Health News Roundup: U.S. CDC reports 192,388 deaths from coronavirus; Australia's Victoria takes small step in easing virus restrictions and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. India reports over 94,000 new coronavirus cases, over 1,000 more deaths

India reported 94,372 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, taking total cases past 4.7 million, as infection numbers rose in several states amid a gradual opening up of businesses. The number of deaths rose to 78,586, with 1,114 new deaths, health ministry data showed.

U.S. CDC reports 192,388 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 6,427,058 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 46,045 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,035 to 192,388. The CDC's tally (https://bit.ly/2GDSzxr) of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, was of 4 p.m. EDT Sept. 11 versus its previous report a day earlier.

China bans German pork imports after African swine fever case

China banned pork imports from Germany on Saturday after it confirmed its first case of African swine fever last week, in a move set to hit German producers and push up global prices as China's meat supplies tighten. China's ban on imports from its third largest supplier comes as the world's top meat buyer deals with an unprecedented pork shortage after its own epidemic of the deadly hog disease.

South Korea eases social distancing for two weeks ahead of major holiday

South Korea on Sunday eased its tough social distancing policy for the next two weeks in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, with new daily novel coronavirus cases hovering stubbornly within triple digits. The government has lifted a ban on onsite dining after 9 p.m. though still requires restaurants and cafes to restrict seating and record patrons' names and contact details.

Australia's Victoria takes small step in easing virus restrictions

Lockdown restrictions in Australia's state of Victoria will ease very slightly as of Monday, state officials said, as the number of new daily coronavirus cases continued to fall in the country's hotspot. Announcing a A$3 billion ($2.2 billion) package in financial aid to businesses in Victoria, home to a quarter of Australia's population, officials also said there were 41 new coronavirus infections on Sunday and seven more deaths.

Pfizer, BioNTech propose expanding COVID-19 vaccine trial to 44,000 volunteers

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE on Saturday proposed to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand their Phase 3 pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial to about 44,000 participants while increasing the diversity of the trial population. The initial target figure for the trial was up to 30,000 participants, which the companies said they expect to reach by next week.

Libyan medics already faced war, now the pandemic is surging there too

As the pandemic started to rage through Libya last month, medics working in the war-ravaged country's few functioning hospitals faced their nightmare scenario - a surge in cases and dwindling resources. Hamza Abdulrahman Jelwal, 35, a supervising nurse at a quarantine centre in the coastal city of Misrata, has not seen his family since Libya's lockdown began in March. He has also not been paid.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 948: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 948, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by two, the tally showed.

Indonesia reports sixth consecutive day of over 3,000 new infections

Indonesia on Sunday reported its sixth consecutive day of over 3,000 new cases of novel coronavirus infection, just as the capital city of Southeast Asia's most populous country prepares to re-impose social distancing restrictions. New infections on Sunday reached 3,636 with new deaths at 73, showed data from the health ministry's website. That brought the total number of infections to 218,382 and deaths to 8,723.

AstraZeneca resumes UK trials of COVID-19 vaccine halted by patient illness

AstraZeneca has resumed British clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, one of the most advanced in development, after getting the green light from safety watchdogs, the company said on Saturday. The late-stage trials of the experimental vaccine, developed with researchers from the University of Oxford, were suspended this week after an illness in a study subject in Britain, casting doubts on an early rollout.

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