Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Exclusive: EU states need 10 times more coronavirus equipment - internal document
European Union states need 10 times as much personal protective equipment and other medical devices, such as ventilators, to tackle the coronavirus than traditional supply chains can provide, an internal EU document showed on Wednesday. The 27-nation bloc has been scrambling for weeks to acquire crucial equipment, like face masks, ventilators for patients with severe breathing problems and other medical products since the coronavirus epidemic spread to the continent earlier this year.
Explainer: Why are malaria pills being used against coronavirus?
Older malaria drugs are being studied, and in some cases used, to treat or try to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, even though there is no firm evidence to show they are effective. Studies are underway in a number of countries, including China, France and the United States, to see whether the pills - chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine - may have a role to play in the rapidly spreading pandemic.
Iran warns of second wave of coronavirus
Iran may face a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Wednesday, as some Iranians ignored guidance issued by health officials to contain the spread of the disease in the country. "Unfortunately some Iranians ignored advice from health ministry officials and travelled during the (Iranian) New Year holidays ... This could cause a second wave of the coronavirus," Rabiei said, according to state TV.
Locked-down no longer, China's Hubei begins return to normal
Life started returning to normal on Wednesday after two months of lockdown in Hubei province, epicenter of China's coronavirus outbreak, with traffic controls lifted, construction resuming and people catching buses and trains across once-shut borders. Mainland China also reported a drop in new confirmed coronavirus cases to 47 on Tuesday, all of them in travelers returning home, down from 78 infections reported a day earlier.
Obalon Therapeutics explores strategic alternatives as coronavirus hits
Obalon Therapeutics said on Wednesday it was exploring financial and strategic alternatives due to the uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and restriction on elective procedures, which have had a direct impact on its business. The company has engaged Canaccord Genuity LLC as its financial advisor.
What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: U.S. spending blitz; EU "tele-summit"
Virus fight at risk as world's medical glove capital struggles with lockdown
Disposable rubber gloves are indispensable in the global fight against the new coronavirus, yet a month's lockdown in stricken Malaysia where three of every five gloves are made has upended the supply chain and threatens to hamstring hospitals worldwide. The world's biggest maker of medical gloves by volume, Top Glove Corp Bhd, has the capacity to make 200 million gloves a day, but a supplier shutdown has left it with only two weeks' worth of boxes to ship them in, its founder told Reuters.
Novacyt and Yourgene Health to produce coronavirus test products in UK
Healthcare companies Novacyt and Yourgene Health Plc said on Wednesday that they would be teaming up to produce coronavirus testing products in the United Kingdom. Yourgene's manufacturing facility in Manchester will be used to expand Novacyt's production capacity of the COVID-19 test.
U.S. companies, labs rush to produce blood test for coronavirus immunity
As the United States works overtime to screen thousands for the novel coronavirus, a new blood test offers the chance to find out who may have immunity - a potential game changer in the battle to contain infections and get the economy back on track. Several academic laboratories and medical companies are rushing to produce these blood tests, which can quickly identify disease-fighting antibodies in people who already have been infected but may have had mild symptoms or none at all. This is different from the current, sometimes hard-to-come-by diagnostic tests that draw on a nasal swab to confirm active infection.
Coronavirus sweeps across New York, California fears it could be next
New York state suffered another quick and brutal rise in the number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, staggering hospitals at the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, as California said it could be facing the next major wave of the disease. In New York City, the densely packed home of more than 8 million people, healthcare officials tried to find hospital beds for the surging number of coronavirus patients as the statewide death toll rose to 210, with more than 25,600 confirmed cases.
