People with a history of ‘significant’ allergic reactions shouldn’t have Pfizer jab, UK regulator warns

‘The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency updated its guidance to British health service trusts on who should receive the vaccine. The precautionary advice came after two members of Britain’s National Health Service, who received the vaccine on Tuesday, experienced allergic reactions to the shot. Both are recovering well, according to the national medical director for the NHS.’

Read here (CNBC, Dec 9, 2020)

Doctors say CDC should warn people the side effects from Covid vaccine shots won’t be ‘a walk in the park’

‘The CDC must be transparent about the side effects people may experience after getting their first shot of a coronavirus vaccine, doctors urged during a meeting Monday with CDC advisors. Dr. Sandra Fryhofer said that both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines require two doses and she worries whether her patients will come back for a second dose because of potentially unpleasant side effects after the first shot. Both companies acknowledged that their vaccines could induce side effects that are similar to symptoms associated with mild Covid-19, such as muscle pain, chills and headache.’

Read here (CNBC, Nov 23, 2020)

Dr Anthony Fauci warns the coronavirus won’t ever be eradicated

‘White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday it is unlikely the coronavirus will ever be eradicated. While the virus will not disappear, it’s possible world leaders and public health officials could work to bring the virus down to “low levels,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said during an interview with the TB Alliance.

“I think with a combination of good public health measures, a degree of global herd immunity and a good vaccine, which I do hope and feel cautiously optimistic that we will get, I think when we put all three of those together, we will get control of this, whether it’s this year or next year. I’m not certain,” he said.’

Read here (CNBC, July 22, 2020)

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’

‘[US] Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that shutting down the economy for a second time to slow Covid-19 isn’t a viable option. The Treasury secretary’s comments came as Wall Street grew more concerned about a second wave of coronavirus cases in the US. Mnuchin also said he’s prepared to return to Congress to request additional fiscal spending to help juice the economy if needed.’

Read here (CNBC, June 11, 2020)

Asymptomatic spread of coronavirus is ‘very rare,’ WHO says

‘Government responses should focus on detecting and isolating infected people with symptoms, the World Health Organization said. Preliminary evidence from the earliest outbreaks indicated the virus could spread even if people didn’t have symptoms. But the WHO says that while asymptomatic spread can occur, it is “very rare.”

Read here (CNBC, June 8, 2020)

Famed HIV researcher on the race to find a Covid-19 treatment

‘David Ho is in a race against time to find a treatment for COVID-19. Fortunately it's the kind of race he's run before. Ho, the famed virologist and director and CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS research center at Columbia University, rose to prominence decades ago with his HIV research. Now he's working to develop a drug that can interrupt the coronavirus' ability to replicate, which, if successful, could lead to a treatment for COVID-19. His team is also studying antibody responses to the virus and is among dozens of labs racing to develop treatments.

‘The Jack Ma Foundation recently gave Ho and other researchers at Columbia University a $2.1 million grant to support their efforts to identify antiviral drugs and antibodies that can be used to fight the coronavirus.

‘Ho: My group is not so much working on a vaccine. We're trying to discover small-molecule drugs or develop antibodies that can be used either as prophylactics or therapeutics. We think the timeline for antibodies in particular can be much faster. We know we have the technology to fish out and construct very powerful antibodies that can be used to treat the infection, as well as prevent the infection.’

Read here (NBC News, May 1, 2020)

Dr Anthony Fauci says Gilead’s remdesivir will set a new ‘standard of care’ for coronavirus treatment

• White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that data from a coronavirus drug trial testing Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir showed “quite good news” and sets a new standard of care for Covid-19 patients.
• Fauci said the median time of recovery for patients taking the drug was 11 days, compared with 15 days in the placebo group. 
• The results suggested a survival benefit, with a mortality rate of 8% for the group receiving remdesivir versus 11.6% for the placebo group, according to a statement from the National Institutes of Health released later Wednesday.

Read here (CNBC, April 29, 2020)

Dow futures rally 700 points after Gilead drug reported shows effectiveness. There are reservations about the report and clinical trials funded by Gilead

Dow futures rally. Read here (CNBC, April 16, 2020)

‘Gilead’s severe Covid-19 study includes 2,400 participants from 152 different clinical trial sites all over the world. Its moderate Covid-19 study includes 1,600 patients in 169 different centers, also all over the world.

‘The trial is investigating five- and 10-day treatment courses of remdesivir. The primary goal is a statistical comparison of patient improvement between the two treatment arms. Improvement is measured using a seven-point numerical scale that encompasses death (at worst) and discharge from hospital (best outcome), with various degrees of supplemental oxygen and intubation in between.

‘The lack of a control arm in the study could make interpreting the results more challenging.’

Read here (STAT News, April 16, 2020)

“If you insist on every single contractual right... that will suck the life out of the economy”

Singapore passed a new bill that gives temporary relief to businesses and individuals if they are unable to fulfill their contractual obligations due to the coronavirus outbreak such as paying rent. “If you insist on your minutest every single contractual right at this point, that will suck the life out of the economy. You have got to protect everyone,” Singapore’s minister for home affairs, K Shanmugam said.

Read here (CNBC, April 8, 2020)