Threats
IDSA sees House Appropriations bills as promising start, still come up short amid pandemic
With news that appropriations bills aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic had passed out of House committees this week, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) examined and declared the bills to provide critical resources, albeit with significant gaps and inadequate funding. This... Read More »
FLIR Systems wins Army contract for nerve agent detection spray
The U.S. Army has awarded FLIR Systems a $21.8 million contract to deliver its Agentase C2 spray to detect G- and V-series nerve agents, which are highly toxic chemical warfare agents. It is a full-rate production option worth $21.8 million on an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity (IDIQ)... Read More »
Study examines contract tracing speed effectiveness
Recently released study findings published in The Lancet Public Health journal has determined contact tracing speed strategies to be essential to slowing COVID-19 transmission. Contact tracing involves tracking down all of the people who have been in contact with an infected individual so they... Read More »
Sen. Feinstein urges HHS, EPA to implement COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program. Testing wastewater has been proven as a successful method to detect viruses and... Read More »
Bill enables TSA passenger temperature screenings
A trio of lawmakers have introduced a bill they said requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct a trial program to check passenger temperatures before advancing through airport security. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Ted Budd (R-NC) and John Larson (D-CT) said the TSA... Read More »
Novartis builds 15 medicine, not-for-profit portfolio to treat COVID-19 symptoms
While treatments for COVID-19 remain under research, Novartis announced a new initiative for low- and middle-income countries this week that will supply 15 generic and over-the-counter medicines at zero-profit as a way of treating symptoms. The policy is only meant as a hold-over until a vaccine... Read More »
COVID-Local launches new policy mapping tool and database for information on specific policies’ impacts
Looking to inform decision making during a pandemic, COVID-Local has created a policy mapping tool and database for communities, giving them a way to measure the effects of their COVID-19-related actions against specific policies. COVID Analysis and Mapping of Policies is meant to identify... Read More »
IDSA, infectious disease groups, oppose Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from WHO
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), along with other infectious disease associations, are opposed to the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The decision will weaken the nation’s ability to control the... Read More »
BARDA awards contract to Smiths Medical for safety needles, syringes
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced a deal to work with Smiths Medical to expand the domestic manufacturing capacity for safety needles and syringes. BARDA, along with the DoD’s Joint Program Executive Office for... Read More »
DARPA initiates bug bounty program
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) officials said the organization has launched Finding Exploits to Thwart Tampering (FETT), its inaugural bug bounty program. The endeavor, which officials said seeks to uncover potential weaknesses within new secure processors in development on the... Read More »
Bill targets military firefighter PFAS care
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) has introduced a measure that ensures military firefighters exposed to toxic per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals receive Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) healthcare. Currently, military firefighters exposed to firefighting foam containing PFAS are not... Read More »
COVAX Facility builds coalition of more than 160 countries interested in equitable COVID-19 vaccines
The COVAX Facility -- an organization created to guarantee quick and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world -- has garnered the interest of 75 countries and plans to support as many as 90 lower-income countries through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s Advance Market Commitment... Read More »
House Energy & Commerce Committee approves bill to strengthen Strategic National Stockpile
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation on Wednesday to strengthen public health security by bolstering the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and boosting the domestic manufacturing of medical supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The bipartisan Strengthening... Read More »
Sen. Daines calls for more funding to speed the development of COVID-19 vaccines
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) is requesting more funding for potential COVID-19 vaccines in any new coronavirus relief package. “As you continue your work on critical legislation to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, I write to you today to urge your support for robust funding that will help... Read More »
Legislation targets national cybersecurity enhancement
A New York lawmaker has introduced a trio of measures he said are designed to enhance national cybersecurity while bolstering stability in leadership positions, funding, and resources. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) said the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director and Assistant... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories launches desktop data mining effort to aid COVID-19 research efforts
Sandia National Laboratories is turning to machine learning to assist COVID-19 researchers in combing through existing coronavirus studies and data. Through a mix of algorithms, analytics, and data mining, Sandia wants to make it easy for scientists to find the data they need right at their... Read More »
Moderna interim analysis shows promising immune response results from COVID-19 vaccine candidate
Moderna, Inc. expects to begin a 30,000 participant phase 3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate later this month, following the publication of an interim phase 1 analysis that demonstrated a generally safe and well-tolerated reaction among a small group of healthy adults. The results,... Read More »
