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President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19, the most powerful figure to come down with the highly contagious virus. As more people test contract it, drugmakers are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine. This week, we have an exclusive, talking to participants in two of the leading coronavirus vaccine trials. The CNBC health team also has updates on an antibody drug, the CDC's cruise ban and more.
| | Covid-19 vaccine trial participants report exhaustion, fever and headaches | Participants in Moderna and Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine trials told us that they are experiencing high fever, body aches, bad headaches, daylong exhaustion and other symptoms after receiving the shots. In interviews, all five participants — three in Moderna's study and two in Pfizer's trials — said they think the discomfort is worth it to protect themselves against the coronavirus. Luke Hutchison, a 44-year-old computational biologist in Utah, said he was bedridden with a fever of more than 101, shakes, chills, a pounding headache and shortness of breath after receiving his second dose in Moderna's phase three trial. Another participant, testing Pfizer's candidate, similarly woke up with chills, shaking so hard he cracked a tooth after taking the second dose.
-Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Chrissy Farr | | | | Regeneron's antibody drug shows promising early signs | In the first data on Regeneron's antibody cocktail for Covid-19, the medicine reduced the viral load and sped time to recovery from symptoms in nonhospitalized patients. In a normal world, the company would then proceed to larger, confirmatory trials before seeking regulatory approval, but in a pandemic world, it's already talking with regulators. Meanwhile, the company took a very interesting approach to the study: it separated patients based on whether they mounted their own immune response to the virus, and showed that for those whose immune systems didn't respond so strongly, the antibodies were especially helpful. This information could be particularly useful if, as expected, the drug's approved while supply is outstripped by demand.
-Meg Tirrell | | | | In memo, Pfizer CEO says U.S. presidential debate was 'disappointing' | Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla sent a letter to employees on Thursday saying that the political rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and vaccine development is "undercutting public confidence." Bourla felt that Pfizer had an obligation to step up, as one of the makers of a Covid-19 vaccine, which is still in development. "Now, we are approaching our goal and despite not having any political considerations with our pre-announced date, we find ourselves in the crucible of the U.S. Presidential election," he wrote. "In this hyper-partisan year, there are some who would like us to move more quickly and others who argue for delay. Neither of those options are acceptable to me."
-Chrissy Farr | | | | The kids are not really OK right now | A Cigna study on resilience finds Generation Z kids and young adults are feeling the most stress and anxiety from the Covid pandemic and showing the lowest resilience. Cigna CEO David Cordani talked to us exclusively about the health implications for young people from the findings.
-Bertha Coombs | | | | CDC bans cruising through October, sought longer stoppage | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its ban on nearly all cruises in U.S. waters through Oct. 31 after the White House reportedly overruled calls for a longer suspension. CNBC confirmed that health officials were planning to keep the cruise ban in place until early next year due to the rising count of coronavirus cases in Florida and other parts of the nation. Axios first reported that the White House overruled the CDC's decision, citing the negative impact of the ban on Florida, a key state for the Nov. 3 presidential election. Between March 1 and Sept. 29, at least 3,689 probable cases of Covid-19 were reported on cruise ships in U.S. waters, the CDC said, adding that at least 41 Covid-19 deaths have occurred on such ships. The agency said that "these numbers are likely incomplete and an underestimate." The CDC said that cruise ship travel "would likely spread the infection into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume prematurely in the United States."
-Will Feuer | | | | A bad flu season could be avoided, Fauci suggests | Public health measures, like avoiding close contact with others and mask-wearing, could help suppress the influenza season, which will soon overlap with the coronavirus in the U.S., White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. Health officials will soon face a "diagnostic challenge" as the coronavirus coincides with the Northern Hemisphere's flu season since the symptoms of both diseases are very similar, Fauci said during a briefing about the importance of influenza and pneumococcal disease prevention during the pandemic. Steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, however, have proven to be effective in curbing the spread of the flu, such as wearing face coverings, avoiding crowds, frequent hand-washing and disinfecting surfaces. The nation's top infectious disease expert emphasized that people should also get vaccinated. "We don't want those two diseases together," he warned.
-Noah Higgins-Dunn | | @Work Summit | October 6, 2020
Rewriting the Rules: Finding Opportunity in Unprecedented Times
CNBC's @Work Summit will examine the ways top leaders are innovating to thrive today and which advancements will make work more efficient and more rewarding in the future.
FEATURING
Sandra Rivera, Intel
Donna Morris, Walmart
Stewart Butterfield, Slack
Minsok Pak, Mondelez International
Vasant Prabu, Visa
Chuck Robbins, Cisco
James Manyika, McKinsey Global Institute
Stephanie Creary, Wharton School
and many more | |
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