Grove: Pharmacists should be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccine – ABC27

Grove: Pharmacists should be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccine – ABC27

Inside the Maryland military lab working on a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment – WUSA9.com

Inside the Maryland military lab working on a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment – WUSA9.com

May 5, 2020

The institute is known as the "Birthplace of Medical Biodefense Research." Scientists and service-members there do research and work to protect the American soldier.

FREDERICK, Md. Just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is Fort Detrick the home of the U.S. military lab where researchers are working on COVID-19 treaments, and even possible vaccines.

Welcome to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases usually shortened to USAMRIID. It's a place where lab coats and camouflage go hand-in-hand, where microscopes and test tubes replace guns and where HAZMAT suits protect government scientists from the danger of biological threats and infectious diseases.

It's known as the "Birthplace of Medical Biodefense Research." That means the scientists and service members there do research and help develop treatments and vaccines to protect the U.S. soldier around the world.

But if you think the work done there is just to help the military, Chief of Viral Immunology Dr. John Dye has an eye-opener about their mission.

"[It's] also, to help protect the globe, in that what we develop will eventually be mainstreamed into normal society, he said.

USAMRIID said their new building is the largest and most complex bio-containment facility ever designed.

These guys know what they're doing. They've played crucial roles with research on the Ebola, SARS and MERS outbreaks. Right now, they're focused on COVID-19.

Just the significant impact it's having not only on the United States but across the world, right, USAMRIID Commander Col. Darrin Cox said. And so, there's a sense of urgency.

In particular, USAMRIID is trying to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has, as of May 4, killed nearly 70,000 Americans.

We are currently working with multiple entities in academia, industry and U.S. government where those vaccines can be provided to USAMRIID for us to assess in animal models, Dye said. The gold standard that most people use are monkeys or non-human primates.

Theyre collaborating on treatments, as well.

Right now, our institute and many other institutes are currently testing, in culture or in flasks, different small molecules and drugs that are currently on the market and also in development, Dye said.

Multiple options are also going into clinical trials to figure out how the drugs and vaccines will work in the human body not just in the lab. Dye thinks that data will start coming in over the next couple months.

In this situation, Cox explains the collaboration is critical.

Often in science you sort of do some discovery on your own, then you publish it, then you talk to others about it, he expanded. This is more sort of a parallel process amongst a lot of collaborators because of the sense of urgency that we have right now.

We asked Dye what kind of pressure scientists feel when they see just how contagious COVID-19 is.

We know that for every day we take longer, we're allowing this virus to take a greater hold on the world and on our country, he said.

We also wanted to know how it feels to know the work theyre doing inside the lab could help their neighbors, family members, friends and people they might pass on the street.

It's very emotional, Dye said. This disease is in our own backyard. It reminds us why we keep coming into work every day, why we keep doing this, that we're doing it for the greater good and for a global effort.

We also asked Dye when a treatment or vaccine would be available to the general public. He said the time frame they're talking about is six months to a year. While that might seem like a long time off, its important to have some perspective. Normally, this kind of work takes two-to-five years.

Last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shut down the lab at Fort Detrick because structural defects led to some violations. Brig. Gen. Michael J. Talley, commander of U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command and Fort Detrick, said there was never any danger to the community, but changes had to be made. The lab was restored in February.

Learn more about Dr. John M. Dye and Col. E Darrin Cox below:


Read more:
Inside the Maryland military lab working on a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment - WUSA9.com
Race for COVID-19 vaccine heats up as researchers try to end the pandemic – Yahoo News
Arcturus Therapeutics, Catalent announce partnership to manufacture mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine – Pharmaceutical Business Review

Arcturus Therapeutics, Catalent announce partnership to manufacture mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine – Pharmaceutical Business Review

