Health

All nursing homes in New York state will be required to test staff twice a week for the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday, in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus in its most fertile breeding ground.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended staff activity at its hubs in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, a directive seen by Reuters showed, in a move sources said aimed to pressure the group to be more transparent about suspected coronavirus cases.

The number of people who have died from coronavirus infections in France rose by 70 to 26,380 on Sunday, the health ministry said, a smaller increase than the previous day as France prepared to emerge from lockdown on Monday.

More than 4.02 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 276,894 have died, according to a Reuters tally, as of 0145 GMT on Sunday..

Madagascar is putting its self-proclaimed, plant-based "cure" for COVID-19 on sale and several countries in Africa have already put in orders for purchase, despite warnings from the World Health Organisation that its efficacy is unproven.

More than 90 percent of hospital beds secured for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo have already been occupied, the Japanese Health Ministry said on Sunday, underscoring the pressing need to curb the further spread of the new coronavirus.

Britain's COVID-19 death toll has risen by 269 to 31,855, according to figures announced on Sunday by the Department of Health.

The total number of deaths registered in Moscow rose sharply in April compared with the same month last year and was also significantly higher than the number officially confirmed as having been caused by the new coronavirus, official data showed.

Spain registered its lowest daily number of coronavirus deaths on Sunday since mid-March and half of its population prepared for an easing of one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, though not yet the residents of cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.

South Korea reported 34 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest daily number in a month, after a small outbreak emerged around a slew of nightclubs that a confirmed patient had visited.

Three key U.S. officials guiding the coronavirus response were in self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, according to spokesmen and media reports.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 667 to 169,218, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

China's National Health Commission reported 14 new confirmed coronavirus cases on May 9, the highest number since April 28 and up from only one case a day earlier, according to data published on Sunday.

Mexico's health ministry confirmed 1,938 new cases of coronavirus infection on Saturday, along with 193 additional deaths, as government models projected that infections could peak this weekend.

Two cabinet-level U.S. officials were in self-quarantine on Saturday after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19, according to a spokesman and a media report.

Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Panama reached 8,282 on Saturday, a rise of 212 from the previous day, and deaths climbed by six to 237, the health ministry said.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 1,274,036 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 25,996 cases from its previous count, and said the number of deaths had risen by 1,557 to 77,034.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Saturday it would allow state health departments to distribute Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir drug to fight COVID-19, and the United States would receive about 40% of the drug maker's global donation.

The number of people who have died from coronavirus infections in France rose by 80 to 26,310 on Saturday, the health ministry said, a much smaller daily increase than the previous day when it was 243.