Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Czechs may relax lockdown as coronavirus infections slow

The Czech government is considering relaxing lockdown measures that have stifled the economy if an apparent levelling off in the growth of new coronavirus infections is confirmed in the coming days, officials said on Monday. The country was among the first in Europe to declare a state of emergency in March, imposing some of the strictest curbs on public life to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when the proven number of cases was still below 200.

South Korea reports fewer than 50 new infections, earning WHO praise

South Korea reported fewer than 50 new coronavirus cases for the first time since its peak in late February, earning the praise of the World Health Organization for combatting the spread in one of the first countries to be hard-hit by the disease. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 47 new infections as of midnight on Sunday compared with 81 recorded a day earlier, taking the national tally to 10,284.

CVS to launch two new drive-through COVID-19 testing sites

CVS Health Corp said that it will launch two new drive-through COVID-19 testing sites in Georgia and Rhode Island on Monday using new, faster tests than had previously been available, with up to four more locations to follow. The company said both drive-through testing sites will use testing equipment made by Abbott Laboratories that can deliver results within minutes. It expects to be able to perform around 1,000 tests per day at each site.

GSK to partner with Vir for potential COVID-19 treatments, invest $250 million

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc will invest $250 million in Vir Biotechnology Inc and collaborate to develop potential treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the companies said on Monday. Drugmakers across the globe are rushing to develop a treatment or vaccine for the fast-spreading coronavirus that has killed over 68,400 people globally. There are currently no approved treatments for the disease.

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Deaths fall in New York, U.S. epicenter of virus

Iran death toll from coronavirus outbreak reaches 3,739: health ministry

The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus outbreak has reached 3,739, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Monday. The total number of people infected by coranavirus in the country has reached 60,500, he said.

Spain's pace of coronavirus deaths slows again

Spain's pace of new coronavirus deaths slowed for the fourth day on Monday as the government contemplated a gradual easing of a lockdown in place since mid-March in the country with the second highest death toll from the global pandemic. As with worst-hit Italy, data in Spain is giving cause for hope the peak has passed. On Monday, it reported 637 fatalities in the previous 24 hours - a 5% increase in total and less than half the pace recorded a week earlier.

Getinge to ramp up ventilator production capacity by 160% due to coronavirus

Getinge, one of the world's biggest makers of medical ventilators, said on Monday it will increase production capacity this year by 160% to 26,000 ventilators to meet demand spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. That expands on the Swedish company's announcement last month that it would increase capacity by 60%.

Testing times for India in race to head off coronavirus epidemic

India, like a lot of countries plunged into crisis by the pandemic, is struggling to ramp up testing for the coronavirus, but in few places would the odds of containing the disease appear so bleak should domestic transmission start to multiply. Officials hope to be testing 20,000 people daily by the end of the week, four times the current rate.

Tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick, the zoo's chief veterinarian said on Sunday. Nadia, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger that tested positive, was screened for the COVID-19 disease after developing a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said in a statement. All of the cats are expected to recover, it said.