Health News Roundup: Irish COVID-19 curbs to merge top two levels of restrictions; Wales imposes two-week lockdown: 'everybody must stay at home and more

Irish COVID-19 curbs to merge top two levels of restrictions - sources Irish ministers are set to agree a new set of strict measures on Monday to slow the spread of COVID-19 that will shut non-essential retail across the country but aim to keep schools open, two sources familiar with the plans said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Irish COVID-19 curbs to merge top two levels of restrictions - sources

Irish ministers are set to agree on a new set of strict measures on Monday to slow the spread of COVID-19 that will shut non-essential retail across the country but aim to keep schools open, two sources familiar with the plans said. Ireland's health chiefs last week renewed a call to move the country to Level 5, the highest level of constraint. A minister said on Sunday that "decisive" nationwide measures were coming but that they would stop short of the full lockdown imposed earlier this year.

'Bad math': Airlines' COVID safety analysis challenged by expert

A campaign by coronavirus-stricken aviation giants to persuade the world it's safe to fly has been questioned by one of the scientists whose research it draws upon. Dr. David Freedman, a U.S. infectious diseases specialist, said he declined to take part in a recent presentation by global airline body IATA with planemakers Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer that cited his work.

U.S. judge strikes down USDA rule on food benefits during a pandemic

A U.S. federal judge has struck down a Trump administration rule that would have cut food stamp benefits to almost 700,000 unemployed Americans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, court documents showed. The judge, in a court filing, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been "icily silent" about how many people would have been denied the benefits with the changes.

Wales imposes two-week lockdown: 'everybody must stay at home'

Wales will impose a two-week "fire-break" lockdown from Friday in which everybody apart from essential workers must stay at home to combat an accelerating second wave of COVID-19. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said he understood that people were tired of coronavirus restrictions but tougher rules were essential as critical care units were already full.

Global coronavirus cases surpass the 40 million milestone

Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 40 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, as the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere fuelled a resurgence in the spread of the disease. The Reuters tally is based on official reporting by individual countries. Experts believe the true numbers of both cases and deaths are likely much higher, given deficiencies in testing and potential under-reporting by some countries.

Doctors probe whether COVID-19 is causing diabetes

Mario Buelna, a healthy 28-year-old father, caught a fever and started having trouble breathing in June. He soon tested positive for COVID-19. Weeks later, after what had seemed like a recovery, he felt weak and started vomiting. At 3 a.m. on Aug. 1, he passed out on the floor of his home in Mesa, Arizona.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: 40 MILLION CASES WORLDWIDE CVS to hire 15,000 workers ahead of flu season, COVID-19 vaccines

U.S. pharmacy chain CVS Health Corp on Monday said it will hire 15,000 employees in the fourth quarter of this year as the onset of winter could fuel a resurgence in the spread of COVID-19 and flu cases. More than 10,000 of the additional employees will be full- and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians at its pharmacy locations and could help administer COVID-19 vaccines and tests.

Kamada to supply Israel with its experimental COVID-19 treatment

Biopharmaceutical firm Kamada Ltd said on Monday it will supply Israel's Health Ministry with its experimental COVID-19 treatment for 500 patients in Israel. The use of the "investigational" plasma-derived immunoglobulin product will be regulated by the ministry, the Israeli company said.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients can have ongoing symptoms for months -study

More than half of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital still experienced symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety and depression for two to three months after their initial infection, according to the findings of a small UK study. The research, led by scientists at Britain's Oxford University, looked at the long-term impact of COVID-19 in 58 patients hospitalised with the pandemic disease.

(With inputs from agencies.)