"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 28th Oct 2020
Isolation Tips
Juggling act: Tips for balancing remote work and home life in 2020
Any remote worker can tell you how office demands have invaded the home in 2020 and started creeping into every corner of the day. But Jessica DeGroot is no ordinary worker. She is an expert in work-life balance as head of the consultancy ThirdPath Institute. “Work was taking over entirely, and I was becoming less and less efficient,” said DeGroot, who is working from her home office in Philadelphia, while her husband has commandeered the kitchen as his own workspace. “I just thought, I gotta do something different here.” Almost six in 10 employees say the pandemic has made their workdays less defined, according to a Pulse of the American Worker survey conducted by Prudential Financial.
Covid: toddlers from UK's poorest families 'hit hardest by lockdown'
Babies and toddlers from poorer backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, with less access to books and outdoor space during lockdown than children growing up in wealthier families, research has found. The developmental impact of the coronavirus crisis on children aged 0-3 has been largely undocumented, but early findings from the new study suggest young children from disadvantaged backgrounds have missed out on activities during lockdown which play a vital part in child development. The study, conducted by researchers at five UK universities and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, surveyed more than 500 parents of children under three about the sort of activities they enjoyed with their child before and during lockdown.
Hygiene Helpers
COVID-19 risk on planes 'very low' with proper measures, Harvard review says
The risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard a plane is "reduced to very low levels," Harvard researchers concluded. The onboard ventilation systems coupled with measures such as masks, frequent cabin cleaning, and distancing during boarding and deplaning help keep the virus from spreading. "This layered approach reduces the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission onboard aircraft below that of other routine activities during the pandemic, such as grocery shopping or eating out," the report stated. The Aviation Public Health Initiative (APHI), comprised of faculty and scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, published its Phase One report Tuesday, analyzing "gate-to-gate travel" onboard planes. It has not been peer-reviewed.
Eight in 10 Covid-19 hospital patients are vitamin D deficient, study
Further proof that vitamin D could protect people from coronavirus emerged today after a study found deficiencies in the sunshine nutrient are four times as common among hospitalised patients. A mountain of research from around the world has painted a clear picture — infected patients who do not have enough vitamin D are more likely to end up in hospital.
Community Activities
Cornwall woodworker building free desks for virtual learning students
Besner had heard about kids learning from home not having the proper space and decided to make desks in his small shop. "My wife and I decided that we'd build twenty desks and hand them out to kids who are registered in virtual learning and also for parents who couldn't afford to buy their kids one," he said. "The idea behind it is to get the kids off the kitchen tables, to get them off the couch or get them off their bed where they're laying down and this way they could have their own desk to work on." Besner finished the first 20 desks last week and has started on the next order to build 20 more to be given away, all for free.
Ely Museum virtual school visits
During lockdown, lots of people learnt new skills, and the team at Ely Museum were no different - except they decided to tackle virtual time travel to deliver school visits online. Suspecting that visiting schools in person during the autumn term would not be possible, the summer was spent devising a plan. Since then, classrooms have time travelled virtually to explore what life was like for people in Ely as far back as the Stone Age. Thanks to a ‘heritage emergency fund’ grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the museum was able to purchase the necessary equipment to make live-streaming visits possible and began preparation and rehearsals over the summer.
Cities reboot: Adapting to a pandemic world
Downtown is deserted and happy hour is history - the pandemic has upended urban life for billions and futurologists expect a changed cityscape to emerge in the post-viral world. From home to office, park to pub - all corners of city life have undergone some sort of reboot during COVID-19. More than 43 million people have been infected by the virus and the death toll tops 1.1 million, according to a global tally by Johns Hopkins University. After months in lockdown, second waves of the novel coronavirus have forced new travel curbs and a messy mosaic of lockdown laws from Madrid to Melbourne. Experts agree cities will never look the same.
Covid: Post-furlough unemployment 'hits young and ethnic minorities'
Young and ethnic minority workers were more likely to be made unemployed post-furlough, according to a new report. A survey of about 6,000 adults by the Resolution Foundation found 19% of 18-24 year olds who were furloughed during lockdown were unemployed in September. For black, Asian and minority ethnic workers the figure was 22%, compared to 9% for the general population. The Treasury said its wage support schemes had helped to protect millions of jobs. The government's Job Retention Scheme initially covered up to 80% of an individual's wages if they were placed on furlough and unable to work.
