Health News Roundup: German minister warns of 20,000 new daily virus cases within days; Alarmed Europe prepares for more COVID pain amid rising discontent and more

German minister warns of 20,000 new daily virus cases within days The number of new coronavirus infections in Germany is likely to reach 20,000 a day by the end of the week, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday as authorities readied new curbs to break the second wave of the pandemic.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

German minister warns of 20,000 new daily virus cases within days

The number of new coronavirus infections in Germany is likely to reach 20,000 a day by the end of the week, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday as authorities readied new curbs to break the second wave of the pandemic. "We are dealing with exponential growth," Altmaier told a virtual German-French economic conference in Berlin. "In Germany the number of new infections is rising by 70-75% compared to the week before."

Alarmed Europe prepares for more COVID pain amid rising discontent

European governments prepared on Tuesday to introduce new restrictions to try to curb a growing surge of coronavirus infections across the continent and provide economic balm to help businesses survive the pandemic. Eight months into the crisis, world leaders face an increasingly difficult task holding the disease at bay while also trying to keep their economies afloat as they wait for a vaccination that should mitigate the contagion.

UK study finds evidence of waning antibody immunity to COVID-19 over time

Antibodies against the novel coronavirus declined rapidly in the British population during the summer, a study found on Tuesday, suggesting protection after infection may not be long lasting and raising the prospect of waning immunity in the community. Scientists at Imperial College London have tracked antibody levels in the British population following the first wave of COVID-19 infections in March and April.

Vaccines, not spy planes: U.S. misfires in Southeast Asia

For months, by Zoom calls and then by jet, Indonesian ministers and officials scoured the world for access to a vaccine for the coronavirus that Southeast Asia's biggest country is struggling to control. This month, their campaign paid off. Three Chinese companies committed 250 million doses of vaccines to the archipelago of 270 million people. A letter of intent was signed with a UK-based company for another 100 million.

COVID's cognitive costs? Some patients' brains may age 10 years

People recovering from COVID-19 may suffer significant brain function impacts, with the worst cases of the infection linked to mental decline equivalent to the brain ageing by 10 years, researchers warned on Tuesday. A non-peer-reviewed study of more than 84,000 people, led by Adam Hampshire, a doctor at Imperial College London, found that in some severe cases, coronavirus infection is linked to substantial cognitive deficits for months.

Polish PM warns of 'massive' COVID risk from abortion rights protests

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Tuesday for an end to mass protests over abortion rights, saying those attending were disregarding "massive risks" from the resurgent coronavirus pandemic. Five days of nationwide protests have followed a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal last week that amounts to a near-total ban on abortion in the predominantly Catholic nation.

Spared early on, 'Trump country' now leads in coronavirus cases, deaths

In the early days of what became a historic public health crisis, the novel coronavirus was, in the lexicon of U.S. politics, a "blue state" problem - centered in East and West Coast areas, particularly New York and New Jersey, that voted against President Donald Trump in 2016. It remained so for weeks, and that fact defined what became battle lines between mask wearers and skeptics, and between those convinced restrictions on commerce were needed to save lives versus those who wanted less government intervention. Pfizer not yet ready to release COVID-19 vaccine data

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday it was not yet ready to release data from the late-stage trial of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate it is developing with Germany's BioNTech SE . Pfizer said in a presentation that the independent monitor which will determine whether or not the trial has been successful has not conducted any interim efficacy analyses yet. Chief Executive Albert Bourla has previously said the company could release data on whether or not the vaccine works as early as this month. Czech government seeks to extend emergency powers to December 3

The Czech government will ask lawmakers to extend its emergency powers for another month, until Dec. 3, as it tries to stem a surge in COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Tuesday. The government's state of emergency order is due to run out on Nov. 3. The cabinet has tightened measures, including a new 9 p.m. curfew coming into effect on Wednesday, to combat the spread of coronavirus as a pandemic second wave sweeps Europe. Child malnutrition at record highs in parts of Yemen: U.N. survey

Parts of Yemen are suffering record levels of acute child malnutrition, with nearly 100,000 children now at risk of dying, heightening warnings that the country is approaching a dire food security crisis, a U.N. report and officials said on Tuesday. Drivers of malnutrition in Yemen worsened in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic, economic decline, floods, escalating armed conflict and significant underfunding of this year's global appeal for aid to Yemen have raised the spectre of widespread severe hunger or even famine after almost six years of war.