Health News

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 60 on Monday, against 75 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to just 178 from 355 on Sunday.

(This May 28 story corrects to say CordenPharma is a German company, not Swiss, in paragraph 2)

Spain's Health Ministry reported no new deaths from the new coronavirus on Monday, with the total death toll unchanged from Sunday at 27,127, the health ministry said.

(This May 29 story corrects to clarify in paragraph 5 that it was unclear how much of Chinese pledge would go to the WHO)

Chile has surpassed 100,000 cases of the coronavirus, the health minister said on Monday, as infections have spiraled in the capital Santiago, putting the South American nation´s healthcare system under "extraordinary" strain.

India's annual monsoon arrived on the Kerala coast on Monday, an official at the state-run weather office said, marking the start of the four-month rainy season that is crucial for the country's farm-dependent economy.

The Philippine health ministry on Monday reported three new deaths and 552 more confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Indonesia reported on Monday 467 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 26,940, said Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

A self-driving robot equipped with cameras and an LED screen greets visitors at the lobby in the headquarters of South Korea's largest mobile operator, checking their temperature, dispensing hand sanitiser and disinfecting the floor.

Russia on Monday reported 9,035 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the nationwide tally of infections to 414,878.

Singapore confirmed 408 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its health ministry said, bringing the city-state's tally to 35,292.

Gene and cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica plc said on Monday it had appointed French pharmaceutical industry veteran Roch Doliveux as its non-executive chairman, as it eyes a potentially major role in producing coronavirus vaccine.

Drugmakers AstraZeneca Plc and Merck & Co Inc said on Monday their blockbluster cancer drug, Lynparza, has received positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a maintenance treatment for a form of pancreatic cancer.

Russia will start administering its first approved antiviral drug to treat coronavirus patients next week, its state financial backer told Reuters, a move it described as "a game changer" that should speed a return to normal economic life.

AstraZeneca Plc said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug for reducing the risk of a first heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients with coronary artery disease.

South Korea's Celltrion Inc said on Monday its experimental treatment of COVID-19 demonstrated an up to 100-fold reduction in viral load of the disease in animal testing, saying it aims to start in-human clinical trials in late July.

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Thailand reported one new coronavirus case on Monday and no new deaths, taking the total number of infections to 3,082, of which 57 were fatalities.

Hong Kong has confirmed its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in more than two weeks, fuelling concerns over its spread as restrictions on movement are relaxed.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 333 to 181,815, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Monday.