Category: Covid-19

Can the Packers beat the Chiefs without Aaron Rodgers?

Sports Seriously: Aaron Rodgers will be out this week after testing positive for COVID-19. Andy Nesbitt and Charles Curtis discuss whether Jordan Love can still lead Green Bay to a win Sunday in Kansas City.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made his first public comments Friday since testing positive for COVID-19, addressing why he told the news media in August that he was "immunized" and why he is not vaccinated.

Rodgers will not play in Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and won't be allowed at the team facility for the next 10 days, according to NFL protocols.

He addressed the controversy and backlash for 45 minutes on the"Pat McAfee Show," offering a strong rebuke of the process and referencing several debunked talking points circulating among people opposed to the vaccine.

DANGEROUSLY MISINFORMED: Aaron Rodgers isn't a victim of 'woke mob'

RODGERS HAS COVID: He lied about being vaccinated, and being a team player

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"I am somebody who's a critical thinker," he said. "I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body."

However, Rodgers said he is not a so-called "anti-vaxxer."

"I am not a COVID-denieror any (expletive) like that," Rodgers said. "I just wanted to make the best choice for my body."

Rodgers said he has been tested dailyper NFL protocol and said he was "in the cross hairs of the woke mob right now."

"So, before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I'd like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies out there. I tested for COVID over 300 times before testing for possible positive and I probably got it from a vaccinated player," Rodgers said.

He hasn't provided details on which infected player he believes he was exposed to or any details of where or when he could have been exposed.

The three-time MVP claimed he did extensiveresearch on the vaccines, but said he was allergic to something in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Hesought alternative treatment when he said the two vaccines available weren't right for him.

"For me it involved a lot of studying in the offseason," Rodgers said. "I put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the medical field to get the most information about the vaccines before making a decision."

Rodgers also said he consulted with his friend Joe Rogan and mentioned ivermectin, a medicine that is generally used to treatthreadworms, roundwormsand other parasites. That medicine is not approved for use in battling COVID-19 by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The specific protocol, I am going to keep between me and my doctors," he said.

Rodgers appealed to the NFL on his unnamed alternative treatment, which was rejected, and says that the Packers, his teammates and the NFL knew of his status when he was questioned by the media in August.

"I have followed every single protocol to a T, except that one that makes absolutely no sense to me," Rodgers said, referencing that unvaccinated players must be six feet apart and wearing a mask when speaking to the media.

He also saidan NFL doctor had told himit would be impossible for a vaccinated person to catch or spread COVID. The NFL refuted Rodgers' claim later Friday, telling Pro Football Talk,"No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that."

On the McAfee show, Rodgerswent on to mentioncivil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., saying,"The great MLK said, 'You have a moral obligation to object to unjust rules and rules that make no sense.'"

Rodgers said he was excited for his backup Jordan Love to play against the Chiefs and has talked to him concerning Sunday's game.

"I feel really good and if this was the flu, I would be playing on Sunday.I hope we can take a step backwith the lying and the witch hunt," he said.

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Aaron Rodgers confirms hes unvaccinated, has taken ivermectin in first comments after testing positive for COVID-19 - USA TODAY

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Seven new COVID-19 deaths were reported in Fridays update from the South Dakota Department of Health.

There were 431 new total COVID-19 cases reported on Friday, bringing the states total case count to 156,995, up from Thursday (156,564).

The number of active cases reported on Friday is at 5,857, up from Thursday (5,782).

The death toll from COVID-19 is at 2,267, up from Thursday (2,260). The new deaths include three men and four women in the following age ranges: 20-29 (1); 60-69 (2); 70-79 (4).

Current hospitalizations are at 187, up from Thursday (173). Total hospitalizations are at 7,974, up from Thursday (7,947).

Total recovered cases are now at 148,871, up from Thursday (148,522). The latest seven-day PCR test positivity rate for the state is 13.6% for October 28 Nov. 3.

The DOH currently reports total tests each day. There have been 1,628,101 total tests reported as of Friday, up 4,394 from 1,623,707, total tests reported Thursday.

Of South Dakotas 66 counties, 58 are listed as having high or substantial community spread. High community spread is 100 cases or greater per 100,000 or a 10% or greater PCR test positivity rate.

There have been 650 Delta variant cases (B.1.617.2, AY.1-AY.25) detected in South Dakota through sentinel monitoring, an increase of one over Thursday.

