Category: Corona Virus Vaccine

1.44 percent of Amazons front-line employees, or 19,816 workers, have tested positive or been presumed positive for COVID-19, Amazon said in a blog post published Thursday. The company says it employs 1,372,000 front-line employees across both Amazon and Whole Foods.

The blog marks the first time Amazon has disclosed how many of its workers have contracted COVID-19, and comes after months of demands for increased transparency from workers, governments, and Amazon investors. Amazon warehouse workers have reportedly even worked amongst themselves to attempt to determine how many of their colleagues have contracted the disease. The disclosure is also notable following comments from Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations Dave Clark in May, who said that the total number of cases isnt particularly useful in a 60 Minutes interview.

Amazon points out that its 19,816 cases are lower than the 33,952 it estimated it would have seen, when comparing its total employee count with a general population case rate reported by Johns Hopkins University. But while that might paint Amazon in a positive light, at least 10 employees have died from the disease, NBC News confirmed with Amazon in an article published yesterday. The company didnt discuss those deaths in todays blog post.

Amazon says it conducts thousands of COVID-19 tests per day, with a goal of doing 50,000 tests a day across 650 sites by November. The company also says it has distributed more than 100 million face masks, instituted temperature checks, and introduced enhanced cleaning procedures at its sites.

However, workers at a warehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana told The Verge that cleaning has been uneven and that the site has been too crowded for appropriate social distancing in May. And three warehouse workers sued the company in June, claiming that working conditions put them at risk of COVID-19 infection.

Originally posted here:

Amazon says 19,816 workers have contracted COVID-19 - The Verge

Some 170 Covid-19 vaccines are in development around the world, according to the World Health Organization, each one promising to protect people from the deadly coronavirus and allow them to go back to work and school.

Now, nearly a dozen are starting or nearing the final stage of testing. Depending on the results, some companies say their vaccines could be greenlighted for use as soon as this year.

Among...

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Covid-19 Vaccines: Whats Coming and When? - The Wall Street Journal

The COVID-19 outbreak on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier that ultimately infected more than 1,200 sailors and killed one, leading to the firing of its captain and the resignation of the Navy's top official, shows how easily the virus spreads in close quarters, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Network Open.

In the case series, the US Army Public Health COVID-19 Task Force analyzed data from 736 of 4,800 USS Theodore Roosevelt sailors diagnosed as having COVID-19 and placed in isolation at Naval Base Guam from Mar 31 to Apr 15. Sailors who tested negative for coronavirus and those without symptoms were quarantined in single hotel rooms, and those who developed symptoms were moved to isolation.

The outbreak, which peaked on Mar 30 with 30 new cases and ultimately infected 25% of the crew members, involved 736 of the 4,085 sailors on board (18%) by mid-April. Of all infected sailors, 590 (80.2%) were symptomatic for a median of 7 days. The other 146 sailors remained without symptoms for the entire study period. Six sailors were hospitalized.

Median patient age was 25 years, and 572 (77.7%) were men. The most common symptom was cough, followed by cold-like symptoms, loss of smell, headache, loss of taste, and fever.

The 1,092-foot, 100,000-ton aircraft carrier had left its base in San Diego for the western Pacific on Jan 17, according to the US Naval Institute. To prevent the coronavirus from spreading onboard, the crew began handwashing, hand sanitizer, and surface bleaching protocols, known as "bleach-a-palooza," on Feb 2.

The COVID-19 outbreak was discovered in late March, about 2 weeks after a 4-day stop in Da Nang, Vietnam, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified as "low risk," despite confirmation of coronavirus cases there. Part of the stop, starting on Mar 5, involved a 400-person reception at a hotel.

Captain Brett Crozier, who eventually tested positive for the coronavirus, told his superiors on Mar 26 that he wanted to clear the ship to prevent spread of the virus because the sailors could not physical distance or individually quarantine on the ship, but he was met with resistance.

On Mar 30, Crozier emailed three Navy admirals and seven other captains with a plan to evacuate the ship. After the San Francisco Chronicle obtained a copy of the email and published it the next day, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly fired Crozier, although most of the crew were ordered ashore.

