Health News at Your Fingertips

Here’s a summary of the latest events:

• A second Venezuelan government minister said they have tested positive. The country’s oil minister Tareck El Aissami tweeted on Friday that he has gone into isolation after his test.
• Serbia announced a record coronavirus death toll for a single day on Friday, as the government hit back at protests over its handling of the pandemic.Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the Balkan state recorded 18 fatalities and 386 new cases over 24 hours in what she described as a “dramatic increase.”
• The World Health Organization reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 228,102 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report.The previous WHO record for new cases was 212,326 on July 4. Deaths remained steady at about 5,000 a day.
• Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, will go back under a strict lockdown on Monday, though this time only certain neighbourhoods at a time will be expected to stay home. In those neighbourhoods, which will rotate for two week periods, only businesses of primary need – such as supermarkets and pharmacies – will be permitted to open.
• Florida announced 11,433 new cases, which is just shy of the unwanted record that the state set last Saturday when there were 11,458 new cases. The state also recorded 93 new deaths.Florida is now up to 244,151 confirmed cases in total, with 4,102 deaths. The numbers come even as Florida attractions like Disney World move to reopen.
• Hospitals in Syria’s overcrowded opposition-held enclave are suspending non-emergency procedures and outpatient services following the detection of the first case of coronavirus, a leading doctor in the area said Friday.

Coronavirus deaths among Americans aged 65 years and younger are less common among white people than any other group, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

Overall, 34.9% of Hispanic patients who died were younger than 65, while 29.5% of people belonging to an ethnic group other than white who died were younger than 65, compared to only 13.2% of white, non-Hispanic decedents, Reuters reported.

Researchers analysed 10,647 deaths between 12 February and 24 April 2020 from 16 public health departments in 15 states. Most of the deaths were in New York City, as well as New Jersey and Washington states; three areas hit early on.

Most of those who died were older than 65 years and had underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to the report in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

All ethnic groups other than white were disproportionately affected when compared to their share of the US population, the report said.

While underlying medical conditions are known to be risk factors in coronavirus-related deaths, researchers were not able to assess how race or ethnicity contributed. The researchers noted that a larger proportion of people of colour work in occupations or essential activities that do not allow physical distancing.

In June, the US Department of Health and Human Services asked laboratories to report a patient’s age and ethnicity along with Covid-19 test results, to better understand why the respiratory illness affects certain demographics more severely.

While further studies are needed, the researchers said understanding factors contributing to mortality differences may help improve communication to encourage at-risk groups to promptly seek care if they fall ill.

El Aissami, who was named to the position this year and also serves as the country’s economic vice president, has been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking allegations he denies. He said he was beginning self-isolation.

“A new battle that I will take on, clinging to God and to life,” he wrote in his tweet. Omar Prieto, the governor of the western Zulia state, has also tested positive. Venezuela has reported 8,010 cases – far fewer than Latin American neighbours, such as Brazil – but its cases have risen at a brisker pace in recent weeks.

Another senior Venezuelan government minister has said they have tested positive. The oil minister Tareck El Aissami has tweeted that he has gone into isolation on Friday after his test.

He quoted song lyrics: “The game is only momentary, I am not writing you goodbye” and added: “We will win!!”

His tweet comes a day after Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s number two official and the leader of the Socialist party, announced his own diagnosis on social media.

Kuwait has advised its citizens and residents against travelling abroad because it does not consider the global pandemic to be under control, its health ministry has said. Last month, Kuwait’s communications office said commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport would resume from 1 August, having been suspended in March.

France has become the sixth country to report a death toll of more than 30,000, as it releases its latest official count.

The country’s health ministry said 25 more people have died in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative total since early March to 30,004.

Friday’s increase compares to an average increase of 15 in the previous seven days. Reuters has reported that, in June, France counted on average 34 new deaths per day, compared to 143 in May and 695 in April.

The number of people in hospital fell by 115 to 7,062, continuing a weeks-long downward trend, and the number of people in intensive care units fell by 16 to 496, the first time the count has fallen to fewer than 500 since mid-March.

Metropolitan Melbourne returned to lockdown on 8 July after Victoria recorded 191 new cases since the start of the week, which was at the time the highest daily increase since the pandemic began.

Guardian Australia’s Melissa Davey explains why the stage 3 stay-at-home orders were announced, how the latest lockdown has been met with a mixture of fury and acceptance – and whether this apparent ‘second wave’ could have been avoided:

Serbia announced a record coronavirus death toll for a single day on Friday, as the government hit back at protests over its handling of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the Balkan state recorded 18 fatalities and 386 new cases over 24 hours in what she described as a “dramatic increase.”

At the same time, Brnabic slammed as “irresponsible” protests held for a third straight day in Belgrade and other cities on Thursday, after demonstrations in the capital on the previous two days had spilled over into violence.

“With regard to the demonstrations, there is no more irresponsible behaviour right now,” said Brnabic.

“We shall see the results of the protests in three to four days,” she said and called on people “to respect the measures in place” to restrict the spread of the virus.

A French bus driver declared brain dead after an attack by passengers who refused to wear face masks died on Friday, his family told AFP.

Philippe Monguillot, 59, died in hospital, his daughter Marie said. “We decided to let him go. The doctors were in favour and we were as well,” she said.

Monguillot was attacked in the southwestern town of Bayonne on Sunday after he asked three passengers to wear masks – in line with coronavirus rules across France – and tried to check another man’s ticket.

Two men have been charged with attempted murder, two others with non-assistance to a person in danger and another with attempting to hide a suspect, the local prosecutor’s office said.

The two charged with attempted murder are aged 22 and 23. They were previously known to the police.

The Czech Republic reported 82 new cases of the novel coronavirus by late afternoon on Friday, bringing its total since the start of the pandemic above 13,000, after a recent uptick in infections caused by local outbreaks.

The country of 10.7 million has reported 352 deaths from Covid-19, far fewer than its Western European neighbours. It was one of the first European countries to impose drastic lockdown measures to fight the pandemic in March, but has lifted many restrictions since May.

Since June 18, it has reported at least 100 new cases a day 14 times, most recently on Thursday when the total was 105. The largest spike came on June 28 when 305 new cases were reported.

The rise has largely been attributed to an outbreak in an eastern mining region, which prompted state coal miner OKD to close its mines in the area in early July.

Health officials have said the outbreak there was being contained but the government has come under criticism for slow action. Other smaller outbreaks have also been seen in two other local areas in the last week.