There have been 172 cases of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant), three cases of P.1. (Gamma variant) and two cases of the B.1.351 (Beta variant).

The DOH announced changes to how it reports vaccinations on the COVID-19 dashboard as of Monday, October 14. It now includes a breakout of how many people have received booster doses. Due to data clean-up efforts, the percentages of people whove received one dose or completed the series have changed. Findthe DOH explanation in this story.

As of Friday, 68.09% of the population 12-years-old and above has received at least one dose while 58.39% have completed the vaccination series. 9.69% of those eligible have completed their booster dose.

There have been 520,535 doses of the Pfizer vaccine administered, 365,453 of the Moderna vaccine and 31,349 doses of the Janssen vaccine.

There have been 164,056 persons who have completed two doses of Moderna. There have been 224,266 persons who have received two doses of Pfizer.

As for booster doses, 49,793 people have received a 3rd Pfizer shot and 22,547 have received a 3rd Moderna dose.

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COVID-19 in South Dakota: 431 total new cases; Death toll rises to 2,267; Active cases at 5,857 - KELOLAND.com

The U.K. says it's the first country to approve an oral antiviral medication to fight COVID-19. "This is important, because it means it can be administered outside of a hospital setting, before COVID-19 has progressed to a severe stage," said MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine. Justin Tallis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The U.K. says it's the first country to approve an oral antiviral medication to fight COVID-19. "This is important, because it means it can be administered outside of a hospital setting, before COVID-19 has progressed to a severe stage," said MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine.

Merck's antiviral pill that fights COVID-19 in adults with the disease won its first authorization in the world Thursday, as the U.K.'s medical regulator announced that the drug is "safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death" in mild to moderate cases.

The drug is a "game changer," British Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics developed the oral antiviral.

"Today is a historic day for our country, as the U.K. is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19," Javid said.

The U.K.'s authorization is based on clinical studies that showed the drug reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about 50% for at-risk adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 cases.

The drug, which is called molnupiravir and will be sold under the name Lagevrio in the U.K., helps people cope with COVID-19 by interfering with the virus's ability to replicate itself.

"This prevents it from multiplying, keeping virus levels low in the body and therefore reducing the severity of the disease," the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, said.

"Lagevrio is another therapeutic to add to our armory against COVID-19," said MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine. "It is also the world's first approved antiviral for this disease that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously. This is important, because it means it can be administered outside of a hospital setting, before COVID-19 has progressed to a severe stage."

Because of its ability to tamp down on viral levels in the body, the drug works best when it's taken very soon after infection preferably within five days of the first symptoms.

The MHRA approved the drug for people who have mild or moderate cases of COVID-19, along with at least one risk factor, such as obesity, heart disease or being 60 or older.

COVID-19 rates are currently high in the U.K. with 1.1 million cases over the past 28 days the second-most cases in the world (after the U.S.), according to Johns Hopkins University.

In late October, the prevalence of infection rose to 1.72%, or about 1 in 58 people overall, according to interim results of a large study that were released Thursday.

Outside of the U.K., molnupiravir is still being evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, according to Merck.

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Merck's COVID-19 antiviral pill is now approved in the UK : Coronavirus Updates - NPR

A resort at Natadola Bay in Fiji is among many to have felt the effect of COVID on tourism. Aileen Torrest-Bennett/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A resort at Natadola Bay in Fiji is among many to have felt the effect of COVID on tourism.

The main island of Tonga has gone into a week-long lockdown after the South Pacific nation reported its very first COVID-19 case of the pandemic late last week.

The COVID-positive traveler, who is fully vaccinated and was showing no symptoms, arrived in Tonga last Wednesday on a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand. All 214 others aboard the flight have tested negative and the infected traveler, a young missionary, is currently quarantined in a facility.

"So far, we're very happy that nothing else has happened besides that one case," Dr. Viliami Puloka told NPR from his home in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The retired general practitioner and public health specialist said it was just a matter of time before the virus reached them.

"I think in general, people do understand what is happening and it's been expected that at some point, as long as this virus is anywhere, this virus everywhere," he said.

Under the lockdown, which began at midnight Tuesday, schools, bars and restaurants will be closed for a week and a curfew imposed on the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of Tonga's population lives. People will only be able to leave their homes for essential business, such as getting groceries, medicine or banking.

