Health News Roundup: Coronavirus infections could hit 19,200 a day in Germany; What you need to know about the coronavirus right now and more

India added a million cases in just 11 days, according to a Reuters tally of government data, and it has the second-highest number of infections, behind the United States which crossed 7 million last week.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

The pandemic, a deadly cancer and my 14-year-old daughter

Strangely, I can't clearly picture the face of the surgeon who changed my family's life. I'm not sure I'd recognize him if I bumped into him in the street. And yet I can vividly recall his face turning pale the instant he looked at the X-rays of my 14-year-old daughter's shoulder. Her chronic pain had first been diagnosed as a likely inflammation, and then possibly some problem in the muscle that could be fixed with a few physiotherapy sessions. But on that day, October 31, 2019, we found out that it was Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare and extremely aggressive form of bone cancer. The cancer had started deep in the sponge bone of her humerus and then broke out through the bone surface, causing excruciating pain, then metastasizing to several other parts of her body.

Positive COVID-19 test rates top 25% in some U.S. Midwest states

The number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 is topping 25% in several states in the U.S. Midwest as cases and hospitalization also surge in the region, according to a Reuters analysis. North Dakota's positive test rate has averaged 30% over the past seven days compared with the prior week. The positivity rate has risen to 26% in South Dakota, up from 17% the previous week, according to the analysis using testing data from The COVID Tracking Project.

UK eyes tougher COVID-19 restrictions for England as outbreak spreads

The British government is mulling tougher restrictions in England to tackle a swiftly accelerating second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak, possibly outlawing more inter-household socialising, a junior health minister said on Monday. "We don't want to bring on new restrictions but of course we keep a constant eye on what is going on with the COVID rate," Junior Health Minister Helen Whately told Sky News. "We were looking at what we might be able to do."

Virus sows dread in India's festival season as infections cross six million

India reported on Monday that novel coronavirus infections had topped 6 million, nowhere near the number required for herd immunity in country of 1.3 billion people, and raising anxiety going into the peak period for Hindu religious festivals. India added a million cases in just 11 days, according to a Reuters tally of government data, and it has the second-highest number of infections, behind the United States which crossed 7 million last week.

Trump's Operation Warp Speed document shows big military involvement: Stat News

The Trump administration's Operation Warp Seed vaccine programme is a highly structured organization in which military personnel vastly outnumber civilian scientists, health news website Stat News reported on Monday citing an organizational chart from July 30. The document shows that roughly 60 military officials, including at least four generals, are involved in the leadership, the report https://bit.ly/3n0HFm3 added, saying that many of them have never worked in healthcare or vaccine development.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Positive test rates top 25% in some U.S. states Russia supplies Covid-19 vaccine to Belarus for clinical trials

Russia has sent a first batch of its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to Belarus for clinical trials, the first such delivery of the jab abroad, Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF said on Monday. Volunteers in Belarus would begin receiving the Russian vaccine from Oct. 1, the Russian Direct Investment Fund which is backing the vaccine developer, said.

Merkel: Coronavirus infections could hit 19,200 a day in Germany - Bild

Chancellor Angela Merkel told the leadership of her party on Monday that coronavirus infections could hit 19,200 per day in Germany if the current trend continues but stressed that the economy must be kept running, Bild newspaper reported. Infections have been generally rising in Germany for weeks. Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,192 on Monday compared to Sunday.

U.S. FDA pauses Inovio's coronavirus vaccine trial plan

The U.S. health regulator has put a hold on Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc's plans to start final trials of its coronavirus vaccine as the agency seeks more information, including details on a delivery device used to inject genetic material into cells. Inovio's shares, the second best performing stock on the Nasdaq biotechnology index this year through Friday's close, plunged 33% before the opening bell. The company was expecting to start the trial this month.

Children have 44% lower odds of catching COVID-19 than adults, UK analysis

Children have 44% lower odds of catching COVID-19 than adults, according to an analysis led by the president of Britain's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. "In this systematic review and meta-analysis including 32 studies, children and adolescents younger than 20 years had 44%lower odds of secondary infection with SARS-CoV-2 compared with adults 20 years and older," the analysis said.