Fauci: More data needed on this Covid-19 treatment

4 years ago 266

23 min ago

More data needed on how effective convalescent plasma is as Covid-19 treatment, Fauci says

CNN Jacqueline Howard and Maggie Fox

Currently, the data does "not indicate strongly one way or the other" whether convalescent plasma is a useful treatment for Covid-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Thursday.

"It has an EUA that if people would like it, you can get it. We still are waiting for the definitive clinical trials to prove one way or the other whether it's safe and effective," Fauci said. "It looks almost certainly that it's safe. The real question is, how effective is this? And that will have to await the proper clinical trials."

Remember: A National Institutes of Health panel said there's no evidence backing the use of convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus patients and that doctors should not treat it as a standard of care until more study has been done.

"There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19," the panel of more than three dozen experts said in a statement posted on the NIH website Tuesday.

The statement, which was posted quietly, contradicts the Trump Administration's characterization of the treatment as "historic" and a "major advance" and directly refers to last week's emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration.

24 min ago

University of Georgia reports more than 800 new Covid-19 cases in a week

From CNN's Tina Burnside

More than 800 people at the University of Georgia in Athens have tested positive for coronavirus, according to data released by the university.

The school reported 821 cases of Covid-19 between Aug. 24 and Aug. 30. Of the 821 cases, 798 were students and 23 were employees the university said.

UGA President Jere W. Morehead calls the rise in positive cases among students "concerning".

"It is critically important that all of our students continue to make every effort to prioritize their health and safety by taking proper steps to avoid exposure to his virus," Morehead said in a statement on Wednesday.

The university says they have dedicated nearly 400 rooms from university housing, the Georgia Center and the private sector for students needing to isolate or quarantine due to Covid-19.

43 min ago

Fauci to Americans: Take coronavirus safety precautions over Labor Day weekend

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Source: CNN

The US's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, reiterated his plea to the American people to take adequate safety precautions as they celebrate this Labor Day to avoid coronavirus infections.

"We don't want to see a repeat of the surges that we've seen following holiday weekends,” he said.

He emphasized that this does not mean people can’t enjoy, but rather, they should keep the fundamental safety protocols in mind.

“The wearing of the masks, the physical distancing and the avoiding crowds, trying to keep gatherings outside much, much, much more preferable than indoors,” he said.

“We're seeing now in certain states. Montana, the Dakotas, Michigan, Minnesota, that there is an uptick in test positivity, particularly among young people, 19 to 25. That’s predictive,” he told CNN’s Jim Sciutto. “If they don't do the kinds of things we're talking about, we’re going to see a surge.”

Fauci added that he doesn’t want to see a surge in any circumstances but particularly as the fall approaches with flu season.

“We want to go into that with a running start in the right direction. We don't want to go into that with another surge that we have to turn around again. So it really is an important weekend.”

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44 min ago

These two things should give people hope, according to Fauci

Source: CNN

As the US continues to battle Covid-19, CNN's Jim Sciutto asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, to share the best news he has seen in recent weeks that should give the American people hope.

Fauci noted that there is good news in two areas.

"There is good news in the public health area," Fauci said. "We see that when we have states, and cities and counties and areas that do abide by the public health mandates that I'm speaking about now with you today, they do turn around the surges and in fact blunt any surges. That tells me that we can do it. We've proven that you can actually control the outbreak."

Fauci continued by saying that vaccine development is another piece of good news.

"We now have three vaccines in phase three trial, we are on the right track, things look like they are really going in the right direction," Fauci says.

55 min ago

Fauci says he would not hesitate to take "safe and effective" approved vaccine

Source: CNN

Following concerns that a coronavirus vaccine could be authorized before late-stage trials are finished, CNN's Jim Sciutto asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, if he or his family would be hesitant to take a vaccine once it is approved.

"Not at all, Jim. I will look at the data and I would assume and I'm pretty sure that that's going to be the case, that a vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was both indeed safe and effective, and I keep emphasizing, both safe and effective. If that's the case, Jim, I would not hesitate for a moment to take the vaccine even myself and recommend it for my family," Fauci said.

There are currently three vaccines in phase three trials in the US. British drugmaker AstraZeneca said Monday it has started phase three trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine in the United States, becoming the third company to start late-stage trials of a vaccine to prevent Covid-19.

The vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, has the backing of the US federal government. Rivals Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTec already have phase three trials under way, also with federal government funding.

43 min ago

"Do not party like it's 2019," Dayton, Ohio, mayor tells university students as Covid-19 cases rise

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

The University of Dayton in Ohio has at least 770 coronavirus cases among nearly 9,000 enrolled students. However, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the university did a good job on testing and the key lies in getting students to "sit in place."

University of Dayton is a private institution and students come from multiple states and authorities don’t think it would be a “smart move” to send them back to other places with coronavirus cases, she pointed.

“They’re doing all their classes online virtually now. And so really the enforcement of making sure they stay in their spot for these next few weeks is going to be really, really important.”

“Do not party like it's 2019,” she said in a message to university students.

53 min ago

Fauci: It's "conceivable" but not likely vaccine will be ready in October

Source: CNN

Dr. Anthony Fauci said it's "conceivable" but not likely that there will be a coronavirus vaccine ready by October.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told public health officials around the US to prepare to distribute a potential coronavirus vaccine as soon as late October. But today, asked about that timeline, Fauci said November or December is more likely.

"These are all guesstimates," he told CNN's Jim Sciutto.

"It is conceivable that you could have it by October, though I don't think that that's likely," Fauci added.

1 hr 28 min ago

Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine trial should have enough data to know if it works by end of October, CEO says

From CNN Health’s Amanda Watts

Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Albert Bourla said the ongoing clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine has enrolled about 23,000 participants, and some are already getting the second dose of the vaccine.

Pfizer “should be able to have enough events to say, if the product works or not” by the end of October, Bourla said, speaking on Thursday to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

“We have already worked on the rest of the file,” he said, meaning if the vaccine is effective, “we are going to start submitting to the FDA, on a rolling base.”

Bourla said if they are able to determine the vaccine is safe and effective “in the October time frame,” the company could “submit immediately for approval.”

Pfizer is in the “very advanced stage” of the clinical trial, Bourla said, confirming that as of yesterday, 23,000 patients were enrolled into the study. Pfizer is aiming to enroll 30,000 patients in the Phase 3 trial.

1 hr 44 min ago

Bolivia records more than 100 new Covid-19 deaths in a day for the first time

From CNN's Hira Humayun

Health workers carry the coffin of a Covid-19 victim from the San Jose nursing home in Cochabamba, Bolivia, on July 20. AFP/Getty Images

Bolivia recorded its highest number of new Covid-19 deaths in a day on Wednesday with 102 deaths, according to Bolivian Health Ministry data.

This is the first time that Bolivia has had more than 100 deaths in a single day from the virus. Previously, the highest number of deaths in a day was 92 on Aug. 4 and Aug. 29.

The country’s total death toll from the virus is at least 5,203. There have been a total of 117,928 reported cases, according to the health ministry.

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