Puloka said while the chance of the virus getting out into the wider community was very slim, the community seemed keen to keep it from spreading. The confirmed case has spurred a rush to get vaccinated, according to local media.

"I think it was just kind of disappointing because they were looking forward to opening up the border and accepting people from outside, but this is what has happened," Puloka said.

Small Pacific island nations and territories have been spared the worst of the pandemic because of their ability to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

Puloka said if an outbreak of COVID-19 were to happen in Tonga, a cluster of islands about 500 miles southeast of Fiji, its limited resources and natural isolation would foster "a very huge disaster that I don't think we can really handle."

Yet shutting borders long-term for countries that depend economically on commodity exports and tourism has led to a glaring irony of the pandemic: Those who have managed to keep the pandemic out may be some of the last to recover from it.

A policy brief from the Australia-based Lowy Institute released last year warned that countries and territories across the Pacific faced a potential "lost decade" and a permanent economic setback due to the economic and social damage wrought by the pandemic.

A year later, the outlook for the region remains largely the same, says Roland Raja, lead economist at the Lowy Institute.

"Economically speaking, the recovery has been very slow in the Pacific, while the rest of the world is bouncing back," he told NPR.

The slow bounce-back of tourism in some Pacific countries and territories is to blame. While others, such as Papua New Guinea the largest economy in the region and a country dependent on commodity exports are simply more overwhelmed with COVID-19 than they were last year, Raja said.

And while the region as a whole has a good vaccination rate, Raja says the light at the end of the tunnel "is not actually even clear."

"I think at the moment, that's what it looks like the Pacific is very much likely to be amongst the slowest, if not the slowest region, to recover from from this crisis," he said.

Some countries across the vast Pacific, which includes 2.3 million people spread across roughly 15% of the globe, have attempted to balance their economic needs with the health of their people.

French Polynesia is one of them. Tourism is the French overseas territory's main economic driver and officials have estimated a nearly $1.2 billion loss because the pandemic brought international tourism to a standstill.

Tourists go snorkeling in Fiji. Tourism has taken a major hit in the Pacific. Victor Bonito/Reef Explorer Fiji/AFP via Getty hide caption

Tourists go snorkeling in Fiji. Tourism has taken a major hit in the Pacific.

After initially shutting its borders in March of 2020, French Polynesia, which includes renowned tourist islands Tahiti and Bora Bora, has since opened and closed its borders a handful of times. The territory has also made exceptions for French citizens and locals, such as politicians, to travel in and out, says Guillaume Colombani, a long-time tourism worker in Tahiti.

Still, he says that since the start of the pandemic the tourism sector "has suffered a lot."

Paris controls the borders. Each time they're opened, people there get "very scared," Colombani says. French Polynesia has racked up over 45,000 COVID-19 cases and some 636 deaths.

This attempted balancing act has left many, like Colombani, unsure "that all the decisions that were made or taken were very good for us."

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Tonga recorded its first-ever COVID-19 case as Pacific charts pandemic recovery - NPR

Nov 5th 2021

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19, has a single objective: to survive by finding new hosts to infect. As cold weather in the northern hemisphere causes more people to stay indoors, and daily life gets closer to normalcy, the virus is once again threatening to run amok in Europe.

The Economist today

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On November 4th the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that in the 53 countries of Europe and Central Asiatwo regions where the disease has so far claimed 1.4m lives, according to official figures, although our estimate of excess deaths suggests the figure is about 70% highercovid could yet kill another 500,000 people by February 1st. Cases are rising rapidly in much of the continent. In Germany daily infections surpassed their all-time high on November 4th; the Dutch government tightened restrictions in the same week in an attempt to suppress a rising number of cases.

The situation is worse in Eastern Europe. Cases in Romania are 15% above their peak of last year. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are also suffering: cases are up by 70% over the past month. Over the past 28 days the European Union has accounted for 21% of the global caseload, up from 9% two months ago.

Deaths from covid are now rising rapidly, too. Over the past 14 days 49,000 people have died from the virus across Europe, up by 59% from a month ago, and just one-third below the peak reached in January. About two-thirds of the deaths over the past fortnight have been in eastern Europe, where vaccination rates are much lower than in Western Europe. Thanks to higher vaccination rates, case-fatality rates in western Europe remain half their rate in January. Yet the concern among policymakers is that waning vaccine efficacy, particularly among the old, along with exponentially rising cases, will lead to more deaths this winter, unless booster shots can be given to the most vulnerable people.

