Decision to have indoor dining in NYC will be made this month, mayor says
From CNN's Sheena Jones
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to reporters after visiting New Bridges Elementary School to observe pandemic-related safety procedures, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on August 19. John Minchillo/AP
A decision to have indoor dining in New York City will be made in September, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday adding that the decision could come as soon as tomorrow.
The mayor made the comment during Thursday’s Covid-19 press conference as reporters asked the mayor about a lawsuit filed by city officials to allow limited indoor dining.
“I said this week we will come to a decision in the next day and definitely in the month of September and give guidance based on all the facts and data,” de Blasio said.
11:36 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
Fauci "sticks by" his encouragement to return to in-person teaching in schools, he says
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
Source: CNN
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Thursday that he "sticks by" what he has said previously about reopening schools and encouraging in-person teaching.
"Obviously it isn't all black and white. It isn't all yes or no. But in general, if you're in a situation, in a green zone, where you have a very low level of infection and test positivity then in general you can open the schools with impunity as long as you're heads up and you have a plan of knowing what to do when you see children who are infected," Fauci said on Thursday.
"When you get into the yellow zone and the red zone, it becomes different. You have to do certain mitigations when you're in the yellow zone and in the red zone, it does become problematic," Fauci said, adding that parents and teachers with underlying conditions may have to make different decisions than those who are otherwise healthy.
"I think you have to respect the concerns of people who have underlying conditions," Fauci said. "If someone really is concerned, you have to respect the fact that they may not want to be there — but for others who are generally healthy and don't have underlying conditions, I would encourage them to go and begin the in-person teaching."
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11:44 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
"We should be testing people under certain circumstances who are without symptoms," Fauci says
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
Source: CNN
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent update to its testing guidelines "was clearly open to misinterpretation" and people who have been exposed to Covid-19 over a prolonged period of time should get tested whether they show symptoms or not, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, told CNN's Jim Sciutto.
The CDC last week changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines to say some people without symptoms may not need to be tested, even if they've been in close contact with someone known to have the virus.
"The CDC has now clarified that that sentence in a vacuum, the way it read, gave the impression — which was clearly open to misinterpretation — that that means that they're not concerned about community spread and that they're not concerned about testing people who are without symptoms," Fauci said on Thursday.
"Let's clarify that: Community spread is important. People without symptoms do spread the infection and we should be testing people under certain circumstances who are without symptoms, no doubt about that," Fauci said. "Right now certainly, if you have an actionable situation where there is an exposure that's prolonged and consistent with someone who is infected and you are without symptoms you should get tested."
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11:28 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
Political pressure to get a Covid-19 vaccine is “irrelevant,” Pfizer CEO says
From CNN's Amanda Watts
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on "Drug Pricing in America: A Prescription for Change, Part II" February 26, 2019 in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said he understands why people are skeptical about the fast-tracked vaccine timeline, but he wants people to know he thinks political pressure is “irrelevant.”
Speaking during the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) briefing on Thursday, Bourla said political pressure is “irrelevant” because “we will never, ourselves, submit for authorization or approval of any vaccine before we feel that it is safe and effective.”
“I understand they are skeptical,” Bourla said, but added “we will not cut corners.”
A the same briefing, Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) CEO Kenneth Frazier said vaccine confidence is a critical issue.
“We have seen, in the wake of the pandemic, that vaccinations for diseases like measles have fallen off – in part because people are worried about the safety of vaccines in general,” he said.
Frazier thinks “at the end of the day, the important thing for us to do, is to reinforce to the public our commitment to safety as the number one thing.”
Yes, companies need to “move with urgency” he said, “but we will not sacrifice safety under any set of circumstances.”
Like Bourla, Frazier said Merck “will not submit for approval … any vaccine candidate before we have a quantum of proof through phase three studies” about the safety and efficacy in a large population.
12:49 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020
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.
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11:15 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
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.
10:55 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
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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10:55 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
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.
10:44 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
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.