Black participation in covid-19 vaccine trials is key to Black economic recovery
Vaccine trials need Black people. And the Black economic recovery needs a vaccine. The economic downturn from the novel coronavirus has had a staggering financial impact on Blacks. Job losses from the pandemic have overwhelmingly affected low-wage, minority workers. Black men and women are among those taking the longest time to regain their employment. Black Americans account for about 13 percent of the U.S. population but 24 percent of coronavirus deaths, the Pew Research Center reported in June. But when I ask the Black folks I know if they’re going to take a coronavirus vaccine, most without hesitation say, “No, I will not.”
Global survey shows widespread disapproval of Covid response
People in most of 25 countries around the world think governments and leaders failed to respond either well or fast enough to the coronavirus crisis, a new global survey shows. YouGov’s globalism survey of about 26,000 people in countries from Australia to Sweden, designed with the Guardian and carried out by the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project between July and August, before the second wave hit in Europe and elsewhere, showed striking variations in approval for governments’ handling of the pandemic, which has killed nearly 1.1 million people. A record four in five respondents in Denmark, which locked down very early in March as the first wave hit and has managed to limit Covid deaths to 119 per million inhabitants, thought their government had done very or fairly well.
Working Remotely
4 Ways Men Can Support Their Female Colleagues — Remotely
Everyday gender biases and barriers remain a persistent problem in office culture. But men with a keen awareness of how women experience the workplace and how gender inequities torpedo profitability and mission outcomes can actively deploy strategies to overcome them. In the in-person work environment, these strategies include ensuring that women have a seat (and a nameplate) at the table; confronting other men when they make biased or sexist statements, including to women in team social events; and validating and normalizing women’s experiences in the moment. Men now have to adapt these strategies for the remote workplace.
Remote Working Will Transform Employer Benefit Offerings
As of June 2020, forty-two percent of the U.S. labor force was working from home full-time, and remote working has proven more successful than many employers could have ever anticipated. According to Randstad Sourceright’s COVID-19 Surveillance Report, 76 percent of employers in the U.S. and Canada reported that working from home is more effective than they thought it would be, and 50 percent believe that employees are even more productive in their homes than in a physical office. Because of this success, as well as stay-at-home restrictions still in effect in some states, North American businesses anticipate that 49 percent of their staff will continue working remotely into 2021.
Moving during COVID-19? Relocating for work could come with a massive pay cut
Relocating during COVID-19? Pulling up stakes could come with a substantial pay cut. With the pandemic upending office life, some employees working remotely are contemplating moves from densely packed cities to less costly and greener destinations where they can be closer to family or fresh air. Though workers may no longer need to put up with tight spaces and high costs to land top work opportunities, moving from the nation's hottest job markets could cost them as much as 30%, according to new research Glassdoor shared exclusively with USA TODAY.
Working from home ‘damaging Britain's creative potential and economic wellbeing’
Working from home is damaging Britain’s creative potential and could harm personal wellbeing and the economy if it is maintained long after the coronavirus pandemic has receded, the Bank of England’s chief economist has said. Andy Haldane said the mass shift to remote working during the Covid emergency had benefited many workers and their employers, helping to boost wellbeing and productivity. However, he warned that lockdown working arrangements had been far less constructive for others, and that the sharp decline of face-to-face interaction was destroying vital opportunities for creative expression and innovation. Drawing on his own personal experience of working remotely from the Bank since March, he said: “I do not miss the commute. But I feel acutely the loss of working relationships and external stimuli – the chance conversations, listening to very different people with very different lived experiences, the exposure to new ideas and experiences.
How to foster innovation in a remote-working world
Collaboration is a key ingredient of innovation in any workplace. While working remotely can cause hiccups in the normal process among teams, companies can still stay nimble and creative. At the recent Fast Company Innovation Festival, a panel discussion presented by PepsiCo featured senior executives from leading companies offering advice on building a culture of creativity when your workforce goes virtual. Here are five key takeaways from that event. (Some quotes have been edited for clarity.)