On Apr 5, Modly flew to Guam to give a speech over a public address system to the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew in which he criticized Crozier as "too nave or too stupid to be a commanding officer." The speech, as well as Crozier's firing, generated a furor, and Modly resigned on Apr 7. Crozier was not reinstated, and the aircraft carrier eventually left Guam in early June before returning to California.

The study authors said that COVID-19 is difficult to distinguish from other respiratory infections without specific testing in young people living in a confined space, and asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission limits the effectiveness of screening for symptoms in the absence of testing, wearing a face mask, and physical distancing. The ship initially had no testing kits on board.

"Finally, the rapid increase in case number as incubating cases disembarked, followed by the precipitous decrease in cases, suggests that the shore-based nonpharmaceutical interventions interrupted a probable acceleration in case incidence that would have likely resulted in a substantial disease burden," the investigators wrote.

"Lessons learned from the USS [Theodore Roosevelt] COVID-19 outbreak may have applicability in other congregate settings staffed by essential workers and in understanding clinical features of the illness in younger adult populations."

In an invited commentary in the same journal, John Malone, MD, MPH, an epidemiologist with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, noted that sailors on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt sleep and work in very close quarters with linear fan forced-flow ventilation, which can spread particles through the air.

In such settings, he said, COVID-19 will continue to cause outbreaks, because wearing face coverings, washing hands, and physical distancing are not enough to contain the spread.

The US military, Malone noted, now uses premovement sequestration, which is like a quarantine although the participants have no known exposure to COVID-19, with 14-day movement restrictions to lower the risk of outbreaks.

"Unfortunately, the COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt will be remembered by the removal of the Commanding Officer and April 7, 2020, resignation of the Secretary of the Navy instead of the many lessons learned regarding a highly contagious respiratory virus in ships with closely confined spaces and linear airflow systems," he said.

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COVID-19 spread freely aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, report shows - CIDRAP

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Alaska on Thursday reported 136 new coronavirus infections, according to the Department of Health and Social Services' COVID-19 dashboard.

One new death was reported, an Anchorage man in his 60s who died recently, said DHSS spokesperson Elizabeth Manning in an email.

In total, 57 Alaskans have died with the virus since the pandemic began here in March. Alaskas death rate remains one of the lowest in the nation.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 among Alaska residents was 3,581 on Thursday, a drop from 3,711 the previous day.

There were also 436 total active cases among nonresidents as of Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, 28 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, the state health department reported. Another 14 people who were hospitalized were suspected to have COVID-19 and were awaiting test results.

Of the new cases, it wasnt clear how many patients were showing symptoms of the virus when they tested positive.

Of the 127 new cases of COVID-19 involving residents, there were 61 in Anchorage; 26 in Fairbanks; eight in Wasilla; four in Utqiagvik; four in Kotzebue; three in Eagle River; two in Kodiak; two in Palmer; two in Valdez; two in Healy; and one in Juneau.

Among communities smaller than 1,000 not identified to protect confidentiality, the state reported one case in the northern Kenai Peninsula Borough, one in the Bethel Census Area; four in the Northwest Arctic Borough; and six in the Nome Census Area.

There were nine new nonresident cases, including one in Anchorage and eight in a smaller community in the Northwest Arctic Borough.

The states testing positivity rate as of Thursday was 3.32% over a seven-day rolling average, the highest since April. The rate can include multiple tests on the same person.

Positivity rate is considered an important indicator of whether a community or state is doing enough testing to find coronavirus infections and stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization has said countries with broad testing should have a positivity rate that stays below 5% for 14 days.

Excerpt from:

Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: One new death and 136 cases reported Thursday - Anchorage Daily News

Public health leaders are tracking a spike in COVID-19 infections in the City of Norwich. Infections have increased by 92 in the last week.

The state has issued a COVID-19 alert for the city. DPH officials are encouraging the community to take extra precautions, like limiting trips away from home, wearing a face mask anytime you leave home, avoiding indoor gatherings with anyone outside your household, and avoiding large outdoor gatherings.