Some countries remain relaxed. Even though deaths are at an eight-month high in Britain, its government says it does not need to implement its winter "Plan B"which will involve mask mandates and asking people to work from homebecause hospitals are still coping. Some would disagree with that judgment. The WHO reckons that if mask-wearing were to rise to 95% of the population across Europe and central Asia, up from about 50% now, it would save 188,000 lives by February 1st.

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As winter draws near, covid-19 threatens Europe once again - The Economist

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports as of November 5, 2021, there are currently 6,832 active COVID-19 cases statewide. There have been 7 deaths reported since the last report, with a total of 4,518 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a 73-year old male from Marion County, a 91-year old male from Preston County, a 57-year old male from Harrison County, an 84-year old female from Harrison County, a 51-year old male from Raleigh County, a 72-year old male from Wood County, and a 54-year old female from Kanawha County.

Each life lost to this disease is a tragedy and we send our sympathies to the families, said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. We must continue to slow the growth of this virus in West Virginia through vaccination and prevention measures.

CURRENT ACTIVE CASES PER COUNTY: Barbour (71), Berkeley (403), Boone (121), Braxton (54), Brooke (67), Cabell (303), Calhoun (37), Clay (41), Doddridge (21), Fayette (156), Gilmer (37), Grant (74), Greenbrier (107), Hampshire (94), Hancock (138), Hardy (78), Harrison (313), Jackson (79), Jefferson (132), Kanawha (598), Lewis (68), Lincoln (181), Logan (108), Marion (299), Marshall (89), Mason (80), McDowell (68), Mercer (275), Mineral (114), Mingo (87), Monongalia (304), Monroe (45), Morgan (61), Nicholas (178), Ohio (107), Pendleton (14), Pleasants (16), Pocahontas (19), Preston (133), Putnam (298), Raleigh (265), Randolph (100), Ritchie (17), Roane (100), Summers (42), Taylor (116), Tucker (33), Tyler (15), Upshur (118), Wayne (97), Webster (33), Wetzel (61), Wirt (13), Wood (234), Wyoming (120). To find the cumulative cases per county, please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov and look on the Cumulative Summary tab which is sortable by county.

Delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from the local health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the local health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain county may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual in question may have crossed the state border to be tested. Please visit http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

West Virginians 5 years and older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Boosters are also available. To learn more about the vaccine, or to find a vaccine site near you, visit vaccinate.wv.gov or call 1-833-734-0965.

Free pop-up COVID-19 testing is available today in Barbour, Berkeley, Braxton, Cabell, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Taylor, Upshur, Wayne, and Wood counties.

Barbour County

8:30 AM - 3:30 PM, Community Market, 107 South Main Street (across the street from Walgreens), Philippi, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVBBC)

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Junior Volunteer Fire Department, 331 Row Avenue, Junior WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Berkeley County

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 891 Auto Parts Place, Martinsburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Braxton County

7:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Braxton County Memorial Hospital parking lot, 100 Hoylman Drive, Gassaway, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=Braxton)

Cabell County

8:00 AM- 4:00 PM, Marshall University Campus (parking lot), 1801 6th Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Cabell-Huntington Health Department (parking lot), 703 Seventh Avenue, Huntington, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavCabell)

Clay County

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Clay County Health Department, 451 Main Street, Clay, WV

Doddridge County

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Doddridge County Park, The Barn, 1252 Snowbird Road S., West Union, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Fayette County

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Fayette County Health Department, 5495 Maple Lane, Fayetteville, WV

Grant County

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Petersburg City Parking Lot, South Main Street (across from Walgreens), Petersburg, WV

Greenbrier County

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, State Fair of WV, 891 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVGBC)

Hampshire County

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 363 Sunrise Boulevard, Romney, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Jefferson County

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Shepherd University Wellness Center, 164 University Drive, Shepherdstown, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Hollywood Casino, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Lincoln County

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Lincoln County Health Department, 8008 Court Avenue, Hamlin, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Logan County

12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Old 84 Lumber Building, 100 Recovery Road, Peach Creek, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Marion County

4:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Dunbar School Foundation, 101 High Street, Fairmont, WV

Marshall County

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Benwood City Building, 430 Main Street, Benwood, WV