Virtual Classrooms
Back To School During The COVID-19 Pandemic: How Are Parents Coping With Virtual Learning?
The reality is that most parents are working full-time and do not have the funds nor resources to get tutors. This means that a large number of students will be unable to learn properly. It is not as if parents don't want to help - trust us, they do. There is simply not enough time in the day to juggle a full-time job and supervising school lesson plans. Another issue is that most parents are not trained teachers. It is a true (perhaps undervalued) skill to be able to teach. The amount of patience, diligence, and enthusiasm needed is laudable. Many of us will be completely out of practice when it comes to schoolwork. Algebra? Calculus? Biology? Chemistry? Help!
Parents Are the New Remote-School Zoom Bombers
Remote school has created a whole new group of people for teachers to manage during class time: parents. Now that moms and dads have gotten a new window into the classroom, many are having a hard time staying out of it. Some are asking questions during live video classes or texting teachers while class is in session. Others are sitting next to their kids and asking them questions or prodding them to speak up. In one hybrid class, an at-home parent on Zoom interrupted a teacher to point out that a student in the physical classroom wasn’t wearing his mask over his nose. School districts have been sending memos to parents reminding them of proper Zoom etiquette, such as not swearing in the background, not interrupting kids or teachers during class and remaining fully clothed while their children are online.
Virtual learning freed my daughter from peer pressure and acting 'feminine'
Before New York’s mayor ordered public schools to go totally online in March, my daughter, M, was already dealing with a crisis that had begun at the start of second grade. Her teacher had introduced a points system – sort of like Yelp stars for kids – in which she awarded students points for things like remembering putting their bags away in their cubbies or paying attention during morning meetings. M came home upset almost every day. Because of her quixotic, day-dreaming nature, she had the least points in the class. Kids began teasing her for it.
A student on how they adapted to virtual learning in a post-COVID world
From the first week of January 2020, the phones chimed with several social media notifications that mentioned the outbreak of a virus called the 'Coronavirus', little did we know it was going to change lives forever. The real world seemed as usual, but the digital world was taken over by numerous cautions and warnings. The discussion around the number of cases started to dehumanise real people and families affected by the virus to numbers and statistics.
Public Policies
UK Vaccine Taskforce Chair says early COVID-19 vaccines may be imperfect - The Lancet
UK Vaccine Taskforce Chair Kate Bingham said on Tuesday that the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines “is likely to be imperfect” and that they “might not work for everyone”. “However, we do not know that we will ever have a vaccine at all. It is important to guard against complacency and over-optimism”, Bingham wrote in a piece published in The Lancet medical journal. “The first generation of vaccines is likely to be imperfect, and we should be prepared that they might not prevent infection but rather reduce symptoms, and, even then, might not work for everyone or for long,” she added.
Russia applies for WHO emergency use tag for its COVID-19 vaccine
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has submitted applications to the World Health Organization for an Emergency Use Listing and prequalification of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, Russia's sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday.
Russia was the first country to grant regulatory approval for a novel coronavirus vaccine, and did so before large-scale trials were complete, stirring concerns among scientists and doctors about the safety and efficacy of the shot. An Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is meant to make a vaccine available globally faster, while a WHO prequalification is a global quality tag that ensures vaccines are safe and effective.
Quebec to stay in partial lockdown for another four weeks
The partial pandemic lockdown that has closed bars, restaurants, gyms, cinemas, museums, libraries and casinos in Quebec’s “red zones,” mainly in and around Montreal and Quebec City, will continue until Nov. 23. Premier François Legault announced on Monday that the closures, which were supposed to be lifted on Oct. 29, will remain in effect. This is because, after nearly four weeks, Quebec has reached a plateau of 800 to 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily, but has still failed to slow the virus’s spread. “We have 10 deaths today,” the premier said. “I’m not used to that. Our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters. “One (death) is one too many,” he added. “We have to stick together, more than ever.”
Belgium faces decision on possible new lockdown by weekend: official
The Belgian government will convene on Friday to decide on a potential new national lockdown with the country now suffering the highest rate of coronavirus infections per 100,000 citizens, according to official data. The nation of 11 million people had 1,390 new COVID-19 infections per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed on Tuesday.