According to the director of health for Uncas Health District, which covers Bozrah, Franklin, Griswold, Lebanon, Lisbon, Montville, Norwich, Preston, Salem, Sprague, and Voluntown, Norwich's positivity rate for the last seven days is 6.7%. The state of Connecticuts positive test rate as of yesterday was 1.8%, which is higher than it had been.

Governor Lamont expressed concern on Thursday over community spread in Norwich of COVID-19 that has led the state to issue an alert for the city.

Norwich Public Schools will be moving to full remote learning for two weeks, according the district's superintendent, Kristen Stringfellow.

"To date, the transmission of COVID-19 is not occurring in our schools," the superintendent said in a letter to parents. "This is a community spread issue. I am confident that we have a robust system in place in NPS to contact trace and identify symptomatic persons. With fidelity, we quarantine students and staff with symptoms and/or COVID positiveclose contact."

This decision will also impact the Norwich Free Academy.

"As a result of the recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases in the city of Norwich, NFA will transition to a minimum of two weeks of remote learning beginning Friday, October 2," the NFA head of school, Brian Kelly, wrote in a letter to the school community."This is a necessary pause for the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.Our decision was made in collaboration with our partners at Norwich Public Schools and with the support of the Uncas Health District and local officials. This decision is not based on the factors we have seen at school, but rather what is happening in our community."

The breakdown of cases for the last week in Norwich are as follows:

For comparison, in late July and early August the city was seeing about five new cases per week.

This is across the entire city that the infections are coming in, which is alarming," said Mayor Peter Nystrom.

Nystrom said the infections are scattered throughout the city and he is asking residents to get tested as officials try to determine more about how the virus is spreading.

"We've got to nip it because we are going to be shutting our doors and our windows soon as the cold weather hits and if that growth is still taking place when we start closing up our homes, it is only going to get worse," said Nystrom.

The race is on not just to develop a coronavirus vaccine, but also determine how to distribute it ethically and efficiently. All Americans likely will have access to a developed vaccine within a year to a year and half of approval, but a CDC advisory group is recommending initial doses go to healthcare workers and high risk groups first.

This comes as public health leaders in Southeastern Connecticut track an increase in COVID-19 cases in the New London region.

Patrick McCormack, director of health for Uncas Health District, told NBC Connecticut that they are seeing new cases across a variety of age groups. They are seeing the virus spread within families.

Governor Ned Lamont said that the state will be supporting the city by providing additional resources.

"We are going to bring in the cavalry," Lamont at a news conference today. "That means doing extensive testing and track and trace. Do everything we can to track where this is coming from."

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Norwich Residents Urged to Get Tested After Alarming' Climb in COVID-19 Cases - NBC Connecticut

Maine reported 43 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and one additional death, as state education officials said they plan to establish a website to report all cases in Maine public schools.

Thursdays case count follows Wednesdays 59 new cases, which was the largest one-day spike in new cases since late May.

York County remains a hot spot for new cases, accounting for 14. Androscoggin County had 13 cases while Cumberland County reported five.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said during Thursdays media briefing that the agency is still investigating the reasons for the recent increase in cases, but it can partly be linked to expanded testing. Maine has substantially expanded its testing capacity since this summer, surging by 38 percent in September. The state is now conducting 459 tests per 100,000 people, well above the national average of 250 per 100,000 people.

Some of the increase we are seeing is a function of increased testing, Shah said. We are capturing cases that otherwise (previously) would have been left undiagnosed.

But Shah said testing is not the only explanation for the recent jump, as Maine has had 488 cases over the past two weeks, 9 percent of the total since the pandemic began. In total, 5,431 Mainers have fallen ill with COVID-19 and 142 have died. The death reported on Thursday was a man in his 50s from York County.

The Maine CDC is currently responding to 17 outbreaks in York County, which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in Maine, accounting for 40 percent of all new cases over the past two weeks.

Shah said only 76 of the 488 cases in the past two weeks are associated with an active outbreak, although the Maine CDC is still investigating to determine if more cases are linked to outbreaks.

