Health News Roundup: China reports eight new coronavirus cases; WHO halts hydroxychloroquine in COVID trials and more

Brazil registers 37,923 new cases of coronavirus, 1,091 deaths Brazil recorded 37,923 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1,091 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China reports eight new coronavirus cases in mainland

China reported eight new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 4, compared with three cases a day earlier, the health authority said on Sunday. Six of the new infections were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, while the capital Beijing reported two new cases.

There were no new deaths. Mexico surpasses France in coronavirus death toll

Mexico reported 523 more coronavirus deaths on Saturday, pushing its tally to 30,366, overtaking France to become the fifth-highest in the world. The health ministry also reported 6,914 new infections and a total of 252,165 confirmed cases.

WHO halts hydroxychloroquine, HIV drugs in COVID trials after failure to reduce death

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it was discontinuing its trials of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and combination HIV drug lopinavir/ritonavir in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 after they failed to reduce mortality. The setback came as the WHO also reported more than 200,000 new cases globally of the disease for the first time in a single day. The United States accounted for 53,213 of the total 212,326 new cases recorded on Friday, the WHO said.

UK confirmed COVID death toll rises to 44,198, up 67

The United Kingdom's death toll from confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus has risen by 67 to 44,198 in the last day, the government said on Saturday.

WHO reports record daily increase in global coronavirus cases, up more than 212,000

The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Saturday, with the total rising by 212,326 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil and India, according to a daily report https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports. The previous WHO record for new cases was 189,077 on June 28. Deaths remained steady at about 5,000 a day.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 239 to 196,335 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 239 to 196,335, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday. The reported death toll rose by 2 to 9,012, the tally showed.

Brazil registers 37,923 new cases of coronavirus, 1,091 deaths

Brazil recorded 37,923 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1,091 deaths, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. Brazil has registered more than 1.5 million cases since the pandemic began, while cumulative deaths total 64,265, according to the ministry.

Florida sees coronavirus cases spike to new daily record

Florida's confirmed coronavirus cases rose by a record 11,458 on Saturday, the state's health department said, the second time in three days that its caseload increased by more than 10,000. The new record came a day after seven other states also reported record rises in cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus that has killed nearly 130,000 Americans.

U.S. CDC reports 2,789,678 coronavirus cases, 129,305 deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its count of coronavirus cases and deaths to 57,718 new cases and 661 deaths on Saturday, taking the total to 2,789,678 cases and 129,305 deaths. It had earlier reported 52,492 cases 749 deaths. CDC did not respond to requests for clarification on Saturday.

Catalonia curbs movement of 200,000 people after new coronavirus outbreaks

Police at roadblocks warned motorists they were entering a lockdown zone on Saturday as Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia reimposed restrictions on more than 200,000 people following several new coronavirus outbreaks. Residents in Segria, which includes the city of Lleida, will not be able to leave the area from 12 noon (1000 GMT) on Saturday, but they will not have to stay at home as was the case during Spain's original lockdown.

(With inputs from agencies.)