Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Trump signs order to expand access to telehealth services in rural areas

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order expanding access to telehealth services for 57 million Americans in under-served rural areas and elsewhere, after virtual visits soared during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, who is counting on votes from backers in rural areas in the 2020 presidential election, said the new order would ensure that telehealth services expanded during the pandemic remained in place even after the public health emergency ended. Next big COVID-19 treatment may be manufactured antibodies

As the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine, the next big advance in battling the pandemic could come from a class of biotech therapies widely used against cancer and other disorders – antibodies designed specifically to attack this new virus. Development of monoclonal antibodies to target the virus has been endorsed by leading scientists. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, called them “almost a sure bet” against COVID-19. Fauci says states seeing surge in COVID-19 cases should reconsider some lockdown measures

The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Monday said states with high coronavirus case counts should reconsider imposing lockdown restrictions, emphasizing the need to get cases to a low baseline before the fall flu season. In some states with moderate case counts, experts are seeing “that same insidious increase in percent positive that we had seen and pointed out … in states like Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota and others”, Fauci said during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). California governor says COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations trending down

The rates of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions were all trending downward in California in the latest counts, the governor said on Monday. Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said that despite that good news, the state’s Central Valley agricultural region was still being hit hard by the coronavirus. He said the data had yet to reach a point for lifting pandemic restrictions. U.S. COVID-19 deaths rise for fourth week, new cases drop 5%

U.S. deaths from COVID-19 rose for a fourth week in a row to more than 8,500 people in the seven days ended Aug. 2, while the number of new cases fell for a second straight week, a Reuters analysis found. Last week’s death toll was 36% higher than the previous week, though deaths are a lagging indicator and can continue to rise weeks after new infections drop. Anxious WHO implores world to ‘do it all’ in long war on COVID-19

The World Health Organization warned on Monday that there might never be a “silver bullet” for COVID-19 in the form of a perfect vaccine and that the road to normality would be long, with some countries requiring a reset of strategy. More than 18.14 million people around the world are reported to have been infected with the disease and 688,080​ have died, according to a Reuters tally, with some nations that thought they were over the worst experiencing a resurgence. Regeneron says antibody cocktail prevents and treats COVID-19 in animals

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Monday that the COVID-19 antibody drug combination it is developing both prevented and treated the disease in rhesus macaques and hamsters, adding to hope that it might work for people. The U.S. biotech company said in the animal study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, that the cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies was able to “almost completely block establishment of virus infection.” Latin America exceeds 5 million COVID-19 cases, Reuters tally shows

Latin America broke through 5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, a Reuters tally showed, underscoring that the region is the area of the world hardest hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus was initially slower to reach Latin America – home to about 640 million people – than much of the world. But health experts say it has been hard to control the virus due to the region’s poverty and densely packed cities. Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 879 to 211,281: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 879 to 211,281, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by eight to 9,156, the tally showed. New York’s Cuomo calls federal COVID-19 response ‘worst government blunder in modern history’

New York Governor Cuomo on Monday criticized the federal government and other states for failing to take the COVID-19 crisis seriously after seeing the devastation it caused his state in the spring. Cuomo said that states where cases are currently spiking, including Texas and Florida, followed the federal government’s lead in playing down the epidemic, which led them to reopen their economies too soon.