May 5, 2020

');},success: function(response) {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + $data_megamenu + '-articles]').html(response);},error: function(xhr) { // if error occured$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + $data_megamenu + '-articles]').html("Error occured.please try again"); }});}}//Child Level Menu Hoverfunction get_childlevelmenu(currentid){//console.log('current id '+currentid);var $currentelement = $('#'+currentid);$('.menu-item-'+$('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').attr('cid').split('-')[3]).removeClass('defaultajax-1');var $data_menu = $('#'+currentid).closest('li').data('menu');var ajaxreplaceContent = $('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').data('megamenu')+'-articles';var submenu = $data_menu.split('-');var data_menu_class=submenu[0];//$('.megamenuthird').empty();$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').empty();$('li.level_2').removeClass('activeli');$currentelement.closest('li').siblings().removeClass('activeli');$currentelement.closest('li').addClass('activeli');var current_megamenu_second = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').length;$('.megamenuopen .megamenusecond').removeClass('megamenusecond-show');//$currentelement.closest('li').find('.megamenuopen .megamenusecond').removeClass('megamenusecond-show');$('.megamenusecond[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').addClass('megamenusecond-show');//if(current_megamenu_seconda').html();/********* End level3 checking menu ********/// checking 4th level menu /*** 4th level Objec code here **///getting parent data-menuvar levelfour_data_menu = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').find('li.level_3.activeli').data('menu');// End getting parent data-menuvar subofSubChildLevel_cat_id = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+levelfour_data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('cat');var subofSubChildLevel_data_menu = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+levelfour_data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('menu');var subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type= $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+levelfour_data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('type');var subofSubChildLevel_title = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+levelfour_data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli>a').html();if(subofSubChildLevel_title!=''){var ajx_title=subofSubChildLevel_title;}else{var ajx_title=subChildLevel_title;}/*** End 4th level Objec code here **/if(subofSubChildLevel_cat_id!=''){var data_obj ={'title':ajx_title,'subofSubChildLevel_cat_id':subofSubChildLevel_cat_id,'subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type':subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};}else{var data_obj ={'title':ajx_title,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};}} if( ajaxRequestProject != null ) {ajaxRequestProject.abort();ajaxRequestProject = null;}ajaxRequestProject = $.ajax({type: 'POST',url: 'https://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=mega_posts',data: data_obj, dataType: "html",beforeSend: function() {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent+ ']').html('');},success: function(response) {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html(response);},error: function(xhr) { // if error occured$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html("Error occured.please try again");}});}//Subchild Level Menu Hover//Child Level Menu Hoverfunction get_subchildlevelmenu(currentid){var $currentelement = $('#'+currentid);$('.menu-item-'+$('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').attr('cid').split('-')[3]).removeClass('defaultajax-1');var $data_menu = $currentelement.closest('li').attr('data-menu'); var submenu = $data_menu.split('-'); var data_menu_class=submenu[0];var ajaxreplaceContent = $('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').data('megamenu')+'-articles';$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').empty();$('.megamenuthird').removeClass('megamenuthird-show');$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').addClass('megamenuthird-show');$('li.level_3').removeClass('activeli');$currentelement.closest('li').addClass('activeli');var subChildLevel_title = $currentelement.html();//last child level$currentelement.closest('li').parent().closest('li').find('.megamenusecond-new[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').find('li.level_4').removeClass('activeli');var $data_menu = $('#'+currentid).closest('li').data('menu');$('.megamenuopen .megamenusecond-new').removeClass('megamenusecond-show');$currentelement.closest('li').parent().closest('li').find('.megamenusecond-new[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').addClass('megamenusecond-show');$currentelement.closest('li').parent().closest('li').find('.megamenusecond-new[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').find('li.level_4:first-child').addClass('activeli');//console.log('subchild-'+title);var subChildLevel_cat_id=$currentelement.closest('li').data("cat");var subChildLevel_taxnomy_type = $currentelement.closest('li').data("type");var ChildLevel_data_type= $(".mega-options > li.project_m.activeli").data("type");var ChildLevel_data_cat_id= $(".mega-options > li.project_m.activeli").data("cat_id");var parent_data_cat_id= $currentelement.closest('.themegamenu').data("main_cat_id");var parent_data_type= $currentelement.closest('.themegamenu').data("main_type");// checking 4th level menu /*** 4th level Objec code here **/// End getting parent data-menuif($('.megamenusecond.megamenusecond-new').length > 0){var subofSubChildLevel_cat_id = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('cat');var subofSubChildLevel_data_menu = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('menu');var subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type= $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli').data('type');var subofSubChildLevel_title = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+$data_menu+']').find('li.level_4.activeli>a').html();if(subofSubChildLevel_title!