Updates
Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Promising Immune Response, Early Data Show-STAT
A potential Covid-19 vaccine from the biotech company Novavax showed a promising immune response in a small, early trial, but not without a high rate of mostly mild side effects. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
New Rural Hot Spots Are ICU Bed Deserts, Study Finds-Politico
More than half of all rural low-income communities in the U.S. have zero ICU beds, forcing local hospitals to rely on transfers to wealthier communities for their sickest coronavirus patients, according to a new study. Politico, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Radical Shift In COVID-19 Testing Needed To Reopen Schools And Businesses, Researchers Say-Science Magazine
Even as the United States ramped up coronavirus testing from about 100,000 per week in mid-March to more than 5 million per week in late July, the country fell further behind in stemming the spread of the virus. Now, diagnostics experts, public health officials, and epidemiologists are calling for a radical shift in testing strategy: away from diagnosing people who have symptoms or were exposed and toward screening whole populations using faster, cheaper, sometimes less accurate tests. Science … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Local Governments ‘Overwhelmed’ In Race To Trace U.S. COVID Contacts-Reuters
The soaring number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has far outstripped many local health departments’ ability to trace the contacts of those infected, a step critical in containing the virus’ spread. With the pandemic claiming about a thousand American lives a day, many city and county departments say they lack the money and staff to expeditiously identify people who have been exposed, according to a Reuters survey of 121 local agencies, as well as interviews with dozens of state and … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Despite Mask Wars, Americans Support Aggressive Measures To Stop COVID-19, Poll Finds-NPR
With the national death toll from COVID-19 passing the grim 150,000 mark, an NPR/Ipsos poll finds broad support for a single, national strategy to address the pandemic and more aggressive measures to contain it. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Where Is The Money For COVID-19 Diagnostics?-Devex
An international initiative that aims to deliver much-needed COVID-19 test kits to low- and middle-income countries is severely underfunded, and faces challenges negotiating accessibility and affordability. Devex, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
N.J. Sees Spike In COVID-19 Cases As Residents Slack Off On Masks And Social Distancing-NBC News
Alarm bells went off in New Jersey on Monday as a state that appeared to have successfully flattened the coronavirus curve saw the number of new cases spike by 175 percent in the last two weeks, an NBC News analysis of the latest figures showed. NBC News, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
260 Employees In Georgia School District Have Tested Positive for Covid-19 or Been Exposed-CNN
Georgia's largest school district has confirmed that around 260 employees have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have been exposed. The Gwinnett County School District (GCPS) employees won't be returning to school just yet as districts across the country continue to adjust their back-to-school plans to prevent the spread of the virus. CNN , … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Parents Struggle As Schools Reopen Amid Coronavirus Surge-The Associated Press
Putting your child on the bus for the first day of school is always a leap of faith for a parent. Now, on top of the normal worries about teachers and lessons and adjusting to new routines, there’s COVID-19. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
This Tiny Texas Company Is Running Most Of The Drive-Thru Covid-19 Testing In The U.S.-STAT
On March 13, President Trump stood next to the CEOs of LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, Walgreens, and Walmart in the Rose Garden, declared a national emergency, and promised the government would work with pharmacies and retailers to create drive-thru testing sites to help get the coronavirus pandemic under control. But it’s not LabCorp or Quest running the majority of those sites — instead, it’s a tiny Texas company whose CEO was not in the Rose Garden that day. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Next Big COVID-19 Treatment May Be Manufactured Antibodies-Reuters
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. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Birx Warns U.S. Coronavirus Epidemic Is In 'New Phase' As Cases And Deaths Climb-NPR
White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that the U.S. is in a "new phase" of the pandemic, urging people to follow public health guidance as cases continue to climb in many parts of the United States. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 03, 2020
Leaders Duel Over Coronavirus Relief Bill-Politico
Top negotiators for a coronavirus relief bill couldn’t even agree on what they agree on Sunday, indicating that Democrats and Republicans are still a ways away from clinching a deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said both parties have yet to come to agreement on the fact that the U.S. must defeat Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, an issue a bemused Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was adamant that there is agreement on. Politico, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
A Georgia Sleepaway Camp's Coronavirus Outbreak Is A Warning For What Could Happen When Schools Reopen, CDC Says-CNN
A Covid-19 outbreak at a Georgia sleep away camp this June could have implications for school reopening, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The camp had followed some but not all of the CDC mitigation steps against the spread of the new coronavirus -- but was not enough to keep campers and staff free of illness. CNN, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
A Covid-19 Vaccine, Amazingly, Is Close. Why Am I So Worried?-STAT
A mere six months after identifying the SARS-CoV-2 virus as the cause of Covid-19, scientists are on the precipice of a having a vaccine to fight it. Moderna and the National Institutes of Health recently announced the start of a Phase 3 clinical trial, joining several others in a constructive rivalry that could save millions of lives. STAT, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
U.S. COVID-19 Aid Bill Talks Ongoing As Jobless Benefit Nears End-Reuters
Negotiations over another coronavirus relief bill continue, the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives said as a federal jobless benefit was set to expire on Friday with no sign of a deal between the White House and Democrats. Reuters, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
What 6 Of The 7 Countries With The Most COVID-19 Cases Have In Common-NPR
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world, some of the largest outbreaks are in countries that fall into one particular economic category. They're not rich. They're not poor. They're middle-income. In fact, of the countries reporting the most cases globally, 6 of 7 are middle-income nations. NPR, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Medical Nonprofits Forced To Scale Back As The Pandemic Upends Their Fundraising-STAT
Medical charities have long relied on black-tie galas, golf tournaments, and bike-a-thons to fund their operations. But as with so many other in-person events, Covid-19 has cancelled those plans this year, leaving nonprofits with a funding shortfall that has forced them to cut staff, end grant funding, scale back activities, and in at least one case, shut down entirely. STAT, … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
China’s Coronavirus Vaccines Are Leaping Ahead – But Face Challenges As Virus Wanes-Nature
Chinese companies are at the forefront of global efforts to create a vaccine for the coronavirus, with more than half a dozen candidates in clinical development. Last week, Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics published results from an early-stage clinical trial showing that its vaccine is safe and can trigger an immune response. Yet the companies could face difficulty as they try to push vaccines through phase III trials, a crucial stage of testing that is needed to prove efficacy and secure … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Congressional Hearing Tackles US COVID-19 Response In Africa-Devex
Democratic backsliding, Chinese involvement, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in Africa are all chief concerns to the United States, U.S. leaders testified at a congressional hearing Thursday. While 713,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in Africa as of July 27, a number that has more than doubled since July 1, the data on COVID-19 on the continent is incomplete, said Chris Maloney, acting assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Africa … Continue Reading