Health News Roundup: COVID cases flood hospitals in America’s heartland; U.S. CDC reports 257,016 deaths from coronavirus and more

CDC may shorten COVID-19 quarantine period guidelines The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of self-quarantine period recommended after potential exposure to the coronavirus, a top official said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.\

France's Macron announces three-step reopening amid 'glimmer of hope'

France will start easing its COVID-19 lockdown this weekend so that by Christmas, shops, theatres and cinemas will reopen and people will be able to spend the holiday with their families, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said the worst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in France was over, but that restaurants, cafes and bars would have to stay shut until Jan. 20 to avoid triggering a third wave.

'COVID chat': Officials urge Americans to stay home over holiday

U.S. health officials and politicians pleaded with Americans on Tuesday to stay at home over the Thanksgiving holiday and abide by constraints placed on social and economic life as record coronavirus caseloads pushed hospitals to their limits. The chorus of public appeals intensified heading into a holiday weekend expected to further fuel an alarming surge of infections nationwide, while the daily U.S. death toll climbed above 2,000 - at least four deaths every three minutes. It marked the highest 24-hour loss of life from the pandemic since early May.

‘We’re drowning’: COVID cases flood hospitals in America’s heartland

Dr. Drew Miller knew his patient had to be moved. The vital signs of the 30-year-old COVID-19 victim were crashing, and Kearny County Hospital in rural Lakin, Kansas, just wasn’t equipped to handle the case. Miller, Kearny’s chief medical officer - who doubles as the county health officer - called around to larger hospitals in search of an ICU bed. With coronavirus cases soaring throughout Kansas, he said, he couldn't find a single one.

Japan's bird flu outbreak spreads to second prefecture

Japan has detected a new outbreak of bird flu on a chicken farm in southwestern Fukuoka prefecture, in addition to the eight already reported in Kagawa prefecture west of Tokyo, the government said on Wednesday. The wave of avian influenza that began earlier this month is proving to be the worst in around four years and the first serious spread of the virus in two years.

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges

Purdue Pharma LP pleaded guilty to criminal charges over the handling of its addictive prescription painkiller OxyContin, capping a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve an investigation into the drugmaker's role in the U.S. opioid crisis. During a court hearing conducted remotely on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in New Jersey, Purdue pleaded guilty to three felonies covering widespread misconduct.

U.S. CDC reports 257,016 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday reported 12,333,452 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 157,531 from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,058 to 257,016. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Nov. 23 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/3741uSy)

Plasma from recovered patients shows little benefit in those hospitalized with COVID-19: study

Using blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors to treat patients with severe pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus showed little benefit, according to data released on Tuesday from a clinical trial in Argentina. The therapy know as convalescent plasma, which delivers antibodies from COVID-19 survivors to infected people, did not significantly improve patients' health status or reduce their risk of dying from the disease any better than a placebo, the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found.

Tokyo to call for shortened hours for bars, restaurants: report

Tokyo will urge bars and restaurants to operate shortened hours, the latest restriction to be implemented in Japan following sharp rises in COVID-19 infections, media reported on Wednesday. The Japanese capital has seen new daily infections soar past 500 on several days recently and the number of serious cases reached 51 on Tuesday, the most since a state of emergency was lifted in May.

U.S. officials plan to release 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in first distribution

U.S. officials said on Tuesday they plan to release 6.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses nationwide in an initial distribution after the first one is cleared by regulators for emergency use. Officials from the government's Operation Warp Speed program told reporters that states and other jurisdictions had been informed on Friday of their estimated vaccine allocations in the first shipments so they can begin planning for how to best distribute it to their high-risk populations.

CDC may shorten COVID-19 quarantine period guidelines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten the length of self-quarantine period recommended after potential exposure to the coronavirus, a top official said on Tuesday. Health authorities currently recommend a 14-day quarantine in order to curb transmission of the virus but an official said Tuesday that there is evidence that the period could be shortened if patients are tested for the virus during their quarantine.

(With inputs from agencies.)