Health News Roundup: Australia to receive first batch of AstraZeneca COVID; UK records 2,988 new COVID cases and more

U.S. CDC reports 188,051 deaths from coronavirus The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 892 to 188,051 and reported 6,226,879 cases, an increase of 45,405 cases from its previous count.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Australia to receive first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 - PM to say

Australia will receive the first doses of an AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 if trials prove successful, after Canberra agreed a deal to purchase a second potential vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison will say on Monday. Australia said in August it had signed a preliminary agreement with AstraZeneca for enough doses for its population of nearly 26 million, which would be manufactured locally by pharmaceutical company CSL.

UK records 2,988 new coronavirus cases, highest since May

Britain said on Sunday it had recorded 2,988 new daily coronavirus cases, up from 1,813 on Saturday to the highest level since May 23. The number of fatalities, however, remained at a low level, with two reported deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test in the previous 24 hours, government data showed.

U.S. CDC reports 188,051 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 892 to 188,051 and reported 6,226,879 cases, an increase of 45,405 cases 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 Sept. 5 compared with its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2GifzBV)

South Korea's new coronavirus cases sink to three-week low amid tight restrictions

South Korea on Sunday reported the smallest daily rise in coronavirus infections in three weeks as tighter restrictions cap a second wave. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 167 new cases of the virus in the 24 hours until midnight on Saturday, down from 168 the previous day. This brings South Korea's total number of COVID-19 infections to 21,177, with 334 deaths.

Exclusive: 90% of China's Sinovac employees, families took coronavirus vaccine, says CEO

About 90% of Sinovac Biotech Ltd employees and their families have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the country's emergency use program, its chief executive said on Sunday. The extent of inoculations under the emergency program, which China launched in July but has released few details about, points to how actively it is using experimental vaccines in the hopes of protecting essential workers against a potential COVID-19 resurgence, even as trials are still underway.

Costa Rica researchers to trial coronavirus treatment from horse antibodies

Researchers in Costa Rica are due to begin trials of an inexpensive coronavirus treatment based on antibodies taken from horses injected with the SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to scientists. Developed by University of Costa Rica's Clodomiro Picado Institute (ICP), the equine antibodies medication is to be tested on 26 patients from mid-September, Roman Macaya, president of the Social Security Fund that manages public health centers, told Reuters.

India reports global daily record of new coronavirus cases

India added more than 90,000 cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, a global daily record, according to data from the federal health ministry. There were 90,632 new cases in the 24 hours to Sunday, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Famlily Welfare, while the number of deaths rose by 1,065 to 70,626.

Up to a quarter of Brazilians may not take COVID-19 vaccine - newspaper

Five percent of Brazilians would refuse under any circumstances to take a vaccine against coronavirus and a further 20% indicated they might not take it, according to a survey published in newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo on Sunday. The reasons given by those wary of taking a vaccine included doubts over its safety and effectiveness, and unfounded conspiracy theories such as fears over genetic manipulation, having a chip implanted by taking it, and that it is made with aborted fetuses.

Nothing to see: COVID origins off-limits as China's Wuhan touts recovery

The Huanan seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, believed by many to be the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, is sealed behind a blue perimeter fence. A large team of security staff chases away anyone who lingers. "We are just doing our job," said a guard in black who ordered a Reuters reporter to delete footage recorded near the market's main gates. He identified himself as a worker from the city government's epidemic prevention and control team.

Coronavirus rising in 22 U.S. states

Coronavirus cases are rising in 22 of the 50 U.S. states, according to a Reuters analysis, a worrisome trend on a Labor Day holiday weekend traditionally filled with family gatherings and parties to mark the end of summer. As little as three weeks ago, cases were increasing in only three states, Hawaii, Illinois and South Dakota, according to an analysis comparing cases for the two-week period of Aug. 8-22 with the past two weeks.