Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca says should know if vaccine works by year-end if trials resume; British company launches 20-second COVID-19 test and more

U.N.'s Guterres calls for $35 billion more for WHO COVID-19 program United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for $35 billion more, including $15 billion in the next three months, for the World Health Organization's (WHO) "ACT Accelerator" program to back vaccines, treatments and diagnostics against COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

AstraZeneca says should know if vaccine works by year-end if trials resume

AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot said on Thursday that it should know before the end of the year whether its experimental vaccine would protect people from COVID-19, if the British drugmaker is allowed to resume trials which were paused this week. It suspended the late-stage trials after an illness in a study subject in Britain. The patient was reportedly suffering from neurological symptoms associated with a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis.

School shuts in Spain's Basque Country after teachers test COVID-19 positive

Authorities in Spain's Basque Country region said on Thursday they had shut down a primary school after several teachers tested positive for COVID-19, the first to be closed entirely in the week classrooms reopened across the country. Students have begun to return to school after a six-month shutdown, prompting feelings of relief but also concerns of further infection in the country that already has the most cases in Western Europe.

U.N.'s Guterres calls for $35 billion more for WHO COVID-19 program

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for $35 billion more, including $15 billion in the next three months, for the World Health Organization's (WHO) "ACT Accelerator" program to back vaccines, treatments and diagnostics against COVID-19. Some $3 billion has been contributed so far, Guterres told an online event on Thursday, calling it "seed funding" that was less than 10% of what the WHO wants for the program, formally called Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: AstraZeneca awaiting patient diagnosis Senate to vote on Republican coronavirus aid bill opposed by Democrats

The U.S. Senate was set to vote on Thursday on a Republican bill providing around $300 billion in new coronavirus aid, far below the $3 trillion Democrats insist is needed to stimulate an ailing economy and help people struggling through the pandemic. In what could be the final vote on coronavirus relief in Congress before the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections, Republicans and Democrats appeared to be deadlocked over the next steps in responding to a virus that has killed more than 190,000 people in the United States and nearly 900,000 globally.

French government to consider local lockdowns as COVID virus worsens

The French government will discuss on Friday whether to impose new, local lockdowns to try to tackle rising COVID-19 while keeping economic and social activities going. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Thursday that nothing would be ruled out at Friday's cabinet meeting, while President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped any new measures would not be too restrictive.

World must scale up clinical trials to address COVID-19, WHO says

The head of the World Health Organization urged countries on Thursday to contribute resources that can expedite products which may help stem the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO's ACT-Accelerator programme already supports research into potential vaccines, drugs and diagnostics, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online event.

Speak softly and scatter fewer coronavirus particles, say, researchers

More quiet zones in high-risk indoor spaces, such as hospitals and restaurants, could help to cut coronavirus contagion risks, researchers have said, after a study showed that lowering speaking volume can reduce the spread of the disease. In efforts to rein in transmission, a reduction of 6 decibels in average speech levels can have the same effect as doubling a room's ventilation, scientists said on Wednesday, in an advance copy of a paper detailing their study.

British company launches 20-second COVID-19 test

British start-up company iAbra said it had developed a 20-second saliva COVID-19 test which had 99.8% sensitivity and 96.7% specificity. Trials of the "Virolens" test have taken place at Heathrow Airport, the company, which was founded in 2010, said.

India reports record daily jump of 95,735 coronavirus cases

India reported record jumps in new coronavirus infections and deaths on Thursday, taking its tally of cases past 4.4 million, health ministry figures showed. In the last 24 hours, 95,735 new infections were detected, with 1,172 deaths accounting for the highest single-day mortality figures in more than a month, to push the toll beyond 75,000.