Health News Roundup: Washington pledges $1 billion for coronavirus vaccine; South Korea's Moon says situation very grave and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Washington pledges $1 billion for coronavirus vaccine as pandemic risks grow

U.S. President Donald Trump will seek $2.5 billion from Congress to fight the coronavirus epidemic and the U.S. and South Korean militaries are considering scaling back joint training as the virus spreads in Europe and the Middle East. Countries around the world are stepping up efforts to prevent a pandemic of the flu-like virus that originated from China late last year and has now infected more than 80,000 people, 10 times more cases than the SARS coronavirus.

Lockdown: a day in the life of a teacher in Italy's coronavirus red zone

Primary school teacher Marzio Toniolo would usually spend his weekday mornings cycling to work and teaching children in the small, quiet northern Italian town of San Fiorano. Now, he is one of around 50,000 people whose lives are on hold after they were placed under quarantine as Italy tries to contain Europe's worst outbreak of coronavirus that flared up in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

The U.S. needs funding to protect Americans from coronavirus: White House

The United States needs funds to finance response to the coronavirus, a White House spokesman said on Monday, without directly confirming reports the administration was preparing to ask Congress to approve an emergency spending package. "We need some funding here to make sure that we ... protect all Americans, that we keep us safe," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told Fox News Channel.

Tired of delays, U.S. labs ask FDA to develop their own coronavirus tests

U.S. state and local public health laboratories are seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration to create their own tests for the new coronavirus as manufacturing and regulatory issues continue to delay access to testing capabilities. As of Monday, only five U.S. states - California, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, and Tennessee - have the capability to test for the virus, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

South Korea's Moon says situation 'very grave' as mass virus tests get going

South Korean health authorities aim to test more than 200,000 members of a church at the center of a surge of new coronavirus cases as President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday the situation was "very grave". South Korea's tally of cases of coronavirus cases rose to 977, fuelling fears the outbreak, which is thought to have begun in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, is developing into a pandemic.

Trump administration seeks $2.5 billion in funds to fight coronavirus

The Trump administration is asking Congress for $2.5 billion to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus, including more than $1 billion for vaccines, the White House said on Monday. With financial markets falling on concerns that the virus will have a significant impact on the global economy, the Trump administration is eager to show it is prepared to combat the virus despite the limited number of cases so far in the United States.

Exclusive: Juul halts Indonesia e-cigarette sales, throwing Asia expansion in doubt

Juul Labs Inc is halting sales in Indonesia, citing concerns that it can't stop retailers from selling its high-nicotine e-cigarettes to young people in a largely unregulated tobacco market. Juul disclosed its Indonesia plans to Reuters as the news organization was inquiring about the company's marketing to younger customers there and in the other two Asian countries where it operates - the Philippines and South Korea. A Reuters review of Juul's Asia marketing found that the firm has promoted e-cigarettes in ways similar to those that raised the ire of regulators in the United States.

Mammograms not helpful in women 75 and older, study finds

Women 75 and older do not benefit from regular screening mammograms, researchers reported on Monday, offering some of the first evidence on whether screening makes sense in these women. Although studies clearly show mammograms starting at age 50 prevent breast cancer deaths, until now, doctors have had little evidence about when to end screening, Dr. Otis Brawley of Johns Hopkins University and former chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, wrote in an editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Novartis launches review into the safety of eye drug Beovu

Novartis has launched an external review into the safety of its blindness medicine Beovu after the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS) raised concerns. The Swiss drugmaker's shares fell nearly 3% in early trading after the ASRS communicated to its members about the drug, a replacement for Novartis' blockbuster Lucentis.

Republicans raise U.S. drug supply concerns after coronavirus outbreak

Republicans raised concerns this week about the security of the U.S. drug supply chain in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China, where a significant portion of the ingredients used to make prescription drugs is manufactured. The outbreak highlights "severe, longstanding, and unresolved vulnerabilities in our capacity to produce life-saving pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices for our own citizens," Missouri Senator Josh Hawley wrote in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "This is unacceptable."