News
House resolution seeks to create viral diseases institute
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced Wednesday a House Resolution seeking to establish a new National Institutes of Health unit known as The National Institute of Viral Diseases. "I am introducing this resolution to build upon our federal government’s investment in scientific research and to... Read More »
AstraZeneca vaccine confirmed safe, effective against COVID-19 following Phase 3 clinical trials
The results of Phase 3 clinical trials of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa were released this week in The Lancet, proving the vaccine to be safe and effective, including preventing any severe cases for at least 22 days after the first dose. All told,... Read More »
Emergent Biosolutions intranasal flu vaccine causes immune response in phase 1 study
An experimental, intranasal influenza vaccine developed by Emergent Biosolutions, Inc. passed a years-long test this week, showcasing strong immune responses among a small group of volunteers in a phase one study. The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, showed that after... Read More »
Sen. Warren, Rep. Schakowsky introduce bill to manufacture COVID-19 supplies
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced legislation to publicly manufacture personal protective equipment, prescription drugs, and other medical supplies necessary to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic Emergency Manufacturing Act of 2021 authorizes the... Read More »
DHS, CISA to fund project to develop standards for computer aided dispatch systems
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will invest $268,000 to develop standards for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by public safety agencies. The research project will seek to... Read More »
CBP implementing Super Bowl security initiatives
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said aircrews, agents and officers are supporting local, state, and federal efforts for a safe and secure Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working diligently to help secure Super Bowl LV through air and maritime... Read More »
FirstNet reviewing Tennessee subscriber outages following Nashville bombing
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) has been meeting with subscribers in the Nashville area and some surrounding areas that experienced outages after a Nashville bombing. The Dec. 25, 2020 bombing of a Nashville AT&T building did not impact FirstNet network infrastructure... Read More »
WHO’s first global assessment of health information systems shows need for data improvements
In its first-ever global assessment of country health information systems, released this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that while two-thirds of low-income countries have some form of system to report causes of death, there is a widespread need for improvement. This has been... Read More »
BARDA partners with Visby Medical to create rapid, handheld flu and COVID-19 test for at-home use
Visby Medical, Inc. was awarded a Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) this week that will allow it to expand efforts surrounding the Visby Personal PCR Test, a COVID-19 test seeking to add the capability to distinguish between influenza cases. The test is meant to be... Read More »
Democrats build case for bolstering vaccine distribution with Biden COVID relief bill
Members of the Democrat-controlled U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee argued Wednesday the Trump administration’s actions on COVID-19 were inadequate to bring the pandemic under control and only the massive expenditure being called for by President Joe Biden will be enough to defeat the... Read More »
Rep. Stauber introduces bill to fund better training for police officers
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) reintroduced legislation designed to fund better training for police officers. Further, the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act would increase the number of body cameras and provide grants to police departments to help... Read More »
UK government orders another 40 million doses of Valneva’s vaccine candidate
The UK Government has ordered 40 million more doses of Valneva’s adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidate for supply in 2022. This increases the total doses of the Valneva vaccine ordered by the UK Government to 100 million. Plus, the UK Government retains options for possibly a further 90... Read More »
Firms to aid Air Force DevSecOps initiative
Air Force officials said two firms have been selected to compete for task orders through the five-year Software Development Security Operations (DevSecOps) Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) contract. The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman Corporation and Lockheed Martin for the endeavor. Northrop... Read More »
CARB-X awards contract for development of antibiotic susceptibility testing device
Avails Medical, a Menlo Park, California diagnostics company, has secured an award worth up to $2.5 million from CARB-X to develop an electronic antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) device. The innovation would expedite healthcare providers’ ability to determine the most effective... Read More »
DoD, DHS award $231.8M contract for Ellume USA COVID-19 home test
The United States Departments of Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $231.8 million to Ellume USA LLC this week to expand the domestic production capacity of its COVID-19 Home Test. These funds will increase Ellume’s U.S. production capacity by 640,000 tests per day by... Read More »
Innova Medical Group antigen tests demonstrate ability to detect current COVID-19 variants
With fears growing over mutated strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have spread from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil, Innova Medical Group, Inc. provided some relief this week with confirmation that its antigen test kits are capable of identifying all three. "As these dangerous... Read More »
DEA to expand Operation Crystal Shield
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Thursday that it would be expanding its Operation Crystal Shield to include the cities of Chicago and San Francisco. DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Bell with the Chicago Field Division said the two cities have been designated... Read More »
