Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
'Like a zombie apocalypse': Residents on edge as coronavirus cases surge in South Korea
Residents of a South Korean city at the centre of a new coronavirus outbreak described empty streets, deserted shops, and a climate of fear as a surge in confirmed cases linked to a church raised the prospect of wider transmission. Malls, restaurants and streets in Daegu, the country's fourth largest city with a population of 2.5 million, were largely empty in scenes that residents and social media users likened to a disaster movie.
Germany's Immatics ties up with GSK to develop immunotherapies
German biopharmaceutical firm Immatics said on Thursday it plans to collaborate with British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop immunotherapies targeting multiple cancer indications, with a focus on solid tumours. The companies will develop and commercialize T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts), using Immatics' proprietary technology, with the German company primarily responsible for development and validation of the treatments and GSK looking into worldwide development.
Speed science: The risks of swiftly spreading coronavirus research
One scientific post suggests links between the new coronavirus and AIDS, a second says it may have passed to people via snakes, while a third claims it is a pathogen from outer space. The emergence in China of a new human coronavirus that is causing an epidemic of flu-like disease has sparked a parallel viral spread: science – ranging from robust to rogue - is being conducted, posted and shared at an unprecedented rate.
South Korea city deserted after coronavirus church 'super-spreader'
The streets of South Korea's fourth-largest city were abandoned on Thursday, with residents holed up indoors after dozens of people caught the coronavirus in what the authorities described as a "super-spreading event" at a church. The deserted shopping malls and cinemas of Daegu, a city of 2.5 million people, became one of the most striking images outside China of an outbreak that international authorities are trying to prevent from spreading into a global pandemic.
Japanese data on cruise ship coronavirus infections backs quarantine strategy
Newly released data from a Japanese research institute appears to back the government's case that its quarantine strategy for the Diamond Princess cruise ship was successful in stemming contagion of the coronavirus among passengers. Japan has been criticised for its handling of the quarantine, as more than 620 people on board have been infected with the virus and two elderly passengers have died.
WHO says in touch with South Korea on 'cluster of COVID-19 cases'
The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close touch with South Korea regarding a "cluster" of COVID-19 cases around the central city of Daegu, a WHO spokesman said on Thursday after authorities there described it as a "super-spreading event". South Korea reported 20 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, including 14 people involved in an outbreak traced to several church services in Daegu.
China lab says conspiracy theories hurting efforts to curb virus
An outbreak of disinformation in China and elsewhere has hurt global efforts to combat the new coronavirus, said a specialist infectious disease lab located at the epicenter of the epidemic -- and at the heart of a number of conspiracy theories. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the state-backed Wuhan Institute of Virology said "internet rumors" had "received close attention from all walks of life" and "caused great harm to our research staff on the front line of scientific research".
SAP India says two employees tested positive for H1N1 virus
The Indian arm of German software group SAP said on Thursday it had shut down all offices in the country for sanitisation after two of its employees in the southern city of Bengaluru tested positive for the H1N1 virus. SAP India offices in Bengaluru - considered the tech hub of India - Gurgaon and Mumbai have been temporarily closed and all employees have been asked to work from home till further notice, SAP said in an emailed statement.
In coronavirus fight, Shanghai river town opts for caution
In Qibao, an old river town on the outskirts of Shanghai, officials have deployed more than 2,700 staff and volunteers to check temperatures and monitor traffic as they work to contain the coronavirus that has now killed more than 2,000 in China. With large parts of the town sealed off and its teashops and boutiques shuttered, the crackdown in Qibao has been far tougher than elsewhere in Shanghai, reflecting the variety of sometimes heavy-handed approaches taken by jurisdictions across the country.
Why Singapore's admired virus playbook can't be replicated
A day after Jeanhee Kim learned of a coronavirus case in her Singapore apartment block, she was visited by a distinguished-looking man she later learned was a senior government minister. Kim, a 51-year old American who had just relocated to the island as the outbreak began, said the man had asked her how her family were feeling, gave her some surgical masks and reassured her that Singapore was on top of the situation.
