Health News Roundup: Four passengers die on cruise ship; Turkey adopts 'voluntary' stay-at-home quarantine and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Four passengers die on cruise ship with coronavirus outbreak off Panama

Four passengers have died on board the MS Zaandam, a cruise ship currently off the coast of Panama with over 130 guests suffering from influenza-like symptoms, at least two of whom have coronavirus, the vessel's operator said on Friday. Zaandam had been on a South American cruise that departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end in San Antonio, Chile on March 21. Nobody has disembarked from the ship since it docked in Punta Arenas, Chile nearly two weeks ago.

Turkey adopts 'voluntary' stay-at-home quarantine

President Tayyip Erdogan called on Friday for a "voluntary quarantine" in which Turks stay at home except for shopping or basic needs to stem a surge of coronavirus cases, which jumped by a third in a day to 5,698 with 92 dead. "If we don't want these measures to reach a further stage, we must abide by the voluntary quarantine rules verbatim. What does this voluntary quarantine mean? It means do not leave your house," Erdogan told a press conference late on Friday.

Coronavirus cases top half a million, protective gear lacking: WHO

Coronavirus has infected more than half a million people and killed more than 20,000 globally, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as he appealed again for protective gear for medical staff working to save lives. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, urged countries to refrain from using medicines that have not been demonstrated to be effective against COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

In trenches of New York's coronavirus crisis, nurses beg, borrow and steal precious masks

Amid growing shortages of vital protective equipment in New York hospitals, healthcare workers are desperately scrounging to find facemasks, hiding supplies from colleagues in other departments, and sometimes even pilfering for themselves. The novel coronavirus has infected nearly 45,000 across New York, and more than 550,000 globally. Nurses in New York City were shaken on Tuesday, when Kious Kelly, a nurse manager at a Mount Sinai Health System hospital, died after being infected.

U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham tested positive for coronavirus

U.S. Representative Joe Cunningham, a Democrat from South Carolina, said Friday he had tested positive for the coronavirus, although his symptoms have already begun to improve. Cunningham said he had been tested a day ago at a local testing clinic. "Today, I learned that I had tested positive," he said in the statement. He said he had been in self-quarantine since March 19 after learning that he had been in contact with another member of Congress who had tested positive.

Milan hospital coronavirus squad battles the odds to save a life

There was no room for error at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Friday as medical staff moved an 18-year-old patient from the coronavirus ward for urgent tests in another unit. It took an eight-member team, all wearing protective gear, to do it right - holding on to tubes, sensors, braces and other medical gear as the young man held on for dear life.

Sun Pharma's U.S. unit donates malaria drug in coronavirus fight

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's U.S. subsidiary said on Friday it had donated 2.5 million hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets as a potential treatment for the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets are used for the treatment of malaria, lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others.

U.S. group bombards doctors with coronavirus petition to cut 'red tape'

Dr. Eric Anderson had just finished vacuuming his New Hampshire home early on Wednesday when the phone in his pocket buzzed with an unusual text message. The message - part of a barrage of texts sent to doctors across the nation - urged him to sign a petition in support of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug touted by President Donald Trump as a potential miracle cure for COVID-19, the contagious and sometimes deadly respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Spain acts to prevent layoffs as rising coronavirus death toll stabilizes

Spain's government approved measures on Friday to prevent employers using the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to fire staff after health officials said the rising death toll was stabilizing. Spain, which has recorded more coronavirus deaths than any other country except Italy, said the national death toll had increased overnight by 769 to 4,858, a rise of around 19%.

Factbox: Stay at home? Big U.S. states split on coronavirus response

As U.S. deaths from the novel coronavirus approached 1,300, many state governors have ordered residents to stay home to slow the disease's spread, while others have balked at such mandates - a patchwork approach that reflects the federalist system. State and local governments have the final say on how to police within their borders, even as President Donald Trump and the White House issue guidelines about what U.S. residents should do.