Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Belarus has 27 cases of coronavirus: health ministry

Belarus has recorded 27 people infected with coronavirus, six more than a day before, the health ministry said at a televised briefing on Friday. Belarus has reported no deaths so far. FDA allows emergency use of lab-developed coronavirus tests in New York

The New York State Department of Health can authorize certain laboratories to begin testing for the coronavirus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The agency is granting this flexibility due to the urgent public health need for additional testing capacity in the United States. Explainer: Keep calm and carry on - what is the logic behind Britain's coronavirus bet?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cautioned that more families will lose their loved ones to the coronavirus but has taken a distinctly different approach to tackling the outbreak. Below is the scientific and public health argument behind the British approach. Iran's coronavirus death toll 514 on over 1,000 new cases: state TV

The total number of deaths in Iran from the coronavirus outbreak has risen by 85 to 514, a health ministry official said on state TV on Friday, adding that the total number of infections had increased by more than 1,000 in the past 24 hours, to 11,364. China sends medical supplies, experts to help Italy battle coronavirus

A planeload of medical supplies, including masks and respirators, has arrived in Italy from China to help it deal with its growing coronavirus crisis. The coronavirus outbreak began in China late last year but has since swept the globe. Italy is now the worst-affected nation in the world after China, with 1,016 dead and 15,113 confirmed cases since the contagion came to light there on Feb. 21. Indonesia's confirmed coronavirus cases more than double to 69

Indonesia on Friday reported 35 new coronavirus cases, including two toddlers, bringing its total to 69, as a rights group urged authorities to be more transparent about the spread of the virus in the world's fourth most-populous nation. Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto told reporters the new cases ranged in age from 2 to 80, and that three people out of the latest cases had died. Madrid region orders shutdown of bars, shops except supermarkets, chemists: reports

All restaurants, bars and shops in Madrid will need to close over the coronavirus epidemic, with only supermarkets and pharmacies allowed to remain open, Spanish media said on Friday. El Mundo wrote that bars, restaurants and shops would close, while El Independiente said supermarkets and pharmacies can remain open. TVE broadcaster also reported the news, saying the shutdown would start on Saturday. WHO officials rethink epidemic messaging amid pandemic debate

The World Health Organization is considering changing the way it classifies and describes international epidemics, amid a protracted public debate over whether to call the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic. Officials at the Geneva-based WHO – who this week described it as a pandemic for the first time - are reviewing how the health agency communicates its risk assessment of disease outbreaks in the future, said two people familiar with the discussions. They said that included use of the term pandemic as well as PHEIC, which stands for public health emergency of international concern. Coronavirus hits politicians, sports and showbiz stars as it spreads across globe

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife, Australia's minister for home affairs and a Chelsea soccer player are among new cases of the coronavirus that has infected almost 135,000 people and killed more than 4,900 worldwide. Governments and central banks readied more emergency measures to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus on Friday, helping financial markets pare some of their steep losses, while more major events were canceled or postponed. Life upended for Americans as U.S. scrambles to contain coronavirus threat

From Disneyland to the U.S. Supreme Court, from Wall Street to Dodgers Stadium, nearly every facet of American life fell into turmoil on Thursday as the coronavirus outbreak caused sweeping closures and economic disruption. As concern grew over a rapid spread of the sometimes-fatal COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the virus, the U.S. stock market cratered anew, professional and college sports leagues suspended play, Broadway theaters went dark and many schools from Ohio to Texas shuttered.