Health News Roundup: U.S. officials brace for 'peak death week'; Trump speaks with pharmaceutical about coronavirus therapies and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

U.S. officials brace for 'peak death week' in coronavirus

U.S. officials on Monday girded the country for a "peak death week" from the coronavirus pandemic as the accelerating American death toll closed the gap with Italy and Spain, the countries with the most fatalities to date. "It's going to be the peak hospitalization, peak ICU week and unfortunately, peak death week," Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday.

Trump speaks with pharmaceutical, biotech CEOs about coronavirus therapies - spokeswoman

President Donald Trump on Monday spoke with the heads of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to discuss developments in therapeutics to fight coronavirus, according to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Trump hosted a call with "CEOs of pharmaceutical & bio-tech companies to discuss developments in therapeutics to fight the Coronavirus," Grisham wrote on Twitter. "We are working hard to tear down barriers, cut red tape, & encourage cooperation across private industries & government."

Top English health official confident working antibody test will be found

Britain is confident of developing antibody tests for immunity to the coronavirus and health officials are not discouraged by the ineffectiveness of early tests that have been assessed, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Monday. Whitty said that antibody tests - which would detect whether people had previously been infected with COVID-19 and therefore had immunity to the disease - would be more useful when more of the population had developed antibodies later in the epidemic.

Europe dares to consider easing lockdowns as U.S. enters 'peak death week'

European nations including hard-hit Italy and Spain have started looking ahead to easing coronavirus lockdowns after steady falls in fatality rates, as the United States prepared on Monday for what one official called "peak death week". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the most prominent victim of the virus, was having tests in hospital on Monday after 10 days of symptoms, but said he was continuing to work. Officials declined to say whether he had pneumonia.

In fight for masks, hospital janitors sometimes come last

Katina McDavis spends 40 hours a week cleaning hospital rooms at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Masks are in short supply these days. So, too, is information. "Our bosses might tell us we need a mask, the nurses might tell us we don't," said McDavis.

Facebook asks users about coronavirus symptoms, releases friendship data to researchers

Facebook Inc said on Monday it would start surveying some U.S. users about their health as part of a Carnegie Mellon University research project aimed at generating "heat maps" of self-reported coronavirus infections. The social media giant will display a link at the top of users' News Feeds directing them to the survey, which the researchers say will help them predict where medical resources are needed. Facebook said it may make surveys available to users in other countries too if the approach is successful.

New York Governor says coronavirus crisis may have hit plateau

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo noted on Monday that hospitalizations of coronavirus patients are down and the rate of rise in deaths has leveled off in the hardest-hit state, suggesting the crisis may be plateauing, but he warned against complacency and extended closure of businesses and schools. "While none of this good news, the possible flattening of the curve is better than the increases that we have seen," Cuomo told a daily briefing, warning that the numbers remain grim and that it was not certain the state had turned the corner.

Masks should be prioritized for health workers to avoid shortage against coronavirus: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Monday that the wearing of medical masks by the general public could exacerbate the shortage for health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. It said lockdowns in many places are proving effective in dampening spread of the coronavirus but any lifting of restrictions requires a calibrated, step-wise approach based on data.

White House, experts clash over use of drug for coronavirus

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday acknowledged that members of the task force dealing with the coronavirus crisis clashed over the efficacy of the malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for use against the disease. Navarro had a heated exchange on Saturday with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Axios reported.

France's coronavirus death rate accelerates, cases near 100,000

France's coronavirus figures on Monday showed that the rate of increase in fatalities - now at almost 9,000 - sped up again after several days of slowing, while the increase in people needing intensive care continued to decelerate. The total number of cases, combining hospital and nursing home statistics, increased by 5,171 over the last 24 hours to 98,010, meaning France will likely become the fifth country, after Italy, Spain, the United States and Germany, to cross the 100,000 thresholds on Tuesday.