Reuters Health News Summary

WHO says vaccine safety top priority, as AstraZeneca pauses study Safety of a prospective COVID-19 vaccine comes "first and foremost", the World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Wednesday, as a trial of a leading candidate from AstraZeneca was paused due to concerns over side effects.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 190,000 U.S. COVID-19 deaths near 190,000; Iowa and South Dakota emerge as new hotspots

Coronavirus deaths in the United States were approaching 190,000 on Wednesday along with a spike in new cases in the U.S. Midwest with states like Iowa and South Dakota emerging as the new hotspots in the past few weeks. Iowa currently has one of the highest rates of infection in the nation, with 15% of tests last week coming back positive. Nearby South Dakota has a positive test rate of 19% and North Dakota is at 18%, according to a Reuters analysis. Top Senate Democrat says good chance coronavirus aid bill will pass

The Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday he believes there is a good chance Congress will pass a coronavirus relief bill and predicted Republicans will feel pressure to provide help for Americans suffering from the pandemic. Asked if he believed any bill will pass given the gap between the two parties, Schumer told CNN: "Yes. There's a good chance that they will feel the pressure, once they see the Democrats are not going to fold to this emaciated bill which leaves so much out." AstraZeneca pauses coronavirus vaccine trial, rollout doubts dent shares

AstraZeneca has paused global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine after an unexplained illness in a participant, denting the British drugmaker's shares on Wednesday as the move was seen as dimming prospects for an early rollout. On Tuesday, AstraZeneca said it voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, to allow an independent committee to review safety data, and it was working to expedite the review to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. New Dutch coronavirus cases spike to 1,140, most since April

The number of new coronavirus cases registered in the Netherlands surged to 1,140 in the past 24 hours, the health minister said on Wednesday, the highest daily total since April. Hugo de Jonge announced the figures recorded by the National Institute for Health (RIVM) during a live video stream. "It's not going the right way," De Jonge said. A day earlier the country recorded 964 cases, with cases rising quickly among young adults. WHO says vaccine safety top priority, as AstraZeneca pauses study

Safety of a prospective COVID-19 vaccine comes "first and foremost", the World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Wednesday, as a trial of a leading candidate from AstraZeneca was paused due to concerns over side effects. Rollout of an effective vaccine is seen as a crucial step in helping battered economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Thailand tests nearly 600 people exposed to mystery coronavirus case

Thailand said on Wednesday it had tested nearly 600 people potentially exposed to the country's first domestic coronavirus case in over three months, but has so far found no new infections. The man, 37, had worked as a nightclub DJ at three different venues in the capital Bangkok in the two weeks before he tested positive on arrival in prison, following his recent conviction for a drugs-related offence. EU enters final talks for BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine

The European Commission said on Wednesday it had entered final stage talks with BioNTech-Pfizer to purchase up to 300 million doses of a potential vaccine against COVID-19. This is the sixth potential vaccine for which the European Union executive has struck or plans to strike an advance purchase agreement. China's CanSino defends coronavirus vaccine candidate after experts cast doubt

China's CanSino Biologics Inc said on Wednesday that expert opinion on its high-profile coronavirus vaccine candidate should not be followed "blindly" without sufficient clinical trial data. Scientists outside the company have expressed concern that the effectiveness of CanSino's candidate Ad5-nCoV, which is based on a common cold virus to which many people have been exposed, could be limited. They said existing antibodies against the common cold virus might undermine Ad5-nCoV. How drugmakers can keep their pledge and still deliver an October vaccine surprise

As questions mount over whether the United States will authorize a coronavirus vaccine ahead of November elections, experts say there is a slim chance that enough evidence will be available to prove one is safe and effective in that time frame. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine is possible before the Nov. 3 election, and accused a “deep state” within the nation’s top health regulator of trying to slow pivotal clinical trials to hamper his chances at a second term.