Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, CNN(CNN) The federal government's "Operation Warp Speed" vaccine program, with its emphasis on quick production and testing of experimental coronavirus vaccines, is fueling fears already stirred up by vaccine skeptics, two experts said Friday.The approach itself is not unreasonable, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. But the way it's being communicated is scaring people, he told CNN."The way the...…Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, CNN(CNN) The federal government's "Operation Warp Speed" vaccine program, with its emphasis on quick production and testing of experimental coronavirus vaccines, is fueling fears already stirred up by vaccine skeptics, two experts said Friday.The approach itself is not unreasonable, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. But the way it's being communicated is scaring people, he told CNN."The way the...WW…

By , , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee.Bright slammed the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and urged lawmakers to listen to the voices of scientists to prevent “unprecedented illness and fatalities.”Here are a few key points Bright made in his testimony:Bright said there is still no “master, coordinated plan”...…By , , , and , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — Rick Bright, who filed a whistleblower complaint after being removed from his position as head of the agency in charge of pandemic response, testified for just under four hours Thursday before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee.Bright slammed the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and urged lawmakers to listen to the voices of scientists to prevent “unprecedented illness and fatalities.”Here are a few key points Bright made in his testimony:Bright said there is still no “master, coordinated plan”...WW…

Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, CNN(CNN) When Rosa Inchausti and her colleagues started testing wastewater in Tempe, Arizona, it was 2018 and they were not looking for coronavirus. They were tracking the opioid epidemic.But because they were set up to sample the city sector by sector, they were able to switch gears and begin sampling sewage for evidence of coronavirus."We were ready for this," Inchausti told CNN.See moreNow the city is regularly sampling sewers to keep an eye on the pandemic. And things are not looking good in parts of Tempe.And they're not...…Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, CNN(CNN) When Rosa Inchausti and her colleagues started testing wastewater in Tempe, Arizona, it was 2018 and they were not looking for coronavirus. They were tracking the opioid epidemic.But because they were set up to sample the city sector by sector, they were able to switch gears and begin sampling sewage for evidence of coronavirus."We were ready for this," Inchausti told CNN.See moreNow the city is regularly sampling sewers to keep an eye on the pandemic. And things are not looking good in parts of Tempe.And they're not...WW…

By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection remains high for at least six months after the second dose, the companies said Thursday.Protection likely lasts even longer than that, vaccine experts say, but they say having data showing good protection six months after people were vaccinated is good news.The vaccine remains more than 91% effective against disease with any symptoms for six months, the companies said in a statement. And it appeared to be fully effective against the worrying B.1.351...…By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection remains high for at least six months after the second dose, the companies said Thursday.Protection likely lasts even longer than that, vaccine experts say, but they say having data showing good protection six months after people were vaccinated is good news.The vaccine remains more than 91% effective against disease with any symptoms for six months, the companies said in a statement. And it appeared to be fully effective against the worrying B.1.351...WW…

(CNN)Covid-19 probably came to people through an animal, and likely started spreading no more than a month or two before it was noticed in December of 2019, a World Health Organization draft report finds.The least likely source: a laboratory leak, the WHO's joint international team concluded.WHO is scheduled to release the final report on its investigation into the origins of coronavirus on Tuesday, but a draft version of the report obtained by CNN shows there's still no smoking gun and no evidence suggesting the virus was spreading any earlier than the very end of 2019.The report gives...…(CNN)Covid-19 probably came to people through an animal, and likely started spreading no more than a month or two before it was noticed in December of 2019, a World Health Organization draft report finds.The least likely source: a laboratory leak, the WHO's joint international team concluded.WHO is scheduled to release the final report on its investigation into the origins of coronavirus on Tuesday, but a draft version of the report obtained by CNN shows there's still no smoking gun and no evidence suggesting the virus was spreading any earlier than the very end of 2019.The report gives...WW…

