News
Esri working with FEMA to help in coronavirus fight
Esri, a company that makes geographic information system (GIS) software, is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus. Specifically, Esri will provide its mapping and analytics technology in support of a multi-agency geospatial... Read More »
Sanofi to donate 100 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to countries
Sanofi will donate 100 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to 50 countries around the world. The French pharmaceutical company has received an increasing number of requests from local governments around the world for this product. Sanofi’s priority is to ensure supply continuity for patients... Read More »
Bill establishing coronavirus commission to be introduced in the US Senate
A group of Democratic U.S. Senators will introduce a bill to establish a commission to examine the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The commission would be charged with reviewing the government’s coronavirus response and make recommendations on how it can be improved. The bill... Read More »
Boeing executes initial face shield delivery effort
Boeing recently executed the initial delivery of reusable 3D-printed face shields as a means of supporting healthcare professionals working to halt COVID-19. “Boeing is proud to stand alongside many other great American companies in the fight against COVID-19, and we are dedicated to... Read More »
DHS funding aids TSA detection, screening capabilities
Analytical AI of Birmingham, Ala., received a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) funding award to aid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) detection and screening capabilities. The $199,536 allotment through the Silicon Valley Innovation... Read More »
NIH launches study to measure undetected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection
One of the major problems facing governments and healthcare professionals alike in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been the undetected, asymptomatic cases throughout the world, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now aims to track the previously unnoticed. A study to be conducted... Read More »
FDA authorizes decontamination, reuse N95 and equivalent respirators to combat COVID-19
In a second emergency use authorization (EUA), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the decontamination of N95 and equivalent respirators for reuse by health care workers in hospitals working to contain COVID-19. Such masks have been in short supply as hospitals... Read More »
Lawmakers urge international authorities to ban wildlife markets and wildlife trade
A group of Congressional lawmakers are calling on leaders of the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health to ban live wildlife markets and international trade of live wildlife. Live wildlife markets, also known as “wet” markets, create a... Read More »
Cruise ship No Sail Order extended
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extended the No Sail Order for all cruise ships to combat domestic spread of COVID-19. “We are working with the cruise line industry to address the health and safety of crew at sea as well as communities surrounding U.S. cruise ship... Read More »
NIH to assess viability of hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment
The malaria and arthritis drug much-touted by President Donald Trump, hydroxychloroquine, is getting its chance under the microscope now, with the beginning of a clinical trial by the National Institutes of Health to determine its potential as a COVID-19 therapy. Testers hope the drug could have... Read More »
CEPI identifies 115 COVID-19 vaccines under development
Every day during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to bring word of a new potential vaccine, treatment or diagnostic being considered or pursued, but the vaccine R&D team at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has made them easier to track. In a new analysis published in Nature... Read More »
Report examines COVID-19 cyber threats
A recently released report generated by United Kingdom and American security personnel maintains cyber criminals and other online groups are exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak for personal gain. The analysis from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department of Homeland... Read More »Sen. Baldwin sponsors bill to protect frontline workers from pandemics
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation designed to protect first responders and frontline workers in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The COVID–19 Workers First Protection Act (S. 3584) directs the Department of Labor (DOL) to issue an emergency temporary... Read More »
HHS awards $1.3 billion in relief funding to health centers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded roughly $1.3 billion to health centers to help them respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The funding – through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – went to 1,387 different health centers. The awards may be... Read More »
Royal Philips agrees to double production of U.S. hospital ventilators by May
Teaming up with the United States government, health technology provider Royal Philips has agreed to double the production of hospital ventilators at its U.S. manufacturing sites by May and push for a four-fold increase by the third quarter. These supplies would then be usable in both the U.S.... Read More »
Report concludes that Assad regime used chemical weapons in 2017
A new report from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) attributes three instances of chemical weapons use in 2017 to the Assad regime in Syria. The report from the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded that there are grounds to believe that the... Read More »
HHS to issue healthcare worker protective suits
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials reached an agreement with DuPont to obtain Tyvek suits for frontline healthcare workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. DuPont will deliver 450,000 Tyvek suits, via FedEx, to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) from its Hanoi,... Read More »
