Health News Roundup: Dutch hit daily record with around 6,500 new coronavirus cases; Malaysia reports 374 new coronavirus cases and more

Poland faces new restrictions as daily coronavirus cases hit fifth consecutive high Poland could announce tougher restrictions on Saturday to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic after it reported record infections for the fifth consecutive day with 5,300 new cases, according to health ministry data published on Twitter.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Dutch hit daily record with around 6,500 new coronavirus cases

The Netherlands reached a new record in daily coronavirus cases, hitting nearly 6,500 infections in 24 hours, data released on Saturday showed. The government has warned that new restrictions will have to be imposed across the country, one of the worst hit in Europe's second COVID-19 wave, if the number of infections and hospital admissions does not drop this weekend.

Nurses suffer burn-out, psychological distress in COVID fight: association

Many nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are suffering burn-out or psychological distress, and many have faced abuse or discrimination outside of work, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said. Supplies of personal protective equipment for nurses and other health workers in some care homes remain insufficient, it said, marking World Mental Health Day on Saturday.

Poland faces new restrictions as daily coronavirus cases hit fifth consecutive high

Poland could announce tougher restrictions on Saturday to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic after it reported record infections for the fifth consecutive day with 5,300 new cases, according to health ministry data published on Twitter. New restrictions announced on Thursday, including wearing masks outside at all times, went into effect on Saturday and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is expected to announce further limits on schools on Saturday afternoon.

U.S. COVID-19 cases hit two-month high, 10 states report record increases

New cases of COVID-19 in the United States hit a two-month high on Friday with over 58,000 infections of the new coronavirus reported and hospitalizations in the Midwest at record levels for a fifth day in a row, according to a Reuters analysis. Ten of the 50 states reported record one-day rises in cases on Friday, including the Midwestern states of Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. Wisconsin and Illinois recorded over 3,000 new cases for a second day in a row - a two-day trend not seen even during the height of the previous outbreak in the spring, according to Reuters data.

Face masks made compulsory in public in Tehran as COVID toll rises

Mask wearing has become mandatory in public in the Iranian capital and violators will be fined, President Hassan Rouhani announced on Saturday as the country battles a third wave of coronavirus infections. The daily death toll from COVID-19 reached a record of 239 this week in Iran, the worst hit country in the Middle East.

Trump says he is pushing to get Regeneron's COVID-19 treatment approved quickly

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he is working to get coronavirus antibody drugs developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Eli Lilly and Co approved quickly and out to hospitals after his own positive coronavirus treatment experience. In a radio interview with Rush Limbaugh, Trump said he may not have recovered without the treatments he received to combat his own coronavirus illness.

Russia reports new all-time record of daily coronavirus cases

Russia's coronavirus cases rose by 12,846 on Saturday, a new daily record since the start of the outbreak early this year, pushing the overall total number of infections to 1,285,084. The previous record of 12,126 new cases was registered on Friday.

U.S. expects over 1 million COVID-19 antibody doses from Regeneron, Lilly in 2020

The U.S. government expects to be able to provide at no cost more than 1 million doses of antibody treatments for COVID-19 similar to the one President Donald Trump received to treat his illness, according to a top U.S. health official on Friday. The government's Operation Warp Speed program currently has "a couple of hundred thousand doses" of the monoclonal antibody treatments being developed by drugmakers Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc and Eli Lilly & Co, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official Paul Mango said on a call with reporters. That would top 1 million doses by the end of the year, he said.

U.S. signs agreement with AstraZeneca to develop, supply COVID-19 antibody treatment

The U.S. government on Friday signed an agreement with AstraZeneca Plc worth $486 million to develop and secure supplies of up to 100,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody treatment, a similar class of drugs that was used to treat President Donald Trump. The U.S. health agency will provide the funding to AstraZeneca for two Phase 3 clinical trials under operation Warp Speed, which is aimed at speeding up treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

Malaysia reports 374 new coronavirus cases, three deaths

Malaysia reported 374 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a slight increase from the previous day, as health officials ramp up contact tracing in Sabah state where a large number of cases have been detected over the past few weeks. The new cases raise the cumulative tally to 15,096 cases, according to the health ministry. There were three new deaths reported, raising the toll to 155.

(With inputs from agencies.)