Health News Roundup: Israel's Netanyahu says complete lockdown unavoidable; Pharmacies set policies to stop U.S hoarding and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Israel's Netanyahu says complete lockdown unavoidable unless new infections ebb

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday there would be "no avoiding" a complete lockdown of the country without a decrease in the rate of new coronavirus infections. Israel has seen five deaths and closes to 2,400 cases so far.

Pharmacies set policies to stop U.S. hoarding of potential coronavirus treatments

Pharmacies CVS Health and Express Scripts, part of Cigna Corp, are setting up measures to prevent hoarding in the United States of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and other treatments that are being tried against the new coronavirus. Walgreens Boots Alliance has placed limits on prescriptions of chloroquine, which is also used to fight malaria, and hydroxychloroquine.

As virus explodes, world races to mask up

Spiez Lab, a government-run institute in the Swiss mountains, was set up to protect the nation from nuclear, biological and chemical threats. "For a world without weapons of mass destruction," runs its slogan. It is now fighting another global menace - the coronavirus - by providing face masks, the demand for which is growing faster than the disease they're meant to fend off. Hospitals treating COVID-19, the pandemic caused by the virus, can need up to nine times the protective equipment they do when dealing with normal flu, according to the American Hospital Association.

Spain's coronavirus death toll overtakes China's

Spain's coronavirus death toll jumped by 738 overnight to exceed that of China, where the disease originated, as the country struggled to cope with an accelerating health crisis and another senior government minister was diagnosed with the virus. With 3,434 fatalities, Spain now has the second-highest number of deaths globally after Italy's 6,820. Nursing homes across the country have been overwhelmed by cases and a skating rink in Madrid has been turned into a makeshift morgue.

New Orleans is next coronavirus epicenter, catalyst for spread in south, experts say

New Orleans is on track to become the next coronavirus epicenter in the United States, dashing hopes that less densely populated and warmer-climate cities would not be hit as hard by the pandemic, and that summer month could see it wane. The plight of New Orleans - with the world's highest growth rate in coronavirus cases and where authorities have warned hospitals could collapse by April 4 - also raises fears it may be a powerful catalyst in speedily spreading the virus across the south of the country.

Coronavirus cases in Ireland top 1,500, two more deaths

The total confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland rose to 1,564 on Wednesday from 1,329 a day earlier, with two more deaths reported to bring the number of fatalities to nine, the health department said.

Mylan waives exclusive U.S. distribution rights for potential COVID-19 therapy

U.S. drugmaker Mylan NV said on Wednesday it had waived its exclusive U.S. distribution rights to its generic version of HIV treatment Kaletra, which is currently being tested against the coronavirus. The move would make other drugmakers eligible to seek U.S. approval for their generic versions of the drug and boost supply, which would help in case studies find that Kaletra is effective in treating COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, Mylan said.

Italian PM Conte promises to boost coronavirus support package

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte pledged additional support for the economy on Wednesday that could double the 25 billion euro ($27 billion) package announced earlier this month to deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. In an address to parliament, Conte said the support announced so far was only a first step and the government was working on measures at least equal to the earlier package. He also called for extraordinary measures from the European Union to show citizens and financial markets the bloc stood united.

England's chief medical officer says there is a global shortage of coronavirus tests

There is a global shortage of coronavirus tests, causing a "bottleneck", England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Wednesday. "We do not have sufficient testing and this is a global problem because basically every country is wanting this new test, for a disease that wasn't actually being tested for anywhere three months ago," Whitty said at a daily news conference.

France's Macron pledges massive investment in health system after virus crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged "massive investments" in the country's public hospital health system, close to a breaking point as it copes with the coronavirus outbreak which has already caused 1,331 deaths in the country. "Once this crisis is over, a massive investment plan and an upgrade of the career paths will be put in place for our hospital system", Macron told a news conference in eastern France, where the disease outbreak is raging.