- Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who leads the White House Operation Warp Speed (OWS) vaccine development and distribution initiative, explained how he expects three waves of vaccine data release and distribution information over the next six months.
- Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is collaborating with Current Health to support healthcare providers in monitoring COVID-19 patients, detecting deterioration in their health and predicting disease severity.
- A new study of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug, remdesivir, which is being used as a treatment for COVID-19, shows that remdesivir treatment does not reduce the risk of death but it does reduce the recovery time and may help prevent progression to more severe respiratory disease.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) began a clinical trial to test remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies.
- A drug manufactured by Eli Lilly called Olumiant has shown to help reduce recovery time when used in conjuction with remdesivir.
- Some vaccines in development would be delivered to patients by inhalation, which, in theory, could activate the immune system and improve chances of blocking virus transmission.
Congress
House Democrats have spent weeks continuing to negotiate with their Republican counterparts from the White House on comprehensive COVID-19 relief legislation. The two sides remain far apart in these negotiations. It also appears that they could struggle to gain enough Congressional support to pass a relief bill even if an agreement is reached.
The White House is asking Congress to pass legislation to allow the Treasury Department to spend unused Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.
White House and Federal Agencies
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, who leads the White House Operation Warp Speed (OWS) vaccine development and distribution initiative, explained how he expects three waves of vaccine data release and distribution information over the next six months.
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation’s (ASPE) office recently released an Issue Brief summarizing the impact of the COVID pandemic on utilization and spending in Medicare Fee For Service thru the first half of 2020. Medicare beneficiary service utilization and associated Medicare payments to providers, dropped substantially from mid-March through mid-April and have been returning towards 2019 levels since that time.
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is collaborating with Current Health to support healthcare providers in monitoring COVID-19 patients, detecting deterioration in their health and predicting disease severity.
Economy, Testing, Treatment and Vaccine
A new study of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug, remdesivir, which is being used as a treatment for COVID-19, shows that remdesivir treatment does not reduce the risk of death but it does reduce the recovery time and may help prevent progression to more severe respiratory disease.
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) began a clinical trial to test remdesivir plus a highly concentrated solution of antibodies.
- A drug manufactured by Eli Lilly called Olumiant has shown to help reduce recovery time when used in conjuction with remdesivir.
The U.S. Government awarded Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with a contract to provide 300,000 doses of its COVID-19 antibody treatment. President Trump received the Regeneron antibody treatment when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 and has promoted its effectiveness since his release from the hospital.
- AstraZeneca began late stage trials of its own antibody treatment, with $486 million in funding provided by the government.
- The government is working to secure one million antibody treatment doses from various manufacturers, to distribute to the American people at no cost.
NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said that a vaccine might not be available until the summer of 2021. He also warned that many more people could die if proper safety precautions are not taken.
Some vaccines in development would be delivered to patients by inhalation, which, in theory, could activate the immune system and improve chances of blocking virus transmission.
