Health News Roundup: French COVID cases and death mount up, US European COVID vaccine developers pledge to uphold testing and more

French COVID-19 cases and deaths mount up The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to give a total of 335,524 cases, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the country battles to avert a second wave of the virus.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

French COVID-19 cases and deaths mount up

The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to give a total of 335,524 cases, the health ministry said on Tuesday, as the country battles to avert a second wave of the virus. The number of deaths also climbed by 39 over the last 24 hours to reach a total of 30,764.

U.S., European COVID vaccine developers pledge to uphold testing rigour

Nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold the scientific standards their experimental immunisations will be held against in the global race to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The companies, including Pfizer , GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, issued what they called a "historic pledge" after a rise in concern that safety and efficacy standards might slip in the rush to find a vaccine.

French PM tests negative for COVID after contact at Tour de France

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has tested negative for COVID-19, his office said on Tuesday, after he came into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. Castex took the test after he shared a car last weekend with the director of the Tour de France cycle race, who has since tested positive for the virus.

New York state may move colleges with COVID-19 spikes to remote learning: Cuomo

New York will require kindergarten through 12th grade schools to disclose the number of students and staff testing positive for COVID-19 and may force colleges with more than 100 cases to switch to remote learning, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday. Cuomo said the regulations would provide a check on the procedures put in place by colleges and give parents transparency about testing at elementary through high schools.

Qiagen readies launch of rapid COVID-19 antigen test

German diagnostic test maker Qiagen on Tuesday said it planned to launch a COVID-19 antigen test that can provide results in 15 minutes and test about 30 samples in an hour. The company said it will launch two versions of the antigen test, one for labs and one for use at point-of-care use, such as at airports or stadiums, depending on regulatory clearance.

Canada frets over rising coronavirus cases as schools start to reopen

Canada is seeing a worrying increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus as schools across the country start to reopen, a top medical official said on Tuesday. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said an average of 545 new cases had been reported daily over the past week, up from about 300 in July.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

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Vaccine developers pledge to uphold testing rigour U.S. CDC reports 188,688 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 175 to 188,688 and reported 6,287,362 cases, an increase of 26,146 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 pm ET on Sept. 7 versus its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/2GDSzxr)

COVID-19 cases rise in U.S. Midwest and Northeast, deaths fall for third week

Several states in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast have seen new COVID-19 cases increase for two weeks in a row, though nationally both new infections and deaths last week remained on a downward trend, a Reuters analysis showed. The United States reported more than 287,000 new cases in the week ended Sept. 6, down 1.4% from the previous week and marking the seventh straight week of declines. More than 5,800 people died from COVID-19 last week, the third week in a row that the death rate has fallen.

Positive Covid tests in no-lockdown Sweden hit lowest rate since pandemic began

Sweden carried out a record number of new coronavirus tests last week with only 1.2% coming back positive, the health agency said on Tuesday, the lowest rate since the pandemic began at a time when countries across Europe are seeing surges in infections. Sweden avoided a lockdown and instead emphasized personal responsibility, social distancing and good hygiene in a bid to slow rather than eradicate a disease deemed here to stay.