Monongalia County

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, WVU Recreation Center (lower level), 2001 Rec Center Drive, Morgantown, WV

Monroe County

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Appalachian Christian Center, 2812 Seneca Trail South, Peterstown, WV (optional registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMRC)

Morgan County

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM, War Memorial Hospital, 1 Health Way, Berkeley Springs, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Nicholas County

9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Summersville Regional Medical Center, 400 Fairview Heights Road, Summersville, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVNL)

Ohio County

9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Ohio Valley Medical Center (parking lot of former VPC South Building at the top of 22nd Street), 2000 Eoff Street, Wheeling, WV (optional pre-registration: https://roxbylabs.dendisoftware.com/patient_registration/)

Putnam County

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Liberty Square Shopping Center, parking lot, 613 Putnam Village, Hurricane, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Raleigh County

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Beckley-Raleigh County Health Department, 1602 Harper Road, Beckley, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=MavBeckleyRaleigh)

Randolph County

8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, parking lot across from Randolph-Elkins Health Department, 32 Randolph Avenue, Elkins, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVRDC)

Taylor County

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Grafton-Taylor County Health Department, 718 West Main Street (parking lot at Operations Trailer), Grafton, WV (optional pre-registration: https://wv.getmycovidresult.com/)

Upshur County

8:00 AM - 3:30 PM, Buckhannon Fire Department (parking lot), 22 South Florida Street, Buckhannon, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVUSC)

Wayne County

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Wayne County Health Department, 217 Kenova, Avenue, Wayne, WV (optional pre-registration: https://unityphr.com/campaigns/wvlabs/covid)

Wood County

7:30 AM - 3:00 PM, Vienna Baptist Church, 3401 Grand Central Avenue, Vienna, WV (optional pre-registration: https://labpass.com/en/registration?access_code=WVMavWood1)

For additional free COVID-19 testing opportunities across the state, please visit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.

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COVID-19 Daily Update 11-5-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

A vial and sryinge are seen in front of a displayed Novavax logo in this illustration taken January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Novavax Inc (NVAX.O) expects regulators in India, the Philippines and elsewhere to make a decision on its COVID-19 vaccine within "weeks," its chief executive told Reuters, after the shot on Monday received its first emergency use authorization (EUA) from Indonesia.

Novavax shares were up about 13% after the company also said it had filed an application for emergency use of the vaccine to Canada and the European Medicines Agency.

For Indonesia, the shot will be manufactured by the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute in India (SII), and sold under the Indian company's brand name, Covovax. Novavax said initial shipments into Indonesia are expected to begin imminently.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also reviewing Novavax's regulatory filing and the U.S. drugmaker expects that review to be resolved in the coming weeks, Chief Executive Stanley Erck told Reuters in a phone interview on Monday.

A green light from the WHO would set the stage for Novavax to begin shipping doses to the COVAX program that supplies shots to low-income countries. Novavax and SII have together committed to provide more than 1.1 billion doses to COVAX, which is co-led by the WHO.

I think we'll get some doses to COVAX this year," Erck said. "But I think (Novavax is) going to really start being able to ship large quantity to COVAX in the first quarter" of 2022.

Erck said Novavax has resolved all of its manufacturing challenges and does not expect regulators to have any further concerns about its production processes.

He said Novavax is in dialogue with the U.S. FDA and ... we expect a full submission within the next several weeks.

Novavax had delayed filing for U.S. approval, and Politico reported last month that the company faced production and quality problems.

SII is authorized to make the Novavax vaccine and the U.S. company said it will apply for regulatory authorization for other facilities, such as its plant in the Czech republic, in the coming weeks.

Indonesia is slated to receive 20 million doses of the protein-based vaccine this year, according to the government.

Penny Lukito, chief of the National Agency for Drug and Food Control of Indonesia, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Novavax has so far applied for EUA in various countries, including the UK, Australia, India and the Philippines.

It will be weeks, not months, for them to review Novavaxs regulatory submissions and potentially clear the shot for use, Erck said.

The company, along with Japanese partner Takeda Pharmaceutical Co (4502.T), said on Friday it was preparing to seek regulatory approval for a rollout in Japan early next year. read more

The Novavax shot was shown to be more than 90% effective, including against a variety of concerning variants of the coronavirus in a large, late-stage U.S.-based trial.

