Health

Brazil's death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to nearly 44,000 on Monday, according to Health Ministry data, as the country continued easing restrictions on circulation despite the world's second-worst outbreak after the United States.

A new forecast projects 201,129 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States through the beginning of October mainly due to reopening measures under way, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said on Monday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued a warning to healthcare providers against administering malaria drug hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in combination with Gilead Sciences' experimental COVID-19 drug, remdesivir.

Hundreds of Cuban doctors and nurses who were sent to Mexico City to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic could stay longer if cases keep rising, a senior government official said.

Scientists at Imperial College London will start the first clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine this week with more than 45 million pounds ($56.50 million) in backing from the UK government and philanthropic donors.

President Donald Trump said on Monday other countries had provided great reports on the effectiveness of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for treatment of the deadly coronavirus, complaining that only U.S. agencies have failed to grasp its benefit.

The origins of a new cluster of coronavirus infections in Beijing are uncertain, World Health Organization officials said on Monday, but the claim that it might have been caused by imports or packaging of salmon was not the "primary hypothesis".

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 reported 29 new coronavirus deaths on Monday, taking the total to 29,436, the fifth-highest in the world, and marking the sixth day with under 30 fatalities.

People attending President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday will receive temperature checks, masks and hand sanitizer before entering the arena, the Republican's campaign said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday reported 2,085,769 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 21,957 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 373 to 115,644.

Poland's opposition demanded answers on Monday over a government deal for medical ventilators to help combat the coronavirus, saying the contract was worth 250 million zlotys ($63.7 million) but the equipment had not arrived.

Chile´s government said on Monday it would extend a state of catastrophe in place since mid-March by 90 days as cases of coronavirus in the South American nation have surged.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday partial restrictions would remain in place in the capital Manila for another two weeks because the threat from the new coronavirus was still present.

Indonesia reported on Monday 1,017 new coronavirus infections and 64 more deaths, the highest COVID-19 death toll in a single day in the Southeast Asian nation to date.

Germany will take a stake in unlisted biotech firm CureVac, which is working on a COVID-19 vaccine, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Monday, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc has struck a deal with contract manufacturer Catalent Inc to help meet its global target of supplying two billion doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine.

A deal between AstraZeneca and France over potential COVID-19 vaccines involves doses being split between countries on a pro-rata basis based on population, a source at the French President's office said on Monday.

Several districts of the Chinese capital put up security checkpoints, closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike of cases linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia.

Several Chinese provinces are stepping up inspections of fresh and frozen meat and seafood, including imported products, after a new outbreak of coronavirus infections linked to a Beijing food market.