Health News Roundup: Heart failure risk with liver disease; Rouhani says no urban quarantine planned and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Heart failure risk with liver disease may be explained by obesity

The excess weight that causes fatty liver disease also raises a person's risk for heart failure, a recent study suggests. While non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has long been linked to heart failure, the current study followed fatty liver patients over five years and found obesity may be the real culprit.

Rouhani says no urban quarantines planned as Iran coronavirus toll hits 19

President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran had no plans to quarantine any "cities and districts" in response to the country's coronavirus outbreak, which the health ministry said had killed 19 people, state TV reported. There were however plans to impose some restriction at holy Shi'ite sites and cancel some sermons on Friday, the Islamic Republic's traditional day of public prayer said Health Minister Saeed Namaki.

U.S. ramps up fight against coronavirus; stocks fall on worries about economic impact

President Donald Trump's administration is considering invoking special powers to rapidly expand domestic production of protective masks and clothing to help combat the coronavirus in the United States, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The move would be part of ramped-up efforts by U.S. officials to guard against the virus's spread in the United States, where the number of confirmed cases is still relatively small at 60, most of them repatriated American passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.

U.S. health secretary says at least 40 labs can currently test for coronavirus

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday said that at least 40 public health labs can currently test specimens for coronavirus and that could more than double as soon as tomorrow. Azar, speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tested 3,625 specimens for the fast-moving virus as of this morning. He said at least 40 labs currently have test kits that were previously manufactured by the CDC that were modified to test for coronavirus.

Iran coronavirus death toll reaches 26, many Friday prayers canceled

Iran said on Thursday its death toll from coronavirus had risen to 26, by far the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people now stood at 245, including several senior officials. The outbreak prompted authorities to call off Friday prayers in the capitals of 23 of Iran's 31 provinces, including Tehran and the Shi'ite Muslim holy cities of Qom and Mashhad as well as some other infected areas, state TV reported.

No country will be spared, warn experts, as fight against coronavirus ramps up

No country should make the "fatal mistake" of assuming it will be spared the coronavirus, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, as governments from Iran to Australia raced to contain the epidemic's rapid global spread. With new infections reported around the world now surpassing those in mainland China, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said even rich nations should prepare for surprises.

Exclusive: U.S. mulls using sweeping powers to ramp up production of coronavirus protective gear

President Donald Trump's administration is considering invoking special powers through a law called the Defense Production Act to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing of protective masks and clothing to combat the coronavirus in the United States, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The use of the law, passed by Congress in 1950 at the outset of the Korean War, would mark an escalation of the administration's response to the outbreak. The virus first surfaced in China and has since spread to other countries including the United States.

"Fatal mistake" for countries to assume they won't get coronavirus -WHO chief

It would be a "fatal mistake" for any country to assume it will not be hit by the new coronavirus, and rich countries that might have thought they were safer should expect surprises, the head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday. The head of the WHO's emergency program said Iran, which has so far reported the most deaths outside of China, may be dealing with an outbreak that is worse than yet understood. He also said discussions were being held with organizers about the fate of the Olympic games scheduled for July in Japan.

U.S. FDA says no medical device shortages due to virus outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday there were no reported shortages of medical devices within the country due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The FDA said it had contacted 63 companies, has 72 manufacturing facilities in China, which produce medical devices that may be prone to a potential shortage in the case of a supply disruption. (http://bit.ly/3abFNzL)

Scores cleared to leave Tenerife hotel on coronavirus lockdown

Some 130 guests were cleared on Thursday to leave a Tenerife hotel placed on lockdown after four cases of the coronavirus were detected there, but Spanish authorities did little to allay concerns of the close to 600 tourists who will remain there. On the third day of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel's lockdown, only the widespread presence of protective masks gave a glimpse of how unreal life has become for those inside the compound.

(With inputs from agencies.)