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While the trial stops are a standard precaution, the suspension is a significant blow to hopes that a vaccine will be ready in the coming months.
Pharmaceutical companies are racing against time to develop a vaccine that protects against Covid-19, working to end a pandemic that has killed nearly 900,000 people. The AstraZeneca project is one of the most promising endeavors. It is one of eight companies with large late-phase clinical trials underway globally, and it has said it aims to have a vaccine ready by the end of the year. But if the adverse reaction is indeed related to the vaccine, that timeline could be thwarted.
In a statement, AstraZeneca described its move as a “routine action that has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is being investigated, ensuring that we maintain the integrity of the trials.”
The company said it was “working to expedite the review of the single event to minimize any potential impact on the trial schedule” and was “committed to the safety of our participants and to the highest standards of conduct in our trials.”
YOU ASKED. WE RESPOND
Q: So your child has a Covid-19 symptom. What are you doing now?
“Right now, everyone is making a mistake by being very careful,” said Dr. Alison Tothy, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at the University of Chicago. “The recommendation is that if your child has a new onset of cold-like symptoms, including a runny nose and cough, you should see your pediatrician.” And the pediatrician may recommend a Covid test.
Time can often provide a bit of clarity. “After a couple of days, it starts off as ‘Is this an allergy or Covid?’ it will evolve very quickly and you will have a better idea of what is happening, “he said.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY
As Cases Rise, England Moves To Limit Meetings To Six People
The new lower limit, revised down from 30, will make it easier for police to identify and disperse illegal gatherings of more than six people unless you meet one of the exemptions. Exemptions include: A domestic or support bubble of more than six, if the meetings are for work or educational purposes, weddings, funerals, or organized team sports.
Trump and the campaign crowd appear to violate the order of masks
Ahead of Tuesday’s event, the Republican chairman of the local county commission said the president should wear a mask during his speech, a virtually unimaginable prospect for a president who has mocked his election rival Joe Biden for wearing one and who demanded reporters to remove their faces when I asked. he asks on Monday.
The United States needs 200 million Covid-19 tests per month
That’s well beyond current capacity, but new rapid tests are being developed, and once they hit the market, it should be possible, according to the report from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy.
ON OUR RADAR
- Trick-or-treating will not be allowed in Los Angeles County this Halloween due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
- So far, more than half a million American children have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Children’s Hospitals.
- The pandemic is jeopardizing decades of work to reduce preventable child deaths, according to a new report.
- Colorado will launch a partnership with Apple and Google to enable Covid-19 exposure notifications on cell phones to improve contact tracing.
- Beds in the intensive care unit in the southern French city of Marseille are almost full, according to authorities.
TIPS
“I understand the desire for social distancing, but I think getting a flu shot is also important this year,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent. “It’s important to get one every year, but maybe even more important this year because we’re probably going to have a flu and coronavirus convergence this fall. So whatever we can do to reduce the flu I think will be really important.”
While the prospect of a double whammy from Covid-19 and the flu is alarming, there are promising signs in the southern hemisphere, where flu rates appear to be lower than in recent years. Experts say an increase in flu vaccines and the precautions taken to combat Covid-19 could be behind that trend.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“I don’t feel the pressure to be asked to do things that we wouldn’t be comfortable with.” – Virologist Hanneke Schuitemaker
