Health News Summary: UK's Johnson considering new national lockdown for England; Million line up as Slovakia launches unique nationwide COVID-19 test and more

Italy posts daily record of 31,758 new coronavirus cases on Saturday Italy recorded 31,758 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Saturday, its highest daily tally since the start of the health crisis and up from the previous record of 31,084 posted on Friday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK's Johnson considering new national lockdown for England: media

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering imposing a new month-long national lockdown in England next week after scientists warned the coronavirus was spreading faster than their worst predictions, local media reported. The pandemic is spreading in most parts of Britain, where the official death toll of 46,299 is the highest in Europe.

Million line up as Slovakia launches unique nationwide COVID-19 test

Over a million Slovaks took a coronavirus swab on Saturday as the country launched a huge logistical operation to test most of its population over the weekend to reverse a rise in the pandemic. Authorities say the ambitious plan to test most citizens aged over 10 among Slovakia's 5.5 million people is the first of its kind in a country of its size.

With election looming, U.S. faces record surge of coronavirus cases

A record surge of coronavirus cases in the United States pushed hospitals closer to the brink of capacity and drove the number of infections reported on Friday to an ominous new daily world record of 100,000, four days before the U.S. presidential election. The United States also documented its 9 millionth case to date on Friday, representing nearly 3% of the population, with almost 229,000 dead since the outbreak of the pandemic early this year, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.

Austria orders curfew and shuts restaurants to fight 'exploding' COVID

Austria on Saturday announced a nighttime curfew and the closure of cafes, bars and restaurants to all but take-away service as a surge in coronavirus infections threatens to overwhelm its hospitals. The Alpine country had a swift and effective lockdown during its first wave of infections in March but had held off similar action this month to help the economy, even as daily cases rose to several times the spring peak.

Mainland China reports 24 new COVID-19 cases vs 33 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 24 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 31, down from 33 a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday. Of the new cases, 21 were imported infections originating from overseas. The National Health Commission said in a statement that three local infections were reported in the western region of Xinjiang.

Brazil health minister hospitalized with COVID-19

Brazilian Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello is in stable condition in a hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Pazuello checked into a hospital in Brasilia on Friday for dehydration, having tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 21. He will stay in the hospital until Sunday, when he will be reevaluated, the ministry said.

Italy posts daily record of 31,758 new coronavirus cases on Saturday

Italy recorded 31,758 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Saturday, its highest daily tally since the start of the health crisis and up from the previous record of 31,084 posted on Friday. The ministry also reported 297 COVID-related deaths, compared with 199 on Friday.

Travelers to New York must quarantine for three days, then get coronavirus test

Most people arriving in New York state must quarantine for at least three full days before taking a coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday as he overhauled one of the strictest quarantine regimes for travelers in the United States. If that test comes back negative, the traveler can leave quarantine. The requirements, which take effect on Wednesday, will not apply to residents of "contiguous" states, Cuomo told reporters, and there will be different requirements for New Yorkers who leave the state for less than 24 hours.

U.S. CDC reports 229,109 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 9,024,298 cases of new coronavirus, an increase of 99,750 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,009 to 229,109. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 p.m. ET on Oct. 30, compared with its previous report released a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/3mA7Hfa)

African swine fever case in wild boar in Germany's Saxony region

A first case of African swine fever (ASF) has been found in a wild boar in the eastern German region of Saxony, Germany’s federal agriculture ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said further cases had also been discovered in Brandenburg, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 117 since the first one on Sept. 10, up from 114 on Friday. All were in wild animals with no farm pigs affected.

(With inputs from agencies.)