New York clinical trial tests heartburn remedy against coronavirus Famotidine, the active compound in the over-the-counter heartburn drug Pepcid, is being tested as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus. The first COVID-19 patients at Northwell Health (New York, NY) began receiving famotidine intravenously on April 7, at nine times the heartburn dose. Northwell … [Read more...]

House passes $484B bill to boost small businesses, hospitals The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $484 billion package Thursday to bolster small businesses and hospitals hurt by the coronavirus outbreak and expand testing needed to return to normal life. The House sends the proposal to President Donald Trump, who is set to sign it into law Friday. The House also … [Read more...]

California to permit hospitals to resume scheduled surgeries California Gov. Gavin Newsom loosened stay-at-home orders that have been in place for more than one month by permitting hospitals to resume scheduled surgeries. The modified order allows for surgeries dealing with cancers, heart valves and chronic diseases. Cosmetic surgeries are still prohibited. Gov. Newsom said … [Read more...]

Almost $500B stimulus approved by Senate, moves to House The U.S. Senate approved the $484 billion stimulus package as the nation’s death toll surpassed 45,000. The relief bill is now in the hands of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is scheduled to have a vote on Thursday. President Donald Trump has signaled that he will sign it. Most of the Paycheck Protection … [Read more...]

First at-home COVID-19 testing kit authorized by FDA The FDA has issued the first authorization for an at-home COVID-19 test kit. LabCorp says it will give first access to healthcare workers and first responders. People who are eligible can swab their nose to collect a fluid sample, but they will still need to send it to a lab for testing. Read more. Immigration suspended … [Read more...]

U.S. tops 750,000 cases; President Trump says he will use DPA to increase medical swabs The total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. is currently over 750,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The virus has killed more than 40,000 people in the U.S. And President Donald Trump said at a press conference that he was going to use the Defense Production Act (DPA) to … [Read more...]

President Trump unveils plan to open America on May 1 President Donald Trump announced new guidelines for reopening states as soon as May 1. However, he left the decision up to each state’s governor. “America wants to be open, and Americans want to be open,” President Trump said. “Based on the latest data, our team of experts agree we can start the next front in our war, … [Read more...]

U.S. investigating if virus was accidentally released from Chinese lab The U.S. government is exploring the possibility that the novel coronavirus was accidentally released from a Chinese lab in Wuhan, China. The Chinese government denied that the lab was to blame early on, instead saying the outbreak started at a wet market in Wuhan. However, a Yahoo News article said the … [Read more...]

J&J aims for imminent vaccine production, 1B doses worldwide Johnson & Johnson (J&J) (New Brunswick, NJ) plans to begin imminent production of its trial COVID-19 vaccine on an “at risk” basis. Manufacturing “at risk” allows the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company to produce a product before its ultimate design is finalized and released to the public. It … [Read more...]

President Trump to name committees on reopening U.S. President Donald Trump will specify Tuesday who will help him decide when, and how, portions of the country can reopen businesses. He also intends to appoint a number of committees to advise him, including “a transportation committee, a manufacturing committee” and a “religious leaders’ committee.” President Trump said the … [Read more...]