==''){var ajx_title=subofSubChildLevel_title;}else{var ajx_title=subChildLevel_title;}if(subofSubChildLevel_cat_id!=''){var data_obj= {'title':ajx_title,'subofSubChildLevel_cat_id':subofSubChildLevel_cat_id,'subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type':subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};}else{var data_obj= {'title':ajx_title,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};}}else{var data_obj= {'title':subChildLevel_title,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};} if( ajaxRequestProject != null ) {ajaxRequestProject.abort();ajaxRequestProject = null;}ajaxRequestProject = $.ajax({ type: 'POST', url: 'https://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=mega_posts', dataType: "html", data: data_obj, beforeSend: function() {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html('');},success: function(response) {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html(response);},error: function(xhr) { // if error occured$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html("Error occured.please try again"); }});}//last child levelfunction get_lastchildlevelmenu(currentid){var $currentelement = $('#'+currentid);$('.menu-item-'+$('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').attr('cid').split('-')[3]).removeClass('defaultajax-1');var $data_menu = $currentelement.closest('li').attr('data-menu'); var submenu = $data_menu.split('-'); var data_menu_class=submenu[0];var $ajax_data_menu = $currentelement.closest('li').attr('data-ajax'); var ajax_submenu = $ajax_data_menu.split('-'); var ajax_data_menu_class=ajax_submenu[0]+'-'+ajax_submenu[1];var ajaxreplaceContent = $('#'+currentid).closest('.themegamenu').data('megamenu')+'-articles';$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').empty();$('.megamenuthird').removeClass('megamenuthird-show');$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + $data_menu + ']').addClass('megamenuthird-show');$('li.level_4').removeClass('activeli');$currentelement.closest('li').addClass('activeli');var title = $currentelement.html();var subofSubChildLevel_cat_id=$currentelement.closest('li').data("cat");var subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type = $currentelement.closest('li').data("type");var subofSubChildLevel_title = $currentelement.closest('li').find('li.level_4.activeli>a').html();var subChildLevel_cat_id=$('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+ajax_data_menu_class+']').find('li.level_3.activeli').data('cat');var subChildLevel_data_menu=$('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+ajax_data_menu_class+']').find('li.level_3.activeli').data('menu');var subChildLevel_taxnomy_type = $('.megamenusecond[data-menu='+ajax_data_menu_class+']').find('li.level_3.activeli').data('type');var ChildLevel_data_type= $(".mega-options > li.project_m.activeli").data("type");var ChildLevel_data_cat_id= $(".mega-options > li.project_m.activeli").data("cat_id");var parent_data_cat_id= $currentelement.closest('.themegamenu').data("main_cat_id");var parent_data_type= $currentelement.closest('.themegamenu').data("main_type");var data_obj= {'title':title,'subofSubChildLevel_cat_id':subofSubChildLevel_cat_id,'subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type':subofSubChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'subChildLevel_cat_id': subChildLevel_cat_id,'subChildLevel_taxnomy_type' :subChildLevel_taxnomy_type,'ChildLevel_data_type':ChildLevel_data_type,'ChildLevel_data_cat_id':ChildLevel_data_cat_id,'parent_data_cat_id':parent_data_cat_id,'parent_data_type':parent_data_type};if( ajaxRequestProject != null ) {ajaxRequestProject.abort();ajaxRequestProject = null;}ajaxRequestProject = $.ajax({ type: 'POST', url: 'https://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=mega_posts', dataType: "html", data:data_obj, beforeSend: function() {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html('');},success: function(response) {$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html(response);},error: function(xhr) { // if error occured$('.megamenuthird[data-menu=' + ajaxreplaceContent + ']').html("Error occured.please try again"); }});} $(document).ready(function(){//$('body').addClass('loaded');/********* End Third Level on over show/hide ****/$('.news-box-big').hover(function() {$(this).closest('.news').children('.big_title').toggleClass("bordertop");});$('.news-box-medium').hover(function() {$(this).closest('.medium_title').children('.tbt').toggleClass("bordertop");}); /********* Newsletter onclick events start here *******/ $(".header-cta a").click(function(e){ var $elem = $('.newsletter-box').position(); $('html,body').animate({ scrollTop: $(".newsletter-box").offset().top - 80}, 'fast'); }); /***** Newsletter onclick events End here *******/ /* Close guided tour */ $(".close-guided-tour").click(function(){$(".home_timeline").hide(); }); /* Close guided tour */ $(".close-guided-tour2").click(function(){ $(".timeline-tour2").hide(); }); /* $( ".fa-search" ).click(function() { $( 'body' ).toggleClass('search-open'); //$('.search-form').toggle(); }); $('.search-toggle').click(function () {$('.search-form').toggleClass('expanded');}); */ // Search toggle$('.navbar .search-toggle, .mobilesearch').click(function(e){e.preventDefault();$(this).parent().toggleClass('active').find('input[type="search"]').focus();});$('.search-submit').click(function(e){if( $(this).parent().find('.search-field').val() == '' ) {e.preventDefault();$(this).parent().parent().removeClass('active');}}); }); /* Reached newsletter */ $(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('.email-capture').offset().top - 50) { $('body').addClass("email-capture-reached"); } else{ $('body').removeClass("email-capture-reached"); } if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('.timeline').offset().top - 50) { $('body').addClass("timeline-tour-open"); } else{ $('body').removeClass("timeline-tour-open"); } }); }); /****** Article page Share n/w ********/ $('.social-toggle').on('click', function() { $(this).next().toggleClass('open-menu'); }); /*** End Article page Share n/w ********/ /* Close guided tour */ $(".close-guided-tour2").click(function(){ $("body").addClass("timeline-closed"); }); /* End Timeline guided tour Track the news */ /* Reached related headline */ $(function(){ $(document).ready(function(){ $('body').addClass("headline-reached"); }); }); /* Reached start */ /*$(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('#start').offset().top - 50) { $('body').addClass("start-reached"); } else{ $('body').removeClass("start-reached"); } }); });*/ /* Reached share-content */ $(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('.share-content').offset().top - 50) { $('body').addClass("share-content-reached"); } else{ $('body').removeClass("share-content-reached"); } }); }); /* share copy-link section */ function myFunction() { var copyText = document.getElementById("copylink"); copyText.select(); document.execCommand("Copy"); } /* Reached first sidebar mpu */ $(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('.mpu1').offset().top - 50) { $('body').addClass("reached-mpu1"); } else{ $('body').removeClass("reached-mpu1"); } }); }); /* Sticky sidebar banner */ /* $(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ if ($(window).width() > 1400) { if($(this).scrollTop() >= $('#sticky-mpu').offset().top - 250 ) { $('.sidebar').addClass("banner-fixed"); } else{ $('.sidebar').removeClass("banner-fixed"); } } }); });*/ // Select all links with hashes $('a[href*="#"]') // Remove links that don't actually link to anything .not('[href="#"]') .not('[href="#0"]') .click(function(event) { // On-page links if ( location.pathname.replace(/^//, '') == this.pathname.replace(/^//, '') && location.hostname == this.hostname ) { // Figure out element to scroll to var target = $(this.hash); target = target.length ? target : $('[name=' + this.hash.slice(1) + ']'); // Does a scroll target exist? if (target.length) { // Only prevent default if animation is actually gonna happen event.preventDefault(); $('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: target.offset().top }, 1000, function() { // Callback after animation // Must change focus! var $target = $(target); $target.focus(); if ($target.is(":focus")) { // Checking if the target was focused return false; } else { $target.attr('tabindex','-1'); // Adding tabindex for elements not focusable $target.focus(); // Set focus again }; }); } } }); /******** onclick share button in catgeory page ******/ $(".share-button").click(function(){ if($(this).parent('.open-share').length == 0){ $('.share').removeClass('open-share'); $(this).parent('.share').addClass("open-share"); }else{ $('.share').removeClass('open-share'); } }); /************* Mobile menu js *******/ function openNav() { document.getElementById("mobilemenu").style.width = "100%"; document.getElementById("mobilemenu").style.left = "0px"; } function closeNav() { document.getElementById("mobilemenu").style.width = "0"; } $( ".mobilemenuicon" ).click(function() { setTimeout(function(){ $( '.mobile-menu-cta' ).addClass("mobilectashow"); }, 500); }); $( ".closebtn" ).click(function() { $( '.mobile-menu-cta' ).removeClass("mobilectashow") }); /********** End mobile menu js *******/ /********* contractors Single page close Header**/ $(".close_section").click(function(){ $('.headersf').hide(1000); $('.headersf').addClass('section_closed'); $('.header-singleproduct').addClass('margin_top_added'); $('.small_header_sf').addClass('small_header_sf_display'); }); /******* End contractors Single page close Header**/ /*** My accout drop down menu */ $('.ctanav .dropdown-menu a').on('click', function() { window.location.href = $(this).attr('href'); }); /*** cookie-popup **/ $("#cookiepopup-continue").click(function(){ $.cookie("cookie_compelo", 'https://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com'); $('.home_timeline').hide(); }); $(window).on("load",function(){ var data = $.cookie("cookie_compelo"); if(data){ $('.home_timeline').hide(); }else{ $('.home_timeline').show(); } }); $(".home_timeline .close").click(function(){ $.cookie("cookie_compelo", 'https://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com'); $('.home_timeline').hide(); }); $(window).on("load",function(){ var data = $.cookie("cookie_compelo"); if(data){ $('.home_timeline').hide(); }else{ $('.home_timeline').show(); } }); /*** End cookie popup **/ /**** New add js code ***/ if ($(window).width() > 960) { // Initialization $(function(){ $('[data-scroll-speed]').moveIt(); }); } /* Sticky sidebar banner EVENT PAGE */ $(function(){ $(document).scroll(function(){ var scroll = $(window).scrollTop(); if (scroll >= 655) { $('.sticky-mpu-event').addClass("banner-fixed"); } else{ $('.sticky-mpu-event').removeClass("banner-fixed"); } }); }); //advertising page jQuery.fn.moveIt = function(){ var $window = jQuery(window); var instances = []; jQuery(this).each(function(){ instances.push(new moveItItem($(this))); }); window.addEventListener('scroll', function(){ var scrollTop = $window.scrollTop(); instances.forEach(function(inst){ inst.update(scrollTop); }); }, {passive: true}); } var moveItItem = function(el){ this.el = jQuery(el); this.speed = parseInt(this.el.attr('data-scroll-speed')); }; moveItItem.prototype.update = function(scrollTop){ this.el.css('transform', 'translateY(' + -(scrollTop / this.speed) + 'px)');};// InitializationjQuery(function(){jQuery('[data-scroll-speed]').moveIt();}); /**** end new add js code **/


