Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Trump advises voluntary mask use against coronavirus but won't wear one himself

The U.S. government is now recommending Americans wear cloth face-coverings on a voluntary basis to stem the spread of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump said on Friday, although he said he himself would not use one. In a daily briefing with reporters, Trump stressed that the recommendation should not be seen as replacing social-distancing measures considered key to slowing the outbreak, which has now claimed more lives in New York state than the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Thailand reports 89 new coronavirus cases, one more death

Thailand reported 89 new coronavirus cases and one more death on Saturday. The latest numbers from the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration took the total in the southeast Asian nation to 2,067. Twenty people have died. South Korea extends intensive social distancing to reach 50 daily coronavirus cases

South Korea said on Saturday it will extend its intensive social distancing campaign scheduled to end on Monday by two weeks in a bid to curb the rate of coronavirus infections to around 50 a day. The country has largely managed to bring under control Asia's largest epidemic outside China with around 100 or fewer new daily cases. But smaller outbreaks in churches, hospitals and nursing homes, as well as infections among travellers, continue to emerge. WHO opens door to broader use of masks to limit spread of coronavirus

The World Health Organization on Friday said that medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. A senior WHO official told reporters there was some possibility of airborne transmission of the virus that has now infected over 1 million people and killed 50,000 people worldwide since emerging in China last December. Miracle cures? UK investigators go after fake coronavirus medicines

British authorities said on Saturday they were clamping down on bogus cures for the coronavirus, which currently has no specific licensed treatment. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was investigating 14 fake or unlicensed products to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. U.S. coronavirus supply spree sparks outrage among allies

From Europe to South America, U.S. allies are complaining about the superpower's "Wild West" tactics in outbidding or blocking shipments to buyers who have already signed deals for vital medical supplies. In France and Germany, senior officials said the United States was paying far above the market price for medical-grade masks from No. 1 producer China, on occasion winning contracts through higher bids even after European buyers believed a deal was done, and Brazil's health minister reported a similar incident. Australia sees more signs of coronavirus spread stabilising

Australia on Saturday reported more signs that the spread of the novel coronavirus has been stabilising, as New South Wales (NSW) health authorities defended the disembarking in mid-March of a virus-hit cruise ship. According to the federal health ministry data, there were 230 new cases of the coronavirus in the 24-hour period to early Saturday in Australia, bringing the total to 5,454 cases. IMF, WHO urge leaders to focus on health spending to get virus under control

The IMF and the World Health Organization on Friday urged leaders of developing countries to prioritize paying medical staff, buying protective gear and other health expenditures in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint column in the UK's Telegraph newspaper, the heads of the two institutions said getting the new coronavirus under control was a prerequisite to reviving the global economy, and it was critical to strike the right balance in spending emergency aid. UK ramps up coronavirus trials but results 'a few months away'

Britain said on Friday it was launching the biggest clinical trial of possible treatments for coronavirus in the world but a leading health official cautioned that the results were likely a few months away. Almost 1,000 patients from 132 hospitals had been recruited in 15 days and thousands more were expected to join in the coming weeks, the health department said. CDC reports 239,279 coronavirus cases, 5,443 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 239,279 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 26,135 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 930 to 5,443. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on April 2 compared to its count a day ago. (https://bit.ly/2IVY1JT).