-19, raising questions about the duration of immunity that infection may provide.

Health workers, first responders should be first to get COVID-19 vaccines: U.S. panel

Healthcare workers and first responders who are at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 should be at the front of the line for vaccines when they become available, an independent expert panel tapped by top U.S. health officials said on Tuesday. The draft report, issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, recommends vaccines be rolled out in four phases, with the first "Jumpstart" phase focused on managing what is expected to initially be a scarce supply of vaccines.

White House slams WHO over criticism of push for COVID-19 vaccine

The White House on Tuesday pushed back on concerns expressed by the World Health Organization after a U.S. health official said a coronavirus vaccine might be approved without completing full trials. "The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Older patients drive South Korean surge in critical COVID-19 cases

More than 40% of new coronavirus cases in South Korea are being found in people over the age of 60, contributing in part to a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients who are severely or critically ill, health authorities said on Wednesday. South Korea is battling a second wave of infection, centred in the capital Seoul and surrounding areas which are home to 25 million people.

Trump administration sending rapid COVID tests to states, CDC bars evictions

The Trump administration will send most of its newly purchased 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests to U.S. states for schools and critical services, a White House official said on Tuesday, as New York City pushed back reopening classrooms in a deal with union leaders. The moves came as The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a sweeping order temporarily halting landlords across the nation from evicting millions of tenants in what it said was an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

New York City delays school start in deal with unions over coronavirus concerns

New York City's public school system, the country's largest, reached an agreement on Tuesday that resolves union leaders' coronavirus safety concerns and pushes back the opening of classrooms for the new academic year by 11 days to Sept. 21. The agreement, which comes as school systems across the country wrestle with the pandemic and pressure from the Trump administration to reopen school buildings, would maintain the city's plan for a mix of in-class and remote learning.