ABC News -
November 11, 2020
As COVID-19 infections increase in the U.S. experts predict that shoppers will start to stock up on a variety of products that could prompt another round of shortages in stores in the coming months. "We absolutely are starting to see shortages again," Mike Brackett, founder and CEO of Centricity Incorporated, told GMA. … On Monday, Kroger announced that it will limit purchases of toilet paper, paper towels, disinfecting wipes and hand soap to two per customer. Another grocery store chain, H-E-B, announced purchasing limits in some stores on similar items, as well as rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, first aid and cleaning gloves.
CBS News -
November 11, 2020
A report from Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, says some kids have fallen back in basic skills – and some who were greatly impacted have even forgotten how to use a fork and knife. Ofsted made visits to 900 schools and early childcare providers in September and October, according to a press release from the U.K. government department. It found there are three "broad groups" of children … One is the "hardest hit" group of young kids. This group has suffered from time out of school and has gone backwards on words and numbers. This group has also reverted to diapers after being potty-trained or lost "basic skills" such as using a knife and fork.
STAT -
November 11, 2020
Large urban hospitals across the U.S. are rushing to buy expensive ultra-cold freezers to store what’s likely to be the first approved Covid-19 vaccine. But most rural hospitals can’t afford these high-end units, meaning health workers and residents in those communities may have difficulty getting the shots. … The vaccine has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. Typical freezers don’t get that cold, making distribution of this vaccine a logistical nightmare.
USA Today -
November 11, 2020
Now, even before any vaccines are approved, is the time to start telling America straight-up what to expect, more than a dozen public health and medical experts told USA TODAY. That includes warning that a COVID-19 vaccine likely won't be 100% effective, getting it will make a substantial number of people "feel like crud" for a day or two, and two shots will be required, not just one.
AP -
November 10, 2020
U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans. The FDA on Monday cleared the experimental drug from Eli Lilly for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. It’s a one-time treatment given through an IV. The therapy is still undergoing additional testing to establish its safety and effectiveness. It is similar to a treatment President Donald Trump received after contracting the virus last month.
Reuters -
November 10, 2020
Scientists on Monday said initial trial results for Pfizer Inc and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine far outpaced their expectations for protection against a completely new disease, but that many questions remain unanswered.. … many questions remain, including whether the vaccine can prevent severe disease or complications, how long it will protect against infection and how well it will work in the elderly. They noted that required safety data will not be available until later this month. In addition, Pfizer and BioNTech have yet to submit their data for peer review by other scientists, a key step in determining the quality of the results.
AP -
November 10, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden signaled strongly on Monday that fighting the raging pandemic will be the immediate priority of his new administration, an abrupt shift from President Donald Trump’s more unworried approach to the virus, as the nation surpassed 10 million COVID-19 cases. Biden began with a direct appeal to all Americans to wear masks, a departure from Trump, who has mocked Biden and others who make a point of always wearing protective face coverings when around others. In an official move, the president-elect formed a coronavirus advisory board dominated by scientists and doctors, while Trump has had a falling out with the medical experts on his own virus task force.
Reuters -
November 10, 2020
There were just over 59,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the United States on Monday, the country’s highest number ever of in-patients being treated for the disease, with new infections at record levels for the sixth consecutive day. The harsh statistics tallied by Reuters cemented the United States' position as the nation worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic, even as drugmaker Pfizer Inc provided some hope with successful late-stage tests of its vaccine.
Reuters -
November 10, 2020
Many COVID-19 survivors are likely to be at greater risk of developing mental illness, psychiatrists said on Monday, after a large study found 20% of those infected with the coronavirus are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days. Anxiety, depression and insomnia were most common among recovered COVID-19 patients in the study who developed mental health problems, and the researchers also found significantly higher risks of dementia, a brain impairment condition. … The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal, analysed electronic health records of 69 million people in the United States, including more than 62,000 cases of COVID-19.
Boston Globe -
November 10, 2020
Many patients admitted to US hospitals for COVID-19 treatment between March and July were re-admitted to the same facilities within two months of being discharged, according to the CDC. Of those 126,137 patients, the report said, 15 percent died during initial hospitalization. And out of the surviving 106,543 patients, 9,504 were re-admitted to the same hospital within two months “of discharge through August 2020,” said the report, which noted that 1.6 percent were re-admitted more than once.
HealthDay -
November 10, 2020
Two preliminary studies offer mixed news for heart patients who fall ill with COVID-19: Those on certain blood pressure-lowering drugs are not at increased risk of dying, but those with atrial fibrillation (a-fib) may be. In one study, researchers reviewed records from nearly 400 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized at their center between March and June 2020. The investigators found that those who suffered an a-fib episode during their stay had a substantially worse prognosis -- being more likely to develop heart or kidney complications, or to die.
HealthDay -
November 10, 2020
In a graphic illustration of the danger the new coronavirus poses to essential workers in America, a new study shows that as many as 74 million of these workers and their families are at increased risk for COVID-19. It gets worse: Of that number, up to 61% are at increased risk for severe COVID-19.
AP -
November 10, 2020
At least three top Trump administration or campaign officials have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an election night watch party in the White House East Room. … Ben Carson, the secretary for housing and urban development, tested positive, a department spokesperson confirmed Monday, as did David Bossie, who was recently tasked with overseeing the campaign’s legal challenges contesting the election’s outcome.
CBS News -
November 10, 2020
Experts are saying the election has taken eyes off what's the most important story in the country now: the coronavirus pandemic. Coast to coast and in between, tens of thousands of people celebrated and some protested after Joe Biden was projected to win the presidential election. They were often standing shoulder to shoulder, and while many were wearing masks, almost no one was socially distancing, "CBS This Morning" lead national correspondent David Begnaud reports.
NBC News -
November 10, 2020
Despite news of a promising vaccine, the U.S. is still on track for a slow and grueling economic recovery, economists said. Moody’s still forecasts that the country will not fully recover the 22 million jobs lost to the pandemic until 2024. The economy is still on course to contract by about 2.9 percent this year, according to estimates from Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile, about 13 million consumers are facing a financial cliff in December when federal pandemic unemployment benefits expire.
Washington Post -
November 9, 2020
A front-runner coronavirus vaccine developed by drug giant Pfizer and German biotechnology firm BioNTech was more than 90 percent effective at protecting people compared with a placebo saline shot, according to an interim analysis by an independent data monitoring committee that met Sunday. The early look at the ongoing trial provides a decisive initial glimpse of the real-world performance of one of the four coronavirus vaccines in the last stages of testing in the US. It is the strongest signal yet that the unprecedented quest to develop a vaccine that could help bring the pandemic to an end might succeed, breaking every scientific speed record. … Pfizer, unlike its competitors, did not join Operation Warp Speed …