Moderna gets $1.5B more for vaccine work
The federal government is gambling another $1.5 billion on biotech giant Moderna’s vaccine candidate, continuing a trend of spraying big money around in hopes that one of the top pharmaceutical contenders solves the deadly coronavirus riddle.
Moderna has received the additional federal funding to deliver 100 million doses of its candidate. The money comes on top of nearly $1 billion the biotech has already gotten for developing the science behind its vaccine, known as mRNA-1273. The U.S. government will also have the option to purchase another 400 million doses. Americans who receive this vaccine will not have to pay for it, though “as is customary with government-purchased vaccines, healthcare professionals could charge for the cost of administering the vaccine.” Not everyone is enamored with the federal investment in Moderna, however.
“Moderna offers us the privilege of purchasing that same vaccine we already paid for with another $1.525 billion and an option to pay even more for additional doses,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. “And there is no indication of how much Americans will ultimately pay themselves for the vaccine they have financed.”
Texas surpasses 500K cases
Texas hit the mark Tuesday as Gov. Greg Abbott suggested family and neighborhood gatherings are behind a sharp rise in the rate of positive tests, which has climbed to record levels just as schools are beginning to reopen. He also continued to say more testing in Texas is likely after dropping off in recent weeks, a trend seen across the U.S. even as deaths mount. Texas has reported more than 1,400 new deaths over the past week, including 220 on Tuesday.
Although health officials say there are encouraging signs in Texas — particularly hospitalization levels that have dropped more than 30% since July’s peak — infection rates have been increasing steadily. On Tuesday, the rolling average of positive cases over the past seven days jumped to 24%, by far the highest of the pandemic, according to figures from the state Department of Health Services.
Elsewhere, Wisconsin reported its 1,000th death. New weekly case records were set in Indiana, North Dakota, Guam and Puerto Rico. Weekly record deaths were reported in Georgia, Tennessee and Puerto Rico.
1 case keeps 1,200 Alabama students home
More than 1,200 students at two Alabama schools are starting the fall semester at home after a person connected with both schools tested positive. While 12 other Lawrence County schools were beginning traditional classes Wednesday, Superintendent Jon Bret Smith told the Decatur Daily that students from the elementary and middle schools in Moulton, in north Alabama, would start the academic year taking classes online for two weeks. School officials notified 10 people who were in contact with the person. Computers are being distributed for online classes.
North Carolina dog dies after testing positive
An 8-year-old male Newfoundland was taken to state Veterinary Hospital on Aug. 3 after showing signs of respiratory distress and died later that day, state officials said. An autopsy was planned. The first dog to test positive in the U.S. was Buddy, a 7-yearold German shepherd from Staten Island, New York. Buddy died July 11.
“Based on the information available, the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is considered to be low,” said a statement from Dr. Carl Williams, a North Carolina public health veterinarian.