Senate bill seeks to improve school safety
A bill that seeks to help schools improve security measures was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021 would codify the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety into law. The clearinghouse is available at SchoolSafety.gov and informs parents and educators on... Read More »
Novartis signs deal with Pfizer-BioNTech to support vaccine production
Novartis signed an agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech to leverage its manufacturing capacity and capabilities to support the production of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. Through this agreement, Novartis will use its aseptic manufacturing facilities at its site in Stein, Switzerland. Through... Read More »
HSI addresses Super Bowl safety initiatives
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials said the agency would be collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement to provide public safety efforts for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida. “I am proud of the efforts of HSI Tampa, the National Intellectual Property Rights... Read More »
GAO offers COVID-19 response recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations regarding the federal COVID-19 response via the CARES Act, focusing on critical gaps and plans to address the gaps. The GAO indicated the agency's recommendation concerning the importance of clear and... Read More »
University of Washington predicts possibility of spring increase in deaths due to COVID-19 variants
A new forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington establishes the danger of two new variants of COVID-19, warning of the possibility of a surge of deaths later this year, even despite the vaccine rollout. According to the report, B.1.351 -- the... Read More »
AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use on adults in EU
Those residents of the European Union 18 years or older will now be able to get AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to prevent COVID-19, following a conditional marketing authorization granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The approval will allow AstraZeneca to begin working with the EU... Read More »
New Jersey Senate advances bill requiring naloxone prescription alongside opioid prescriptions
The New Jersey Senate has passed legislation that would require doctors to prescribe an opioid overdose antidote in conjunction with any opioids they prescribe for high-risk patients. The bill, S-2323, aims to reduce the number of opioid deaths in that state. “The opioid crisis continues... Read More »
Bipartisan bill seeks to restore full retirement benefits to federal first responders hurt on job
A bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to ensure that federal firefighters, law enforcement officials, Border Patrol officers, and other federal first responders qualify for full retirement benefits if they are injured on the job. The First Responder Fair RETIRE Act addresses inequities... Read More »
CEPI awarding $140M for COVID-19 vaccine research
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation, or CEPI, is awarding up to $140 million in funding to research institutions for clinical data on COVID-19 vaccines. This initiative aims to fill in existing clinical research and development gaps to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines. The... Read More »
Measure targets counterterrorism enhancement, extremism
House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) reintroduced the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) Act (H.R. 567), which authorizes an interagency program to strengthen counterterrorism operations and while improving the coordination of assistance to address... Read More »
CISA, Cactus League execute response plan exercise
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently joined Cactus League officials and affiliates in an exercise designed to review pre-incident preparedness measures and response plans. For the second consecutive year, the tabletop exercise... Read More »
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine more than 89 percent effective in UK trial
Novavax, Inc. demonstrated a strong showing of its COVID-19 vaccine last week, posting an 89.3 percent efficacy in a United Kingdom-based phase three trial, conducted in partnership with the UK government’s Vaccines Taskforce. Notably, this vaccine was also pitted against variants of the... Read More »
New proposed ‘Apollo’ program for biodefense calls for pandemic elimination in a decade
Even with the rollout of mass vaccination worldwide, COVID-19’s spread is nowhere near an immediate end. So, it might seem perplexing when biosecurity researchers appear optimistic about a future without pandemics. That reality is exactly what a new report has outlined. Released this week... Read More »
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine 66 percent effective overall against moderate to severe cases
The results of the phase three ENSEMBLE clinical trial have shown that Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Janssen COVID-19 vaccine candidate is 66 percent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 cases 28 days after vaccination. The study also showed that the vaccine... Read More »
DHS puts out National Terrorism Advisory bulletin, warns of heightened threat environment
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin this week, citing a heightened threat environment across the United States that is likely to persist over the coming weeks. The acting DHS secretary issued the bulletin after consultation with... Read More »
CARB-X awards $5.3M to Lumen for diarrheal disease research, development
Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB-X) awarded $5.3 million to Lumen Bioscience to develop a new immunotherapy to prevent diarrheal diseases caused by two specific pathogens -- Campylobacter jejuni and enterotoxigenic E. coli. Diarrheal diseases are intestinal infections caused by... Read More »
Space Command relocation decision suspension sought
Colorado's congressional delegation is encouraging President Joe Biden to suspend the Trump administration's decision to move Space Command from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Huntsville, Ala., until a thorough review. On Jan. 13, the Air Force announced Huntsville would serve as the Space Command... Read More »