Health News Roundup: AstraZeneca resumes UK trials of COVID-19 vaccine halted by patient illness; Mainland China reports 10 new COVID-19 cases and more

Israel to lock down nationwide in main holiday season amid COVID-19 surge Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second- wave surge of new cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Trump signs new, expanded executive order to lower U.S. drug prices

President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Sunday aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations and expanding the scope of a July action. "My Most Favored Nation order will ensure that our Country gets the same low price Big Pharma gives to other countries. The days of global freeriding at America’s expense are over," Trump said in a Twitter post.

Japan suspends German pork imports after African swine fever case

Japan suspended imports of pork and live pigs from Germany on Friday after a case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed in a wild boar in eastern Germany, the agriculture ministry said. China and South Korea also banned such imports after Germany said last Thursday that ASF had been found in a dead wild boar near its border with Poland.

Mainland China reports 10 new COVID-19 cases, same as day earlier

China on Monday reported 10 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Sept. 13, the same as a day earlier, the health authority said. All of the new infections were imported, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

There were no new deaths. Israel to lock down nationwide in main holiday season amid COVID-19 surge

Israel will enter a three-week nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to contain the spread of the coronavirus after a second- wave surge of new cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. During the lockdown, which comes during the Jewish high-holiday season, Israelis will have to stay within 500 metres of their houses, but can travel to workplaces that will be allowed to operate on a limited basis.

Singapore grapples with coronavirus in migrant workers' dormitories

Singapore is battling new clusters of coronavirus infections in migrant dormitories that had won the all-clear from authorities, highlighting the difficulty of stamping out the disease, even in a closely monitored population. As the wealthy city-state tumbled into recession, officials facing intense pressure to revive the economy are opting for limited isolation measures rather than the wide clampdowns earlier, but most low-wage workers are still penned in.

Pandemic preparedness panel slams collective failure to head warnings

A collective failure by political leaders to heed warnings and prepare for an infectious disease pandemic has transformed "a world at risk" to a "world in disorder", according to a report on international epidemic preparedness. "Financial and political investments in preparedness have been insufficient, and we are all paying the price," said the report by The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB).

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.

WHO reports record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases, up over 307,000

The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil, according to the agency's website. Deaths rose by 5,537 to a total of 917,417.

Australia's COVID-19 hotspot reports lowest one-day rise in cases in nearly three months

Australia's second most populous state, the epicentre of the country's coronavirus second wave, on Monday reported its lowest single-day rise in new infections in nearly three months. Officials recorded 35 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in Victoria, as a tight lockdown in the state capital of Melbourne was partially eased.

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.

(With inputs from agencies.)