What we are seeing is the continued geographic spread, particularly in areas of the state where there had been fewer cases, Shah said. They are associated with transmission occurring in every part of Maine, from person to person, family to family.

For instance, some counties that had largely avoided COVID-19 have lately seen significant increases, such as Oxford County, which went from 97 cases on Sept. 16 to 152 cases on Sept. 30, an increase of 57 percent. Oxford County is the site of the ND Paper outbreak in Rumford, which has so far sickened 24.

Other, more rural counties have also seen upticks, Shah said, such as eight cases over the past two weeks in Lincoln County.

Meanwhile, numerous schools have reported cases of COVID-19, and a Maine Department of Education spokeswoman said the agency plans to report all school outbreak information in the state on one website.

The (DOE) is currently working with (the Maine CDC) to build out a portal from which updated, confirmed case numbers can be accessed by (School Administrative Unit) or school, said Kelli Deveaux, Maine DOE spokeswoman.

Sanford High School and Sanford Regional Technical Center has reported the largest outbreak in the state so far, with 18 cases at the 1,000-student school. The Maine CDC stepped in to provide on-site universal testing of all students and staff late last week.

Sanford Superintendent Matt Nelson told the Press Herald that he was not aware of any employees or students who refused a COVID-19 test, but anyone who fails to get a test will be required to quarantine for 14 days and not be permitted at school facilities.

The high school is currently in online-only learning, and no decision has been made on when students will return to school, Nelson said.

The Maine CDC is still determining how the outbreak at the high school occurred, but Nelson said students and staff followed the COVID-19 safety protocols, which include wearing masks and social distancing.

Mask compliance was very good, Nelson said. Our students who attended in-person learning prior to the outbreak very much wanted to be back in school and did well following the safety protocols and procedures.

Other schools that have reported cases include Freeport middle and high schools, Massabesic Middle School, Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Yarmouth schools, Maranacook Community Middle School in Kennebec County and others.

At RSU 57 in York County, which includes Massabesic Middle School, where there are eight cases, Superintendent Larry Malone sent a letter to parents on Thursday that said students or staff members who were close contacts of COVID-19 cases could get tested in the middle school parking lot on Thursday or Saturday.

We strongly recommend that every student and staff member identified as a close contact participate (or obtain testing through their own health care provider), Malone wrote. Achieving the highest possible rate of testing of all school community members will help make decisions about returning to in-classroom learning.

Shah said the median age of a person who has fallen ill with COVID-19 in Maine has also decreased, going from a median age of 51 for the months of March, April and May to a median of 41 in June, July, August and September. Shah said the major reason for the age decrease is that when the pandemic began, there were many outbreaks in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, while now outbreaks in those facilities are less common.

Congregate care settings such as nursing homes, assisted living and group homes are receiving some additional help with infection control and prevention, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday. Jeanne Lambrew, the departments commissioner, said $1 million in federal funding would go to COVID-19 control and prevention programs at such facilities.

Also on Thursday, all four U.S. senators from Maine and New Hampshire called on President Trump to allow for more travel between the U.S. and Canadian borders.

A letter signed by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Angus King, I-Maine; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; urged Trump to lift restrictions.

The protracted closure of the worlds longest international land border to all but essential travel has put immense strain on the communities that straddle the border, the letter said. Many people that reside along our shared border with Canada are part of remote, rural communities which rely on one another for essential supplies and services.

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Maine reports 43 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 additional death - Press Herald

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Medical residents sit in the middle of a street as they protest their working conditions in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, September 28.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Medical residents sit in the middle of a street as they protest their working conditions in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday, September 28.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A health worker tests a student for Covid-19 after classes started at a college in the Indian village of Jhargaon on Wednesday, September 30.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Members of the LSU marching band sit apart from one another before a college football game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 26.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A grave digger in Jakarta, Indonesia, plants a cross in a public cemetery, part of which is reserved for suspected Covid-19 victims, on Saturday, September 26.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A cemetery worker in La Paz, Bolivia, pushes a cart with a plastic-wrapped coffin on September 23.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

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An adviser waits for people behind a plastic glass screen during a job fair in Barcelona, Spain, on September 21.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A woman watches the band Jikustik during a drive-in concert in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on September 20.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are separated by plastic shields as they pray in a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, on September 18.