Germany braces for 'lockdown light' as virus cases surge
Germans were preparing themselves Tuesday for tough new measures to tame a surge in coronavirus infections, with media reporting that a concerned Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for a "lockdown light". Merkel is due to hold crisis talks on Wednesday with the leaders of Germany's 16 states, where she is expected to warn of a dire winter ahead as case numbers climb to record highs and hospital beds fill up.
Coronavirus: Europe's daily deaths rise by nearly 40% compared with last week - WHO
Europe's daily Covid deaths rose by nearly 40% compared with the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the BBC. WHO spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said France, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and Russia accounted for the majority of cases which increased by a third. "The concern... is that intensive care units in hospitals are now beginning to fill with very ill people," she warned. Russia reported a daily record of 320 deaths, pushing the tally to 26,589.
There has been a sharp increase in Italy too, with 221 fatalities announced in the past 24 hours. The total number of fatalities in Austria went above 1,000 on Tuesday.
Spain’s new state of alarm: more regions close their borders
Aragón, Asturias and the Basque Country join Navarre and La Rioja in sealing their territory, while Catalonia is considering weekend home confinements
Coronavirus: France faces lockdown amid surging cases
The French government is holding emergency meetings on Tuesday over the growing coronavirus crisis. Officials are warning of potential new lockdowns as the country sees soaring case numbers and hospitalizations. "We must expect difficult decisions," Interior Minister Darmanin told France Inter radio ahead of the meetings. President Emmanuel Macron is holding a Cabinet meeting to address the pandemic, while Prime Minister Jean Castex is meeting with lawmakers, unions and business lobbies.
Coronavirus: Guidelines for 'reopening' from lockdown extended till November 30
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday extended the guidelines for reopening from the coronavirus lockdown until November 30. The guidelines were issued last month on September 30 and were meant to be applicable until October 31.
Argentina locked down early and hard. Now cases are exploding.
When the novel coronavirus first reached Argentina, Andrés Bonicalzi steeled himself for the sacrifices to come. A lawyer in Buenos Aires, he started working from home, canceled his weekly visits with his parents and vowed to keep his son inside. The government announced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. The next few weeks would be difficult. But those hard weeks have turned into seven months, and much of Argentina’s lockdown, believed to be the world’s longest, is still dragging on. So much sacrifice, Bonicalzi sometimes thinks, and for what? The South American country has become one of the coronavirus’s most explosive breeding grounds. In early August, fewer than 200,000 Argentines had contracted the virus. That number has since surged to 1.1 million — 1 out of every 44 people — and 28,000 are dead.
How New Zealand beat Covid: Why early lockdown and stringent quarantine kept cases down to fewer than 2,000
New Zealand has been held up as an example by the World Health Organisation of how to effectively tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The remote Pacific island has less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths, from a population of about five million. That is roughly the same size as Scotland, which for comparison has recorded more than 59,000 cases and above 2,700 deaths. So what is New Zealand’s secret to success? In short, locking down early and keeping the virus stamped out.
Where's lockdown exit plan, Boris? London echoes demand for clear strategy to leave Covid tiers
Boris Johnson faced growing pressure today to set out a clearer exit strategy from the coronavirus pandemic. A call by more than 50 Conservative MPs for a route map out of the lockdowns clamped on Northern cities was echoed by pleas in the south and London for more clarity. More regions woke up today to find themselves being put into the toughest level of restrictions, Tier 3, meaning 8.2 million people in England face complete bans on households mixing.
German minister warns of 20,000 new daily virus cases within days
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany’s health system could hit breaking point if coronavirus infections continue to spiral, after bringing forward high-level talks to decide on new restrictions to break the second wave of the pandemic. Mass-selling daily Bild reported that Merkel told party colleagues that the number of new cases is doubling every seven to eight days, while the number of occupied intensive care beds is doubling every 10 days. “It just needs to double again four more times and the system will be at a breaking point,” Bild quoted Merkel as saying, adding that she wanted to reduce the number of contacts people had.
Slovakia's blanket COVID-19 testing may prevent tighter lockdown, PM says
Slovakia may be able to avoid harsher anti-coronavirus measures as a result of its plans for nationwide testing scheduled to start this weekend, Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Monday. Authorities conducted pilot testing in four badly hit regions over the weekend with more than 90% of people participating, producing an infection rate just below 4% of those tested. The country will conduct wide-ranging testing over the next two weekends.
