Tag Archives: coronavirus

Via press release from the FDA: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test for self-testing at home and that provides rapid results. The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is a molecular (real-time loop mediated amplification reaction) single use test that is intended to detect the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 …

STAT News reports: Pfizer may be within days of filing for an emergency use authorization for its Covid-19 vaccine, having collected the safety data necessary to submit an application to the Food and Drug Administration, CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday. “We are very close to submitting for an emergency use authorization,” Bourla said during the STAT Summit, which this year …

First, the news from earlier today: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator, says he is quarantining after being exposed to the coronavirus. Grassley, 87, did not say how he was exposed. He said he would follow doctor’s orders and “immediately quarantine” and work virtually as he waits for results of a test. “I’m feeling well and not currently …

The Hill reports: North Dakota’s coronavirus mortality rate is the highest of any U.S. state or country, according to an analysis of data from last week conducted by the Federation of American Scientists. The analysis shows that North Dakota has a rate of 18.2 deaths per 1 million people. South Dakota, meanwhile, has 17.4 deaths per million, the third-worst rate …

ABC News reports: On Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley announced he had been exposed to COVID-19 and will need to quarantine. “I will follow my doctors’ orders and immediately quarantine as I await my test results. I’m feeling well and not currently experiencing any symptoms, but it’s important we all follow public health guidelines to keep each other healthy,” a statement …

MarketWatch reports: Sweden is switching from its voluntary lockdowns to a much more aggressive approach that will see public events of more than eight people banned. The Nordic country was one of the few countries that didn’t go into an enforced lockdown, and has rejected the need for masks. In October, it drew up guidelines for a voluntary lockdown in …

Phoenix’s ABC News reports: The Navajo Nation has begun a three-week lockdown for its citizens to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “This virus takes off like wildfire,” said Navajo Nation President Johnathan Nez regarding a recent spike of COVID-19 cases across his constituents. “I think we just let down. There’s COVID fatigue here on Navajo as well.” The lockdown …

Just in from Gallup Polling: Americans’ willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 rebounded a bit in October, as seen in Gallup polling conducted before Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna made promising announcements about the likely effectiveness of their coronavirus vaccines. Fifty-eight percent of Americans in the latest poll say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, up from a low of 50% in …

The Des Moines Register reports: After months of rebuffing calls for a broad mask mandate to fight COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday evening that all people ages 2 and older must wear a face covering when in an indoor space that is open to the public. Her order applies when people who are not members of the same household …

Via press release from Stanford University: The university has been asked to comment on recent statements made by Dr. Scott Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who is on leave of absence from that position. Stanford’s position on managing the pandemic in our community is clear. We support using masks, social distancing, and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing. …

CBS News reports: President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are meeting Monday with the heads of major companies and labor unions to discuss the incoming administration’s economic agenda, the Biden transition office said. The president-elect will deliver remarks on the economy following a remote briefing in Wilmington, Delaware, which comes as the stock market is surging on news …

Reuters reports: The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country. Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic in the United States has quickened, with one million more new cases from just …

The New York Times reports: The drugmaker Moderna announced on Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, based on an early look at the results from its large, continuing study. Researchers said the results were better than they had dared to imagine. But the vaccine will not be widely available for months, probably not until spring. Moderna is …

The New York Daily News reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday fired the latest salvo in his and President Trump’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccine war — threatening to sue the Republican administration if it moves ahead with its COVID-19 vaccine-distribution plan. The governor has blasted Trump’s distribution plan as discriminatory and said he is enlisting his own panel of experts to …

Seattle’s NBC News affiliate reports: Gov. Jay Inslee has announced new statewide restrictions to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, which includes closing indoor service for restaurants and bars and prohibiting indoor social gatherings. These rules will mostly go into effect on Monday at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect until Dec. 14. In-store retail limited to 25% …

Reuters reports: President-elect Joe Biden’s top aide Ron Klain on Sunday urged Congress to pass bipartisan COVID-19 financial relief as a surge in cases shattered U.S. records and strained hospitals nationwide, and called for immediate action to allow his team to coordinate with the outgoing Trump administration. Other top Biden advisers also stressed the need to control the spiraling outbreak …

The New York Daily News reports: City schools will remain open Monday, Mayor de Blasio said, pointing to the latest COVID infection rate. The latest seven-day average of COVID tests coming back positive was 2.57%, according to Hizzoner, who previously set 3% as the level that would trigger school closure. “Thankfully, schools will remain open on Monday,” he tweeted Sunday, …

Business Insider reports: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Saturday that he “most likely” has a moderate case of COVID-19, while questioning the reliability of the tests he has had. Asked by a Twitter user about his symptoms, he wrote that they feel “just like a regular cold, but more body achy & cloudy head than coughing/sneezing.” On …

Reuters reports: U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off. The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine at …

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: A day after it was revealed that GOP state Sen. Dave Senjem [photo] tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a Nov. 5 party caucus, news broke that Republican senators and staffers were informed in a Tuesday memo that “a number of [GOP Senate] members and staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19.” DFLers were not informed …