Reporting by Dania Nadeem in Bengaluru and Carl O'Donnell in New York; additional reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by Maju Samuel and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Originally posted here:

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine gets first authorization; expects more within weeks, CEO says - Reuters

Over two dozen stateshave filed lawsuits aimed at dismantling the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate that affects nearly two-thirds of the workforce.

Nearly 100 million workers will be required to get the vaccine by Jan. 4, with some allowed to test weekly instead, under federal rules released Thursday.

Since then, five lawsuitsinvolving 26 Republican-led states combined have been filed in federal court seeking to overturn what they claim is an unlawful mandate.

Seven states -- Idaho,Kansas,Kentucky,Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia -- fileda lawsuitagainst OSHA in the 6th Circuit.

Eleven others-- Alaska,Arizona,Arkansas,Iowa,Missouri, Montana,Nebraska,New Hampshire,North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming --joined together to filea lawsuit against Biden and OSHA in the 8th Circuit.

Five states -- Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina,Texasand Utah -- filed a lawsuit against OSHAin the 5th Circuit, and three more -- Alabama,Florida and Georgia -- filedin the 11th Circuit.

The Biden administration has said lawsuits were expected but that the federal government should win in court.

The administration clearly has the authority to protect workers, and actions announced by the president are designed to save lives and stop the spread of COVID,White HousespokeswomanKarine Jean-Pierresaid Thursday.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

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COVID-19 live updates: US at 'inflection point' heading into winter months - ABC News

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday became the first country in the world to approve a potentially game-changing COVID-19 antiviral pill jointly developed by U.S.-based Merck (MRK.N) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, in a boost to the fight against the pandemic.

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recommended the drug, molnupiravir, for use in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness, such as obesity, older age diabetes, and heart disease.

It will be administered as soon as possible following a positive COVID-19 test and within five days of the onset of symptoms, the regulator said, citing clinical data.

The green light is the first for an oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 and the first for a COVID-19 drug that will be administered widely in the community. U.S. advisers will meet this month to vote on whether molnupiravir should be authorized. read more

Treatments to tackle the pandemic, which has killed more than 5.2 million people worldwide, have so far focused mainly on vaccines. Other options, including Gilead's (GILD.O) infused antiviral remdesivir and generic steroid dexamethasone, are generally only given after a patient has been hospitalised.

Merck's Molnupiravir has been closely watched since data last month showed it could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalised for those most at risk of developing severe COVID-19 when given early in the illness. read more

Molnupiravir, which will be branded as Lagevrio in Britain, is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and is taken twice a day for five days.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the National Health Service (NHS) in England, said the drug would be administered to patients at higher risk of complications as Britain heads into one of the most challenging winters ever.

A wider rollout will follow if it is clinically and cost effective in reducing hospitalisations and death, he added.

"We are now working across government and the NHS to urgently get this treatment to patients initially through a national study so we can collect more data on how antivirals work in a mostly vaccinated population," UK vaccines minister Maggie Throup told parliament.

PRESSURES

The speedy approval in Britain, which was also the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, comes as it struggles to tame soaring infections.

Britain has about 40,000 daily cases of COVID-19, according to the latest seven-day average. That is second only to the roughly 74,000 a day in the United States, which has five times more people, and has fuelled criticism of the government's decision to abandon most pandemic-related restrictions

Data released on Wednesday night showed COVID-19 prevalence in England hit its highest level on record last month, led by a high numbers of cases in children and a surge in the south-west of the country. read more

Pressure is growing on the government to implement its "Plan B" aimed at protecting the NHS from unsustainable demands, involving mask mandates, vaccine passes and work-from-home orders.

Many other big economies, including Germany, France and Israel, have either retained some basic COVID-19 measures like mask mandates or reintroduced them in response to rising cases.

The UK government has said its focus remains on administering vaccine boosters and inoculating 12 to 15-year-olds.

"With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA has conducted a robust and thorough assessment of the data (on molnupiravir)," MHRA chief June Raine said in a statement.

Last month, Britain agreed a deal with Merck to secure 480,000 courses of molnupiravir.

Professor Penny Ward, an independent pharmaceutical physician, welcomed the approval, but said the NHS needed to outline its plans for rollout and cautioned that supplies were likely to be tight given the strong global demand.

