The Biden campaign called on President Trump on Tuesday to answer three specific questions before releasing a coronavirus vaccine, while simultaneously warning that Trump may seek to short-circuit the scientific process for the sake of his re-election.
Why it matters: After Trump accused Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of being anti-vaxxers yesterday, the Biden campaign is trying to establish firm standards on what would allay its fears that Trump isn't accelerating a vaccine for political reasons.
AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine trial has been put on pause after researchers suspected an adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom, a spokesperson for the company told Stat News.
Why it matters: There are presently nine vaccine candidates in Phase 3 trials. AstraZeneca’s is one of the most promising candidates, and is the first known Phase 3 vaccine trial to be halted.
Group gatherings larger than six people will be banned in England as the country struggles with a rising number of coronavirus cases, the BBC reports.
Why it matters: England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam said this week that citizens had "relaxed too much" over the summer, warning of "a bumpy ride over the next few months" unless people started taking the virus seriously again.
Most Americans agree on the need for a safe and effective vaccine to protect us against COVID-19, but President Trump's repeated hints at a pre-election vaccine approval has sparked debate that politics could get ahead of the science.
Axios Re:Cap speaks with Zeke Emanuel, an Obama-era health policy official, about what he's looking for if and when a vaccine is approved.
An estimated 62% of American schoolkids are starting the year virtually, with many of the rest facing the same fate should caseloads rise in their areas. Only 19% have in-person school every day, with another 18% in hybrid formats, according to a Burbio tracker.
The state of play, via the AP:Three of Texas’ largest school districts were hit with technical problems on the first day of classes, as were school systems in places such as Idaho and Kansas. North Carolina’s platform crashed on the first day of classes last month, and Seattle’s system crashed last week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi(D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y) denounced Senate Republicans' plan to introduce a pared-down coronavirus stimulus bill on Tuesday, saying the "emaciated" bill "is headed nowhere."
Why it matters: Weeks after the expiration of key stimulus components from the CARES Act, like expanded unemployment benefits for millions of Americans, congressional leaders appear no closer to a deal on the next round of relief.
Telemedicine is subject to the same racial disparities as in-person care, according to a report published in the Journal of Informatics in Health and Biomedicine.
Why it matters: Health care providers and the Trump administration have heralded telemedicine as the great equalizer for Americans, but big gaps in access still persist.
Tens of thousands of college students across the country have gotten infected with the coronavirus, and thousands more are being sent home to potentially spread the virus to their families and communities.
Why it matters: These concentrated outbreaks — and any subsequent mishandling of them — could fuel larger outbreaks across the country as we head into a fall that's already expected to be extremely difficult.
The number of coronavirus cases in Spain on Monday surpassed 500,000, after the country confirmed some 26,000 new infections over the weekend — and the U.K. and France are also reporting surges.
Why it matters: Spain is the first country in Western Europe to surpass half a million COVID-19 cases. There is growing concern that Europe is experiencing a second wave of infections, with cases surging over the summer.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both warned Americans this holiday weekend to be skeptical of anything Trump says about a potential coronavirus vaccine, saying they’ll take their cues from scientists and not the president.
Why it matters: The Democratic ticket is trying to strike the right balance — they want to warn that Trump may be making premature claims for political gain, but they don’t want t0 dissuade Americans from actually using a vaccine once one is safe and available.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Sunday that the state's coronavirus infection rate has remained below 1% for 30 days and COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to 410 — the lowest since March 16.
Why it matters: The milestones indicate the state that was once a global coronavirus epicenter is curbing the spread of the virus, even as restrictions ease. "Our actions today determine the rate of infection tomorrow," said Cuomo, imploring New Yorkers to continue to take precautions against COVID-19. "I urge everyone to be smart so we don't see a spike." New York reported nine more deaths from the coronavirus and 729 new cases Sunday.
India is now second only to the U.S. for coronavirus cases after surpassing Brazil for infections on Monday morning.
By the numbers: India has reported more than 4.2 million COVID-19 infections and Brazil has confirmed over 4.1 million cases, per Johns Hopkins data. However, Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll, with the virus claiming the lives of 126,650 Brazilians.