Three Western states join California in screening any FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine
Washington, Oregon and Nevada will join California to independently review any coronavirus vaccine before distributing it to the public. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that the three states would identify their own public health experts to participate in the scientific review committee he announced last week, which was charged with ensuring that any vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is safe and effective. California has also formed a second committee to develop guidelines for the ethical distribution of vaccines, Newsom said, addressing questions about who should receive the first doses and how to allocate potentially limited supplies.
England and Wales Covid lockdown for children in custody 'cruel and inhumane'
The UK government’s policy of allowing children in detention in England and Wales to be locked alone in their cells for up to 23 hours a day under emergency Covid-19 measures is “extreme and inhumane” and could lead to lifelong mental health damage, according to the UN special rapporteur on torture and leading child health experts. Since March, facilities have been able to keep children as young as 12 confined alone in their cells for all but around 40 minutes a day. The measures, which were put in place to stop potential Covid-19 outbreaks, affect around 500 under 18-year-olds in youth detention and another 4,000 18-21-year-olds held in adult prisons.
Maintaining Services
Production of Covid-19 vaccine could top 16 billion doses, but delivery is still a challenge
Manufacturing limits, a nation’s health care system and intellectual property rights could all affect which countries receive vaccines and how quickly. Of 16 billion doses manufacturers expect to make next year, over 8 billion have already been committed to countries
Covid-19: Scotland to ease pub and restaurant restrictions
Nicola Sturgeon said the move would allow licensed premises in level two of the country's new five-tier system to serve alcohol with a meal until 20:00. In level three areas - likely to be much of the central belt - they can reopen until 18:00 but cannot serve alcohol. The new rules will start on Monday. The level that each of the 32 council areas in Scotland will fall under is expected to be confirmed on Thursday.
The new system will add two levels to the three-tier system currently in use in England, adding a "level zero" at the bottom - where life can return almost to normal - and strict measures similar to a full lockdown in level four.
Mafia stokes violent anti-lockdown protests in Italy
The Italian mafia are doing all they can to prevent coronavirus from harming their business — including orchestrating violence at anti-lockdown protests. According to Italian authorities, the mob planned and directed demonstrations in Naples that descended into violence and attacks on police on Friday. Similar protests have taken place across the country for the past four days, with bar and restaurant owners expressing concerns that tighter measures, brought in by the government to counter a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, will destroy their businesses. While the economic turmoil caused by the crisis has presented opportunities for the mafia to snap up stricken firms, curfews and lockdown restrictions are bad news, because increased police checks curtail the mob’s freedom to operate. Police estimate that with the closure of nightlife in Italy, the Camorra mafia’s drugs revenue will be hit by as much as 60 percent.
Spain's Rioja wine region bans wining, dining as pandemic curbs grow
The wine-producing region of La Rioja on Tuesday ordered the closure of restaurants and bars in its two largest towns for a month as part of widening restrictions across Spain to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The number of cumulative infections rose by 18,418 to nearly 1.12 million and the health ministry added 267 deaths from Monday, the highest toll in the second wave of the pandemic, bringing the total to 35,298. Daily deaths during the first wave in late March peaked at almost 900. A nationwide curfew has been in place since Sunday, while a growing number of regions have banned people from entering or exiting their territory. Deputy head of the Madrid regional government, Ignacio Aguado, said on Tuesday he backed such a lockdown for his central region.
Covid: Melbourne's hard-won success after a marathon lockdown
Melbourne's grinding second coronavirus lockdown began in the chill of winter. In early July, the nights were long and dark, and Australia's cultural capital was confronting the terrifying reality of another deadly wave of infections. More than 110 days later, experts say it is emerging as a world leader in disease suppression alongside places including Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Raina McIntyre, a biosecurity professor at the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute, told the BBC that Australia's response had been "light years ahead" of the US and the UK. "It is just thoroughly shocking. When we think of pandemics we don't think that well-resourced, high-income countries are going to fall apart at the seams, but that is exactly what we have seen," she said.
