NPR -
April 1, 2021
On Wednesday, the FDA approved two rapid antigen home tests for use in the U.S. Americans will soon be able to purchase Abbott's BinaxNOW and Quidel Quickvue tests at drug stores. The two options join a test made by Ellume, which received FDA approval in December, in the market. The two, newly-approved swab tests will be sold at a lower price point. The BinaxNOW and Quickvue tests are expected to be sold in two-packs for around $15-20; Ellume costs $30.
Gallup -
April 1, 2021
38% completely or mostly isolating, down from 47% last month. Increase in percentage vaccinated largely explains decline in isolating. Avoidance of public places down from 56% to 48%.
AP -
April 1, 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced a three-week nationwide school closure and a month-long domestic travel ban, as the rapid spread of the virus ramped up pressure on hospitals. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said new efforts are needed as “the epidemic is accelerating.” It’s a departure from the government’s policy in recent months, which has focused on regionalized restrictions.
CNN -
April 1, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant and negative impact on pregnant women and their infants, according to a global review of studies. The review, published Wednesday in the journal the Lancet, found that stillbirths and maternal deaths increased by nearly a third, according to pooled data from 40 studies that covered 17 countries. There was a nearly sixfold increase in ectopic pregnancies - when the fertilized egg grows outside a woman's uterus, between January of 2020 and January 2021, the review found.
STAT -
March 31, 2021
Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that their Covid-19 vaccine prevented symptomatic disease and was well-tolerated in a Phase 3 study of adolescents ages 12 to 15. The companies say they will submit the data to the FDA as an amendment to the vaccine’s emergency use authorization, and will also submit the results to other regulators around the world. … The companies also said that the vaccine was well-tolerated, with symptoms similar in the 12 year-old to 15 year-old age group as among those aged 16 to 25. The vaccine is authorized in the U.S. for people aged 16 and older.
Reuters -
March 31, 2021
A critical component of the immune system known as T cells that respond to fight infection from the original version of the novel coronavirus appear to also protect against three of the most concerning new virus variants, according to a U.S. laboratory study released on Tuesday. … “Our data, as well as the results from other groups, shows that the T cell response to COVID-19 in individuals infected with the initial viral variants appears to fully recognize the major new variants identified in the UK, South Africa and Brazil,” …
STAT -
March 31, 2021
Following months of disbelief from patients and pushback from advocacy groups, the CDC has now classified type 1 and type 2 diabetes together on its recommended priority list for Covid-19 vaccine. … “For easier accessibility and clarity, the former two-tiered list (no longer divided into "increased risk" and "might be at increased risk" categories) has been modified into one risk category list.”
Reuters -
March 31, 2021
The United States and 13 other countries expressed concerns on Tuesday that the WHO report on the origins of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was delayed and lacked access to complete data, according to a joint statement. It followed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s assertion that data was withheld from its investigators who traveled to China to research the origins of the pandemic.
AP -
March 31, 2021
President Joe Biden’s pleas for states to stick with mask mandates to slow the spread of the coronavirus were being largely ignored Tuesday as several Republican governors stayed on track to drop the requirement in their states. Biden and the director of the CDC said a day earlier that this is no time to relax safety measures.
NBC News -
March 31, 2021
In the country with the most Covid-19 deaths a day and over 100,000 new daily cases, alarm and anger is growing over the lack of access and the slow pace of vaccinations amid a health care system nearing collapse.
Vox -
March 31, 2021
At current rates, America is administering nearly 2.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses a day — roughly enough to vaccinate every adult (18 and older) in the country by July 4. That would mean 80 percent of the population would be able to get a vaccine.
AP -
March 30, 2021
The U.S. government’s first look at the real-world use of COVID-19 vaccines found their effectiveness was nearly as robust as it was in controlled studies. The two vaccines available since December — Pfizer and Moderna — were highly effective at 90% after two doses, the CDC reported Monday. In testing, the vaccines were about 95% effective in preventing COVID-19. … The study is the government’s first assessment of how the shots have been working beyond the drugmakers’ initial experiments.
AP -
March 30, 2021
President Joe Biden and a top health official warned Monday that too many Americans are declaring virus victory too quickly, appealing for mask requirements and other restrictions to be maintained or restored to stave off a “fourth surge” of COVID-19. The head of the CDC said she had a feeling of “impending doom” if people keep easing off. The double dose of warnings came even as Biden laid out hopeful new steps to expand coronavirus vaccinations, with all adults to become eligible over the next 5 weeks.
Reuters -
March 30, 2021
New cases of COVID-19 in the United States rose 9% to more than 431,000 last week, the first time since January that cases have increased for two weeks in a row, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county data. Thirty-three out of 50 states reported more new infections in the week ended March 28 compared with the previous seven days, according to the Reuters analysis.
Reuters -
March 30, 2021
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that 90% of all adults in the United States will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccination by April 19 as he warned about the potential for an upsurge in infections.
CBS News -
March 30, 2021
Thirteen months into a pandemic that brought air travel to a near standstill, Americans are starting to take to the skies in substantial numbers again. The TSA has screened record numbers of travelers at airports across the country during the roughly two-week period in March that marks many Americans' spring breaks. For 17 days in a row now, the TSA has screened more than 1 million people U.S. airports, marking a significant milestone for the industry.