Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Mainland China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases vs. eight a day earlier

Mainland China reported 15 new COVID-19 cases on Sept. 25, compared with eight cases announced a day earlier, the national health authority said on Saturday. The National Health Commission said in a statement that all the new cases were imported infections involving travellers from abroad. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed COVID-19 patients, rose to 30 from 18 a day earlier.

Trump signs U.S. healthcare executive orders that may have little impact

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders on healthcare for Americans that lawyers said will carry little weight, as the president seeks to boost his flagging credibility with voters on the hot-button issue ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Trump signed the twin orders implementing his “America First Healthcare Plan” in an airport hangar in Charlotte, North Carolina, amid an audience that included medical professionals.

U.S. CDC reports 202,329 deaths from coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 6,958,632 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 42,340 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 918 to 202,329. 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 Sept. 24 compared with its previous report a day earlier.

South Korea’s domestic coronavirus cases fall to the lowest in 44 days

South Korea on Saturday reported 49 new domestic coronavirus cases, the smallest number of locally transmitted cases in 44 days in a sign that tighter social distancing rules are paying off. Health officials reiterated calls on people to refrain from visiting their hometowns and meeting with relatives during the Chuseok holiday, worrying that the holiday, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, may lead to another spike.

Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 2,507 to 282,730: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 2,507 to 282,730, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 9 to 9,452, the tally showed.

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine produces strong immune response in early trial

A single dose of Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response against the novel coronavirus in an early-to-mid stage clinical trial, according to interim results published on Friday. The vaccine, called Ad26.COV2.S, was equally well-tolerated at two different doses, the results showed. A single shot, versus a rival two-dose approach being tested by Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, could simplify distribution of the vaccine.

Global COVID-19 death toll could hit 2 million before vaccine in wide use – WHO

The global death toll from COVID-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic, an official at the World Health Organization said on Friday. “Unless we do it all, (2 million deaths) … is not only imaginable, but sadly very likely,” Mike Ryan, head of the U.N. agency’s emergencies programme, told a briefing on Friday.

Positive results for J&J vaccine; child racial disparities seen

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine produces strong immune response U.S. records over seven million COVID-19 cases as Midwest outbreak surges

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States topped 7 million – more than 20% of the world’s total – as Midwest states reported spikes in COVID-19 infections in September, according to a Reuters tally. The latest milestone on Thursday comes just days after the nation surpassed over 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s highest death toll from the virus. Each day, over 700 people die in the United States from COVID-19.

Four U.S. states including Wisconsin report record one-day increases in COVID-19 cases

Four U.S. states reported record one-day increases in new COVID-19 cases on Friday as the nation surpassed the grim milestone of over 7 million total infections, according to a Reuters tally. Wisconsin, one of the states where cases are rising the fastest, reported 2,629 new infections, surpassing its previous record set last Friday, according to the tally.