Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
How Lethal Is Coronavirus, How Does It Spread, And Where's The Cure? Scientists Try To Answer Questions On Outbreak
Stat: The Coronavirus Questions That Scientists Are Racing To Answer
The outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China and its spread to more than a dozen countries has presented health experts with a rapidly evolving and complex challenge. That means there are a lot of unknowns. (Branswell and Joseph, 1/28)
Politico: What The Best Public Health Minds Know — And Don’t Know — About Wuhan Coronavirus
Four top U.S. health officials — all veterans of previous public health threats and new disease outbreaks — gave a joint news conference Tuesday to discuss the Wuhan coronavirus that has killed over 100 and sickened thousands. The virus is mostly concentrated in one Chinese province but has been detected in more than a dozen other countries, including the U.S. The four officials — HHS Secretary Alex Azar; CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield; Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases — stressed that the situation is fluid but outlined what is known and still unknown about the virus. Here’s a recap of their main points. (Kenen, 1/28)
The New York Times: Researchers Are Racing To Make A Coronavirus Vaccine. Will It Help?
In the early days of January, as cases of a strange, pneumonia-like illness were reported in China, researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland readied themselves to hunt for a vaccine to prevent the new disease. They had clues that a coronavirus, similar to ones that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003 and MERS in 2012, was the culprit. Dr. Barney Graham, deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the N.I.H, urged government scientists in China to share the genetic makeup of the virus so his team could begin its race to develop a vaccine. (Sheikh and Thomas, 1/28)
Bloomberg: U.S. Says It’s Developed ‘Promising’ African Swine Fever Vaccine
Government and academic experts in the U.S. have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that’s proved 100% effective, according to the American Society for Microbiology. Both high and low doses of the vaccine, developed from a genetically modified prior strain of the virus, were effective in pigs when they were challenged 28 days after inoculation, the report said. (Chandler, 1/28)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘Skunkworks’ At Johnson & Johnson Is Rushing To Develop A Coronavirus Vaccine
The chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson said the company began work two weeks ago on a vaccine to battle the deadly coronavirus outbreak centered in China.“At the moment we think we can make a vaccine and bring it to humans in the next eight to 12 months,” said Paul Stoffels in an interview with The Inquirer. “It might be faster. We have to get to the point we know where it works in animals first.” (Wood, 1/28)
Reuters: Australia Scientists Claim First Re-Creation Of Coronavirus Outside China
A team of scientists in Australia said on Wednesday they have successfully developed a lab-grown version of coronavirus, the first to be recreated outside of China, in a breakthrough that could help combat the global spread of the illness. The researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne said they would share the sample, which was grown from an infected patient, with the World Health Organization and laboratories around the world. (1/29)
Reuters: One Week Sufficient For Recovery From Mild Virus Symptoms: China NHC Expert
An expert at China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday one week is sufficient for a recovery from mild coronavirus symptoms. The remarks were made by Li Xingwang at a press conference in Beijing, where he also said mild coronavirus symptoms do not present as pneumonia, but just slight fever. (1/28)
WBUR: Coronavirus Outbreak Resembles SARS, But Virus Experts Say Science Moves Far Faster Now
Dr. Paul Sax remembers SARS all too well, and the similarities with the new coronavirus that has now killed more than 130 people are obvious: Both are coronaviruses first found in China. Both seem to have originated in bats. Both cause severe lung infections and worldwide alarm. But Sax, the clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital, says this outbreak also strikes him as very different. (Goldberg, 1/29)
Boston Globe: What You Need To Know About The Coronavirus Outbreak
As the number of coronavirus cases rises in the United States and health officials keep an eye out for possible cases popping up in New England, here’s what you need to know about the outbreak: (Finucane, 1/28)
The Oregonian: No, Not Like The Beer: As Coronavirus Spreads, People Mistakenly Think It’s Related To The Beverage
More than 100 people in the United States are being monitored for the coronavirus, and 2,000 in China have been sickened by the new virus, which causes respiratory illness in people. But as officials learn about the virus, some odd internet searches and myths have popped up. Here’s a rundown of some of the strange — and incorrect — things that have been circulating about the virus, and some verified ways to protect yourself. (Ramakrishnan, 1/28)
The New York Times: How Do Bats Live With So Many Viruses?
If previous outbreaks of coronavirus are any indication, the Wuhan strain that is now spreading may eventually be traced back to bats. Dr. Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, who has been working in China for 15 years studying diseases that jump from animals to people, said, “We don’t know the source yet, but there’s pretty strong evidence that this is a bat origin coronavirus.” He said, “It’s probably going to be the Chinese horseshoe bat,” a common species that weighs up to an ounce. If he’s right, this strain will join many other viruses that bats carry. SARS and MERS epidemics were caused by bat coronaviruses, as was a highly destructive viral epidemic in pigs. (Gorman, 1/28)
