Reuters Health News Summary

Australia's Victoria sees 'stabilisation' in new coronavirus cases Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded 466 cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday and 12 COVID-19 deaths, though authorities expressed hope for a stabilisation in new infections thanks to strict mobility restrictions.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Philippines confirms 4,226 new coronavirus cases, 41 more deaths

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 4,226 new coronavirus infections and 41 additional deaths. In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed infections have risen to 126,885 while deaths have reached 2,209, with bulk of cases and casualties reported in the capital. Fauci warns COVID-19 vaccine may be only partially effective, public health measures still needed

An approved coronavirus vaccine could end up being effective only 50-60% of the time, meaning public health measures will still be needed to keep the pandemic under control, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, said on Friday. "We don't know yet what the efficacy might be. We don't know if it will be 50% or 60%. I'd like it to be 75% or more," Fauci said in a webinar hosted by Brown University. "But the chances of it being 98% effective is not great, which means you must never abandon the public health approach." Relief Therapeutics sees 60-70% chance of COVID-19 drug approval

Relief Therapeutics' chairman said he was optimistic its RLF-100 (aviptadil) drug will win approval for treating COVID-19 patients in a matter of months. The Swiss group owns the rights to the drug in the United States and Europe. Its U.S. partner NeuroRx is running multicentre clinical trials https://relieftherapeutics.com/clinical-trials-2, including a Phase IIb/III trial in patients who are severely ill because of the consequences of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Russia reports more than 5,200 new coronavirus cases

Russian authorities reported 5,212 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, pushing its national tally to 882,347, the fourth largest in the world. The official death toll rose to 14,854 after officials said 129 people had died across the country in the last 24 hours. Brazil COVID-19 deaths reach 100,000 and barrel onward

Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 is expected to hit 100,000 on Saturday and continue to climb as most Brazilian cities reopen shops and dining even though the pandemic has yet to peak. Confronting its most lethal outbreak since the Spanish flu a century ago, Brazil reported its first cases of the novel coronavirus at the end of February. The virus took three months to kill 50,000 people, and just 50 days to kill the next 50,000. Hong Kong reports 69 new coronavirus cases

Hong Kong reported 69 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, of which 67 were locally transmitted, as authorities continued efforts to contain a resurgence of infections in the global financial hub over the past month. More than 4,000 people have now been infected in Hong Kong since late January. U.S. surpasses 160,000 coronavirus deaths as school openings near

U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic exceeded 160,000 on Friday, nearly a quarter of the world's total, according to a Reuters tally, as the country debates whether schools are ready to reopen their doors in the coming weeks. The country with the most coronavirus cases, the United States recorded 160,003 deaths and 4.91 million cases. Coronavirus deaths are rising in 23 states and cases in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis of data the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks. Ukraine closes checkpoints at Crimean border to control coronavirus

Ukraine's government said on Saturday it had temporarily closed its border with Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, to prevent further spread of coronavirus. All three crossing points between the mainland and Crimea, which is defined by Ukraine as an occupied territory, will be closed from Aug. 9 to Aug. 30, a government statement said. Australia's Victoria sees 'stabilisation' in new coronavirus cases

Australia's second-most populous state, Victoria, recorded 466 cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday and 12 COVID-19 deaths, though authorities expressed hope for a stabilisation in new infections thanks to strict mobility restrictions. Victoria is at the centre of a second wave of infections in Australia, accounting for more than two-thirds of the national tally of nearly 21,000. COVID-stricken Anchorage wins court ruling in diner dispute

As COVID-19 cases spike and hospital bed space dwindles in Alaska's largest city, Anchorage officials on Friday won a key ruling in favor of a ban on indoor restaurant dining after a standoff over the issue moved to court. Anchorage city officials this week sued to halt indoor dining at Kriner's Diner, a popular eatery that defied an emergency ordinance issued on July 31 restricting restaurants to outdoor service and take-out due to a surge in coronavirus infections.

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