Health News Roundup: China passes biosecurity law to prevent infectious diseases; High-risk people will get priority for COVID-19 vaccine and more

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS Global coronavirus cases rise by one-day record of 400,000 Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China passes biosecurity law to prevent infectious diseases

China's top legislative body passed a new biosecurity law aimed at preventing and managing infectious diseases, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Saturday. The National People's Congress Standing Committee voted to adopt the law on Saturday, according to Xinhua, and it would come into effect on April 15, 2021.

Healthcare workers, high-risk people will get priority for COVID-19 vaccine in New York: governor

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that healthcare workers and high-risk populations, including some long-term care residents, would get priority in his state to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when one is approved and available. According to the five-phase preliminary plan for New York's vaccine administration program, some details of which Cuomo announced at a news briefing, healthcare workers in patient-care settings, long-term care facility workers and some long-term care residents would be among the first to receive a vaccine.

Italy unveils new COVID-19 restrictions as daily infections climb

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave mayors the power to shut public squares from 9 p.m. to halt gatherings as he unveiled a further package of measures on Sunday to try to halt a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. As daily cases in Italy hit a new record 11,705 on Sunday, Conte said the situation had become critical but his government has been determined to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed at the start of the crisis in March.

U.S. CDC reports 218,511 total deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 8,081,489 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 53,157 from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 593 to 218,511. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/3dz9fTp)

France reports almost 30,000 new coronavirus infections, down from Saturday

The French health ministry reported 29,837 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday after reporting 32,427 on Saturday and 85 new deaths after 90 the previous day. The total number of infections since the start of the year now stands at 897,034 while the total number of deaths stands at 33,477.

Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech to begin trial of intranasal COVID-19 vaccine soon: minister

Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are expected to pursue late stage clinical trials of intranasal COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months once they receive regulatory approval, India's health minister said on Sunday. Dr Harsh Vardhan said the late stage trial generally involves thousands of participants, sometimes 30,000 to 40,000.

Economy, pandemic overshadow climate for young U.S. voters

The two dozen students who signed up for air pollution expert James Goldstene's advanced environmental studies class all say they are deeply passionate about fighting climate change. But when it comes to voting in the U.S. presidential election, many said climate change was not their top issue.

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

Global coronavirus cases rise by one-day record of 400,000

Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak. Europe, which successfully tamped down the first surge of infections, has emerged as the new coronavirus epicentre in recent weeks and is reporting on average 140,000 cases a day over the past week.

Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 adviser as U.S. cases rise

Twitter on Sunday removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while U.S. cases surged before the Nov. 3 election. As the Trump administration fends off accusations that its mixed messaging on wearing masks hampered the fight against the coronavirus, Dr. Scott Atlas continued to minimize the importance of masks with a Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO."

(With inputs from agencies.)