Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Americans defy pandemic, political leaders to travel for Thanksgiving
Americans defied pleas from state and local officials to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday in the face of the surging coronavirus pandemic, triggering fresh warnings from health officials with the release of vaccines still weeks away. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden joined in the calls for safety, urging people to forgo big family gatherings, wear protective masks and maintain social distancing.
Germany's hotspot district to launch COVID-19 mass tests for children
The state premier of Thuringia on Thursday announced a first mass test for children in the district of Hildburghausen, Germany's coronavirus hotspot, to find out to what extent they contribute to a rapid surge in infections. The east German district saw a record 603 cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days, more than four times Germany's average incidence of 140, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.
Prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England fell last week - ONS survey
The prevalence of COVID-19 infections in England have fallen slightly, with 633,000 infections in the latest week to Nov. 21 from 664,700 the week before, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. Overall prevalence of COVID-19 infections fell to 1 in 85 people from 1 in 80 the previous week, but the ONS said it could not provide an estimate of daily incidence of infections due to an issue with the data from one of the laboratories.
COVID-19 cases fell 9% in latest week in England - tracing system
Positive COVID-19 cases in England fell 9% in the latest week in England, the country's test and tracing system said on Thursday, as contacts of the cases successfully traced still languished near record lows. Of the 347,575 people identified with someone who has tested positive in the week to November 18, 60.3% were reached, near last month's record low proportion of 59.6%.
Putin opens COVID-19 drug plant as Russia reports daily record for cases, deaths
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday inaugurated a pharmaceutical plant in Siberia that will manufacture drugs to treat COVID-19 as the country reported record high numbers of new coronavirus infections and deaths. Russia has experienced a surge in infections since September, but authorities have resisted imposing lockdowns, relying instead on targeted measures in certain regions.
Fast spreading bird flu puts EU poultry industry on edge
A highly contagious and deadly form of avian influenza is spreading rapidly in Europe, putting the poultry industry on alert with previous outbreaks in mind that saw tens of millions of birds culled and significant economic losses. The disease, commonly called bird flu, has been found in France, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and, for the first time this week in Croatia, Slovenia and Poland, after severely hitting Russia, Kazakhstan and Israel.
"Corona cabbies" in driving seat of Stockholm's COVID testing
Taxi driver Lars-Goran Goransson admits to feeling a little anxious each time he slips on a pair of latex gloves and gingerly lifts a COVID-19 test administered just moments earlier from a doorstep in a Stockholm suburb. "I think this is a safe way to work, but yes, I am nervous about the virus," said Goransson, 55, one of over 1,000 "corona cabbies" who now make a living ferrying COVID-19 swabs between homes and laboratory collection points in the Swedish capital.
Greece extends nationwide coronavirus lockdown by a week
Greece will extend its nationwide lockdown by a week until Dec. 7 as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country, a government spokesman said on Thursday. An increase in infections since October has forced the government to impose Greece's second national shutdown since the pandemic began.
South Korea reports biggest COVID-19 spike since March
South Korea reported 583 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest since March, as it grapples with a third wave of infections that appears to be worsening despite tough new social distancing measures. The government reimposed strict distancing rules on Seoul and surrounding regions this week, only a month after they had been eased following a second wave of infections.
EU drugs watchdog expects first application for COVID-19 vaccine in days
Europe's drugs watchdog said on Thursday it expects to receive the first application for conditional marketing approval for a COVID-19 vaccine "in the coming days", the latest step towards making a shot available outside the United States. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) did not name the company it expects to file the application, but Pfizer Inc and BioNTEch are the most advanced in the regulatory process among the three companies that have published late-stage trial data for their vaccines.
