Health News Roundup: Brazil sees early signs coronavirus spread is slowing; New Zealand reports five new confirmed cases and more

India reports record daily jump of 69,672 in coronavirus infections India reported a record daily jump of 69,672 coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 2.84 million, data from the federal health ministry showed.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

South Korean coronavirus infections fan out nationwide from church cluster

Novel coronavirus infections have spread nationwide from a church in the South Korean capital, raising fears that one of the world's virus mitigation success stories might yet suffer a disastrous outbreak, a top health official said on Thursday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 288 new cases as of midnight on Wednesday, marking a week of triple-digit daily increases, but offering a ray of hope in that there was no surge from the previous day's tally of 297.

'My life is a miracle': COVID-19 patient recuperates after four-month ordeal

Los Angeles resident Francisco Garcia tested positive for COVID-19 in April and says he doesn't know how he caught it. Now recuperating, the 31-year-old had avoided leaving the house because he was afraid of bringing the virus home and infecting his family. His mother has cancer and his sister has lupus.

Exclusive: Germany, France want more funding, power for WHO as part of sweeping reforms

Germany and France want to give more money and power to the World Health Organisation after the COVID-19 pandemic underscored long-standing financial and legal weaknesses at the U.N. agency, an internal document seen by Reuters shows. The proposed reforms could already be discussed at the WHO in mid-September, three officials familiar with the talks told Reuters, in a fast timeline that would confirm the two European powers' growing concerns about the organisation, which they also see as excessively subject to external influences.

India reports record daily jump of 69,672 in coronavirus infections

India reported a record daily jump of 69,672 coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 2.84 million, data from the federal health ministry showed. It reported 997 new deaths, taking the total to 53,886.

Endless first wave: how Indonesia failed to control coronavirus

Only last week Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s maritime minister and close confidant of the country’s president, touted herbal mangosteen juice as a coronavirus remedy. His suggestion was the latest in a string of unorthodox treatments put forward by the president’s cabinet over the past six months, ranging from prayer to rice wrapped in banana-leaf to eucalyptus necklaces.

New Zealand reports five new confirmed cases of coronavirus

New Zealand on Thursday reported five new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours compared with six a day earlier, as the Pacific nation battles a fresh outbreak in its biggest city of Auckland. An abrupt resurgence of infections last week in Auckland prompted the government to reimpose some lockdown restrictions on the city's 1.7 million residents.

American Indians, Alaska Natives hit harder by COVID-19, U.S. CDC says

American Indians and Alaska Natives have been hit harder by COVID-19 than the U.S. white population and have been more likely to become infected by the novel coronavirus at a younger age, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed on Wednesday. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among people identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives was 3.5 times that of non-Hispanic whites, making them one of the racial and ethnic minority groups at highest risk, according to the study based on data from 23 U.S. states from Jan. 22 to July 3.

Brazil sees early signs coronavirus spread is slowing

The spread of coronavirus in Brazil could be about to slow, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, amid reports the transmission rate has fallen below the key level and early signs of a gradual decline in the weekly totals of cases and fatalities. The cautious optimism comes despite figures again showing a steady rise in the number of confirmed cases and the death toll in the last 24 hours, cementing Brazil's status as the world's second-biggest COVID-19 hot spot after the United States.

South Korea approves phase II human trial for Green Cross's coronavirus treatment drug

South Korea's Green Cross Corp has received regulatory approval for phase II human clinical trials of its experimental coronavirus plasma treatment drug, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on Thursday. The trials will test the safety and efficacy of the drug in 60 severe patients with underlying conditions like pneumonia, Green Cross said.

U.S. CDC reports 171,012 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday said the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen by 1,172 to 171,012 and reported 5,460,429 cases, an increase of 39,318 cases from its previous count. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 18 versus its previous report a day earlier.

(With inputs from agencies.)