Health

The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 28 to 29,603 on Thursday, the same increase as Wednesday, but the number of new confirmed cases crept up again to reach a five-day high.

Canada officially racked up 100,000 cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday and although the outbreak is slowing, health experts said major challenges remain.

A person's blood type and other genetic factors may be linked with severity of coronavirus infection, according to European researchers looking for further clues about why COVID-19 hits some so much harder than others.

Iran is approaching 10,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak in the country, according to official figures from the Ministry of Health.

Britain will switch to the Apple and Google model for its COVID-19 test-and-trace app, ditching an attempt to develop an app by itself after the homegrown system did not work well enough on Apple's iPhone, the government said on Thursday.

Britain's health minister declined on Thursday to set a date for when a smartphone app to help trace people who have been in contact with a person infected with the new coronavirus would be rolled out.

The European Commission is in advanced talks with pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson to reserve or make an up-front purchase of its COVID-19 vaccine under development, two officials familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Johnson & Johnson is in talks with multiple governments and global organizations as it seeks to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, it said on Thursday after Reuters reported that the U.S. company is in talks over a potential EU supply deal.

A U.S. district court on Thursday ruled in favor of generic drugmaker Mylan NV in a patent dispute over Biogen Inc's blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera, sending Biogen's shares down nearly 6%.

Britain will switch to Apple and Google technology for its COVID-19 test-and-trace app, ditching its homegrown system which was not working well enough on Apple's iPhone, the government said on Thursday.

With film and television productions halted in the Philippines due to lockdown, one special effects artist is maximizing his skills by making scary face masks to raise cash and a few smiles.

The World Health Organization hopes hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine can be produced this year and 2 billion doses by the end of 2021 and is drawing up plans to help decide who should get the first doses once a vaccine is approved, its chief scientist said.

A U.S. district court on Thursday ruled in favor of generic drugmaker Mylan NV in a patent dispute over Biogen Inc's blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera, sending Biogen's shares down nearly 6%.

Ever since the novel coronavirus reached Cuba, a tall cardboard box with arms and legs can be seen tottering around a Havana suburb, popping into the bakery or butchers, or browsing the newspaper stand.

Sweden's hopes of getting help from herd immunity in combating the coronavirus received a fresh blow on Thursday, when a new study showed fewer than anticipated had developed antibodies.

The World Health Organization hopes hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine can be produced this year and 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Thursday.

Medtronic said on Thursday it had partnered with Foxconn to boost production of its ventilators to 10,000 over the next year amid surging demand as the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus overwhelms hospitals.

Russia said on Thursday it was already preparing for a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the autumn, after officials reported their lowest daily rise in new infections since May 1.

Pfizer Inc and Sangamo Therapeutics Inc said on Thursday their gene therapy helped maintain levels of a vital protein for up to 14 months in patients with a rare genetic disorder in which blood does not clot easily.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the need for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak with his Australian counterpart, Downing Street said on Thursday.