By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — A new, more contagious and potentially more deadly variant of the coronavirus is spreading across the US, and health officials are worried.The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is not only more easily transmitted, but it also appears to be . Dr. Anthony Fauci warned about it Friday in a White House coronavirus update.It was first spotted in Colorado at the end of December, said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden.“Since then it has been detected...…By , CNNLink Copied!Ad Feedback — A new, more contagious and potentially more deadly variant of the coronavirus is spreading across the US, and health officials are worried.The B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, is not only more easily transmitted, but it also appears to be . Dr. Anthony Fauci warned about it Friday in a White House coronavirus update.It was first spotted in Colorado at the end of December, said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden.“Since then it has been detected...WW…

(CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci got into a contentious exchange with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Thursday over whether people should wear masks if they have recovered from Covid-19 or been vaccinated against it.Paul, who says he has been infected with coronavirus and who attacked Fauci during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee."You're telling everybody to wear a mask, whether they've had an infection or a vaccine," Paul said to Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "If people that have had the vaccine or have had the...…(CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci got into a contentious exchange with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Thursday over whether people should wear masks if they have recovered from Covid-19 or been vaccinated against it.Paul, who says he has been infected with coronavirus and who attacked Fauci during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee."You're telling everybody to wear a mask, whether they've had an infection or a vaccine," Paul said to Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "If people that have had the vaccine or have had the...WW…

(CNN)Two separate teams of researchers said this week they have found a worrying new variant in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body's natural immune response -- as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments.Genomics researchers have named the variant B.1.526. It appears in people affected in diverse neighborhoods of New York City, they said, and is "scattered in the Northeast."One of the mutations in this variant is the same concerning change found in the and known as B.1.351. It appears to evade, somewhat, the body's...…(CNN)Two separate teams of researchers said this week they have found a worrying new variant in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body's natural immune response -- as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments.Genomics researchers have named the variant B.1.526. It appears in people affected in diverse neighborhoods of New York City, they said, and is "scattered in the Northeast."One of the mutations in this variant is the same concerning change found in the and known as B.1.351. It appears to evade, somewhat, the body's...WW…

(CNN)A once-a-week injected diabetes drug helped overweight and obese people lose an average of 15% of their body weight over 16 months, researchers reported Wednesday.The maker of the drug, called semaglutide, to approve it for chronic weight management. If approved, it would be only the fifth prescription weight loss drug on the US market.Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, or GLP-1 agonist -- a drug that increases the production of insulin. But it also appears to suppress appetite."Weight loss with semaglutide stems from a reduction in energy intake owing to a decreased...…(CNN)A once-a-week injected diabetes drug helped overweight and obese people lose an average of 15% of their body weight over 16 months, researchers reported Wednesday.The maker of the drug, called semaglutide, to approve it for chronic weight management. If approved, it would be only the fifth prescription weight loss drug on the US market.Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, or GLP-1 agonist -- a drug that increases the production of insulin. But it also appears to suppress appetite."Weight loss with semaglutide stems from a reduction in energy intake owing to a decreased...WW…

Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, Andrea Kane, and Elizabeth Cohen, CNN(CNN) A surprising new study found the controversial antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine helped patients better survive in the hospital. But the findings, like the federal government's use of the drug itself, were disputed.A team at Henry Ford Health System in southeast Michigan said Thursday their study of 2,541 hospitalized patients found that those given hydroxychloroquine were much less likely to die.Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of infectious disease for Henry Ford Health System, said...…Stay Updated on Developing StoriesView in AppBy Maggie Fox, Andrea Kane, and Elizabeth Cohen, CNN(CNN) A surprising new study found the controversial antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine helped patients better survive in the hospital. But the findings, like the federal government's use of the drug itself, were disputed.A team at Henry Ford Health System in southeast Michigan said Thursday their study of 2,541 hospitalized patients found that those given hydroxychloroquine were much less likely to die.Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of infectious disease for Henry Ford Health System, said...WW…