Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Thailand reports eight new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Thailand on Sunday reported eight new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, taking its total to 3,112 infections and 58 deaths since the outbreak began in January. The new cases had returned from overseas - five from the United Arab Emirates, two from Kuwait and one from India - and were in quarantine, where most of Thailand's recent cases have been detected, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, an assistant spokeswoman for the government's COVID-19 Administration Centre.
France reports 13 more coronavirus deaths, total at 29,155
France's coronavirus death toll, the fifth-highest in the world, rose by 13 on Sunday to 29,155, the government said. The number of people in hospital intensive care units fell by six to 1,053, a smaller decrease than the previous day but extending a steady drop in critical cases since a peak of over 7,000 in early April, according to data posted on a government website.
CDC reports 1,920,904 coronavirus cases in United States
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 1,920,904 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 29,214 cases from its previous count, and said COVID-19 deaths in the United States had risen by 709 to 109,901. The CDC reported its tally of cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. EDT on June 6. Its previous tally was released on Friday. (https://bit.ly/2UkMHx9)
Fujifilm says COVID-19 drug research may drag on into July
Fujifilm Holdings Corp's research on Avigan as a potential treatment for COVID-19 may drag on until July, the company said on Sunday, a further setback in the Japanese firm's race to find a vaccine. "There is a possibility that clinical trials will continue in July," a Fujifilm spokesman said, responding to a Nikkei report that any approval will be delayed until July or later, due to a lack of patients for trials.
Global coronavirus cases near 7 million as outbreak grows in Brazil, India - Reuters tally
Global cases of the novel coronavirus neared 7 million on Saturday, as case numbers surge in Brazil and India, according to a Reuters tally. About 30% of those cases, or 2 million infections, are in the United States, though the fastest growing outbreak is in Latin America, which now accounts for roughly 16% of all cases.
Chile coronavirus death toll jumps sharply after new cases added
Chile revised its death toll linked to the novel coronavirus outbreak sharply higher on Sunday, adding fatalities from databases that previously had not been included. Health Minister Jaime Mañalich said 653 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 had to be counted, bringing the total number to 2,290. That included 96 new deaths announced in the Sunday daily report.
Russia reports 8,984 new coronavirus cases, 134 deaths in last 24 hours
Russia reported 8,984 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours on Sunday, pushing the total number of infections to 467,673. Officials said 134 people had died during the same period, bringing the official nationwide death toll to 5,859.
Philippine coronavirus death toll rises to 1,003
The Philippines on Sunday reported nine more fatalities related to the novel coronavirus, taking its death toll to 1,003. The Southeast Asian country also recorded 555 more infections, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 21,895, the Department of Health said in a bulletin.
U.S. coronavirus deaths top 110,000 as cases approach 2 million: Reuters tally
The novel coronavirus has killed more than 110,000 people in the United States, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as nationwide protests against racial injustice spark fears of a resurgence of the virus. About 1,000 Americans have died on average each day so far in June, down from a peak of 2,000 a day in April, according to the tally of state and county data on COVID-19 deaths. (Reuters interactive: https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T)
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences in human tests for coronavirus antibody drug
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences has started an early-stage study in China to test a potential antibody treatment against the coronavirus in uninfected people, official paper Liberation Daily said on its online channel on Sunday. https://bit.ly/3eZhSWM The experimental drug, JS016, is also expected to begin human study in the United States in the second quarter of this year, through collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co.
