Health

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

France's new death toll from COVID-19 on Wednesday was only one-third of the tally the day before but the total of new confirmed infections rose again, one month out of a strict lockdown.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday reported 1,973,797 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 17,376 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 950 to 112,133.

A group representing relatives of people who died of COVID-19 in Bergamo, one of Italy's hardest-hit cities, asked prosecutors on Wednesday to investigate possible criminal responsibility in the management of the pandemic.

Johnson & Johnson moved up the start of human clinical trials for its experimental vaccine against the highly contagious coronavirus by two months to the second half of July, as the drugmaker rushes to develop a prevention for COVID-19, the company said on Wednesday.

A team of Polish scientists has designed a remote-controlled ventilator they hope will allow doctors to help critically ill patients breathe, but from a distance, in a bid to make medical personnel safer during the coronavirus pandemic.

A potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers showed promise in trials in monkeys, triggering antibodies and raising no safety issues, researchers said, and a human trial with more than 1,000 participants is under way.

Arizona again told hospitals to activate the coronavirus emergency plans after cases spiked following reopening, turning it into a U.S. virus hotspot along with neighboring Southwest states.

It is unclear how the arrival of winter in the southern hemisphere will impact the novel coronavirus, the head of the World Health Organization's emergencies programme Mike Ryan said on Wednesday.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday launched a study to evaluate drugs prescribed to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, among children and adolescents across the United States.

Johnson & Johnson said on Wednesday it would bring forward by two months human trials of its potential COVID-19 vaccine to the second half of July, as the drugmaker rushes to develop a shot for the contagious respiratory disease.

Scientists have used human embryonic stem cells to create an embryo-like research model to help them study some of the earliest stages of human development.

Abbvie Inc said on Wednesday it is partnering with Danish biotech firm Genmab AS to jointly develop and market cancer treatments, as it looks to expand its cancer franchise.

Ghana's Incas Diagnostics expects the country's regulator to approve its new COVID-19 antibody test by the end of July, saying its kits could help health authorities ease pandemic restrictions.

Abbvie Inc said on Wednesday it is partnering with Danish biotech firm Genmab AS to jointly develop and market cancer treatments, as it looks to expand its cancer franchise.

Travelling in convoy through the Chinese city of Wuhan last September, Angela Merkel called a halt. As her party crossed a bridge over the Yangtze river, the German Chancellor wanted to hear about a grand gesture by revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.

Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday.

A Chinese vaccine against African swine fever appears to be safe in clinical trials now underway, the official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, a step closer to preventing one of the world's most devastating livestock diseases.

European officials aim to speed up trials for coronavirus vaccines containing genetically modified organisms, two EU sources told Reuters, in a move that could help shots developed by companies like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

Scientists are turning a spotlight on China's version of the origins of the coronavirus pandemic as they scrutinize everything from the virus's genetic code to proxy data, such as cremations and internet searches for disease symptoms.