Reuters Health News Summary

The warning against unnecessary transit came as the daily increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States rose to a record of over 177,000 on Friday, the fourth straight day a new all-time high has been set, according to a Reuters tally of figures from U.S. public health agencies.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Fauci not advising Biden, sees no reason to quit Trump now: Reuters interview

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said he has had no contact with President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus transition team and sees no reason to quit to join that effort when there is so much to do now to fight the surging pandemic. "I stay in my lane. I'm not a politician. I do public health things," he said in an interview on Thursday ahead of next week's Reuters Total Health conference. China finds coronavirus on packaging of Saudi shrimp

The western Chinese city of Lanzhou said on Saturday it had detected the new coronavirus on the packaging of a batch of shrimp imported from Saudi Arabia, as China ramps up testing of frozen foods. The Lanzhou Municipal Health Commission said in a statement on its website that it had found one positive sample on Friday on the inner packaging of imported frozen shrimp from Saudi Arabia that had passed through customs in the coastal city of Tianjin. Biden aide says no U.S.-wide COVID lockdown planned as West Coast states advise against travel

President-elect Joe Biden's top coronavirus adviser said on Friday there were no plans for a wholesale nationwide lockdown to curb the surging COVID-19 pandemic, while three U.S. West Coast states jointly called for a halt in non-essential travel. The warning against unnecessary transit came as the daily increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States rose to a record of over 177,000 on Friday, the fourth straight day a new all-time high has been set, according to a Reuters tally of figures from U.S. public health agencies. Austria planning three-week lockdown from Tuesday, draft decree shows

Austria is planning to move from its current night-time curfew and partial shutdown to a full lockdown from Tuesday until Sunday Dec. 6 inclusive, a draft and summary of the government decree seen by Reuters showed on Saturday. The Austrian government had so far used a lighter touch in dealing with the second wave of coronavirus cases than the first. A nighttime curfew is in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. this month but shops are open; cafes, bars and restaurants are limited to take-away service; theatres and museums are closed. U.S. Secret Service officers sidelined by COVID-19

Dozens of U.S. Secret Service officers assigned to protect President Donald Trump have been sidelined by COVID-19, the Washington Post and New York Times reported on Friday as the coronavirus outbreak spread at the White House. Two U.S. government sources familiar with the situation confirmed to Reuters that Secret Service officers had tested positive for the virus but did not provide a specific number. One of the sources said a larger number of officers who had not tested positive had gone into quarantine as a protective measure. Iran to tighten COVID-19 restrictions next Saturday, Rouhani says

Iran will impose stricter restrictions from next Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani said on state television, as the Middle East country hardest hit by the virus battles a third wave of COVID-19. The toughest measures - classified by health officials as "red" or level 3 - will be imposed in the capital Tehran and about 100 other towns and cities. Before Biden inauguration, 70,000 more could die from COVID-19 in the U.S.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to make controlling the coronavirus a top priority and is likely to push for mask wearing mandates and more fiscal stimulus to keep businesses and workers afloat. But in the two months until inauguration day on Jan. 20, skyrocketing infections could add more than 8 million more cases and 70,000 deaths, representing a potential 80% increase in infections and a 29% rise in deaths, according to Reuters calculations. U.S. states race to buy ultra cold vaccine freezers, fueling supply worries

U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off. The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer's vaccine at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94°F), significantly below the standard for vaccines of 2-8 degrees Celsius (36-46°F). Greece tightens COVID-19 lockdown, shuts primary schools

Greek authorities announced on Saturday the closure of nurseries and primary schools until the end of November, tightening a nationwide lockdown after a spike in COVID-19 cases. Greece has fared better than many other European countries in tackling the coronavirus, mainly due to an early nationwide lockdown imposed weeks after the pandemic broke out in February. Poland reports record high 548 COVID-19 deaths

Poland reported a record high 548 new coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, the health ministry said, taking the country's total above 10,000. Poland reported 25,571 new cases, lower than a record 27,875 recorded on Nov. 7.