Reps. Pallone, Eshoo, and DeGette ask FDA about accuracy of COVID-19 tests
Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) seek answers from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its process to determine the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnostic and serological tests. “Public health experts have consistently called for increased access to... Read More »
University of Queensland’s COVID-19 candidate enters Phase 1 clinical trial
The University of Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate reached a milestone as the first participants were enrolled in its Phase 1 clinical trial. The university’s vaccine is the seventh that is part of the portfolio of vaccines funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness... Read More »
Collaboration targets enhanced cyber defense
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a means of aiding state and local governments with cyber defense efforts. The APL and DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have enlisted the assistance of... Read More »
Agriculture Department invests more than $27M into foot-and-mouth disease vaccine
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $27.1 million into the purchase of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank. The purchase would give the government the means to respond to outbreaks of the disease among... Read More »
Senate Democrat proposals push for efficiency, low costs and wide distribution of COVID-19 vaccine
While an effective COVID-19 vaccine is still being pursued, Senate Democrats released a white paper this week full of proposals to guarantee such vaccines would be provided safely, efficiently and free, while ensuring a distribution wide enough to counter the pandemic. In all, the paper --... Read More »
Air Force participating in DoDʻs COVID-19 convalescent plasma program
The U.S. Air Force is participating in a program launched by the Department of Defense to collect convalescent plasma from COVID-19 patients to be used as a possible treatment for the virus. “We plan to collect more than 8,000 units of plasma from individuals who have recovered from... Read More »
Texas lawmakers seek more COVID-19 resources
A group of Texas legislators recently forwarded correspondence to Health and Human Services (HHS) officials requesting increased resources in response to the Rio Grande Valley COVID-19 surge. Reps. Filemon Vela (D-TX), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Henry Cuellar (D-TX) were joined by Sens. John... Read More »
California CBP personnel offer narcotics seizure report
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel along the California border with Mexico recently reported that, in June, the agency seized 43,000 pounds of narcotics valued at nearly $92 million. Officers at the six land ports of entry were able to foil numerous attempts to smuggle 34,685 pounds... Read More »
WHO launches independent panel to evaluate world’s COVID-19 response
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has derailed economics, killed more than 569,000 people, and left entire nations on lockdown, and last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the formation of an independent panel to investigate the world’s handling of the disease. The Independent... Read More »
OPCW condemns Syria for 2017 chemical weapons use
The executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) voted to condemn the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab Republic in 2017. The vote followed an investigation by the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which concluded that there are... Read More »
Reps. Katko, Schneider introduce bill to ensure government ready for COVID second wave
U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) introduced legislation to ensure the administration and federal government are fully prepared to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and any future resurgences. “With reports of COVID-19 spiking in most states, Central New York working... Read More »
Secret Service forms Cyber Fraud Task Forces
Secret Service officials said the agency is merging its Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs) and Financial Crimes Task Forces (FCTFs) to form the Cyber Fraud Task Forces (CFTFs). The action stems from the recognition of the convergence of cyber and traditional financial crimes. “The... Read More »
CEPI invests additional $66M into Clover Biopharmaceuticals for COVID-19 vaccine efforts
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Sichuan Clover Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. expanded their partnership last week to guarantee the rapid development and manufacturing of the company’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Known as S-Trimer, the vaccine is based on... Read More »
BARDA and JPEO-CBRND strike two partnerships to expand domestic manufacturing for needles, syringes
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Department of Defense penned two technology investment agreements focused on boosting domestic manufacturing last week, with Retractable Technologies, Inc. (RTI) and Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD), respectively. In both... Read More »
House Bill seeks to identify efforts by China to exploit COVID-19
A bill designed to identify and combat efforts by the Chinese government to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Preventing China from Exploiting COVID-19 Act calls upon the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to investigate how the Chinese... Read More »
House leaders ask social media CEOs on their response to COVID-19 misinformation
A group of House Democratic leaders sent letters to the CEOs of the major social media companies to request information on how they are responding to disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The letters were sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO... Read More »
Sandia offers outdoor COVID-19 testing shelter
Sandia National Laboratories personnel is offering design specifications for an outdoor shelter shielding healthcare workers conducting COVID-19 testing on its licensing and technology transfer website. The free design and instruction manual would yield a low-cost, drive-up outdoor shelter. The... Read More »