Health

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 60 on Monday, against 75 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to just 178 from 355 on Sunday.

(This May 28 story corrects to say CordenPharma is a German company, not Swiss, in paragraph 2)

Spain's Health Ministry reported no new deaths from the new coronavirus on Monday, with the total death toll unchanged from Sunday at 27,127, the health ministry said.

(This May 29 story corrects to clarify in paragraph 5 that it was unclear how much of Chinese pledge would go to the WHO)

Chile has surpassed 100,000 cases of the coronavirus, the health minister said on Monday, as infections have spiraled in the capital Santiago, putting the South American nation´s healthcare system under "extraordinary" strain.

Singapore confirmed 408 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its health ministry said, bringing the city-state's tally to 35,292.

Shares of Pfizer Inc fell nearly 8% on Monday after an independent data monitoring committee determined the drugmaker's breast cancer treatment was unlikely to meet the main goal of a late-stage study.

The U.S. government on Monday entered into a $628 million contract with drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions to boost manufacturing capacity for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

Wildlife advocates are pushing drugmakers to curb their use of horseshoe crab blood by switching to a synthetic alternative for safety tests, including those needed before a COVID-19 vaccine can be used for humans.

The new coronavirus is losing its potency and has become much less lethal, a senior Italian doctor said on Sunday.

Democratic Republic of Congo declared a new Ebola epidemic on Monday in the western city of Mbandaka, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away from an ongoing outbreak of the same deadly virus in the east.

Momentum is building behind Thailand's push to create its own coronavirus vaccine, with more manpower and resources dedicated to the effort amid hopes it could boost medical tourism.

Abiomed Inc said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for its temporary invasive heart pump to help patients suffering from COVID-19 related right heart failure.

A recycling plant in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam has traded paper for plastic bottles and started making anti-coronavirus face shields that are being snatched up by hospitals and health centres nationwide.

Drugmakers AstraZeneca Plc and Merck & Co Inc said on Monday their blockbluster cancer drug, Lynparza, has received positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a maintenance treatment for a form of pancreatic cancer.

South Korea's Celltrion Inc said on Monday its experimental treatment of COVID-19 demonstrated an up to 100-fold reduction in viral load of the disease in animal testing, saying it aims to start in-human clinical trials in late July.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

A self-driving robot equipped with cameras and an LED screen greets visitors at the lobby in the headquarters of South Korea's largest mobile operator, checking their temperature, dispensing hand sanitiser and disinfecting the floor.

Thailand reported one new coronavirus case on Monday and no new deaths, taking the total number of infections to 3,082, of which 57 were fatalities.

Hong Kong has confirmed its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, fuelling concerns over its spread as restrictions on movement are relaxed.