Health News Roundup: Airlines try to stave off calamity; U.S. airport security screeners push for better masks and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Airlines try to stave off calamity as coronavirus locks down Italy

Airlines around the world sank deeper into crisis on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus epidemic and Italy's lockdown hammered passenger numbers, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and led to the delaying of plane orders. Some carriers face calamity, with Korean Air Lines warning the virus outbreak could threaten its survival after it scrapped more than 80% of its international capacity, grounding 100 of its 145 passenger aircraft.

U.S. airport security screeners push for better masks to limit coronavirus exposure

A union representing U.S. airport security screeners is urging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to supply more effective masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus, union leadership told Reuters on Tuesday. The union, the AFGE TSA Council 100, which represents about 45,000 transportation security officers at airports across the United States, sent an email on Tuesday morning to TSA Administrator David Pekoske calling on the agency to provide the masks to workers.

The email has not been previously reported. Trump says coronavirus will 'go away' as pressure grows for economic relief

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the coronavirus outbreak would "go away" and urged Americans to remain calm as cases jumped and the White House came under mounting pressure to boost its response to the health and economic crisis. A steady rise in the number of U.S. cases of COVID-19, a highly contagious and sometimes fatal respiratory illness, has concerned health officials and spurred calls within Congress for action to expand testing and avert an economic meltdown.

Italy wakes up to deserted streets in unprecedented coronavirus lockdown

Italy woke up on to deserted streets in an unprecedented lockdown on Tuesday after the government extended quarantine measures across the entire country in a bid to slow Europe's worst outbreak of the coronavirus. The measures, announced late on Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, widen steps already taken in the rich northern region of Lombardy and parts of neighboring provinces, clamping down on movement and closing public spaces.

Closely watched opioid trial in New York postponed due to coronavirus

A highly anticipated trial pitting New York state against McKesson Corp, Johnson & Johnson, CVS Health Corp, and others for allegedly fueling the opioid epidemic has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the court. The postponement of the March 20 jury trial was a precautionary measure due to the number of people traveling to attend, according to a spokesman for New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Coronavirus can be mild, say patients, but fear of passing it on weighs heavy

Coronavirus did not compare with 45-year-old Dane Jakob Tage Ramlyng's worst bouts of flu. It was mild. His greatest concern was not passing it on. The journalist, who was isolated in Copenhagen away from his family until he was declared virus-free by doctors, was the first person in Denmark to test positive for coronavirus after returning home from a holiday in northern Italy.

Disparities in childhood cancer survival biggest for most-treatable tumors

Children from racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to survive childhood cancer than their white counterparts, and a new U.S. study suggests the survival gap is widest for tumors that are easier to treat. Compared to white children with cancers that should be responsive to treatment, Hispanic kids with the same tumor types were 63% more likely to die, and black children were 59% more likely to die, the study team reports in JAMA Pediatrics.

Coronavirus brings no-contact food delivery to United States

Leaving bags of food on doorsteps or texting your delivery driver a picture of where you want your meal dropped off - these are new methods for U.S. consumers to get their orders as the coronavirus spreads. The virus led McDonald's Corp, Starbucks Corp and other companies in China, where the outbreak originated, to broaden their use of contactless delivery last month as consumers were stuck at home, often in locked-off apartment complexes.

More cleaning, few visitors on Chicago, London trading pits amid coronavirus

Exchange operators in Chicago and London are making contingency plans and stepping up cleaning for the world's last remaining open-outcry futures and options trading floors as the global spread of coronavirus spooks markets. The exchanges are seeking to avoid disruptions linked to the virus, which has roiled equities and commodities prices worldwide.

Dermatology education lacking in U.S. medical schools

Primary care doctors in the United States may be ill-equipped to diagnose or treat basic skin conditions because medical schools offer very little dermatology training as part of the general curriculum, a survey suggests. Based on queries to 137 accredited medical schools, researchers found most don't offer dedicated dermatology courses or require their students to take clinical rotations in dermatology, according to a report in JAMA Dermatology.