Threats
BARDA to work with Hememics on rapid COVID-19 test
The Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) is working with Hememics Biotechnologies to develop a rapid antigen and antibody test to identify the COVID-19 coronavirus in 60 seconds. The test will be designed to detect the SARS-CoV-2 antigen, which causes COVID-19, from nasal... Read More »
Collaborative effort aids COVID-19 testing initiative
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a recent collaboration including U.S. Cotton, UnitedHealth Group, Quantigen, and the Gates Foundation has resulted in further COVID-19 testing option expansion. Officials said the determination that spun synthetic swabs, with a design... Read More »
Sen. Johnson seeks action on hydroxychloroquine use
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has forwarded correspondence to President Donald Trump, encouraging efforts to provide COVID-19 patients the right to try hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the course of their diagnosis. Johnson is seeking to have the president issue a directive to remove the Food and Drug... Read More »
BARDA awards up to $483M to Moderna for mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
Moderna is working toward U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure on an mRNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- with a $483 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). “Vaccines are a critical tool for saving lives... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation unveiled in U.S. House to ramp up nation’s emergency medical stockpile
Congressional legislators on Friday introduced two bipartisan bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to bolster the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), the nation’s repository of antibiotics, vaccines and other critical medical supplies that has been strained by the current coronavirus... Read More »
BARDA, Red Cross to collect plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is partnering with the American Red Cross (ARC) to recruit blood donors who have recovered from COVID-19. BARDA and the ARC are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect convalescent plasma for use as a... Read More »
DHS to temporarily amend H-2A requirements for foreign agricultural workers
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking to temporarily amend H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers during the coronavirus emergency. The H-2A program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. The rule... Read More »
NIH examines efficacy of N95 respirator reuse
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists maintain N95 respirators can maintain functional integrity for up to three uses when decontaminated effectively. The findings stem from a study conducted in a controlled laboratory setting. The results are not yet peer-reviewed but are being shared... Read More »
Sen. Menendez, Rep. Sires seek flexibility for physician employment visas
Citing an increased need for medical staff to handle the surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) are encouraging the waiving of restrictions on doctors with employment-based visas. The legislators said the restrictions prevent the doctors from... Read More »
IAFC pitches survey to highlight need for personal protective equipment
Harried by an ongoing shortage of personal protective equipment for some of the emergency responders who need it most amid the COVID-19 pandemic -- firefighters and EMS workers -- the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is pitching a survey they hope to present directly to President... Read More »
BARDA, Sanofi focus on non-clinical studies, Phase 1 clinicals for COVID-19 vaccine
Efforts begun on a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in February are moving closer to fruition for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Sanofi Pasteur, with the announcement of pending non-clinical studies and a Phase 1 clinical trial. These trials will determine the initial... Read More »
Repurposed technology to help sterilize millions of N95 respirators for health care workers
Millions of N95 respirators used by U.S. health care workers in hospital settings can now be sterilized for reuse, helping to combat the spread of COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) on April 11 for one such technology that has the... Read More »
University of Illinois working with Carle Health to develop COVID-19 face shields
Researchers and engineers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health launched an effort to produce face shields for health professionals responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. It stems from a personal protective equipment (PPE) design initiative led by The Grainger... Read More »
BARDA to work with Vela on rapid test for COVID-19
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is working with Vela Diagnostics USA to develop a rapid diagnostic test for the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid diagnostic test would be for use on two instrument platforms, which is needed to test as many people as possible and... Read More »
Effort expands, expedites Ohio COVID-19 testing
Ohio State University researchers have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a process designed to expand and accelerate COVID-19 testing statewide. In response to shortages of test kit components, including swabs and vials filled with a liquid called viral transport media... Read More »
Bill broadens public safety officer protections amid COVID-19 pandemic
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure designed to expand assurances for public safety officers contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus and Fire Services Caucus, House Judiciary Committee Chairman... Read More »HHS collaborates with non-government organizations to further COVID-19 immunotherapies
The push for convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin immunotherapies to use against COVID-19 continues at the federal level, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) touting collaboration with non-governmental entities to see it done. These immunotherapies could... Read More »
Criticism mounts over Trump decision to halt WHO funding amid pandemic
President Donald Trump’s pledge to halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) while the White House reviews its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak has drawn immediate criticism from the health community. “We must all be allies against this threat; this is not the time to stand... Read More »
Lawmakers request clarity on nationwide COVID-19 testing efforts
A group of senators recently forwarded correspondence to Vice President Mike Pence, the Coronavirus Task Force, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking COVID-19 testing clarity. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined colleagues in calling for the initiation... Read More »
Maryland School of Medicine initiates expanded COVID-19 testing initiative
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) officials said a new $2.5 million State of Maryland funding allotment would aid in initiating a broader COVID-19 testing initiative expanding testing capability. "The state is in dire need of increased coronavirus testing, and the School of... Read More »
Rutgers gains emergency use authorization for new saliva test to detect SARS-CoV-2
Rutgers University gained emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week for a new test utilizing saliva to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The test comes from Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics, the world's largest... Read More »
BARDA, DiaSorin enter public-private partnership to create fully automated serology test for SARS-CoV-2
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will pump approximately $180,000 into a new partnership with DiaSorin, Inc. to create a clinical lab test capable of identifying people infected with and recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes... Read More »
UN Foundation grants $10M to CEPI for COVID-19 vaccine
The United Nations Foundation is awarding $10 million to CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. This award is through the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (WHO). The fund was set up to raise funds for... Read More »
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 »