- People who received the vaccine had the same level of antibodies as survivors of COVID-19.
- The next phase of the test is expected to start at the end of the month.
- Fauci says the results are “good news.”
- The CDC chief said school reopens must be done with the trust of teachers and parents.
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the United States is promising so far and will move into the final phase of trials later this month.
The results One of the first tests on human volunteers was published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trials showed that two injections of the vaccine resulted in antibodies in the bloodstream equivalent to those of the COVID-19 survivors.
“No matter how this is cut, this is good news“Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert for the United States government, told The Associated Press.
The first results involved only 45 people ages 18 to 55, all in good health. They received the vaccine in two doses 28 days apart, according to a summary. of the study published on the website of the medical journal.
The expanded results of the first phase that include older age groups are expected soon. The next round of the study is slated to include 30,000 volunteers, including older adults and people with chronic health conditions that put them at increased risk. It is expected to start around July 27, the AP reported, and it would be the largest trial of any vaccine to date.
The experimental vaccine was developed by the National Institutes of Health and Modern Inc., and is one of many that are being investigated and tested worldwide.
The results showed that those who administered the vaccine developed “neutralizing antibodies” that are key to blocking the infection.
“This is an essential component that is needed to move forward with trials that could really determine if the vaccine protects against infection,” said Dr. Lisa Jackson of the Washington Kaiser Permanente Research Institute in Seattle, who led the study. according to the AP.
The initial group that received it reported no serious side effects, although more than half had flu-like symptoms, which are also common with other vaccines and similar to those of COVID-19.
The government hopes to have results by the end of the year, and Fauci has repeatedly said he is optimistic that a vaccine will be available sooner rather than later.
People think “this is a race for a winner,” Fauci told the AP. “Me, I’m cheering for all of you.”
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus continues to increase. In the United States, 3.4 million cases have been reported, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 136,200 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S.
Globally, more than 575,000 people have died and 13.2 million cases have been confirmed.
Latest developments
U.S:
– Most counties in the United States are in a position to reopen their schools, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday afternoon. “I think there is actually a majority of the counties in this country that are in a position to reopen their schools based on the data that we have now, the case counts, the positive rate, the availability of evidence, and the resilience of the health, Redfield said in a webinar with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. He added that he believes most counties would meet the criteria to reopen, as long as teachers, administrators and parents have the confidence to do what., according to a CNN report on the webinar. The webinar was held a day after California’s two largest school districts announced that students will not be returning to classrooms when the new year begins, and school districts across the country are debating how to proceed. President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have said that schools should reopen in the fall, while an Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday found that 71% of American parents They say that sending their children back to school would be moderate or very risky.
Hillary Salway, fifth from left, poses for a photo with her children, friends, and children on Monday, July 13, 2020 in San Clemente, California. Salway plans to send her children to school in the fall. On the one hand there are parents who say that children are children. They oppose masks and social distancing in schools, arguing that both could be detrimental to the well-being of their children and want schools to reopen full time. On the other hand, parents and many teachers ask for things that would have been unimaginable pre-pandemics: part-time school, coverage for all, or a full online curriculum.
(AP Photo / Ashley Landis)
– Later Tuesday in a webinar with the Journal of the American Medical Association, Redfield, the head of the CDC, said he believes “the fall and winter of 2020 and 2021 will probably be one of the most difficult times we have ever had. experienced in American Public Health. ” He said that is because the joint occurrence of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza have the potential to stress the health system. “I think that preventing the healthcare system from overstretching will be really important. And I think the degree to which we can do that will define how well we get through fall and winter, ”he said.
-Hospitals have been ordered to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and submit all information on patients with coronavirus to a central database in Washington in the Department of Health and Human Services, reported the New York Times. The new instructions were in a little noticed document posted on the HHS website and came from a working group of government and hospital officials convened by Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator.
-International students will be able to retain their US visas even if their courses are completely online after an agreement between the Trump administration and Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The universities sued after the administration announced a policy on July 6 that would have stripped foreign students of their visas if they did not attend classes in person.
-Dr. Robert Redfield also said that additional resources on how to reopen schools will include information on how to really take advantage of facial coatings.CNN reported. “Because to me, face covers are the key. If you really look at it, the data is really clear: it works,” Redfield said. “We are not helpless against this virus. In fact, we have facial covers and I think the more confidence the American public has, facial covers are not a symbol, but they are actually a very important preventative intervention that can really block this virus,” he said. .
-Florida broke her previous record of a day of coronavirus deaths on Tuesday when she reported an additional 132 deaths, beating the previous record for the established state last week. The new deaths raised Florida’s seven-day average to 81 per day, more than double that of two weeks ago and now the second-highest in the United States behind Texas. The state registered 9,194 new cases on Tuesday.
-The New York Times reported that Republican officials are considering moving the national convention from August 25 to 27 in Jacksonville, Florida, from an indoor stadium to an outdoor venue.
-First lady Melania Trump tweeted a photo of herself wearing a mask. In the tweet, he said, “Even in the summer months, remember to wear face covers and practice social distancing. The greatest precaution we take now can mean a healthier and safer country in the fall.”
-In California, which has more than 333,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 7,000 deaths, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that indoor operations should close for all restaurants, wineries, cinemas, family entertainment, museums, zoos and game rooms. He said bars must shut down all operations. In 30 counties, including Los Angeles., internal operations must close in gyms, houses of worship, nonessential office spaces, personal care services, hair and grooming salons, and shopping malls.
– “Miami is now the epicenter of the pandemic,” said Lilian Abbo, infectious disease expert at the Jackson Health System. “What we were seeing in Wuhan, six months ago, five months ago, we are now there,” Abbo said during a press conference on Monday. Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Florida. Statewide, at least 48 hospitals have zero available ICU bedsCNN.com reported.
-New York now requires travelers from 22 states marked with high coronavirus spread to share personal information and travel plans. at airports or face a $ 2,000 fine. Travelers from all 22 states, which include Florida and much of the south, must quarantine for 14 after arriving in New York.
-Fauci said that the attempt to save masks for health workers at the beginning of the pandemic may have led some people to think that facial coatings were not beneficial. “I think what was twisted a bit in that message was not that we just wanted to preserve them, but that they don’t work as well anyway.“Fauci told Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of the Crooked Media podcast” America Dissected “.” That was the mistake, because in fact there is no doubt that wearing a mask is better than not having a mask for the general public, “Fauci added.
Worldwide:
-CNN reported that the border between the United States and Canada, which has been closed to all non-essential traffic since March, is expected to remain closed until at least August 21.. The CNN report, which quoted two Canadian government sources with knowledge of the situation, said there will be increased enforcement and surveillance at most Canadian land borders in the coming weeks.
-Facial coatings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England, said Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The requirement is expected to take effect July 24, the Associated Press reported.
For the latest information on coronaviruses in your county and a complete list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions about the disease, check out our dedicated page of COVID-19.
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