Read more here: Arcturus Therapeutics, Catalent announce partnership to manufacture mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine - Pharmaceutical Business Review
Coronavirus Anti-vaccine movement could impact the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine Bo Evans 12 – The Denver Channel

Coronavirus Anti-vaccine movement could impact the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine Bo Evans 12 – The Denver Channel

May 5, 2020

By mid-April, the U.S. saw many Americans' frustrations with lockdown measures boil over. Protests popped up around the country and some Americans let their feelings over quarantine be known.

But among those protesting lock downs were some people who showed up for different reasons; those protesting vaccines. People who are skeptical or opposed to vaccines have been using these protests to voice their opinions.

The most recent data suggests that as many as 1 in 3 parents are intentionally skipping some vaccines or dont have their kids fully vaccinated on the schedule recommended by public agencies, said Jennifer Reich, a professor of sociology at the University of Colorado, Denver.

For the last 10 years, Reich has been studying why parents may reject vaccines.

Weve convinced parents they're entirely responsible for everything that happens to their own children, and at the exact same time, we have messaged to everybody that you are personally responsible for their own health," she explained. "And if you take these two ideologies and you put them together, I think its pretty logical that parents now see vaccines as a kind of personal choice and not part of a broader campaign for public health."

Some people like Del Bigtree have serious concerns over a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

Rushing science, historically, is one of the stupidest things mankind has ever done, he said.

Bigtree is outspoken in his criticism of vaccines and says he questions if there is a connection between multiple vaccines and autism. The CDC, and numerous other scientific studies, refute those claims.

However, Bigtree says he has several concerns over a coronavirus vaccine, and not all those concerns are related to health.

I have this belief that where theres hundreds of billions of dollars to be made, there tends to be people who are willing to try and cut some corners to try and get that money in their pockets, said Bigtree.

However, if a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is developed, it could help us achieve what doctors call herd immunity.

Herd immunity means that most of the people in the population are immune to a particular pathogen, and so that really slows down the spread of that pathogen within the community," said Dr. Heather Young, an infectious disease expert with Denver Health.

For diseases like polio, the percentage of people with immunity needed to achieve herd immunity is between 80 to 85 percent. For more contagious viruses like measles, we need 90 to 95 percent.

We dont know yet what percentage is needed to achieve herd immunity for COVID-19. Until we develop herd immunity, many of us will be at-risk.

If more people end up developing the infection, they can then spread it to people who either are also not immune or whos immunity has weened and really put the whole community at risk, said Dr. Young.

"I would never take a coronavirus vaccine, because there is no reason for me to," argued Bigtree. "All of science show us, to date, that getting a natural virus is far more a much stronger and thorough immunity than a vaccine has ever been able to create. I say that the natural immunity is the Ferrari of immunity and vaccines give you the Pinto of immunity."

If we develop a vaccine for this coronavirus, Reich says the whole process will be scrutinized.

We have a vaccine that will likely be eligible for expedited review and will move through the review and testing process faster, and so thats going to raise questions about what was skipped, what kind of safety measures do we have, and are we trusting that it went through a rigorous review process that can make people feel really safe," Reich said. "And if that process looks corrupt, if that process is not transparent, we run the risk of increasing all vaccine access, all vaccine testing, and all vaccine safety, and I think that could be more detrimental for all of us than we can even imagine."

Reich says creating trust in any potential vaccine may be as important as the vaccine itself.


Excerpt from: Coronavirus Anti-vaccine movement could impact the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine Bo Evans 12 - The Denver Channel
Today’s top stories on the COVID-19 pandemic – World Economic Forum

Today’s top stories on the COVID-19 pandemic – World Economic Forum

May 5, 2020

A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.

Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum has created the COVID Action Platform, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect peoples livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

1. How COVID-19 is impacting the globe

2. Global vaccine pledging conference

World leaders will hold an international pledging marathon on Monday with the goal of raising at least 7.5 billion euros ($8.2 billion) for research into a possible COVID-19 vaccine and treatments.

Organised by the European Union, along with Britain, Norway, Japan, Canada and Saudi Arabia, leaders aim to raise funds over several weeks or months, building on efforts by the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and wealthy individuals.

3. US death estimate revised up

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he now believes as many as 100,000 Americans could die in the coronavirus pandemic, after the death toll passed his earlier estimates, but said he was confident a vaccine would be developed by the years end.

Average number of COVID-19 deaths in last 7 days in select countries, Mar. 1-Apr. 22 Published by John Elflein, Apr 23, 2020 The average number of deaths from COVID-19 in the United States over the last seven days as of April 22, 2020 was around 2,715. This statistic shows the average number of deaths from COVID-19 over the last seven days in select countries worldwide from March 1 to April 22, 2020. Average number of deaths from COVID-19 over the last seven days in select countries worldwide from March 1 to April 22, 2020

Image: Statista

4. Italy eases long lockdown, but fears resurgence of coronavirus

Italy starts to unwind Europes longest coronavirus lockdown, letting some 4.5 million people return to work on Monday after nearly two months at home, while finally allowing families to reunite.

However, friends have been told to keep apart and most shops must stay shut until 18 May. Restaurants and bars can only offer takeaway, while schools, cinemas and theatres will remain shut for the indefinite future.

With almost 29,000 deaths from COVID-19 since, Italy has the worlds second highest toll after the United States.

5. Australia and New Zealand discuss possible trans-Tasman "travel bubble"

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she has accepted an invite from Australian Premier Scott Morrison to take part in a meeting of Australias emergency coronavirus cabinet on Tuesday, stoking anticipation of a travel deal.

Ardern said more health measures needed to be put in place, adding: I wouldnt say it would be in the very, very near short term.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.


See the article here: Today's top stories on the COVID-19 pandemic - World Economic Forum
Saint Louis University working on a COVID-19 vaccine – KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

Saint Louis University working on a COVID-19 vaccine – KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

May 5, 2020

ST. LOUIS - People are heading outdoors, now that the spring is here and the stay-at-home orders are being lifted. But, we have to think about how to protect our skin from the sun.