Lawmakers urge potential drug shortage preparedness
A pair of lawmakers are calling for immediate action to prepare for and prevent anticipated critical drug shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have forwarded correspondence to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Office of the... Read More »
Nanomix tapped by BARDA to develop 15 minute COVID-19 diagnostic
Nanomix is working to create a 15 minute rapid mobile COVID-19 test, capable of diagnosing current or past infection by SARS-CoV-2 through nasal and throat swabs. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is teaming up with Nanomix to achieve this, pumping $569,647 into... Read More »
Inovio gets FDA approval to start trials on COVID-19 vaccine candidate
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted Inovio Pharmaceuticals investigational new drug (IND) application for its vaccine candidate designed to prevent COVID-19 infection. This action by the FDA paves the way for Phase 1 clinical testing of this vaccine candidate, INO-4800, in healthy... Read More »
Potential COVID-19 vaccine efficacy assessed
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers maintain when tested in mice a potential vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, produces antibodies for potential neutralization. The study findings detailed via eBioMedicine, which is published by... Read More »
Science and Technology Directorate seeks participants for GPS vulnerabilities event
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is seeking participants for its third 2020 GPS Testing for Critical Infrastructure (GET-CI) event later this year. “Accurate and precise position, navigation and timing (PNT) information is vital to the... Read More »
BARDA, Genentech to run clinical trial of Actemra as potential COVID-19 treatment
Actemra, a drug more commonly used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, will undergo a Phase 3 clinical trial for its potential to help patients suffering from COVID-19, under an expanded partnership between Roche’s Genentech and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development... Read More »
Grifols partners with BARDA, DoD to create plasma-based COVID-19 treatment
Global healthcare company Grifols is collaborating with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to collect plasma and create a COVID-19 treatment based on it. The effort is based on previous government calls for... Read More »
GlaxoSmithKline, Vir to work together on coronavirus treatments
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology will collaborate to research and develop solutions for coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The partnership will leverage Vir’s proprietary monoclonal antibody platform technology to identify new anti-viral antibodies... Read More »
CDC to provide $186M in COVID-19 support grants for state, local jurisdictions
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would provide $186 million to state and local jurisdictions for COVID-19 support. “Testing and surveillance is a vital piece of our efforts to beat the coronavirus, and this new... Read More »
Bill targets future pandemic preparedness
A group of legislators recently introduced legislation designed to create a commission to assess the nation's response and make recommendations for future pandemic preparedness. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) joined 12 colleagues in presenting the Pandemic Rapid Response Act, which establishes the... Read More »
Sandoz, Bayer donate 31 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to Strategic National Stockpile
Hydroxychloroquine is flooding the Strategic National Stockpile this week as a potential treatment for COVID-19, thanks to a 30 million dose donation from Sandoz and another 1 million gifted by Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Both hydroxychloroquine sulfate and chloroquine phosphate were given U.S. Food... Read More »
HHS to purchase COVID-19 rapid point-of-care test from Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends to purchase the ID NOW COVID-19 rapid point-of-care test developed by Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough Inc., to expand the supply of diagnostics available to state, territorial and tribal public health labs. Designed for the ID NOW... Read More »
Massachusetts governor launches contact tracing initiative to mitigate the spread of COVID-19
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the creation of the COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Massachusetts. This collaboration with Partners In Health focuses on tracing the contacts of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients and... Read More »
Lawmakers introduce bill to create a national commission on national emergencies
A bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives seeks to establish a National Commission on United States Preparedness for National Emergencies. The Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act authorizes the creation of a National Commission on United States Preparedness for... Read More »
Bill addresses public health accountability for foreign officials
A Republican group of legislators announced plans to introduce the Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act designed to address foreign officials who attempted to conceal early onset COVID-19 public health information. The Act would also sanction any foreign official who may conceal a... Read More »
Measure bolsters security of stockpile supply chain during COVID-19 crisis
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón recently led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing a measure that bolsters the U.S. supply chain amid the COVID-19 pandemic. González-Colón and Reps. Donna Shalala (D-FL), Rob Bishop (R-UT), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ruben... Read More »
New CDC COVIDView report pledges weekly summaries of coronavirus data
As part of ongoing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) efforts to promote reliable COVID-19 information, it has modified its existing surveillance systems to form a weekly new report known as COVIDView, which will summarize and interpret data each Friday. The first COVIDView... Read More »