COVID-19 Updates: New Strains in the U.S., Increased Federal Response to Pandemic

Although there are now two authorized vaccines against COVID-19 available in the United States and a third likely on the way with Johnson & Johnson’s candidate, the nation and world are nowhere near being done with the novel coronavirus, especially with new, more contagious variants now circulating.

That is the thought of Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a board member of Pfizer, one of the companies that developed an authorized vaccine. During an interview with CNBC Thursday, Gottlieb said it is imperative that governments ramp up vaccination efforts in order to stave off any surging infection rates.

“If we can’t get more protective immunity into the population, we could be facing a situation where we have, sort of, a perpetual infection heading into the spring and summer as these variants get a foothold here,” Gottlieb said during the interview.

New strains of COVID-19 have been discovered across the globe, including here in the United States. Researchers at Ohio State University discovered a new strain in the U.S. that has mutations not yet seen. Another strain similar to one discovered in the United Kingdom has also been found. These new strains are thought to make the virus even more infectious than before. If vaccinations aren’t accelerated, Gottlieb warned the spring and summer months could become deadly for the nation.

Since the authorization of the two vaccines in the U.S., there have been about 30.8 million doses administered, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drugmakers are continuing to roll out additional doses in order to accelerate inoculation.

There have been more than 23 million people in the United States infected with the virus, more than any other country in the world. Globally, there are 93,235,680 reported infections. The global death toll is approaching 2 million people. In the U.S., 388,709 people have succumbed to the virus, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard.

Elsewhere:

Biden Goals

The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden plans to increase support for the development of new vaccines and therapeutics against COVID-19. According to CNN, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at NYU who is advising the Biden transition team, hopes to see researchers look beyond monoclonal antibodies and discover more effective therapeutics against the virus. Gounder raised some concern about the reliance on Gilead Sciences’ antiviral remdesivir, which has received mixed reviews as a COVID-19 treatment.

“Here I am speaking as a member of IDSA – the Infectious Diseases Society of America. IDSA still does not recommend the use of monoclonal antibodies, despite emergency use authorization being granted by the FDA,” Gounder said, according to CNN.

To support the development of new therapies, the incoming administration unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus-focused plan that is intended to boost vaccination efforts, support the development of new therapies, shore up the economy and provide stimulus funds to Americans. Biden has called for 100 million doses of the vaccines to be administered by the end of his first 100 days in office. His proposal would use $20 billion to support increased vaccination efforts and $50 billion to expand testing.

The quest for new drugs

Developing a new drug against COVID-19 can take time to work its way through the clinic. Some researchers are testing approved drugs on the market to determine whether or not those will have benefit. The Boston Globe reports researchers are looking at common generic drugs, nutritional supplements and more in order to find something that can benefit symptomatic patients in early-stages of the virus from worsening and needing to go to already overwhelmed hospitals.

One of the drugs being explored is the established anti-depressant fluvoxamine. Researchers began to look at that drug for COVID after some research showed it could treat sepsis in mice. A small study showed the drug could provide protection against worsening COVID symptoms and scientists are now recruiting for a larger trial, the Globe reported.

Rigel Pharmaceuticals takes a shot

Bay Area-based Rigel Pharmaceuticals is aiming its immune thrombocytopenic purpura treatment Tavalisse (fostamatinib) at COVID-19. Rigel has initiated a Phase II study for Tavalisse that is being supported by the National Institutes of Health. The primary endpoint of this study is cumulative incidence of serious adverse events (SAE) through day 29, with multiple secondary endpoints designed to assess the early efficacy and clinically relevant endpoints of disease course as well as in vitro biological correlatives evaluating the effects of the drug on pathways involved in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Topline data from the study is expected in April.

Additionally, Rigel launched a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Tavalisse in hospitalized COVID-19 patients without respiratory failure that have certain high-risk prognostic factors. 

Vaccine passport

A coalition of health and technology organizations have banded together to develop a digital COVID-19 vaccination passport. The passport could be used to show someone has received the vaccine and could be adopted by airlines, cruise ships and other organizations. According to a report in The Hill, the new coalition, dubbed The Vaccination Credential Initiative, will develop a technology to “confirm vaccinations in the likelihood that some governments will mandate people provide proof of their shots in order to enter the nation.” The initiative involves companies like Microsoft, Oracle and the Mayo Clinic.