Tiphanie Shy from "Shimmer by Shy" celebrates the sun and Tiphanie Tuesdays. She has more sun-protection tips on Instagram and Facebook@ShimmerByShy.


View original post here:
Saint Louis University working on a COVID-19 vaccine - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis
When will the coronavirus vaccine be ready? Everything we know right now – CNET

When will the coronavirus vaccine be ready? Everything we know right now – CNET

May 5, 2020

Experts are hopeful that a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus will become available sooner rather than later.

Doctors and scientists are scrambling to develop avaccine to stop the coronavirus, which is now responsible forover 250,000 deaths worldwide. It's estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to ravage society until between 60% and 70% of the world'spopulation is immune.

There are currently more than95 coronavirus vaccines being tested, withseven reportedly already in clinical trials, which means there aremore scientists working harder and faster on finding a vaccine than ever before in the history of pandemics. But even if one of the vaccines now under development turns out to be effective,the FDA approval process typically takes a year or longer.

Keep track of the coronavirus pandemic.

It's still too early to make predictions, but here's what we know so far about the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine that may help usher in an end to the current pandemic.

One more note before we get underway. This article is intended to be a resource to help you understand current coronavirus vaccine research. It isn't intended to serve as medical advice. If you're seeking more information about coronavirus testing,here's how to find a testing sitenear you (and here'sanother way for Apple Mapsusers). Here'show to know if you qualify for a testandwhy there aren't any coronavirus at-home test kitsyet. This story is updated frequently as new information comes to light.

Read more:What it will take for life to return to normal after lockdown ends

A vaccine is a medical treatment that protects you against a disease like the coronavirus. For a deeper dive into how vaccines work, check outthis in-depth coronavirus treatment explainer by CNET's Science Editor Jackson Ryan. But the short and sweet of it is that a vaccine tricks your body into thinking it's already had the disease, so your body's natural defense -- the immune system --builds antibodies against it. Then, if you were to become infected, your body would call upon the antibodies to fight the virus before you feel sick.

Vaccines typically take about10 to 15 years to develop. That's in part because any new medical treatment needs to be thoroughly tested for safety before it can be distributed to millions or billions of people. Themumps vaccine took four years, which is widely considered the fastest vaccine approval in the history of infectious disease.

Read more:Need a pulse oximeter? These models are in stock starting at $24

Now playing: Watch this: Vaccines, antibody tests, treatments: The science of...

6:02

Last week, the White House announced "Operation Warp Speed," a sort of coronavirus vaccine task force that has identified14 vaccine projects it says it will focus on fast-tracking. The project's stated goal is to have300 million doses of vaccineavailable by January 2021. That's a bit faster than the12- to 18-month estimated timeline proposed by the US' top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

As of this writing there are97 vaccine projects underway in countries around the world, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan and China. Twelve are either already in clinical trials or starting in the next few months. Out of those 12, Oxford University seems to be leading the pack with a vaccine that researchers saycould be ready by the fall of 2020.

Scientists from around the world are working toward developing a vaccine. So far 12 projects have either started or will soon start clinical trials.

Not great. Only about6% of vaccine candidates ever make it through to market, and not just because they don't work. There's a whole litany of problems that could cancel even a promising candidate. Take, for example, what happened when scientists tried to develop a vaccine for SARS --it backfired and actually made people more susceptible to the disease. Same thing happened with avaccine for Dengue fever. To make matters worse, coronaviruses are a large class of viruses andso far there are no vaccines for any of them.

However, this particular coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has some unique traits that may help researchers working on a vaccine. For example, some viruses, like the flu, mutate quickly and often, which is why there's a new flu vaccine every year.This coronavirus doesn't seem to do that. Although it's still too early to be completely certain what will happen by the time a vaccine is ready, it's thought that the virus has not yet mutated significantly enough to disrupt vaccine development, nor is it expected to.

Rules and regulations vary by country, but, generally speaking, most industrialized nations have similar protocols for approving a vaccine. The following path is how vaccines are approved in the US under the Food and Drug Administration:

Until there's a vaccine, expect safety precautions like face masks and social distancing to be a part of everyday life.

The longer we go without a vaccine, the more likely focus will shift toward treatments, such as theexperimental antiviral drug remdesivir, which has been showing promising results. Many viruses that used to be fatal are no longer death sentences. Patients with HIV, for example, now can expect to enjoythe same life expectancyas non-HIV-positive individuals, thanks to tremendous advances in treatment.

Without a coronavirus vaccine, the road back to normal may be harder and longer, but not necessarily impossible.Coronavirus testing, includingantibody testing, andcontact tracingefforts would probably need to intensify. Lockdown measures wouldprobably lift slowly, althoughdepending on how people handle itcities and states may bring them back, including requiringface masksandsocial distancing. Eventually, the global population may reach the 60% to 70% rate required forherd immunityto protect those who aren't immune.


