Updates
On Day 2, Biden To Focus On COVID-19 Strategy With 10 Executive Actions-NPR
President Biden plans to sign a series of orders and directives on his second day in office to take charge of stopping the spread of the coronavirus, steps that his advisers say will start to boost testing, vaccinations, supplies and treatments. Accelerating the sluggish federal response to COVID-19 is Biden's top priority, and he has promised 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days. He is also pushing Congress for another $1.9 trillion in relief, a package that would include direct … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
China And WHO Acted Too Slowly To Contain Covid-19, Says Independent Panel-CNN
China and the World Health Organization (WHO) could have acted quicker and more forcefully to contain the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, an independent review panel said on Monday. In its second interim report, the Switzerland-based Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response determined that Beijing could have been more vigorous in applying public health measures when cases were first detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province. CNN, … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
Biden Rejects Trump’s Move To Lift Coronavirus Travel Bans For Europe, Brazil-Politico
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's team rejected a move Monday by outgoing President Donald Trump to lift coronavirus restrictions for European and Brazilian travelers. Trump had announced he was rescinding the entry bans effective January 26 — six days after Biden takes office — because of new testing requirements for international flights set to kick in that day. Biden transition spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Twitter, however, that upon the advice of its medical team, the incoming … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
After Repeated Delays, Trump’s HHS Punts On Oversight Of A Massive Covid-19 Response Fund For Hospitals-STAT
The Department of Health and Human Services acted with lightning speed to send health care providers more than $100 billion in Covid-19 relief grants — but it’s lagging on holding them accountable for how those funds were spent. The Trump administration has quietly relaxed accountability measures and repeatedly delayed key deadlines meant to ensure the funds were spent properly. Late last week, it delayed again — this time, without even setting a new deadline, effectively punting compliance … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
A New COVID-19 Challenge: Mutations Rise Along With Cases-The Associated Press
The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge. The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason. Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
EU Eyes Scheme To Share Surplus COVID-19 Vaccines With Poorer Nations-Reuters
The European Union wants to set up a mechanism that would allow the sharing of surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer neighbouring states and Africa, the EU health chief said on Tuesday - a move that may undercut a WHO-led global scheme. Reuters, … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
More Than 90,000 Americans Could Die Of Covid-19 In Next Three Weeks, CDC Forecast Shows-CNN
More than 38,000 Americans have died of Covid-19 in the first two weeks of the new year. Another 92,000 could die from the virus over roughly the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers are scary and reflect what public health experts have repeatedly warned: While the end is in sight -- with the help of ongoing Covid-19 vaccinations -- the nation still faces challenging times ahead. CNN, … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Biden Taps Former FDA Chief Kessler To Lead Vaccine Science-The Associated Press
President-elect Joe Biden has picked a former Food and Drug commissioner to lead vaccine science in his drive to put 100 million shots into the arms of Americans in his administration’s first 100 days and stem the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. David Kessler, who will have the title of chief science officer of COVID response, headed the Food and Drug Administration in the 1990s under presidents of both political parties. He has been acting as a top pandemic adviser to Biden and his appointment was … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
International COVID-19 Vaccine Poll Shows Higher Mistrust Of Russia, China Shots-Reuters
People across the world are generally likely to say yes to getting a COVID-19 vaccine, but would be more distrustful of shots made in China or Russia than those developed in Germany or the United States, an international poll showed on Friday. The survey, conducted by the polling company YouGov and shared exclusively with Reuters, found Britons and Danes were the most willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to them, while the French and Poles were more likely to be … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Biden Requests $415 Billion From Congress To Ramp Up The Country’s Covid-19 Response-STAT
President-elect Biden called on Congress to approve $415 billion in emergency spending to scale up vaccinations, testing, contact tracing, genomic sequencing, and other efforts to fight Covid-19 — a major part of a broader, $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal. The massive plan, outlined in an address Thursday evening, would allocate $20 billion for a national vaccination program; $30 billion for purchasing supplies and protective gear; and $50 billion for a scaled-up diagnostic testing program. … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Mask-Wearing, Social Distancing Improve, But Too Slowly, Survey Shows-NPR
