At least 1 in 5 Americans have been infected with COVID-19. In other news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead Sciences’ supplemental New Drug Application for Veklury (remdesivir) for adults and adolescents with COVID-19 who are not hospitalized but are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, hospitalization or death.
Beijing Olympics organizers said on Jan. 23 they had confirmed 72 cases of COVID-19 among 2,586 Games-related personnel entering China from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22, with no cases among 171 athletes and team officials arriving in that period.
Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on January 22 that an annual COVID-19 vaccine would be preferable to more frequent booster shots in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) provides a glimpse of economic development in the biosciences ecosystem at the state and regional levels. The report, which was developed in partnership with the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA), was released as an industry analysis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the overall economy.
New coronavirus cases are falling in parts of the United States hit hardest by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, according to a Reuters analysis of public health data, offering an early indication the virus might once again be in retreat.
The Omicron variant, which is spreading far faster than previous versions of the coronavirus, is not likely to help countries achieve so-called herd immunity against COVID-19 – in which enough people become immune to the virus that it can no longer spread – leading disease experts say.
The Biden administration is preparing for future variants of COVID-19, White House chief of Staff Ron Klain told MSNBC in an interview that aired on January 20 as the Omicron-related wave of cases appeared to be easing in parts of the United States.
The U.S. government will make 400 million non-surgical N95 masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public starting next week, a White House official said, marking the Biden administration’s latest effort to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 infections are reaching new peaks in the Americas with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15,000 COVID-related deaths in the last week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on January 19.
Pfizer released data from several studies showing that nirmatrelvir, the active main protease inhibitor of the company’s antiviral combination therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), is effective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a study conducted by 23andMe and published in Nature Genetics identified a genetic risk factor tied to the loss of smell from COVID-19.