Safe and sound: How New Zealand musicians have been able to return to the stage
It's early October, and Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce of New Zealand indie-rock band the Beths are in Raglan, a small surf town on the west coast of the country's north island. In an empty Sprinter van sitting snugly side-by-side so as to better squeeze in the laptop's camera frame, they flip the camera to show off their view: a mountain-ringed suburban neighbourhood on a lovely, quiet, sunny afternoon. It's their second day on the road in support of new album Jump Rope Gazers. The night before they played Raglan's Yot Club and ended up hanging with inebriated members of the New Zealand national cricket team. The batsman Martin Guptill and the bowler Kyle Jamieson just happened to be at the venue and the proprietor of the place – “an absolutely classic New Zealand bloke,” Pearce explains, “shaggy hair, shorts, so loose” – made all parties hang out.
Healthcare Innovations
Oxford Covid vaccine works in all ages, trials suggest
One of the world’s leading Covid-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in older adults as well as the young, its developers say, raising hopes of protection for those most vulnerable to the coronavirus that has caused social and economic chaos around the world. Neither Oxford University nor its commercial partner AstraZeneca would release the data from the early trials showing the positive effects, which are being submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. But AstraZeneca confirmed the basic findings about the vaccine it calls AZD1222, which were shared at a closed academic meeting.
Covid-19 herd immunity theory dealt blow by UK research
The proportion of people in Britain with antibodies that protect against Covid-19 declined over the summer, according to research that adds to evidence that natural immunity can wane in a matter of months. The number of people with antibodies fell by a quarter, from 6 per cent of the population in June to 4.4 per cent in September, according to a study of hundreds of thousands of people, one of the largest of its kind to date. The results, from researchers at Imperial College London, are the latest sign that immunity to Covid-19 may be shortlived and cast further doubt on the idea that any population could develop herd immunity naturally. The study suggests that the immune system’s response to the virus is similar to its reaction to influenza and other coronaviruses such as the common cold, which can be contracted annually.
Pfizer urges patience in ‘last mile’ of Covid-19 vaccine process
Pfizer’s chief executive has urged patience in the “last mile” of Covid-19 vaccine development, after the timeline for an early look at whether a late-stage trial shows its vaccine works was poised to slip into November. Albert Bourla said on Tuesday that he was still “cautiously optimistic” about the vaccine, which could be the first submitted for US emergency approval. He noted that “stress levels” around the world were rising as the “worst fears” come true, with Covid-19 spreading in Europe, the US and around the globe. But the trial — which has enrolled over 42,000 participants, with 36,000 having received their second dose — has not yet hit the threshold at which it is allowed to do an initial analysis on whether the vaccine works.
Breath test 'can diagnose Covid-19 within one minute'
A non-invasive Covid-19 breath test that could deliver results “within one minute” is being developed by UK scientists. The technology, which was originally developed as part of a project known as TOXI-Triage, would use “breath signatures” to “rapidly distinguish Covid-19 from other respiratory conditions”. The researchers said their findings, published in The Lancet’s EclinicalMedicine journal, could dramatically improve the experience of taking a coronavirus test as well as “play a part in restarting the economy”.
South Korea begins preliminary review of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine candidate
South Korea's food and drug ministry said on Tuesday it had begun a preliminary review of a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca PLC for potential fast-track approval. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said in a statement that it had formed a screening team to review the vaccine candidate, with an application for formal approval expected in 90 days under its rapid approval programme for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
Novavax delays U.S. trial of Covid-19 vaccine candidate to November
Novavax on Tuesday delayed the start of a late-stage U.S. trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by roughly a month to the end of November, citing delays in scaling up the manufacturing process. Data from an early-to-mid stage or phase 2 trial of the vaccine is now expected on Friday, the company said. Early-stage data had showed the vaccine produced high levels of antibodies against the novel coronavirus.
Eli Lilly ends one of its COVID-19 antibody drug trials: A timeline
Eli Lilly has ended a trial of its COVID-19 antibody drug, bamlanivimab, that tested the drug's effectiveness in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a month after an interim analysis suggested the drug helped the virus leave patients' systems sooner. The drug was shown to have no effect on recovery times or survival rates for patients hospitalized with advanced COVID-19, but it will continue to be tested for other COVID-19 patients. A timeline of Eli Lilly's development of bamlanivimab:
