Tag: pandemic

‘You’re not listening’: Dr. Fauci schools Rand Paul live during heated Senate COVID-19 hearing

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, became embroiled in a heated exchange with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), defending his professional expertise and his public health agency’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fauci testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday where his expertise was challenged by the Republican senator. Paul, an ophthalmologist, criticized the infectious disease expert for applauding New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for his handling of the coronavirus. Emphasizing that New York still has the highest state death toll in the United States, Paul insisted Cuomo had not done a great job mitigating the spread of the coronavirus in his state.

“You’ve been a big fan of Cuomo and the shutdown in New York,” Paul pushed back. “You’ve lauded New York for their policy. New York has had the highest death rate in the world. How can be jumping up and down saying Cuomo did a great job?” Continue reading.

How and when will we know that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective?

With COVID-19 vaccines currently in the final phase of study, you’ve probably been wondering how the FDA will decide if a vaccine is safe and effective.

Based on the status of the Phase 3 trials currently underway, it is unlikely that the results of these trials will be available before November. But it is likely that not just one but several of the competing COVID-19 vaccines will be shown to be safe and effective by the end of 2020. 

I am a scientist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients with COVID-19 and conduct research on the pandemic. I am also a member of the World Health Organization Expert Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization. Continue reading.

Massive genetic study shows coronavirus mutating and potentially evolving amid rapid U.S. spread

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NOTE: This article is being provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

The largest U.S. genetic study of the virus, conducted in Houston, shows one viral strain outdistancing all of its competitors, and many potentially important mutations.

Scientists in Houston on Wednesday released a study of more than 5,000 genetic sequences of the coronavirus that reveals the virus’s continual accumulation of mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious.

The new report, however, did not find that these mutations have made the virus deadlier or changed clinical outcomes. All viruses accumulate genetic mutations, and most are insignificant, scientists say.

Coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are relatively stable as viruses go, because they have a proofreading mechanism as they replicate. But every mutation is a roll of the dice, and with transmission so widespread in the United States — which continues to see tens of thousands of new, confirmed infections daily — the virus has had abundant opportunities to change, potentially with troublesome consequences, said study author James Musser of Houston Methodist Hospital. Continue reading.

Whistleblower on Jared Kushner’s COVID task force says he was told to ‘fudge’ death data model

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A grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy told The New Yorker that he was the whistleblower that sounded the alarm on presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner’s coronavirus task force to Congress.

“Americans are facing a crisis of tragic proportions, and there is an urgent need for an effective, efficient and bold response. From my few weeks as a volunteer, I believe we are falling short,” he said in the complaint in April. “I am writing to alert my representatives of these challenges and to ask that they do everything possible to help front-line health-care workers and other Americans in need.”

“I just couldn’t sleep,” Kennedy told Mayer. “I was so distressed and disturbed by what I’d seen.” Continue reading.

FBI warns delayed election results could be exploited by foreign actors spreading disinformation

WASHINGTON – The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that foreign actors and cybercriminals could try to discredit the electoral process by spreading false information as state and election officials work to certify 2020 election results.

The widespread use of mail-in ballots because of COVID-19 will cause delays in announcing the results of elections, as some states allow the ballots to be postmarked on election day. 

“Foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections’ results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud, and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections’ illegitimacy,” the agencies said in a public service announcement released Tuesday. Continue reading.

Trump Demands U.N. Hold China to Account for Coronavirus Pandemic

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In speeches broadcast at this year’s Covid-compromised General Assembly, the presidents of China and the United States punctuated an intensifying schism between the two superpowers.

President Trump assailed China as the coronavirus villain Tuesday in a strongly worded United Nations speech, extolling his own actions in the pandemic and demanding that the global organization hold accountable “the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world.”

Mr. Trump’s speech — made via prerecorded video to a General Assembly that was drastically curtailed because of the pandemic — was followed by a recorded speech from President Xi Jinping of China, who called the coronavirus a crisis shared by everyone. Offering no hint of contrition, Mr. Xi portrayed his nation of 1.4 billion people as having acted responsibly to combat Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

“Any attempt of politicizing the issue or stigmatization must be rejected,” Mr. Xi said. Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips introduces bill to improve telehealth as pandemic threatens Americans’ Access to Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Steve Chabot (R-OH) announced they have introduced the bipartisan Telehealth Coverage and Payment Parity Act (H.R. 8308) aimed at improving Americans’ access to health care whenever and wherever they need it. The bipartisan legislation pushes for permanent coverage and payment parity for telehealth services at the federal level.

With the country grappling with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, safe access to medical providers – especially for the sick and vulnerable – is more important now than it ever has been. Yet much of the innovation in telehealth demonstrated these past months will reverse when the pandemic is over. H.R. 8308 will ensure the country continues telehealth payment parity past the pandemic, increasing Americans access to care. The bill will require payers to cover the same telehealth services as Medicare, establish parity between in-person and telehealth covered services, and eliminate burdensome and unnecessary regulations around location for providers.

“It’s time to build a 21st century health care system that utilizes technology and prevention to keep people well,” said Rep. Phillips. “For many conditions, there is no simply no reason for healthcare to be tied to brick and mortar institutions. Telehealth has allowed us to effectively deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of the flexibilities put in place to ensure Americans have access to care will be reversed when the public health emergency expires unless Congress acts to preserve them. I’m on a mission to make our progress permanent.”

Continue reading “Rep. Phillips introduces bill to improve telehealth as pandemic threatens Americans’ Access to Care”

Rising coronavirus case numbers in many states spur warning of autumn surge

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Progress in slowing the march of the novel coronavirus has stalled in much of the United States, and the pathogen is spreading at dangerous rates in many states as autumn arrives and colder weather — traditionally congenial to viruses — begins to settle across the nation, public health data shows.

Organizations that track the virus, including The Washington Post, have logged recent increases in case numbers and test positivity rates — worrisome trends as the United States on Tuesday surpassed the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths. Hospitalizations and deaths remain lower nationally than at their midsummer peak, but those numbers always lag several weeks behind trends in new infections.

Twenty-seven states and Puerto Rico have shown an increase in the seven-day average of new confirmed cases since the final week of August, according to The Post’s analysis of public health data. Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Utah set record highs Monday for seven-day averages. Continue reading.

FDA poised to announce tougher standards for a covid-19 vaccine that make it unlikely one will be cleared by Election Day

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NOTE: This article is provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

The guidance is part of an effort to boost transparency and public trust as polls show many are skeptical a vaccine will be safe and effective.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to spell out a tough new standard for an emergency authorization of a coronavirus vaccine as soon as this week that will make it exceedingly difficult for any vaccine to be cleared before Election Day.

The agency is issuing the guidance to boost transparency and public trust as it approaches the momentous decision of whether a prospective vaccine is safe and effective. Public health experts are increasingly worried that President Trump’s repeatedpredictions of a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 3, coupled with the administration’s interference in federal science agencies, may prompt Americans to reject any vaccine as rushed and potentially tainted.

The stakes are high: polls show the relentless politicization of the race to develop a vaccine is taking its toll. Pew Research Center recently reported that the percentage of people who said they would get the vaccine if it were available today has dropped to just over 50 percent from 72 percent in May. Continue reading.

Trump calls 200,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S. ‘a shame’

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NOTE: This article is provided free of charge by The Washington Post.

The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday, marking another milestone of loss at a time when many have become numb to the rising fatality count. The tally represents the upper boundary of a fatality range that President Trump in March said would signal that his administration had “done a very good job” of protecting Americans from the coronavirus.

As he left the White House for Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about the 200,000 deaths, saying, “It’s a shame.” View the post here.