Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. China's virus epicentre Hubei speeds testing after complaints

China's Hubei province, the coronavirus outbreak epicentre, has started using a faster and more convenient method of testing in order to isolate patients more quickly, the official People's Daily reported on Friday. Reuters reported last month that a lack of RNA test kits in Hubei capital Wuhan may have delayed patients from being properly diagnosed and treated, contributing to the spread of the virus in the early days of the outbreak. Budapest orchestra helps deaf people 'hear' Beethoven through touch

Zsuzsanna Foldi has been deaf all her life. Still, with her hands placed on the double bass, sitting among musicians in Budapest's Danubia orchestra, she can enjoy and literally feel Beethoven's famous Fifth Symphony. "When I sat next to the musician who played the bass today, I started crying," she said. New cases of coronavirus infections rise in China after two-day decline

The number of new confirmed infections from a coronavirus in mainland China rose on Friday after falling for two consecutive days, while the number of deaths from the outbreak once again hit a daily record, pushing the death toll past 700. Across mainland China, there were 3,399 new confirmed infections on Friday, bringing the total accumulated number so far to 34,546, the country's National Health Commission said on Saturday. WHO warns of global shortage of coronavirus protective equipment

The world is facing a chronic shortage of gowns, masks, gloves and other protective equipment in the fight against a spreading coronavirus epidemic, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday. The U.N. agency has been sending testing kits, masks, gloves, respirators and gowns to every region, Tedros told the WHO Executive Board in Geneva. Biotech company Novacyt seeks emergency approval for coronavirus test

Biotechnology company Novacyt has applied for emergency approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as it races to roll out a product that tests for the coronavirus, the company said on Friday. Novacyt, which is listed in Paris and London, also said it was in talks with public sector hospitals in Britain. Med students learn little about spotting, helping sex-trafficking victims

Doctors are in a unique position to identify and help victims of sex trafficking, but little is taught in medical school about this issue, a review paper suggests. About 400,000 people in the U.S. are estimated to be affected by human trafficking, and research indicates that up to 88% of them have seen a healthcare professional for treatment during their exploitation, the authors write in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Teens who need to lose weight should quit staying up so late

Obese teens who diet to lose weight may have more success if they also focus on getting enough rest, a small study suggests. "Sleep deprivation may be associated with increased caloric intake, and decreased physical activity, resulting in obesity," said senior study author Dr. Juan Manuel Malacara of the University of Guanajuato in Leon, Mexico. Japan confirms 3 more coronavirus cases on cruise liner; total now 64

Another 3 people on a cruise liner off Japan have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases from the ship to 64, Japan's health ministry said on Saturday. Japan's health minister on Friday said 41 people aboard the Diamond Princess had tested positive for coronavirus in addition to 20 previously identified cases, with those infected being moved to hospitals on land. Access to medical marijuana tied to reduced workers' comp claims

Legalizing access to medical marijuana may lead to fewer workers' compensation claims, a U.S. study suggests. In states with laws allowing medical marijuana, researchers tied the accessibility of cannabis to a nearly 7% decline in workers' comp claims. When there were claims, they were for shorter periods of time, on average, after medical marijuana was legalized, according to the analysis in Health Economics. Scientists question work suggesting pangolin coronavirus link

Independent scientists questioned research on Friday that suggested that the outbreak of coronavirus disease spreading from China might have passed from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins. South China Agricultural University, which said it had led the research, said on its website that the "discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the new virus)".

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