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A health worker in Hyderabad, India, takes a break in front of a fan on September 17.

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Brides and grooms wait for the Pope's arrival at the San Damaso courtyard in the Vatican on September 16.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Maria Hernandez, top, embraces her aunt through a transparent curtain at a nursing home in San Salvador, El Salvador, on September 11.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A coronavirus victim is buried at a cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 8.

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Young students make sure they are spread out from one another as they stand in a line before entering a classroom in Pamplona, Spain, on September 7.

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A girl cries as she is tested for Covid-19 at a drive-thru testing station in East Jerusalem on September 6.

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People wear face masks and sit spread apart at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 2.

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Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, wear masks and face shields as they distribute food to the poor and homeless in Kolkata, India, on August 26.

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Cemetery workers carry Wilson Gil's remains on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on August 26. Gil died of complications related to Covid-19, according to family members.

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Workers in New Delhi prepare to cremate the body of a coronavirus victim on August 22.

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A health worker administers a Covid-19 test in the Indian village of Kusumpur on August 17.

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People gather in Little Venice on the Aegean Sea island of Mykonos, Greece, on August 16.

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Thousands of people gather for an electronic music festival at a water park in Wuhan, China, on August 15. The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan late last year.

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Funeral workers in Peru's Uchumayo District bury a coffin in a massive burial ground for low-income people and unidentified victims of Covid-19.

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A man receives an injection while taking part in a vaccine trial in Hollywood, Florida, on August 13.

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Election officials sort absentee ballots in Atlanta, where there were several runoffs taking place on August 11.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Gravediggers bury a coronavirus victim at the Pondok Ranggon cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 10.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Kindergarten students wear face masks and play in screened-in areas at the Wat Khlong Toey School in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 10.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Medics wait to transport a woman with possible Covid-19 symptoms to a hospital in Austin, Texas, on August 7.

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A coronavirus victim is lowered into the ground during her funeral in New Delhi on August 7.

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Resident doctors and interns attend a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on August 7. They were protesting the government's plan to expand admissions to medical schools a policy meant to address a shortage in physicians.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A health worker performs a Covid-19 test at a gymnasium in Navotas, Philippines, on August 6.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A worker disinfects a public school in Brasilia, Brazil, on August 5. The local government has begun preparations for the reopening of schools in early September.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Cemetery workers carry the coffin of a Covid-19 victim at a graveyard in Comas, Peru, on August 5.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Elementary school students walk to class in Godley, Texas, on August 5. Three rural school districts in Johnson County were among the first in the state to head back to school for in-person classes.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Poll worker Debra Moore sanitizes her workspace during a primary election in Detroit on August 4.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A stylist from Grey Matter LA cuts a client's hair on a rooftop parking lot in Los Angeles on August 4.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Paul Adamus, 7, waits at the bus stop for his first day of school in Dallas, Georgia, on August 3.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Beds are seen at a temporary field hospital set up in Hong Kong on August 1. AsiaWorld-Expo has been converted into a makeshift hospital that can take up to 500 patients.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Medical workers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, showcase designs during a fashion show of personal protective equipment on August 1. The fashion show was held as a form of gratitude for all medical personnel who have been fighting Covid-19.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A volunteer disinfects a rooftop area in Rio de Janeiro on August 1.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Volunteer health workers disinfect a mosque prior to Eid al-Adha prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 31.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

A casket carrying the body of coronavirus victim Lola M. Simmons is placed into a hearse following her funeral service in Dallas on July 30.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Relatives of Covid-19 patients line up to recharge oxygen cylinders in Villa Maria del Triunfo, Peru, on July 29.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

People watch the film "The Prestige" from a gondola boat in Venice, Italy, on July 28. Around the world, many films are being shown outside so that people can practice social distancing.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

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A health worker tests a child for Covid-19 at a school in New Delhi on July 27.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Portraits are taped onto seats to help theatergoers spread out in Nicosia, Cyprus, on July 27.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

The casket of a coronavirus victim is carried from a funeral home in Johannesburg on July 26.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

Worshippers of Legio Maria attend a prayer at their church in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 26. Places of worship have reopened in Kenya under strict guidelines.