Americans are being more careful to avoid catching and spreading the coronavirus but are still not being careful enough to slow the pandemic, especially with worrisome, apparently more contagious new variants looming. That's the conclusion of the latest findings, released Friday, from the largest national survey tracking behavior during the coronavirus pandemic. "The good news is we've improved a lot in terms of mask-wearing and social distancing. The bad news is, to bend the curve they really … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Companies Push Incentives To Get Workers Vaccinated-The Associated Press
As vaccinations continue across the U.S., some companies are offering financial incentives to encourage their workers to get the shots. Dollar General is one of the first major companies to announce extra pay for workers who get vaccinated. The Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based retailer, which operates nearly 17,000 stores in 46 states, said Wednesday it will give employees the equivalent of four hours of pay if they get the vaccine. Dollar General said the extra pay is intended to compensate … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
COVID-19 Infection Gives Some Immunity, But Virus Can Still Be Spread, Study Finds-Reuters
People who have had COVID-19 are highly likely to have immunity to it for at least five months, but there is evidence that those with antibodies may still be able to carry and spread the virus, a study of British healthcare workers has found. Preliminary findings by scientists at Public Health England (PHE) showed that reinfections in people who have COVID-19 antibodies from a past infection are rare - with only 44 cases found among 6,614 previously infected people in the study. But experts … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Covid-19 Deaths Are The Highest They’ve Ever Been — And The More Infectious Variants Could Make Things Much Worse-STAT
As horrific as the U.S. Covid-19 outbreak looks right now, it is almost certainly about to get worse. They’ve raced through South Africa, the United Kingdom, and, increasingly, elsewhere, and now, new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus have gained toeholds in the United States. If they take off here — which, with their transmission advantages, they will, unless Americans rapidly put a brake on their spread — it will detonate something of a bomb in the already deep, deep hole the … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
COVID-19 Origin Study: WHO Team Arrives In Wuhan To Investigate-NPR
A team of 13 World Health Organization scientists have now arrived in Wuhan, China, where they will investigate the origins of the coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic. Nearly 2 million people have died due to COVID-19, with more than 92 million infections, according to Johns Hopkins University. "The experts will begin their work immediately during the 2 weeks quarantine protocol for international travelers," the WHO said Thursday. NPR, … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Concerns Mount That A New COVID-19 Variant Could Be Spreading In Africa-Devex
African health officials are growing more concerned about the possible regional spread of a variant of the coronavirus known as 501.v2, which was first discovered in South Africa in November and has sparked travel bans and border closures. Authorities say the variant appears to be spreading at a faster rate and could put an increased burden on African health systems, amid fears that it has spread further than currently known. Devex, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
After Aborted Attempt, Sensitive WHO Mission To Study Pandemic Origins Is On Its Way To China-Science Magazine
On Monday evening, Peter Daszak drove to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for the second time this year, hoping to fly to Wuhan, China. Daszak, a disease ecologist at the EcoHealth Alliance, is part of an international team charged by the World Health Organization (WHO) with investigating the origins of SARS-CoV-2, which was first discovered in Wuhan. The previous week he got as far as Doha, Qatar, before the trip began to unravel. With new variants of the coronavirus … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
US COVID-19 Deaths Hit Another One-Day High At Over 4,300-The Associated Press
Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. hit another one-day high at over 4,300 with the country’s attention focused largely on the fallout from the deadly uprising at the Capitol. The nation’s overall death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
U.S. To Require Negative COVID-19 Tests For Arriving International Air Passengers-Reuters
Nearly all air travelers will need to present a negative coronavirus test to enter the United States under expanded test testing requirements announced on Tuesday. Under the rules taking effect Jan. 26, nearly all travelers including U.S. citizens must show a negative test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from COVID-19, under an order signed by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield. All travelers aged 2 and older must comply … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Biden’s Covid-19 Team Reconsiders Pandemic Plan In Light Of More Infectious Coronavirus Variants-STAT
President-elect Biden will address growing concerns about new, more transmissible coronavirus variants as he lays out his plans to speed up the sluggish U.S. vaccine rollout in a press conference this week, two of his top Covid-19 advisers confirmed to STAT. Biden was briefed on the variant that first appeared in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7, soon after his Covid-19 advisory board convened an emergency meeting on Christmas Eve to discuss the new strains and the threat they posed. STAT, … Continue Reading