Coronavirus updates: Space Force's second in command tests positive
The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed over 1.1 million people worldwide.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.
Over 44.3 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks. The criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has also varied from country to country.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica. The United States is the worst-affected nation, with more than 8.8 million diagnosed cases and at least 227,673 deaths.
Nearly 200 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.
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Fauci says we won’t have ‘some semblance of normality’ until at least 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Australians on Wednesday, "I think it will be easily by the end of 2021, and perhaps into the next year, before we start having some semblance of normality."
Fauci defined "normal" as packing theaters and restaurants operating at full capacity, according to The Age.
Fauci applauded Australia's response to the pandemic.
"Australia is one of the countries that has done quite well. New Zealand has done well," he said, according to The Age.
"I would like to say the same for the U.S., but the numbers speak for themselves," Fauci said, describing the U.S. as "getting worse and worse."
Wisconsin football on pause following 12 COVID-19 cases
The University of Wisconsin football team is pausing all activities for at least one week following an “elevated number” of COVID-19 cases, the team announced.
As of Wednesday morning, 12 people – six athletes and six staff members -- had tested positive within the last five days, the team said.
Wisconsin was set to plan Nebraska on Saturday but the game has been canceled.
Poland sees record rise in new cases
Poland confirmed another 18,820 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, its highest single-day increase yet.
An additional 236 fatalities from COVID-19 were also registered across the Central European country in the past 24 hours, according to the Polish Ministry of Health.
Poland's cumulative total currently stands at 299,049 cases with 4,851 deaths.
Meanwhile, nearly 14,000 COVID-19 patients remained hospitalized in Poland as of Wednesday morning, including 1,150 who are on ventilators, the health ministry said.
Eli Lilly to supply US with 300,000 vials of experimental antibody drug
Eli Lilly and Company announced Wednesday an initial agreement with the U.S. government to supply 300,000 vials of one of its experimental antibody treatments for $375 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The federal government will accept the vials of bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody drug, if it is granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The initial agreement also provides the option for the federal government to purchase up to an additional 650,000 vials through June 2021, according to a press release from Eli Lilly and Company.
The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical firm submitted a request earlier this month for the FDA to authorize emergency use of bamlanivimab in non-hospitalized, high-risk individuals with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
"The U.S. is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and associated hospitalizations," said David Ricks, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, "and we believe bamlanivimab could be an important therapeutic option that can bring value to the overall healthcare system, as it has shown a potential benefit in clinical outcomes with a reduction in viral load and rates of symptoms and hospitalizations."
If the FDA authorizes use of the therapeutic, the federal government will allocate the doses to state and territorial health departments which will then determine which health care facilities receive the drug for use in outpatient care. The government-purchased doses would become available to Americans at no cost, though health care professionals could charge for administering the intravenous infusion, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"This agreement with Eli Lilly is part of Operation Warp Speed’s efforts to position the federal government to distribute potential therapeutics, allowing faster distribution if trials are successful," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.
The deal comes after the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced Monday that it has stopped testing a combination of bamlanivimab with the antiviral medication remedesivir in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, after an independent review of results found a "lack of clinical benefit." Eli Lilly and Company said that all other studies of bamlanivimab, including its own phase 3 clinical trials, will continue and that it remains "confident" that the drug may help prevent progression of COVID-19 for individuals earlier in the course of their disease.