Viewpoints: U.S. Should Be Leading A Global Effort For Vaccine; Prepare Nursing Homes For The Next Round
Opinion writers weigh in on these pandemic topics and others.
Bloomberg:
US Needs More Than Moderna For Coronavirus Vaccine Success
Here’s an unhappy scenario for you: After months of work around the world on more than 100 vaccine candidates for the new coronavirus, China wins the race to make the first proven one. But in response to belligerence from President Donald Trump, China pushes the U.S. to the back of the line for it. It probably won’t turn out like this. For one thing, China has suggested it will make a vaccine available to all, and surely it would never go back on its word, he typed after just waking up from a long coma. Anyway, the U.S. could avoid such an outcome by leading a coordinated global effort against what is, after all, a global pandemic, writes Bloomberg’s editorial board. This would involve everybody sharing funding and data and promising that health workers would get first dibs on a viable vaccine no matter where they were in the world. (Mark Gongloff, 5/19)
The Washington Post:
Moderna’s Favorable Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Results Are An Example Of ‘Publication By Press Release’
Faith in medicine and science is based on trust. But today, in the rush to share scientific progress in combating covid-19, that trust is being undermined. Private companies, governments and research institutes are holding news conferences to report potential breakthroughs that cannot be verified. The results are always favorable, but the full data on which the announcements are based are not immediately available for critical review. This is "publication by press release,” and it’s damaging trust in the fundamental methods of science and medicine at a time when we need it most. (William Haseltine, 5/19)
Stat:
With Big-Boy Valuation, Moderna Should Stop Acting Like A Penny Stock
Some additional thoughts and comments on Moderna, its coronavirus vaccine, the stock’s valuation and Monday night’s $1.3 billion stock sale: Of course, Moderna raised money. It was only one week ago that I described Moderna’s $23 billion enterprise value as “astonishingly high” for a company with no approved products and no appreciable revenue. Monday, it was $29 billion, with the stock reaching another all-time high of $80 per share, or four times the price from the beginning of the year. I’ll say it again. Moderna has become biotech’s Tesla. (Adam Feuerstein, 5/19)
The Washington Post:
Fox’s Neil Cavuto At Center Of Trump’s Hydroxychloroquine Madness
Two shockers in a row on Monday afternoon: President Trump declared to reporters at the White House that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for a week and a half, as a purported preventive against covid-19. Moments later, he received a stern warning on the dangers of that much-discussed possible treatment for the novel coronavirus. And that warning came from none other than Fox News. “That was stunning," said host Neil Cavuto, reacting to the president’s remarks. “The president of the United States, just to acknowledge that he is taking a hydroxychloroquine, a drug that [was] meant really to treat malaria and lupus. The president is insistent that it has enormous benefits for patients either trying to prevent or already have covid-19. The fact of the matter is, though, when the president said, ‘What have you got to lose?’ a number of studies, those are certainly vulnerable in the population have one thing to lose. Their lives.” (Erik Wemple, 5/19)
The Washington Post:
I Have No Choice But To Take Hydroxychloroquine. Trump Has A Choice.
Just when I think I can let my guard down, President Trump decides to announce to the world that he’s taking hydroxychloroquine, despite there being no evidence of its effectiveness in preventing covid-19. Maybe you’ve heard of this drug? I’ve been intimately familiar with it since long before covid-19. For 14 years, since I was diagnosed at 26, I have taken hydroxychloroquine to treat Sjogren’s syndrome, a systemic disease that causes crushing fatigue and joint pain, among other symptoms, and can damage the kidneys, liver, lungs, nerves and skin. (Stacy Torres, 5/19)
CNN:
What's Behind The Trumps' Covid Quackery
[President Trump's] admission about his use of hydroxychloroquine makes [his] previous musings about using disinfectant to treat the coronavirus look sage. The President can call on the best scientists and doctors in the world for medical advice, and he comes up with this? Trump's own FDA in late April warned of the dangers of taking hydroxychloroquine outside of a hospital or a clinical study setting "due to risk of heart rhythm problems." (Peter Bergen, 5/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Prepare Nursing Homes For The Next Coronavirus Wave
Nursing-home residents make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, but in many states they account for half of all Covid-19 deaths. In some states it’s higher, such as Minnesota (81%), New Hampshire (77%) and Pennsylvania (71%), according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Shutting down the economy and ordering the public to stay at home didn’t prevent these deaths. These people were already staying home. Public-health officials are warning that Covid-19 could surge again in the winter. The single most effective way to save lives would be to improve infection control in nursing homes and prepare to rush supplies of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to these facilities. Overlooking nursing homes was the biggest lost opportunity in the battle against Covid-19. (Betsy McCaughey, 5/19)
The New York Times:
Nursing Homes Failed. Congress Shouldn’t Try To Shield Them.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — Just three weeks ago, family and friends did their best to comfort my six siblings and me via videoconference as we mourned my mother, Sylvia. Our grief was compounded by the circumstances of her death: She died at 82 after contracting the coronavirus at her assisted living facility, one of the victims of an outbreak that killed at least 5 patients and sickened 30 other residents and staff members.It has also been compounded by the divisive rhetoric from elected officials seeking to prevent families from seeking redress for their loved ones’ unnecessary suffering. (Tobias L. Millrood, 5/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Coronavirus Inquiry
The World Health Assembly on Tuesday unanimously agreed to establish an inquiry into the World Health Organization’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Press reports describe the investigation as “independent,” but it’s too soon to know if the probe will be free from political pressure. The European Union and Australia led the push for an inquiry, which is set to begin “at the earliest appropriate moment.” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison deserves particular praise for standing firm amid Chinese bullying. Beijing has imposed tariffs on Australian barley and suspended imports of beef over Mr. Morrison’s push for a probe. (5/19)
The Hill:
Respect Your Elders — A Call To Action
In 2007, conflict was driving hundreds of thousands of Somalis from their homes, Burmese police were beating monks in the streets and a U.S. mortgage crisis was about to topple the global economy. Also in 2007, Nelson Mandela turned 89, and on his birthday, he announced the formation of a group of veterans of global politics with a mandate to “foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair.” He called it The Elders... [W]ith the highest confirmed rate of coronavirus infection in the world, a sclerotic government and a bitterly divided electorate, it is time for the United States to convene its own council of American Elders. (Brian Babcock-Lumish, 5/19)
ABC News:
America's COVID-19 Response Should Borrow A Page From NASA
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to its knees, eliminated many personal freedoms and constrained social choices. Over 1.5 million people are infected and at least 91,000 have died in the U.S., and Americans are frightened and confused, and looking to our government to provide comfort and instill confidence that there's a working plan to keep everyone safe. Without a centralized "Mission Control," the implementation of a plan to realize this vision cannot happen. (Bhatt and Goldhammer, 5/20)
