Health News Roundup: Japan uses just a fraction of its coronavirus testing capacity; Iran's death toll from coronavirus jumps to 1,135 and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Factbox: Public figures who have tested positive for coronavirus

Following are some of the public figures who have tested positive for coronavirus around the world:

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, both tested positive in Australia, the actor said on Twitter. He said he fell ill while working on a film.

Imported coronavirus cases in China outpace local infections for fifth day

China's imported coronavirus cases outnumbered domestic transmissions for a fifth straight day as infected travellers passed through major transport hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, and the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Mainland China had 13 new infections on Tuesday, the National Health Commission said, down from 21 a day earlier. A dozen of the new cases involved infected arrivals from abroad.

EU drugs agency says no evidence ibuprofen worsens COVID-19

The European Union's healthcare regulator on Wednesday said there currently is no evidence which links anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen with the worsening of COVID-19. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was monitoring the situation and said patients and healthcare professionals should consider all treatment options including paracetamol and anti-inflammatory drugs to treat fever or pain in patients with COVID-19.

Here's what you need to know about coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak right now: Come home, don't leave, Australians urged Italy says coronavirus lockdown may need to be extended

An unprecedented lockdown imposed on Italians last week to halt the spread of coronavirus might be extended if the incidence of new cases doesn't slow, officials said on Wednesday. The government has ordered restaurants, bars and most shops to shut down until March 25. In addition, it has shut schools and universities and told everyone to stay at home unless absolutely essential until April 3.

European Medicines Agency: ibuprofen okay for coronavirus

The European Medicines Agency said on Wednesday that there is no scientific evidence showing that the widely used anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen worsens the effects of coronavirus. In a statement, the agency said it wanted to dispel incorrect information circulating on social media.

Japan uses just a fraction of its coronavirus testing capacity

Japan is only using a sixth of its capacity to test for the coronavirus even as it is increasing its ability to do so, government data shows, adding to concern that it is not doing enough to contain its outbreak. Nationwide capacity for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test has grown to 7,500 a day, on track to reach 8,000 a day target by the end of the month.

Stunned world grapples with 'once-in-100-year' coronavirus battle

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide were adjusting on Wednesday to once-in-a-generation measures to battle the coronavirus crisis that is not only killing the old and vulnerable but also threatening prolonged economic misery. The fast-spreading disease that jumped from animals to humans in China has now infected about 200,000 people and caused nearly 8,500 deaths in 164 nations, triggering emergency lockdowns and injections of cash unseen since World War Two.

Iran's death toll from coronavirus jumps to 1,135: state TV

Iran's death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 1,135 with 147 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry official told state TV on Wednesday, adding that the total number of infected people across the country had reached 17,361. "Unfortunately there were 1,192 cases of infected people in the past 24 hours ... please follow the guidelines and stay at home," Iran's Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi told TV.

Coronavirus can persist in air for hours and on surfaces for days: study

The highly contagious novel coronavirus that has exploded into a global pandemic can remain viable and infectious in droplets in the air for hours and on surfaces up to days, according to a new study that should offer guidance to help people avoid contracting the respiratory illness called COVID-19. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, attempted to mimic the virus deposited from an infected person onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting, such as through coughing or touching objects.