Countermeasures
Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on BioSafety Level (BSL)-3 and Animal BSL (ABSL)-3 laboratory capacity to conduct animal model research for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and... Read More »
A group of Senate Democratic recently urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work with state and local officials to identify gaps in ultra-cold storage capability, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
This... Read More »
A new Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) report seeks U.S. and Russia support in sustaining International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) work.
The Future of IAEA Safeguards: Rebuilding the Vienna Spirit through Russian-U.S. Expert Dialogue resulted... Read More »
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said the recent successful execution of a missile defense exercise serves as a milestone for the Aegis BMD SM-3 Block IIA program.
Navy sailors aboard the USS John Finn (DDG-113), an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System-equipped destroyer, intercepted and... Read More »
A partnership between the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) known as Operation Warp Speed has accelerated efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, but transparency is lacking, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said.
Typically, vaccine... Read More »
Federal lawmakers from Oregon are requesting financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help offset the costs of fighting the wildfires.
Specifically, they are asking FEMA to assume 100 percent of the cost share for debris removal and emergency protective... Read More »
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States could be imperiled by President Donald Trump’s decision to fight a transition to the incoming administration under Joe Biden, a new report from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) warned this week.
Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security... Read More »
Officials from the nation’s leading health care organizations sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging his administration’s full cooperation in sharing critical COVID-19 information with the Biden transition team.
“As organizations representing the nation’s hospitals and health... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the leader of the House Homeland Security Committee, is urging House leadership to support the expansion of the Committee’s jurisdiction to ensure it has the authority necessary to fully authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Thomas said the 9/11... Read More »
According to the Center for American Progress, an independent thinktank, violent crime rates dropped in 10 jurisdictions that enacted comprehensive police reform.
The group analyzed violent crime rates in 10 jurisdictions where the police department fulfilled a reform agreement with the U.S.... Read More »
Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) have joined colleagues in advocating for an Air National Guard C-130 aircraft fleet to support active duty missions and domestic emergencies.
Duckworth and Durbin were among the 18 lawmakers penning and forwarding correspondence to the Armed... Read More »
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is advocating federal lawmakers and law enforcement agencies enhance hate crimes data collection and reporting in the wake of incidents rising.
The ADL said the call to action stems from the FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA) report, determining 2019... Read More »
A SARS-CoV-2 antibody test conceived by DiaSorin Inc. will benefit from an expanded partnership between its creator and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the pair announced this week.
The enhanced immunoassay detects SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19... Read More »
With funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Inovio Pharmaceuticals signaled intentions to begin phase two of its Phase 2/3 clinical trial for INO-4800, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
"Initiation of our Phase 2 trial... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced that approximately $43 million in funding will be made available for New York City’s Office of Management and Budget to cover COVID-19 related expenses.
Specifically, this funding covers the cost of enhanced protective... Read More »
President Donald Trump issued an executive order to prohibit U.S. investments in Chinese firms on the U.S. Department of Defense list of Chinese military companies.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who introduced legislation in October that mirrors the EO, applauded the move. Rubio’s American... Read More »
BAE Systems, one of the largest defense contractors in the Fort Gordon and Augusta, Ga., area, has secured an additional 17,000 square feet of commercial space to advance services.
“We’re committed to supporting our customer’s mission by bringing innovative solutions that further enable... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently encouraged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enhance air travel safety and support the nation’s travel and tourism industry recovery.
Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) recently joined Sens. Richard... Read More »
In an initial study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was deemed highly accurate in its capabilities and capable of turning out results within mere hours.
"If our saliva-based assay's... Read More »
Data from the phase three trial of mRNA-1273, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, Inc., has shown promising results with a 94.5 percent efficacy rate among volunteers.
“This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with large chain pharmacies and networks of independent pharmacies and regional chains to maximize access to COVID-19 vaccines.
This effort will cover approximately 60 percent of pharmacies throughout the 50 states, the... Read More »
Delegates at the World Health Organization’s virtual World Health Assembly approved a new road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) for 2021−2030.
The road map sets out global targets and actions to align the work of countries, partners, and stakeholders during the next decade. ... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has released a comprehensive journal detailing the toxic inhalation hazards of industrial chemicals like ammonia and chlorine.
The Jack Rabbit II project involving multiple large-scale chlorine release experiments... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently urged Armed Services Committee conferees to ensure the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) bill offers an inventory of C-130 aircraft in West Virginia and nationwide.
Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) recently joined a Senate... Read More »
A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-supported COVID-19 treatment by AbCellera Biologics has gained emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, representing a major success for all involved.
Specifically, the therapeutic... Read More »
A grant of up to $20 million was awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this week to expand its portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines and address gaps in current development.
Significant gains have been made in development... Read More »
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) recently reported that prescription opioid overdose deaths decreased statewide in 2019 when more than 94,000 doses of naloxone were dispensed or distributed, representing an increase of 95 percent from 2018.
NMDOH also said that there were more than... Read More »
While Germany, South Korea, and Taiwan implemented aggressive testing strategies and infrastructure during the early spread of SARS-CoV-2, the United States failed to develop and distribute reliable diagnostic tests when the pandemic initially hit the country, according to a new report.
This... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded more than $96 million in grants to fund drug courts and veterans’ treatment courts, the department announced Wednesday.
The courts, funded through the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, work to get nonviolent juveniles, veterans, and adults with... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide health coverage for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
The Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act was drafted after a veteran in Buchanan’s district,... Read More »
The U.S Navy has issued task orders for Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services (CANES) for two Arleigh Burke class destroyers, a Virginia class submarine, and two Blue Ridge class command ships.
CANES serves as a single support framework for all command, control, communications,... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded five companies contracts to develop algorithms as a means of bolstering aerial combat maneuvering.
Boeing, EpiSci, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Heron Systems, and physicsAI would develop artificial intelligence agents expanding... Read More »
Citing Agent Orange's wide impact, two Democratic senators are urging the inclusion of Senate Amendment 1972 in the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA).
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Jon Tester (D-MT) said the amendment would establish a presumption of... Read More »
Nearly 2,000 Marine recruits were put into a two-week quarantine before starting basic training, according to a study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Naval Medical Research Center, and despite this, asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 still occurred.
Published this... Read More »
A new article released this week from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and colleagues, laid out a clear call for COVID-19 treatments dedicated to cases of early infection, for their potential to speed recovery and bolster the... Read More »
