FILE – In this March 16, 2020 file photo, a subject receives an injection in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a possible Moderna vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Institute for Health Research in Seattle. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren, file)
OAN press room
UPDATED 4:00 PM PT – Thursday, July 16, 2020
On Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany commented on the allegations that Russia is trying to steal data from the coronavirus vaccine. She confirmed that the Trump administration is aware of the allegations and acknowledged that Russian intelligence agencies are believed to be behind the effort.
He warned pharmaceutical companies and scientists to be on high alert for suspicious cyber activity.
The secretary added that the White House is working closely with the United Kingdom and Canada, who have also been targeted by Moscow.
“We work closely with our allies to ensure we take steps to keep that information secure, and we continue to do so,” said McEnany. “We are aware of those activities.”
The Russian government has denied that it is involved in the scheme.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a press conference at the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
Meanwhile, the press secretary also announced that the Moderna coronavirus vaccine is showing promising results. According to a new study, vaccine trials have produced “a positive and neutral immune response” among dozens of people.
McEnany said the results were comparable to what was seen in recovered patients.
The researchers believe that the vaccine led patients to produce antibodies that can neutralize the virus.
“The bottom line is that so far, we are seeing exactly what you would expect to see in a vaccine,” McEnany explained. “The Modern vaccine in particular is expected to reach phase three in late July with 30,000 participants.”
Recent reports suggest that Moderna phase three will focus primarily on vulnerable communities, including older adults and those with underlying health problems.
FILE – In this July 6, 2020 file photo, a ventilator helps a COVID-19 patient breathe inside the Coronavirus Unit at a Houston hospital. (AP Photo / David J. Phillip, File)
Later that day, the Trump administration restored information about COVID-19 hospitalizations to CDC after it disappeared from its website on Wednesday.
The move followed the White House decision to redirect locations where hospitals send data on the availability of hospital beds and intensive care units from the Centers for Disease Control to the Department of Health and Human Services. This raised objections from health officials, who saw this as a way to sideline the CDC.
According to HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo, CDC was ordered to make the data available again, although it will no longer be updated.
He added that the new databases “will provide more powerful information.”
In addition, the CDC director reaffirmed “no one is taking away their access or data.”
