Health News Roundup: UK to pilot new COVID-19 mass testing approach in Liverpool; What you need to know about the coronavirus right now and more

German ICUs had sixfold rise in coronaviurs patients in last month, says association Germany has seen a sixfold increase in the number of people being treated in intensive care units for the coronavirus in the last month, the head of the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Russia's COVID-19 cases could peak in mid-November, says health watchdog

Russia's coronavirus cases could peak in the middle of November, the country's consumer health watchdog estimated on Tuesday, as authorities reported more than 18,000 new infections nationwide. The peak would be roughly mid-November, Alexander Gorelov, deputy director of a research institute at Rospotrebnadzor, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

UK to pilot new COVID-19 mass testing approach in Liverpool

Britain will launch a COVID-19 mass testing pilot scheme in the northwest city of Liverpool this week, offering everyone tests whether or not they have symptoms, in an attempt to find a new way to use testing to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a "world-beating" national test-and-trace system earlier this year, whereby people with symptoms get tested and the contacts of positive cases are asked to self-isolate. But the scheme has disappointed and the government's scientific advisory body said last month its impact on virus transmission was marginal.

As U.S. COVID-19 cases break records, weekly deaths rise 3%

The number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States hit another record high last week, rising 18% to more than 575,000, while deaths inched up 3%, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports. The number of new cases reported each week has risen for four straight weeks, with the biggest increases seen in the last two weeks.

Bristol Myers psoriasis drug succeeds in late-stage study

Bristol Myers Squibb Co said on Tuesday its experimental plaque psoriasis oral drug proved more effective in clearing moderate to severe cases of the skin condition than placebo or Amgen Inc's Otezla in a late-stage study. The drug, deucravacitinib, met both main goals of the study by reducing the extent and severity of psoriasis after 16 weeks of treatment in a far greater percentage of patients than in the group that received placebo.

Rising COVID-19 cases push Spain's regions to call for tighter restrictions

The northern Spanish region of Castilla and Leon ordered a shutdown of bars and restaurants on Tuesday and demanded tougher measures from the national government to defeat one of Europe's worst outbreaks of the coronavirus. Announcing the restrictions, which come into force on Nov. 6, regional leader Alfonso Fernandez Manueco described the situation as one of "maximum risk," adding that his administration favoured stricter measures but was stymied by Spain's current legal framework.

German ICUs had sixfold rise in coronaviurs patients in last month, says association

Germany has seen a sixfold increase in the number of people being treated in intensive care units for the coronavirus in the last month, the head of the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine said on Tuesday. Many hospital employees are working at full capacity, said DIVI's Uwe Janssens, adding that hospitals should move away from regular operations when there are high levels of coronavirus infections.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: New mass testing approach to be piloted in Liverpool France ponders new Paris curfew as lockdown rebels frustrate government

France could reimpose a night curfew on Paris and possibly the surrounding region amid government frustration that too many people are ignoring lockdown rules as COVID-19 infections soar. France dramatically slowed the spread of the coronavirus in the spring with one of Europe's strictest lockdowns. But 10 months into the epidemic and with winter drawing in, many are reluctant to endure another period of confinement.

U.S. experts to review Biogen drug that could be first new Alzheimer's treatment in decades

U.S. health experts this week will decide whether to recommend approval for Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug, which could become the first new treatment for the mind-wasting disease in decades even as serious questions persist over whether data show if it works. In a field littered with unrelenting failure, Biogen believes in aducanumab it has the first drug that can treat an underlying cause, and therefore slow progression, of Alzheimer's. But its path to approval has been anything but smooth or assured.

Germany readies exhibition halls, mobile teams for COVID-19 vaccination

Germany is scouting trade fair halls and airport terminals to use as potential mass vaccination centres, as it draws up plans to inoculate the nation as soon as the first coronavirus shot gains European approval, state health officials told Reuters. Berlin expects the first COVID-19 vaccines to be available in early 2021 and has given the country's 16 states a Nov. 10 deadline to detail the addresses of 60 facilities that could serve as delivery centres for manufacturers.