Health News Roundup: Merkel, German states consider tougher COVID-measures; U.S. COVID-19 cases cross 11 million as pandemic intensifies and more

North Korea's Kim orders tightening of anti-virus measures amid global pandemic: KCNA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered a tightening of state emergency anti-coronavirus systems in the face of the worldwide pandemic, as he presided over a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party, state news agency KCNA said on Monday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Medical costs of discharged German COVID patients 50% above pre-admission levels: study

Medical costs of German COVID-19 patients who have left hospitals are on average 50% higher than before they were admitted, data from a major insurer showed, a sign that even those who have recovered struggle to regain full health. The study from Germany's second-largest health insurer DKV , seen by Reuters on Sunday, looked at the data of 5735 COVID-19 patients, of whom 605 were hospitalised and 49 died.

Merkel, German states consider tougher COVID-measures: document

Germany's federal government and states are considering new COVID-19 measures to halt the rise in infections, such as dramatically reducing the number of people at household gatherings and compulsory mask wearing for school students. A draft document of the measures, seen by Reuters, also said people would be urged to abstain from private parties completely until Christmas.

U.S. COVID-19 cases cross 11 million as pandemic intensifies

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country. Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic in the United States has quickened, with one million more new cases from just 8 days ago when it hit 10 million, making it the fastest since the pandemic began. This compares with 10 days it took to get from 9 to 10 million and 16 days it took to reach 9 million from 8 million cases.

North Korea's Kim orders tightening of anti-virus measures amid global pandemic: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered a tightening of state emergency anti-coronavirus systems in the face of the worldwide pandemic, as he presided over a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party, state news agency KCNA said on Monday. The meeting came amid economic and political uncertainty surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic that is putting additional pressure on the North's economy, already battered by international sanctions aimed at stopping its nuclear program.

Coronavirus emerged in Italy earlier than thought, Italian study shows

The new coronavirus was circulating in Italy since September 2019, a study by the National Cancer Institute (INT) of the Italian city of Milan shows, signaling that COVID-19 might have spread beyond China earlier than previously thought. The World Health Organization has said the new coronavirus and COVID-19, the respiratory disease it causes, were unknown before the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, in central China, in December.

J&J starts two-dose trial of its COVID-19 candidate vaccine in the UK

Johnson & Johnson launched a new late-stage trial in Britain on Monday to test a two-dose regimen of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine among thousands of volunteers, as the U.S. drugmaker expands its trials by geography and type. The UK arm of the study is aiming to recruit 6,000 participants among a total of 30,000 people globally, scientists leading the UK trial said. Volunteers will be recruited at 17 sites across the UK.

South Korea mulls stricter distancing as COVID-19 takes 'a very dangerous turn'

South Korea reported more than 200 new coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Monday, as the government mulls tightening social distancing to curb persistent outbreaks from offices, medical facilities and small gatherings. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) posted 223 cases as of Sunday midnight, marking the eighth straight day of triple-digit increases and the highest since early September.

Shanghai to start testing 'high-risk' cold storage food imports for coronavirus

Shanghai city government said all imports of what it called "high-risk" imported cold-storage food will need to be tested for coronavirus and have packaging disinfected before being stored or sold in the city. Announcing the move in a post on the city's official WeChat account on Sunday, the authorities did not specify what it meant by "high-risk" imports, but the ban comes as two more Chinese cities said they had found the virus on frozen imports.

Michigan, Washington state impose severe COVID-19 restrictions as U.S. infections soar

Michigan and Washington state on Sunday imposed sweeping new restrictions on gatherings, including halting indoor restaurant service, to slow the spread of the coronavirus as total U.S. infections crossed the 11 million mark, just over a week after hitting 10 million. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered a ban on in-person high school and college classes as well as indoor dining service for three weeks starting on Wednesday as increasingly cold weather drives people indoors where the virus can spread more easily.

Britain to open two new 'megalabs' for COVID-19 tests in early 2021

Britain will open two new laboratories in early 2021 that will more than double the country's capacity for carrying out COVID-19 tests, the government said on Monday. The new "megalabs", one in Leamington Spa near the central English city of Birmingham, and the other in Scotland, will boost daily testing capacity by 600,000 when at full capacity.