See the rest here: When will the coronavirus vaccine be ready? Everything we know right now - CNET
Is it possible to have a safe coronavirus vaccine by New Years Eve? – ABC News

Is it possible to have a safe coronavirus vaccine by New Years Eve? – ABC News

May 5, 2020

With top White House officials indicating a coronavirus vaccine may be available by January 2021, scientists and vaccine experts outside the Trump administration are cautious but optimistic that a vaccine could be delivered on such an accelerated timeline.

Experts interviewed by ABC warned that developing a vaccine within a 12-month time frame could mean throwing normal scientific standards out the window, but added that a vaccine could be available by the new year if everything goes perfectly.

While President Donald Trump has been bullish in his promise to have a "vaccine by the end of the year," his top advisors have taken a more measured approach, saying a January deadline is a best-case scenario. Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, said, "we want to go quickly, but we want to make sure it's safe and it's effective."

Since the start of the U.S. epidemic, Fauci has been estimating a vaccine is 12 to 18 months away. But the prior record for vaccine development -- the mumps vaccine -- took four years, meaning Fauci's early estimates drew skepticism among many vaccine experts.

But with the growing sense of urgency as the death toll mounted dramatically in March and April, vaccine developers collapsed the normal development timelines by running concurrent studies that would normally be conducted in a stepwise approach. Meanwhile, drug companies are already scaling up production without even knowing which vaccine is likely to work.

"It is not impossible," said Paul Duprex, PhD, Director of the Center for Vaccine Research and professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. "It's of course very aggressive -- but it is possible."

"You'd have to be lucky," said Dr. Paul Offit, co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, who sits on the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee. "It would be remarkable, but not completely ridiculous."

The first box of the vaccine candidate to be used in Phase I / II trial, at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility (CBF) in Oxford, Britain, April 2, 2020.

Dr. Paul Goepfert, professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and an expert in vaccine design, said a vaccine by January would only be possible "if everything works out perfectly."

To have a new vaccine by January, experts said a study would need to be conducted in parts of the world where the pandemic is still raging. This would help ensure a big enough group of patients were exposed, and then protected, from the virus.

Then, one of the vaccines currently being developed would have to show positive results, which isn't a guarantee. That vaccine would also have to prove safe, without any dangerous side effects. Finally, vaccine makers would have to be ready with hundreds of millions of doses as soon as data is in hand.

"It is possible but not likely," Goepfert said.

Right now there are more than 100 vaccines being studied, and at least eight of those have already progressed outside the laboratory and into human studies, according to the World Health Organization. The furthest along include candidates from the University of Oxford, Pfizer, Moderna Therapeutics, Inovio Pharmaceuticals and China's CanSino Biologics.

Many of these vaccines use different technology -- some brand-new to vaccine science -- and experts still don't know which is the most likely to work.

Meanwhile, the White House's Operation Warp Speed has resulted in a handful of vaccine candidates that might work against the novel coronavirus -- although those will also need further study.

Right now, many of the vaccines already tested in people have been accelerated far beyond the normal, methodical timelines. Instead of moving from animal studies in a laboratory to a carefully tiered Phase I, II and III system of in-human study, some of these studies are being conducted simultaneously -- with some even skipping normal animal studies.

Under normal circumstances, it would be too expensive for drug developers and too risky for human volunteers to run these types of studies concurrently. But vaccine developers are deviating from the normal rule book because of the sheer devastation of the global pandemic.

A researcher works on coronavirus vaccine development at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., April 28, 2020.

"We as scientists are rather linear individuals," said Duprex. "There are huge financial reasons for that." Now, he said, "there are people taking risks, doing something that might not lead to fruition."

The scientific challenges are unprecedented, considering how little is known about the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 250,000 people across the globe.

For example, said Offit, most vaccines work by triggering an immune response inside the body without making a person sick. But for this novel coronavirus, scientists still haven't had time to adequately study the body's immune response to infection -- meaning we don't know whether an immune system response necessarily protects against a future infection.

And rushing development could mean that important safety issues are missed.

"Most vaccines have been pretty safe, but there have been problems in the past," said Goepfert.

And the downside of immunizing millions of people with a rushed, unsafe vaccine could have long-ranging consequences.

"Vaccines are so, so important for public health," Duprex said. If something goes wrong the general public will extrapolate that vaccines are unsafe."

"Time is critical, of course, but safety is critical," said Duprex. "In the middle of this fast approach, we absolutely cannot compromise on safety."

Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.


Read more: Is it possible to have a safe coronavirus vaccine by New Years Eve? - ABC News
Trump says he is ‘confident’ the US will have a coronavirus vaccine this year. Experts say it could take up to 18 months. – Business Insider

Trump says he is ‘confident’ the US will have a coronavirus vaccine this year. Experts say it could take up to 18 months. – Business Insider

May 5, 2020

President Donald Trump said during a Fox News town hall on Sunday night that he was "confident" the US would have a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year, despite estimates from health experts that it could be 12 to 18 months before one is readily available to the public.

"We are very confident that we'll have a vaccine by the end of the year," Trump said at the virtual town hall.

