Fauci says he thinks a coronavirus vaccine is still on track for the end of 2020
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
A coronavirus vaccine should be able to be deployed by the end of the year, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“I still think that we have a good chance, if all the things fall in the right place, that we might have a vaccine that would be deployable by the end of the year, by December and November,” said Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force.
Fauci said that there are a lot of variables when dealing with vaccines, but development continues to proceed.
There are currently 10 vaccines in human clinical trials worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Watch:
9:41 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
Reopening schools is not a "one size fits all" approach, Fauci says
From CNN's Health Gisela Crespo
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during an interview with CNN on May 27. CNN
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday that reopening schools in the fall doesn't fall into the "one size fits all" approach.
He urged localities to make decisions based on the dynamics of the Covid-19 outbreak in their area.
"There are certain states, cities, regions, counties in which the level of infection is at a rate that the schools can be much more flexible in how they open," Fauci said during an interview on CNN Newsroom, adding that reopening schools in other areas may be "really quite risky."
Fauci told CNN that there needs to be "judgment according to the situation on the ground," and that the recommendation for opening schools – from elementary to college level – should be made under the leadership of local governments, "with some guidance from the federal government."
10:12 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
Fauci’s message to Americans on reopening: “Please don’t be overconfident”
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
People visit a beach near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on May 25. Liu Guanguan/China News Service/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that areas of the US that are seeing upticks in coronavirus cases need to be watched carefully.
“One thing that I think the people who are out there frolicking need to realize — that when you do that, and you see no negative effect in one week, please don't be overconfident because the effect of spreading is not going to be seen for two, three, maybe even more weeks,” Fauci told CNN’s Jim Sciutto.
As Memorial Day weekend saw some crowded beaches and recreation areas, Fauci cautioned people to “be prudent” and follow coronavirus guidelines.
WATCH:
9:28 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
A second coronavirus wave "could happen, but it is not inevitable," Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens as President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus at the White House on May 15. Alex Brandon/AP
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US's top infectious disease physician, said that the country can "prevent this second wave" of Covid-19 if we reopen "correctly."
Fauci said that it is necessary to put in place "clear and effective" testing, tracing and isolation measures in order to do this.
He added that the country does not have to accept a second wave — particularly in the fall — "as an inevitability."
"It could happen, but it is not inevitable," Fauci said.
9:22 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
Fauci says data is clear about "lack of efficacy" for hydroxychloroquine
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that he’s “not so sure” hydroxychloroquine should be banned.
The drug, which has been repeatedly touted by President Trump, has been banned by the French Health Ministry when it comes to treating patients infected with coronavirus.
Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, told CNN that the data shows that the drug could have potential dangerous side effects.
“The scientific data is really quite evident now about the lack of efficacy for it,” Fauci said.
Watch the interview:
8:43 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
National Women's Soccer League will resume in June without spectators
From CNN's Wayne Sterling
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced Wednesday that the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup will be held this summer.
The 25-game tournament will kick off on June 27 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah, with no spectators in attendance.
“As our country begins to safely reopen and adjust to our collective new reality, and with the enthusiastic support of our players, owners, as well as our new and current commercial partners, the NWSL is thrilled to bring professional soccer back to the United States,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.
This will be the league’s first competition since the 2019 NWSL Championship. The North Carolina Courage won their second straight NWSL title after defeating the Chicago Red Stars 4-0.
8:57 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
It's just after 8 a.m. in New York and 5 a.m. in San Francisco. Here's the latest on the pandemic
A registered nurse cleans personal protective equipment at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada on May 21, before the opening of a temporary coronavirus testing facility for casino employees. John Locher/AP
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 5.6 million people globally. If you're just joining us, here are the latest developments:
Death toll hits 98,000: At least 98,929 people have died across the US, which has the highest number of deaths and cases globally.
CDC casts doubt on antibody tests: The tests used to determine if people have been infected in the past with Covid-19 might be wrong up to half the time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned, in new guidance posted on its website.
More than 62,000 health care workers have had Covid-19: An estimated 62,344 health care professionals have contracted the disease in the US. At least 291 have died, the CDC said.
Nevada to begin Phase 2 reopening on Friday: Under the Phase 2 guidelines up to 50 people can meet at private and public gatherings, while maintaining social distancing. Phase 1 guidelines restricted gatherings to up to 10 people.
8:34 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
Daily deaths in US now more than 10% higher than in previous years
From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard
Refrigeration trucks that function as temporary morgues for coronavirus victims are seen at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in New York on May 25. Noam Galai/Getty Images
The number of people dying each day in the United States since early April has been consistently more than 10% higher than in previous years, according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute in Washington.
The institute connects this rise in daily deaths to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Health Care Cost Institute, an independent nonprofit research organization, based its report on data from obituaries for all deaths due to any cause, not just Covid-19.
To better understand the number of daily deaths happening in the United States during the pandemic, researchers at the institute compared the daily count of deaths for each day this year with the average number of deaths on each day for the years 2014 through 2019. Those estimates for daily deaths are reported at the national and state level, and for New York City.
New York City, widely held as the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, experienced more than double the typical daily deaths every day since the end of March," the Health Care Cost Institute noted on its website.
"By mid-April, we begin to observe a decline in daily deaths in some areas such as New York and New Jersey; daily deaths continued to rise in other states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland," the Health Care Cost Institute said. "We will continue to monitor these trends and many others as the data is updated each week."
The institute's new data, updated weekly, aggregates information on daily deaths in the United States using obituaries from online newspapers, funeral homes, online memorials, direct submissions and other sources through a health data system called Datavant.
US health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tend to rely on death certificate data to track daily deaths..
Despite using a different primary source of death data, the Health Care Cost Institute said it fonds similar results to CDC estimates of excess deaths.
"We hope that this analysis serves as a research resource to those seeking to better understand the effect of COVID-19 on all-cause mortality," the institute said.
WATCH:
7:36 a.m. ET, May 27, 2020
Federal agencies turn to untested suppliers for big PPE contracts
From CNN's Casey Tolan
N95 face masks are seen at a store in East Palo Alto, California, on January 26. Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Facing a supply crunch for sorely needed medical equipment such as masks and gowns, the federal government has turned to a long list of untested suppliers -- some of which have failed to deliver.
Nearly one out of every five Covid-19-related federal contracts for $1million or more went to companies that had never won a contract with the federal government before the crisis began, according to a CNN analysis of procurement data.
While some of the first-time contractors have substantial experience in the Personal Protective Equipment industry, others are small firms with no record of producing or procuring medical equipment, CNN found.
The vendors who've won multi-million dollar deals range from a California firm whose previous products include a vodka bottle with an LED screen, to an Ohio tampon manufacturer that has shifted part of its production line from menstrual products to face masks, to a company registered by a former Trump administration deputy White House chief of staff less than two weeks before it was awarded its first contract.
Already, some have failed to deliver: Two of the seven largest contracts given to companies that were new to federal contracting have been canceled after the suppliers didn't deliver promised respirator masks.
And questions remain about the quality of equipment delivered by other vendors, including the company formed by former Trump administration aide Zachary Fuentes.