The novel coronavirus outbreak

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More than 60 million people in India may have caught Covid-19, survey finds - CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $2.2 trillion Democratic plan to provide more economic relief from the coronavirus pandemic, as a bipartisan deal continued to elude House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House.

Objections from top Republicans are likely to doom the House Democrats plan in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called the $2.2 trillion price tag outlandish, although Democrats have reduced the cost of their proposal by over a trillion dollars since May. The House vote was 214-207.

No Republican voted for the Democratic plan, although 18 Democrats voted no, many of them moderates from swing districts who have been urging Pelosi to bring a bipartisan proposal to the House floor.

Todays package is another partisan exercise that will never become law, Representative Abigail Spanberger, one of the Democrats who voted no, said.

Republican President Donald Trumps negotiating team has suggested a $1.6 trillion response, and the White House on Thursday dismissed Democrats $2.2 trillion plan as not serious.

Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have talked every day this week, including a 50-minute phone call Thursday, in an effort to negotiate a bipartisan aid package to respond to the economic fallout from a pandemic that has killed more than 207,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.

Congress and the White House approved more than $3 trillion worth of coronavirus relief measures earlier this year, but Mnuchin, as well as members of Congress from both parties, have argued more stimulus is needed.

Asked if there would be a resolution to her negotiations with the administration on Thursday evening, Pelosi told reporters, No. She gave no details of their talks but said: Even if we came to some agreement, nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. Its the language.

In the absence of a deal with the White House, and with lawmakers preparing to leave Washington for the remaining weeks of the 2020 presidential and congressional campaign, the Democratic-majority House went ahead and passed the Democrats proposal.

Frankly if we had reached a bipartisan agreement...we wouldnt have this bill on the floor, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said. But we also want to let the American people know where we stand.

Pelosi and Mnuchin differed over aid to state and local governments, Democratic demands for a child tax credit and stronger worker safety protections, healthcare provisions and help for small businesses.

After Pelosi and Mnuchins phone call Thursday afternoon, Pelosis deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill wrote on Twitter: The two discussed further clarifications on amounts and language, but distance on key areas remain.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany dismissed the Democratic proposal as not a serious offer.

Pelosi said of the White House proposal on Bloomberg TV: This isnt half a loaf. What theyre offering is the heel of the loaf.

Republican Senator Mike Braun told CNBC on Thursday that a deal worth over $1.6 trillion could be rejected by one-third to one-half of Senate Republicans. That would still allow a bill to pass with support from Democrats.

Lawmakers and securities analysts viewed talks as a last-gasp effort to secure relief ahead of the Nov. 3 election for tens of millions of Americans and business including U.S. airlines, which have begun furloughing over 32,000 workers.

Reporting by Susan Cornwell and David Morgan; additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Doina Chicacu, Daphne Psaledakis and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Cynthia Oserman

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White House, Democrats remain far from deal on fresh round of COVID-19 aid - Reuters

Dr. Anthony Fauci downplayed concerns about the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine during a conversation on Tuesday at the 2020 Texas Tribune Festival.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leader in the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus, said Americans should feel confident in the development and efficacy of a vaccine. This comes as a growing majority of people say they are not likely to be immunized as soon as a vaccine is available.

It's "disturbing" that so many people are reticent to get a vaccine, he said, blaming mixed messages that have come out of Washington for waning public trust.

Some public officials, including President Donald Trump, have questioned the credibility of agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration during the pandemic.

Others have viewed Trumps forecast that a vaccine could be ready by Election Day as politically motivated and expressed fears that the president might sidestep the regulatory process.

Fauci stressed that officials must reach out to their communities to regain the confidence ... that this is being done to protect them as individuals and to protect our society.

To reach herd immunity the point at which enough people are immune to a disease that it doesnt spread the community must meet a certain threshold either through vaccination or from previously contracting the virus. Experts worry that if enough people refuse a vaccine, the coronavirus will continue to spread.

