Health News Roundup: China reports 43 new coronavirus cases; India reports 52,972 new coronavirus infections and more

Brazil registers 25,800 new coronavirus cases, death toll tops 94,000 Brazil recorded 25,800 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 541 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

China reports 43 new coronavirus cases in mainland vs 49 a day earlier

China reported 43 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland as of Aug. 2, down from 49 a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Monday. The National Health Commission said 36 of the new cases were locally transmitted, including 28 in Xinjiang, while another seven cases were imported infections involving travelers from overseas. This compared with 33 local infections and 16 imported cases reported a day earlier.

India reports 52,972 new coronavirus infections

India reported 52,972 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1.8 million, data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed on Monday. With 771 new deaths, the COVID-19 disease has now claimed 38,135 lives in the world's second-most populous country.

Latin America see coronavirus records tumble as cases near five million

Argentina broke past 200,000 COVID-19 cases on Sunday and Colombia set a daily record as grim milestones topple in Latin America, pushing the world's worst affected region towards a combined 5 million cases. The region, which topped 200,000 deaths on Saturday, has struggled to stall the spread of the novel coronavirus, with infections picking up pace in many countries even as governments look to ease lockdowns and revive economic growth.

Australia's Melbourne braces for more business closures as tougher restrictions bite

Australia's second-biggest city Melbourne entered its first day of tougher restrictions to contain the spread of a resurgent coronavirus on Monday as residents braced for further announcements on business closures. The state of Victoria declared a "state of emergency" on Sunday and imposed a nightly curfew for the capital as part of the country's harshest movement restrictions to date.

Brazil registers 25,800 new coronavirus cases, death toll tops 94,000

Brazil recorded 25,800 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 541 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday. Brazil has registered more than 2.73 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 94,104, according to ministry data.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 509 to 210,402: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 509 to 210,402, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday. The reported death toll rose by seven to 9,148, the tally showed.

U.S. CDC reports 4,601,526 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday reported 4,601,526 cases of the novel coronavirus, an increase of 58,947 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,132 to 154,002. The CDC reported its tally of cases of COVID-19 as of 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 1, versus its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/38rDity)

At least 40 infected with COVID-19 on Norway cruises amid scramble to trace passengers

At least 40 passengers and crew from a luxury cruise liner have tested positive for COVID-19 and the authorities are still trying to trace a number of passengers from two recent Arctic voyages, public health officials in Norway said on Sunday. Four crew members on the MS Roald Amundsen were hospitalised on Friday when the ship arrived at the port of Tromsoe, and later diagnosed with the respiratory illness. Tests showed another 32 of the 158 staff were also infected.

U.S. coronavirus 'extraordinarily widespread,' White House experts say

The United States is in a new phase of the novel coronavirus outbreak with infections "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas as well as cities, White House coronavirus experts said on Sunday. Coronavirus cases continue to surge in some parts of the country and the public health officials are trying to work with governors to tailor responses for each state.

Britain to roll out millions of 90-minute coronavirus tests

Millions of COVID-19 tests able to detect the virus within 90 minutes will be rolled out to British hospitals, care homes and laboratories to boost capacity in the coming months, the country's health minister said on Monday. They will comprise 5.8 million tests using DNA and 450,000 swab tests. Neither will need to be administered by a health professional, said Matt Hancock.

(With inputs from agencies.)