Health News Roundup: Venezuela is a health 'time bomb,' Colombian president says; China sees uptick in new COVID-19 cases, including 17 in Beijing and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

White House does not commit to temperature checks in meeting with U.S. airlines

Top U.S. airline executives met on Friday with Vice President Mike Pence and other senior administration officials but did not come away with any commitments from the White House on mandating temperature checks for airline passengers. Pence met with the chief executives of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and the president of Southwest Airlines at the White House alongside Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) director Mark Redfield, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and other officials.

Venezuela is a health 'time bomb,' Colombian president says

Colombian President Ivan Duque on Friday called Venezuela a public health "time bomb," and said the lack of reliable information about the status of its neighbor's coronavirus outbreak was a worry as his administration tries to control its own infections. Colombia has long been the top destination for Venezuelans fleeing years of social and economic upheaval in their home country.

Special Report: As world approaches 10 million coronavirus cases, doctors see hope in new treatments

Dr. Gopi Patel recalls how powerless she felt when New York's Mount Sinai Hospital overflowed with COVID-19 patients in March. Guidance on how to treat the disease was scant, and medical studies were being performed so hastily they couldn’t always be trusted.

China sees uptick in new COVID-19 cases, including 17 in Beijing

Mainland China reported on Saturday the highest number of new coronavirus cases in four days, driven by a COVID-19 resurgence in the Chinese capital of Beijing. The National Health Commission reported 21 new confirmed infections in mainland China on Friday, up from 13 a day earlier and the highest since Monday.

New U.S. coronavirus cases hit 45,242 for biggest one-day increase of pandemic

The United States recorded 45,242 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest single-day increase of the pandemic, according to a Reuters tally, bringing the total number of Americans who have tested positive to at least 2.48 million. The new record for positive COVID-19 tests comes as several states at the center of a new surge in infections took steps back from efforts to ease restrictions on businesses. COVID-19 is the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

Coronavirus cases in India cross 500,000 as big cities reel from surge

India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, pushing the country's total above 500,000, federal health ministry data showed on Saturday, with infections surging in major cities including the capital New Delhi. India has the world's fourth-biggest outbreak of the virus that causes COVID-19, below only the United States, Brazil, and Russia in confirmed infections, according to a Reuters tally.

Carlyle buys 20% stake in Piramal Pharma businesses

U.S.-based Carlyle Group Inc has agreed to buy a 20% stake in India's Piramal Enterprises Ltd's pharmaceutical businesses for about $490 million, the companies said in a statement on Saturday. The capital increase aims to accelerate Piramal Pharma's organic and inorganic growth plans, according to the statement.

Coronavirus, spreading in Brazil's interior, threatens to 'boomerang' back to major cities

The novel coronavirus, now spreading through the smaller towns of Brazil's interior, risks returning to major cities in a so-called "boomerang effect," as a lack of specialized medical treatment forces patients into larger urban centers. The impact of a potential second wave of new cases in urban centers could complicate attempts to reopen businesses and get the economy going again, experts said.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 687 to 193,243: RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 687 to 193,243, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by six to 8,954, the tally showed.

Pfizer sues for U.S. permission to assist patients needing expensive heart drugs

Pfizer Inc filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to require the federal government to let it help Medicare beneficiaries afford two drugs to treat a rare and sometimes fatal heart condition, and which cost $225,000 a year. The drugmaker said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General is blocking it from offering financial aid to patients unable to afford copayments for its Vyndaqel and Vyndamax drugs, because it views such aid as an illegal kickback.

(With inputs from agencies.)