Fauci said five companies have vaccines that are currently in advanced clinical trials, nearing the final step before seeking FDA approval.

Two companies, Moderna and Pfizer, are the furthest ahead and have shown early promising results. Moderna appears set to deliver a report to regulators by November. Pfizer, which has already begun to manufacture its vaccine so doses will be ready should it win FDA approval, could deliver its report by the end of October.

The data from each trial and at each stage is closely guarded and shared only with an independent board of scientists, statisticians and clinicians. The board decides whether a potential vaccine shows promise and should advance to the next stage.

I feel cautiously optimistic, as a scientist, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine," Fauci said. "I believe it will happen, and it will happen likely by this end of the calendar year."

Even if a vaccine is ready by the years end, it likely will not be widely available until late 2021, experts say, because of the massive logistical challenges that come with distributing hundreds of millions of doses to every corner of the country. The first people likely to receive a vaccine are health care workers and those most at risk of contracting the virus, such as the elderly and people with preexisting conditions.

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Anthony Fauci says Americans should trust the COVID-19 vaccine process - The Texas Tribune

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said during a stop in Texas Monday that a vaccine against COVID-19 could be ready as soon as the end of this year or early 2021. But he isn't saying when Americans might be able to get it. (Sept. 28) AP Domestic

Moderna's coronavirus vaccine appears to create as strong an immune responsein older people as it does in younger adults. That'sa positive sign as many vaccines don't work as well in the elderly.

A small study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine foundthe Moderna COVID-19 vaccine elicited animmune systemresponse almost as strong in people over 56 as in adults between the ages of 18 and 55.

"This is very promising but it's also somewhat surprising," said David Dowling, an immunologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, who studies vaccines.

Older people are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People 50 to 64 years old are four times more likely to be hospitalized and30 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people between the ages of 18 and 29. Those aged 65 to 74 are five times more likely to be hospitalized and 90 times more likely to die. The older the person, the higher the risk.

The Moderna study was conducted by researchers at Emory University in Atlanta and included two groups of 20 people each, one made up of people aged 56 to 70 and one of people 71 and over. Participants were enrolled in Atlanta, Seattle and Bethesda, Maryland. Thefindings were compared to findings previously reported among vaccine recipients between 18 and 55.

"The immune responses were very comparable to that of the young adults,"said Dr. Evan Anderson, a professor of infectious disease at Emory University Medical School and lead author on the paper.

Moderna's mRNA-1273 experimental vaccine is now in Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States. It isconsidered a front runner among the four candidate vaccines currently in end-stage trials. There is no data available yet on how well it protects people from getting COVID-19.

Having a vaccine that works well for older people could make a big difference in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. There have been fears any vaccineapproved might not work as well in the elderly.

Feds: COVID-19 vaccine will begin moving 24 hours after the first one is approved

More: When will children get a COVID-19 vaccine? It's going to be a while

It's long been known a person's immune system weakens as theyget older.

"With increasing age, our immune responses generally decline and a number of different vaccines tend to not work as well as we get older. That's why we have the high dose influenza vaccine for people 65 and above," Andersonsaid. "The fact that that 100 microgram dose (of Moderna's COVID vaccine) seemed to be sufficient to generate a similar immune response in older peopleis a very pleasantfinding."

If a higher dosage were to berequired for COVID-19, as it is for some influenza vaccines,fewer doses would beavailable.

There also have beenconcerns that some vaccines might not work at all for seniors, limiting their options orrequiring they wait until newer vaccines become available. Another approach,so-called "ring immunization" where the at-risk person doesn't get vaccinated but everyone around them does, would require more vaccine, too.

Thefindings don't show whether the experimental vaccine will give people immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but are "heartening," said Anderson.

The study only included 40 people and almost all were white, so the researchers acknowledged a broader study population was needed to confirmthe results.COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color.

Raymond Grosswirth, a participant in a Phase 3 clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine.(Photo: Jeff Blackman, Senior Visual Communications Specialist at Rochester Regional Health)

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Small study finds Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine may work equally well in older people as it does in younger adults - USA TODAY