Health News Roundup: Australia to impose self-isolation; Japan coronavirus infections rise to 1,484 and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Central American countries up fight against coronavirus

Central American countries took further and tougher steps to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus on Saturday with measures ranging from bans on large gatherings to travel restrictions. El Salvador's Congress approved a series of emergency measures sought by President Nayib Bukele to prevent the spread of the virus and to fend off the risk of a public health crisis.

U.S. hospitals say coronavirus school closures add to staffing pressure

U.S. hospitals, gearing up for a large surge in patients as the new coronavirus spreads throughout the country, are reaching out to temporary staff agencies and exploring other ways to maintain workforce levels as school closures add to pressure on doctors and nurses. "The biggest issue right now is we need to plan for a logarithmic increase in patient numbers," Dr. Jason Persoff, assistant director of emergency preparedness at UCHealth, Colorado's largest health system. "We are learning a lot from what happened in Washington state and in Italy ... there are a lot of issues with childcare."

Australia will impose self-isolation on all international arrivals due to coronavirus

Australia will impose 14-day self-isolation on all international passenger arrivals from midnight Sunday to try and contain the spread of coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Australia will also ban cruise ships from foreign ports for an initial 30 days, he said.

Japan coronavirus infections rise to 1,484 - NHK

The number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose to 1,484 on Sunday, increasing by a faster pace than the previous day, public broadcaster NHK reported. The total number of infections includes 697 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and 14 returnees on charter flights from China, according to NHK data.

The UK pushes for more ventilators, hospital beds as coronavirus cases mount

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told British manufacturers to boost the production of ventilators and ordered private hospitals to prepare for an overspill of patients from the public health service ahead of an expected surge of coronavirus cases. Johnson was due to speak to manufacturers on Monday and the government had already asked engineers to find ways to quickly produce more ventilators in Britain which the government would buy, the prime minister's office said.

South Korea reports 76 new coronavirus cases; airport checks widened

South Korea on Sunday reported 76 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths, a fall in new cases to double-digits for the first time in over three weeks. South Korea, which has the highest number of cases in Asia after China, now has a total to 8,162 confirmed infections and 75 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said (KCDC).

China imported coronavirus cases exceed new local infections for the second day

The number of new coronavirus cases that came to mainland China from overseas surpassed the number of locally transmitted new infections for the second time on Saturday, data released by the National Health Commission (NHC) showed on Sunday. Mainland China had 20 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on March 14, up from 11 cases a day earlier. Of Saturday's cases, 16 involved travelers entering China from overseas, it said.

Argentina bans entry to non-residents arriving from coronavirus-hit countries

Argentina banned entry to non-residents who have traveled to a country highly affected by a coronavirus in the last 14 days, the government officially announced late on Saturday. The ban was established for 30 days, according to the decree published in the official bulletin.

Canadian on cruise ship tested positive for coronavirus in Brazil: report

A 78-year-old Canadian who was on a cruise ship isolated in Brazil's northeastern port of Recife tested positive for coronavirus, Brazilian TV network Globo reported on Saturday, citing a press conference. The ship with 609 people onboard has been isolated in Recife since Thursday morning after this passenger showed symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus.

Mexico coronavirus fight gives students earlier, longer Easter vacations

In Mexico, 33 million students will head into earlier and longer Easter vacations at the end of next week after Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma on Saturday announced measures to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus. The health ministry said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased to 41 from 26 on Friday and 15 the prior day. It has not confirmed any deaths from the fast-spreading virus.

(With inputs from agencies.)