Health News Roundup: Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 2,297 to 270,070; Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus and more

Ministers were on Friday reported to be considering a second national lockdown, after new COVID-19 cases almost doubled to 6,000 per day, hospital admissions rose and infection rates soared across parts of northern England and London.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 2,297 to 270,070: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 2,297 to 270,070, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by six to 9,384, the tally showed.

European cities announce new restrictions as COVID-19 cases soar

European countries from Denmark to Greece announced new restrictions on Friday to curb surging coronavirus infections in some of their largest cities, while Britain was reported to be considering a new national lockdown. Cases in the United Kingdom almost doubled to 6,000 per day in the latest reporting week, hospital admissions rose and infection rates soared across parts of northern England and London.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

European countries from Denmark to Greece announced new restrictions on Friday to curb surging coronavirus infections in some of their largest cities, while Britain was reported to be considering a new national lockdown.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Bristol Myers' Opdivo with Exelixis drug cuts kidney cancer death risk: study

Bristol Myers Squibb Co's cancer immunotherapy Opdivo in combination with Exelixis Inc's Cabometyx reduced the risk of death by 40% in previously untreated patients with advanced kidney cancer, according to data from a late-stage study to be presented on Saturday. The drug combination also doubled patients' median length of time before their cancer began to worsen to 16.6 months compared to progression-free survival of 8.3 months for patients treated with the chemotherapy sunitinib, an older Pfizer Inc drug sold under the brand name Sutent.

Second UK lockdown? PM says second wave inevitable, new restrictions possible

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he did not want another national lockdown but that new restriction may be needed because the country was facing an "inevitable" second wave of COVID-19. Ministers were on Friday reported being considering a second national lockdown, after new COVID-19 cases almost doubled to 6,000 per day, hospital admissions rose and infection rates soared across parts of northern England and London.

Explainer: When will COVID-19 vaccines be generally available in the U.S.?

U.S. President Donald Trump and the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week disagreed about when a COVID-19 vaccine would become widely available. Trump said on Friday that enough vaccine would be available for every American by April, while the CDC director said vaccines were likely to reach the general public around mid-2021, an assessment more in line with most experts.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A VACCINE TO BE GENERALLY AVAILABLE? T cell shortage linked to severe COVID-19 in elderly; antiseptic spray may limit virus spread

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Shortage of 'naive' T cells raises COVID-19 risk in elderly Philippines' Duterte keeps one-meter social distancing rule

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the 1 meter (three feet) social distance requirement on public transport to reduce coronavirus infecions, rejecting moves to reduce it to 30 centimetres (12 inches), his spokesman said on Saturday. Health experts have warned that reducing gaps between passengers in trains, buses and jeepneys could result in a surge of infections in the Philippines, which has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.

If you do not snooze you lose: sleep seen as essential for the brain

Scientists are providing a fuller understanding of the essential role that sleep plays in brain health, identifying an abrupt transition at about 2.4 years of age when its primary purpose shifts from brain building to maintenance and repair. Researchers on Friday said they conducted a statistical analysis on data from more than 60 sleep studies. They looked at sleep time, duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, brain size and body size, and devised a mathematical model for how sleep changes during development.

U.S. reverses COVID-19 testing guidance again: exposed without symptoms need tests

The Trump administration reversed guidance Friday on COVID-19 testing for a second time, urging those exposed to people with the virus to get tested even if they are not displaying symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sparked widespread outcry among state public health officials and experts in late August when it said that people who do not have symptoms may not need to get tested.

(With inputs from agencies.)