Health News Roundup: COVID-19 reinfection unlikely for at least six months, study finds; WHO advises against Gilead's remdesivir for all hospitalised COVID-19 patients and more

France's second COVID wave hasn't peaked, but light at end of tunnel: adviser The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to peak in France but the outlook is improving with the potential arrival of vaccines in the coming months, a senior government scientific adviser said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

France's second COVID wave hasn't peaked, but light at end of tunnel: adviser

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to peak in France but the outlook is improving with the potential arrival of vaccines in the coming months, a senior government scientific adviser said on Friday. "Even though the vaccine will not solve everything and, even though 2021 will not be an ordinary year, I see light at the end of the tunnel", immunologist Jean-François Delfraissy told the newspaper Le Monde in an interview.

COVID-19 reinfection unlikely for at least six months, study finds

People who've had COVID-19 are highly unlikely to contract it again for at least six months after their first infection, according to a British study of healthcare workers on the frontline of fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The findings should offer some reassurance for the more than 51 million people worldwide who have been infected with the pandemic disease, researchers at the University of Oxford said.

WHO advises against Gilead's remdesivir for all hospitalised COVID-19 patients

Gilead's remdesivir is not recommended for patients hospitalised with COVID-19, regardless of how ill they are, as there is no evidence the drug improves survival or reduces the need for ventilation, a World Health Organization panel said on Friday. "The ... panel found a lack of evidence that remdesivir improved outcomes that matter to patients," the guideline said.

California, Ohio order nightly curfews on gatherings as coronavirus surges

California's governor on Thursday imposed a curfew on social gatherings and other non-essential activities in one of the most intrusive of the restrictions being ordered across the country to curb an alarming surge in novel coronavirus infections. The stay-at-home order will go into effect from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each day, starting Saturday night and ending on the morning of Dec. 21, covering 41 of California's 58 counties and the vast majority of its population, Governor Gavin Newsom said.

Sinovac may get Phase III trial results of COVID-19 vaccine by December, executive says

Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech could have the results of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine from late-stage clinical trials as soon as next month, an executive said on Friday. Sinovac's CoronaVac is in large late-stage trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey. Preliminary results of early to mid-stage trials showed this week that it triggered a quick immune response but lower levels of antibodies than those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Reinfection unlikely for at least 6 months COVID-19 infections have levelled off in England: ONS

The number of COVID-19 infections in England appears to have levelled off in recent weeks, Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday. The ONS said daily COVID infections in England rose by an estimated 38,900 in the most recent week, to November 14, down from around 50,000 the week before.

Pfizer to submit U.S. emergency use application for COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer Inc said it will apply to U.S. health regulators on Friday for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, the first such application in a major step toward providing protection against the new coronavirus. The application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comes just days after Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE reported final trial results that showed the vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 with no major safety concerns.

Record COVID infections in Germany up pressure for stricter measures

Germany reported a record number of new coronavirus cases on Friday, upping the pressure on leaders of the country's 16 federal states to implement stricter restrictions favoured by Chancellor Angela Merkel to tame a second wave before Christmas. The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases recorded 23,648 confirmed new cases and 260 new deaths, which now stand at 13,630, an increase of more than a third in four weeks.

Exclusive: EU could pay over $10 billion for Pfizer and CureVac vaccines - source

The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters. The bloc has agreed to pay 15.50 euros ($18.34) per dose for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, according to the official.