Health News Roundup: U.S. judge stops Texas from curbing abortions during COVID crisis; Italy to maintain lockdown and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. judge stops Texas from curbing abortions during coronavirus crisis

A U.S. judge on Monday blocked Texas officials from banning most abortions in the state as part of their order to postpone surgeries and procedures deemed not medically necessary during the coronavirus crisis. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, last week announced that abortion providers were covered by a state order that required postponement of non-urgent medical procedures to preserve hospital beds and equipment during the pandemic.

Italy expected to maintain lockdown as it awaits steady coronavirus decline

Italy looks certain to remain under lockdown for at least two more weeks, officials said on Monday, with the number of new coronavirus cases yet to show a decisive decline. Nearly 11,000 people have died in Italy since Feb. 21, the highest death toll from the virus in the world, while some 97,689 people have been infected in a little over five weeks, more than anywhere except the United States.

Abortion providers in Ohio aim to block coronavirus-related curbs

Abortion providers across Ohio on Monday asked a federal court to block state officials from curbing abortions as part of an order canceling "non-essential" surgeries and procedures during the coronavirus crisis. The abortion clinics told U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett in Cincinnati that they fear being immediately shut down and prosecuted if they do not stop providing surgical abortions. Such a ban, they said, would violate the right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution recognized in a landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.

New York's Cuomo pleads for doctors, nurses from other states to aid its hospitals

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on Monday for healthcare workers elsewhere to help the state's overwhelmed hospitals battle the coronavirus and made a plea for bipartisanship and "partnership" with U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking at a makeshift hospital in Manhattan preparing to receive its first patients on Monday, Cuomo sought to divert attention from any tension with Trump, with whom he has tussled in recent days over the distribution of ventilators in storage.

U.S. CDC reports 140,904 coronavirus cases, 2,405 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 140,904 cases of coronavirus, and said the number of deaths had risen to 2,405. Over the weekend, the CDC updated its case count to 122,653 and said 2,112 people had died across the country, but said that the numbers were preliminary and had not been confirmed by individual states.

European researchers retrofit snorkel masks for coronavirus fight

Researchers in Europe have been converting low-cost snorkel masks into respirators to treat patients or protection for medical workers battling to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has stretched healthcare resources. To help healthcare workers, a team from the Czech Technical University (CVUT) worked with volunteers to add military-grade filters to snorkel masks, which are meant for holiday swimming and typically sell for around 600 crowns ($24) in local stores.

Coronavirus hits hundreds of U.S. police amid protective gear shortages

When nine police officers showed up to make an arrest near Melrose Avenue in the Bronx last Wednesday, none wore a mask or gloves to protect them from coronavirus. Similar scenes play out all over the city daily: officers making arrests, walking their beats and responding to 911 calls without protective gear, according to interviews with nearly two dozen New York City officers and scenes witnessed by Reuters.

Deaths, intubations swamp New Orleans doctors in coronavirus surge

Emergency room doctor Thomas Krajewski stopped at the hospital room door at 2 a.m. to glance at the chart. He knew instantly the long odds faced by the patient inside: A man in his 70s, with a fever, shortness of breath. "Do you mind calling my son?" the patient asked him. "My two grandsons tomorrow morning are going to crawl in my bed because they wake me up on the weekends, and if I'm not there, they will wonder."

New York cheers arrival of hospital ship as coronavirus cases soar

People cheered the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort as it sailed into New York on Monday, a beacon of the national effort to stanch the coronavirus outbreak at its U.S. epicenter as the number of cases soared. Painted a gleaming white and adorned with giant red crosses, the 1,000-bed converted oil tanker sailed past the Statue of Liberty, accompanied by a flotilla of support ships and helicopters before docking at a Midtown Manhattan pier.

Ford, GE to produce 50,000 ventilators in 100 days

Ford Motor Co said on Monday it will produce 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days at a plant in Michigan in cooperation with General Electric's healthcare unit, and can then build 30,000 per month as needed to treat patients afflicted with the coronavirus. Ford said the simplified ventilator design, which is licensed by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp and has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, can meet the needs of most COVID-19 patients and relies on air pressure without the need for electricity.