"We think we are going to have a vaccine by the end of this year," he said. "We're pushing very hard."

He added that companies like Johnson & Johnson, one of more than 70 firms around the world working to develop a coronavirus vaccine, were getting close to having a vaccine ready for public use.

"Many companies are, I think, close," he said.

Though companies are moving forward on vaccines at record speed, health experts have estimated that the development and distribution of a vaccine could take 12 to 18 months. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in March that the process would take "a year, a year and a half, at least."

Read more: Here's how 13 top drugmakers are sprinting to develop a coronavirus vaccine or treatment that can halt this pandemic

Trump acknowledged the ambitiousness of his projection, saying at the town hall: "The doctors would say, 'Well you shouldn't say that.' But I'll say what I think."

Some scientists have expressed concern that even as companies move quickly toward a vaccine and as the Food and Drug Administration's approval processes have been condensed, rushing a vaccine is risky.

According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, at least 115 COVID-19 vaccines are in development.

A volunteer participating in a clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine on March 16 at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

But vaccines for other coronavirus outbreaks, including the MERS and SARS viruses, took over 18 months to develop and have yet to be fully approved for use on the public. The vaccine for SARS took 20 months just to be trialed on humans, and the fastest vaccine ever developed, for mumps, took four years.

Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser, said last month that the chances of securing an effective vaccine or treatment for the coronavirus this year were "incredibly small." The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said last month that a coronavirus vaccine probably wouldn't be ready before the end of 2021.

Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told Reuters in March that there was a risk a coronavirus vaccine would actually make the disease worse in people infected with COVID-19, instead of protecting them from it.

Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft cofounder who recently said his foundation was giving "total attention" to the coronavirus pandemic, wrote in a blog post last week that he considered eight to 10 candidates for a coronavirus vaccine to be promising. He added that a vaccine could take 18 months to develop, though it "could be as little as 9 months or as long as two years," given the sheer number of approaches being tested simultaneously.

Read more: There are more than 70 potential coronavirus vaccines in the works. Here are the top efforts to watch, including the 16 vaccines set to be tested in people this year.

Trump stressed at the town hall that the US was doing things that had "never happened before."

"This country needs a vaccine," he said, "and you're going to have it by the end of the year."


View post:
Trump says he is 'confident' the US will have a coronavirus vaccine this year. Experts say it could take up to 18 months. - Business Insider
A coronavirus vaccine cannot be reasonably expected until the end of 2021, professor says – CNBC

A coronavirus vaccine cannot be reasonably expected until the end of 2021, professor says – CNBC

May 5, 2020

A vaccine for Covid-19will not be ready until the end of next year,according to Dale Fisher, chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.

That timeline would be a "very reasonable" expectation because of the necessary Phase 2 and 3 trials of any vaccine to guarantee both safety and efficacy, Fisher explained. There would also need to be aramp up in production and distribution, as well as actually administering the vaccine, he said.

Fisher said "we are currently on target" for a vaccine in 2021 with five Phase 1 studies currently underway.

"We've always felt that by about April, May, we would be in Phase 1 studies, so this means a potential vaccine has been invented if you like; we're now trying it on individuals, basically to see if it's safe," Fishertold CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Monday.

The current trials would allow "early collection of data" to assess whether the potential vaccine "actually works," before larger trials on safety and efficacy could be carried out, said Fisher, who is also a senior consultant at the infectious disease division at the National University Hospital in Singapore.

Fisher also said President Donald Trump's comments on Sunday that he wasconfidenta coronavirus vaccinewouldbe developed by the end of 2020 were "a bit premature."

Meanwhile, Severin Schwan, CEO of pharmaceutical giant Roche, also expressed some skepticism over the president's proposed time frame, saying the end of this year was "certainly an ambitious goal."

"I have no doubt that as so many companies are working on a vaccine in parallel, and as we see such great collaboration with regulators including the FDA, we can actually speed up the approval of vaccines," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Monday.

"But still, typically it would take years to develop a new medicine. Most experts agree that it will take at least 12 to 18 months until we see a vaccine which is available in the necessary quantities for patients."

The preliminary results of clinical trials for Gilead Sciences' antiviral remdesivir have been promising, indicating it could shorten the recovery time for hospitalized coronavirus patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since granted emergency use authorization for the drug.

Despite very positive information on remdesivir, it is still far from being the proven wonder drug we would love to see, according to Fisher.

But ultimately, the best defense against Covid-19 would be a vaccine which would "get immunity in the public to stop this," Fisher said. Natural herd immunity was not the way to go, he said.Herd immunityrefers to a situation where enough people in a population have become immune to a disease such that it effectively stops the disease from spreading.

Until a vaccine is ready, each individual has to understand the role they have to play in public health, Fisher said. He emphasized that there needs to becontinual "messaging" on that.

Instead of just relying on contact tracing measures, simple efforts including social distancing, presenting oneself at hospitals and not heading out when sick were "so important" and necessary, Fisher said.


Continued here: A coronavirus vaccine cannot be reasonably expected until the end of 2021, professor says - CNBC