"Comments made by Mr Javid today suggest that it may be made available via a clinical trial, presumably to investigate its effectiveness in vaccinated patients with breakthrough infections, as the original study incorporated unvaccinated adults," she said.

If given to everyone becoming unwell, the nearly half a million courses would not last very long given the more than 40,000 current daily case rate, she said.

TREATMENT RACE

In a separate statement, Merck said it expected to produce 10 million courses of the treatment by the end of this year, with at least 20 million set to be manufactured in 2022.

The U.S. based drugmaker's shares were up 2.1% at $90.54 before the market open.

Pfizer (PFE.N) and Roche (ROG.S) are also racing to develop easy-to-administer antiviral pills for COVID-19. Pfizer last month began a large study of its oral antiviral drug for the prevention of COVID-19 in people exposed to the coronavirus.

Merck's molnupiravir is also being studied in a late-stage trial for preventing infection.

Viral sequencing done so far has shown molnupiravir is effective against all variants of the coronavirus, Merck has said, including the more-infectious Delta, which is responsible for the worldwide surge in hospitalisations and deaths recently.

While it is not yet clear when Merck will deliver doses to Britain, the company has said it is committed to providing timely access to its drug globally with plans for tiered pricing aligned with a country's ability to pay.

Merck is also in talks with generic drugmakers about expanding manufacturing licences to build supply of the treatment.

Antibody cocktails like those from Regeneron (REGN.O) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N) have also been approved for non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients, but have to be given intravenously.

Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru and Josephine Mason in London; additional reporting by Kate Holton;Editing by Anil D'Silva and Mark Potter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Britain approves Merck's COVID-19 pill in world first - Reuters

Can the Packers beat the Chiefs without Aaron Rodgers?

Sports Seriously: Aaron Rodgers will be out this week after testing positive for COVID-19. Andy Nesbitt and Charles Curtis discuss whether Jordan Love can still lead Green Bay to a win Sunday in Kansas City.

Sports Seriously, USA TODAY

Green Bay Packers quarterback and three-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19.

Rodgers intimated in August that he had received the vaccine, when he answered a reporter's question with,"Yes, I've been immunized." However, he did not meet the qualifications the NFL and the Players Association have set out for being "fully vaccinated."

As a result of testing positive for COVID-19 this week, Rodgers can't return to the field or team practice facilitiesfor 10 days, even if he is asymptomatic.

Here's what we know at this moment:

NFL.com is reporting Rodgers received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor before training camp to raise his antibody levels. He thenpetitioned the NFL to have the treatment qualify as equal to the league's approved vaccines.

Rodgers' petition for an exemption was denied.

"Theres guys on the team that havent been vaccinated. I think its a personal decision. Im not going to judge those guys," Rodgers said in August. "Theres guys that have been vaccinated that have contracted COVID. So its an interesting issue."

Star wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive coordinator Joe Barry both missed the team's game against the Arizona Cardinals due to COVID-19.

Allen Lazard, another wide receiver, was forced to sit out five days because he was an unvaccinated close contact of someone who tested positive. He has since been reinstated.

Third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert and cornerback Isaac Yiadomare also on the COVID-19 list.

The NFL will conduct an investigation into whether Rodgers orthe Packers violated any of the league's COVID-19 rules.

Unvaccinated playersare required to wear masks "at all times when inside the Club facility"and are subject to daily PCR testing.

Rodgers has been tested for COVID-19 on a daily basis, a person with knowledge of the situation tells USA TODAY Sports. However,it's unclear whether he has complied with the other regulations, which include not coming within six feet of other unvaccinated players while traveling or eating meals.

Rodgers has not worn amask while speaking to the media at news conferences, which are held inside the team facility.NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said the league is "aware of the current situation in Green Bay and will be reviewing with the Packers."

Rodgers' 10-day quarantine runs through Nov. 13. He could rejoin the team after that, but would not be able to take part in any practices leading up to the Packers' game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 14.

Backup quarterback Jordan Love has already been named the starter for this Sunday's game, when the 7-1 Packers take onthe Kansas City Chiefs. It will be his first career regular-season start.

TipicoSportsbook altered the spread a staggering 6.5 pointsto establish the Chiefs as a7.5-point favorite.The over-under total slipped dramatically, too, from 54.5 points to 48.5 points.

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Aaron Rodgers tests positive for COVID-19: What we know about unvaccinated Packers QB - USA TODAY