Health News Roundup: Philippines to declare health emergency; South Korea's coronavirus case climbs and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Cancer patient aboard coronavirus-stalled cruise faces possible chemotherapy delay

Among the 2,400 passengers stranded off the California coast on a cruise ship carrying at least 21 people infected with coronavirus, few people aboard likely have more to lose than Kari Kolstoe, a retiree from North Dakota with stage-4 cancer. Kolstoe, 60, said she and her husband, Paul, 61, had looked forward to the Grand Princess cruise to Hawaii as a brief, badly needed respite from the grind of medical intervention she has endured for the past 18 months.

Italy coronavirus deaths near 200 after biggest daily jump

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 49 to 197, the Civil Protection Agency said on Friday, the largest daily increase in fatalities since the contagion was uncovered two weeks ago. Italy is currently reporting more deaths per day from the virus than any other country in the world and the government this week ordered the closure of schools, universities, cinemas and theaters around the country to try to stem the infections.

South Korea's coronavirus cases climb above 7,000, most cases traced to church

South Korea's coronavirus cases jumped above 7,000 on Saturday, up by 448 from the previous day, with more than half of the total number linked to a secretive church at the center of the country's outbreak, health authorities said. The death toll rose by two to 46, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

In Canada, doctors broadened coronavirus testing, and made an unlikely save

Canada's official guidance on the novel coronavirus has been to test patients who recently traveled to affected areas, but some doctors and hospitals have expanded testing on their own, finding the first in a series of patients linked to Iran before the scale of the Iranian outbreak was known. The Canadian approach, which let front-line staff exercise judgment in looking for the virus, diverged from the United States, which said only on Tuesday that any American could be tested.

Philippines to declare health emergency after first community transmission of coronavirus

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will declare a public health emergency to help contain the spread of the coronavirus after the country recorded its first case of community transmission, officials said on Saturday. The nation's health ministry has reported three new cases of the infection since Friday, adding to the three Chinese tourists who were diagnosed with the virus in January and the first week of February.

$2 billion needed to develop COVID-19 shot, says epidemic response group

A global coalition set up to fight epidemic diseases issued a call on Friday for $2 billion to support the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus that is causing COVID-19 infections around the world. Describing the outbreak as an "unprecedented threat in terms of its global impact", the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said that while containment measures would help slow the spread, a vaccine was key to longer-term control.

Coronavirus found on cruise ship as more U.S. states report cases

Twenty-one people aboard a cruise ship that was barred from docking in San Francisco have tested positive for coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, as eight more states reported their first cases of the fast-spreading respiratory disease. Vice President Mike Pence, who is running the White House's response to the outbreak, said at a news conference that 19 crew members and two passengers out of 46 people tested so far on the Grand Princess ship had the virus.

Twenty-one people test positive for coronavirus aboard cruise ship off San Francisco

Twenty-one people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday aboard a ship that was denied entry to San Francisco Bay after a number of passengers and crew developed flu-like symptoms on the vessel, which had been linked to infections from an earlier voyage. Vice President Mike Pence, recently appointed as the U.S. government's point man on the coronavirus outbreak, said the cruise ship Grand Princess will be brought to an unspecified non-commercial port where all 2,400 passengers and 1,100 crew will undergo another round of tests.

Coronavirus infects 100,000-plus worldwide, 21 cases found on ship off San Francisco

Twenty-one people aboard a cruise ship that was barred from docking in San Francisco have tested positive for coronavirus, U.S. officials said on Friday, adding to the more than 100,000 cases of the fast-spreading illness across the world. Vice President Mike Pence, recently appointed as the U.S. government's point man on the outbreak, said the cruise ship Grand Princess will be brought to an unspecified non-commercial port where all 2,400 some passengers and 1,100 crew members will now be tested.

U.S. telehealth companies brace for demand spike as coronavirus spread accelerates

The U.S. telehealth industry, including market leader Teladoc Health Inc, is preparing for a surge in demand as public health officials aiming to contain the fast-spreading new coronavirus encourage the use of alternatives to clinic visits and patients seek to avoid public spaces. The virus, which originated in central China in December, has spread to around 90 countries with more than 3,400 deaths worldwide. It has also spread across the United States with cases so far in 17 states and 14 deaths, all but one in Washington state.