Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Delayed by sanctions, border checks, first medical aid trickles into North Korea

The first shipments of international medical aid are due to arrive at North Korea's borders this week to shore up its defenses against the coronavirus, but strict border controls could mean the stream of supplies remains a trickle. Some aid organizations had to get emergency sanction exemptions from the United Nations to clear the way for the shipments and are now navigating North Korea's border controls imposed in a bid to shut out the virus. Explainer: What is herd immunity and will it affect the pandemic?

The outbreak of disease caused by the new coronavirus has raised questions about a phenomenon known as "herd immunity" and whether it might play a role in how the pandemic progresses. Here are some insights from infectious disease specialists: World's governments draft manufacturers for virus treatment arsenal

From Washington to London, Beijing to Rome, governments are drafting automakers and aerospace manufacturers to ramp up production of ventilators and other medical equipment to bolster what most experts say is an inadequate arsenal of coronavirus treatment tools. Authorities are hoping large-scale manufacturers can bring their low-cost supply chains and digital design expertise to bear, including 3D printing, and repurpose some factories in order to make up the expected shortfall in vital medical hardware. Two generic drugs being tested in U.S. in race to find coronavirus treatments

U.S. researchers, following the lead of scientists in other countries, have launched studies to see whether widely-available, low-cost generic drugs can be used to help treat the illness caused by the new coronavirus. There are currently no vaccines or treatments for the highly-contagious COVID-19 respiratory illness, so patients can only receive supportive care for now. Coronavirus deaths in Italy overtake China as economic damage mounts

The world's richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy on Thursday as coronavirus cases ballooned in the new epicentre Europe, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated. With over 242,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths, the epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with painful periods such as World War Two, the 2008 financial crisis and the 1918 Spanish flu. Faced with a shortage of face masks, some U.S. doctors make their own

Doctors in Seattle have been reduced to making their own face masks out of sheets of plastic, after a global shortage of medical protective gear has hit Washington state, an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Ahead of an anticipated shortage of medical supplies, hospital staff met in a conference room south of Seattle to make homemade masks for the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the frontline of tackling the coronavirus outbreak. CDC reports 10,491 coronavirus cases, 150 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday reported 10,491 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 3,404 from its previous count, and said the death toll had risen by 53 to 150, the biggest one-day jump so far. President Donald Trump earlier in the day urged health regulators to expedite potential therapies aimed at treating COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, saying it could lead to a breakthrough while a vaccine is still under development. FDA says no scientific evidence that ibuprofen worsens coronavirus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it is not aware of scientific evidence connecting the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen, with worsening COVID-19 symptoms. The agency said it is aware of news reports stating the use of these medicines - commonly used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down fever - could worsen the infection caused by the coronavirus. Particularly after France's health minister suggested that NSAIDs could worsen COVID-19, demand for alternatives such as Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol surged, prompting the drugmaker to scale up production. J&J is running its Tylenol manufacturing at maximum capacity in North America to meet surging demand due to the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, a top executive said on Thursday. FDA suspends U.S. vape shop inspections as coronavirus spreads

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has halted activities such as domestic compliance checks and vape shop inspections, the health regulator said on Thursday, as its staff switch to teleworking amid the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak. The health regulator has been scaling back domestic and foreign inspections in the wake of the outbreak, which has infected more than 227,700 people across 175 countries, based on a Reuters tally. Potential coronavirus treatment touted by Trump already in shortage, pharmacists say

An old malaria treatment that has been tried with some success against the new coronavirus and was touted by U.S. President Donald Trump at a news briefing earlier on Thursday is in short supply as demand surges amid the fast-spreading outbreak. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), which maintains a list of drugs in shortage independent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list, added the generic malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to its list on Thursday. Four out of eight manufacturers of the drug are currently in shortage, it said.