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In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has advised us to wear face masks, and our shelter in place order has been extended through May 15, Jeremy Berke reports.
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The toll of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare workers
While it appears there are some early signs that places that have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus — New York in particular — have "flattened the curve," it's important to keep in mind the toll this virus has already exacted.
As of Friday in the US, the virus has led to 667,000 cases and 32,916 deaths. Globally, there have now been millions of cases and almost 150,000 deaths.
Thousands of US healthcare workers have had confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and at least 27 have died. My colleagues Haven Orecchio-Egresitz, Katie Canales, and Yeji Lee are sharing their stories.
There are also massive considerations for foreign
Some states have already made it past the peak of the outbreak, but for states like Florida and Georgia, the peak is still a couple weeks away. Yeji and our graphics colleague Ruobing Su have a great state-by-state breakdown of what's ahead.
As more patients start to recover from the most severe forms of coronavirus, more are coming off the
I teamed up with Insider
It's not easy on both accounts, and patients who do get off a ventilator after having COVID-19 often stay in the hospital for many more days as they recover.
You can read the full story here:
Most coronavirus patients who go on ventilators won't survive. But those who do can face long-term trauma.
Hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus and in need of the stimulus money aren't getting it — while those far from the front lines are
Kimberly Leonard this week got a look at where the initial hospital money from the stimulus bill is going.
On April 10, the Trump administration gave healthcare providers a direct deposit of $30 billion. (Another $70 billion has yet to be distributed.) The money was allocated based on the reimbursements providers had been getting from Medicare, the federal program covering healthcare for seniors 65 and older.
That meant that instead of hospitals overwhelmed with coronavirus patients getting aid quickly, it also went to dermatologists, physical therapists, eye doctors, and other folks not directly taking care of COVID-19 patients.
You can read Kimberly's story about who got the initial aid here.
For hospitals that don't do as much Medicare business, that meant their aid was limited. Kimberly spoke to hospitals who care for the poorest Americans, and get relatively little from Medicare.
Of the $30 billion in aid sent out, Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago only got $792,000. The hospital, which is actively treating COVID-19 patients, was already losing money before the pandemic and has increased spending further since it began.
You can read the full story here:
These hospitals care for the poorest Americans. They're on the losing end of Trump's $30 billion coronavirus rescue.
Early signs that Gilead's remdesivir might work in treating COVID-19
Late last Friday, we got some limited — but promising — data coming out of Gilead Science's trial of its antiviral remdesivir. The study, however, didn't have a control arm of patients who didn't get the treatment, Andrew Dunn reports.
Then on Thursday, Stat
Andrew has a great read on why analysts are urging caution when it comes to interpreting Thursday's data.
Elsewhere, like every week in recent memory, there have been big updates on the development of coronavirus vaccines.
- Moderna, which is in early human trials for its coronavirus vaccine, got close to half a billion in funding from the US government, with the hopes of helping the company hire up and move as fast as possible through its clinical development.
- Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline are teaming up to develop a coronavirus vaccine, the companies said on Tuesday.
- Speaking of GSK, former GSK CEO Andrew Witty, who's now UnitedHealth Group president and CEO of its Optum business unit, is taking a leave of absence to help the World Health Organization in developing a vaccine. The company expects him to be out for the rest of the year.
- Buzzy biotech Adaptive Biotechnologies also said this week that it's teaming up with Microsoft and biotech giant Amgen to find the "the Michael Jordan of antibodies" to aid in the treatment of COVID-19.
Once (if) we get a vaccine, it'll be important to get them it to the people who need it the most, Melinda Gates told Business Insider. That starts with healthcare workers and those with underlying health conditions, she said. (You can read the full interview between her and BI's editor in chief Alyson Shontell here.)
To be sure, there's reason to be skeptical of the 18-month timeline that's being thrown around for when we might get a coronavirus vaccine. Andrew spoke with SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges about why he thinks there's only a 50% shot we have one by 2023.
Something bleak I hadn't completely thought of yet in the context of the pandemic: Despite decades of trying, we still don't have vaccines to protect against some deadly viruses, including HIV and hepatitis C.
You can read the full story here:
A top Wall Street analyst is 'deeply skeptical' of Anthony Fauci's 18-month timeline for a coronavirus vaccine. He told us there's only a 50% chance we'll have one by 2023.
The quest to reopen America
By this point, it's pretty clear that getting back to "normal" isn't likely happening any time soon. But gradations of reopening parts of American life are currently up for debate. By Morgan Stanley's estimates, waves of employees could start going back to the office as soon as June, Blake Dodge reports.
I listened in on the first-quarter earnings calls of two of the biggest healthcare companies: Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth Group. Both are expecting doctor's visits and elective surgeries (Canceled to make way for a surge of COVID-19 patients) to resume by the second half of the year. If that happens, it'll be an early sign that life is getting back on track.
You can read more about their expectations here.
Like I mentioned last week, testing will be key to reopening the US. Specifically, testing for the antibodies that show that patients have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. Finding out who has the antibodies — the subject of a 10,000-person study conducted by the National Institutes of Health – will be key to knowing how far the virus has spread in the US.
There are a number of companies developing these tests, and Blake's rounded them up here.
But, there's been some roadblocks, she reports, in particular because of new rules coming out of China requiring test-kit manufacturers to go through more thorough verification. One company, the startup Scanwell Health is feeling the challenges especially, they told Blake.
You can read the full story here:
A buzzy startup's struggle to make the first at-home test that can tell if you've had the coronavirus reveals a crucial roadblock to reopening the US
And if you need a bit more of lighthearted weekend reads, deputy executive editor Olivia Oran spoke to Andrew and me about how we're reporting on our slices of the pandemic.
For Andrew, that's getting readers inside the high-stakes race to develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments, while also maintaining a daily routine that includes desk lamp that's only turned on while he's "at work."
For me, that's been getting a look inside NYC's hospitals while also maintaining my sweet tooth with new baked good recipes. This week I plan to master carrot cake. Wish me luck.
As always, we want to hear from you. Have a perspective on the coronavirus pandemic we should hear? Tips into what healthcare startups are thriving — or flailing — amid the pandemic? Reach me at lramsey@businessinsider.com, or the entire team at healthcare@businessinsider.com.
- Lydia
Read the original article on Business Insider