Health News Roundup: Europe's COVID curbs prompt pushback as Brexit 'godfather' slams PM Johnson; Czech volunteers heed call to aid hospitals strained by COVID-19 and more

Swiss report nearly 22,000 new coronavirus cases over weekend Coronavirus infections rose by 21,926 since Friday morning, data https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/situation-schweiz-und-international.html from Swiss health authorities showed on Monday, after the government last week tightened restrictions meant to slow the accelerating spread of COVID-19.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Europe's COVID curbs prompt pushback as Brexit 'godfather' slams PM Johnson

A wave of COVID curbs has stirred resistance across Europe, with the right-wing British politician who helped force a referendum on Brexit harnessing popular anger at a new lockdown by recasting his Brexit Party under a new banner. The United Kingdom, which has the highest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the "worst case" scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.

Czech volunteers heed call to aid hospitals strained by COVID-19

Medical students, retired nurses, volunteers and Prague's mayor have heeded a call to help Czech hospitals battle one of Europe's highest coronavirus infection rates that is straining the healthcare system. With beds around 70% occupied, hospitals in the nation of 10.7 million have turned to volunteers to free up full-time health workers to care for more seriously ill patients.

CureVac's COVID-19 vaccine triggers immune response in Phase I trial

CureVac's experimental COVID-19 vaccine triggered an immune response in humans, the German biotech firm said on Monday, putting it on track to start mass testing this year as the race to end the pandemic heats up. "We are very encouraged by the interim Phase I data," Chief Executive Officer Franz-Werner Haas said in a statement.

Japan opens airport coronavirus test lab for departing travellers

Japan's largest airport opened a novel coronavirus testing facility on Monday as it takes steps to reopen international travel that has been largely grounded for months by the pandemic. The Narita International Airport PCR Center is aimed at outbound travellers who need proof that they are virus-free when they arrive at their destinations.

Swiss report nearly 22,000 new coronavirus cases over weekend

Coronavirus infections rose by 21,926 since Friday morning, data https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/situation-schweiz-und-international.html from Swiss health authorities showed on Monday, after the government last week tightened restrictions meant to slow the accelerating spread of COVID-19. Total confirmed cases in Switzerland and tiny neighbouring principality Liechtenstein increased to 176,177 and the death toll rose by 93 to 2,130, while hospitalisations swelled by nearly 500, keeping the pressure on the country's intensive care https://icumonitoring.ch network.

U.S. coronavirus cases keep rising in grim march to Election Day

Coronavirus cases continued their grim climb in the United States on Sunday with Midwestern states experiencing record hospitalizations, as increasingly bitter rhetoric kept the virus front and center of campaigning two days before the presidential election. Nearly 87,000 cases were reported on Saturday, with 909 deaths and record hospitalizations for the sixth straight day in the Midwest, according to a Reuters tally. In October, 31 states set records for increases in new cases, 21 for hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 14 for record increases in deaths. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2SFLb7o)

Explainer: Are Trump's rallies spreading coronavirus? Why it's hard to know the full impact

Stanford University economists estimate that President Donald Trump's campaign rallies have resulted in 30,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, and likely led to more than 700 deaths overall, according to a paper posted online this weekend. The research, led by B. Douglas Bernheim, chair of economics at Stanford University, analyzed data following 18 Trump rallies held between June 20 and Sept. 22, three of which were indoors. Bernheim said in an email the work relies on statistical methods to infer causation after an event has occurred.

Iran reports record high COVID death toll as travel bans go into force

Iran on Monday reported a record 440 COVID deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll in the Middle East's worst-hit country to 35,738 as a ban on travel in and out of major cities came into force. The government has shut schools, mosques, shops and restaurants in most of the country since early October and on Monday imposed a four-day ban on travel in and out of 25 cities, including Tehran, state TV reported.

Russian firm seeks to produce COVID-19 drug remdesivir without patent

Russian drugmaker Pharmasyntez has asked the Kremlin to allow it to produce a generic version of U.S. COVID-19 drug remdesivir, used to treat U.S. President Donald Trump, despite lacking a patent to do so, the firm's director said on Monday. Remdesivir is not available in Russia, Pharmasyntez's director Vikram Punia said, but a generic version cannot be produced and distributed without the consent of the patent-holder, U.S. firm Gilead Sciences.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: New curbs prompt wave of resistance across Europe