Health News Roundup: U.S. approves combination of Pfizer's; Novavax lays out specific minority targets for U.S. and more

U.S. CDC reports 228,100 deaths from coronavirus The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 8,924,548 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 90,155 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,055 to 228,100.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. approves combination of Pfizer's Upjohn and Mylan

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Friday that it had approved generic drugmaker Mylan NV's planned purchase of Pfizer's Upjohn, subject to conditions. The proposed transaction was announced in July.

Novavax lays out specific minority targets for U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trial

Novavax Inc on Friday outlined specific diversity targets for its large-scale COVID-19 vaccine study expected to begin in the United States and Mexico next month. The company, which is already testing its vaccine in a Phase III trial in Britain, aims to include at least 15% Black or African Americans, 10% to 20% Latinos and 1% to 2% Native Americans, the company said at a meeting of advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With election looming, U.S. faces record surge of coronavirus cases

A record surge of coronavirus cases in the United States is pushing hospitals to the brink of capacity and killing up to 1,000 people a day, the latest figures show, with much of the country's attention focused on Tuesday's presidential election. The United States recorded its 9 millionth case on Friday, nearly 3% of the population, with almost 229,000 dead since the outbreak of the pandemic early this year, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.

Mexico City says tougher coronavirus curbs could be needed by next week

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said the capital could next week impose tougher restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus if the number of people being treated in hospital for COVID-19 rises further in the coming days. "If the number of hospitalizations continues to increase next week, we could be announcing next Friday measures to restrict hours," said Sheinbaum, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

U.S. nursing homes still face COVID-19 test delays; you can wash Halloween candy

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. U.S. nursing homes lack access to prompt COVID-19 diagnoses.

France reports 49,215 new cases over 24 hours

France on Friday reported 49,215 new confirmed coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, compared to 47,637 on Thursday and a record high of 52,010 on Sunday. A new national lockdown came into effect on Friday in France in an effort to put the brakes on a COVID-19 epidemic that officials say risks spiralling out of control.

'Wrong direction': rising UK COVID-19 cases increase pressure for change

COVID-19 infections are rising so persistently in the United Kingdom that unless something can be done to reduce infections, the "reasonable worst case" scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded, scientists said on Friday. Britain has recorded more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day on average over the last week, but the government has resisted a new national lockdown even as France and Germany reintroduce country-wide restrictions.

J&J plans to test its COVID-19 vaccine in ages 12-18 soon

Johnson & Johnson plans to start testing its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in youths aged 12 to 18 as soon as possible, a company executive said at a meeting held by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday. "We plan to go into children as soon as we possibly can, but very carefully in terms of safety," J&J's Dr. Jerry Sadoff told a virtual meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

U.S. CDC reports 228,100 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 8,924,548 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 90,155 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,055 to 228,100. 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. ET on Oct. 29, compared with its previous report released a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/3mA7Hfa)

COVID tests should play bigger role in international travel: WHO expert

COVID tests should be more widely used in international travel than quarantines, the chair of the World Health Organization's Emergency Committee said on Friday. Didier Houssin, chair of the independent panel of experts advising WHO on the COVID-19 pandemic, said it was important for the U.N. agency to provide fresh guidance on safe international air travel.