|
 'We're confident' in vaccine, says Russia
Russia is so confident in its COVID-19 vaccine that it will shoulder
some of the legal liability should anything go wrong, rather than
requiring buyers to take on the full risk, the head of the state
fund bankrolling the project told Reuters.
The decision leaves the vaccine's state-backed developers open to
potentially costly compensation claims should there be any
unexpected side-effects. It is something many vaccine-makers have
sought to avoid, by asking for full indemnity - complete protection
from liability claims - from nations they sell to.
The approach is different from many places in the world. In the
United States, for example, liability for COVID-19 vaccines has been
shifted fully to the U.S. government. This shields the developers
because widespread inoculation against the disease is considered a
benefit to society.
New U.S. COVID-19 cases rise 17% in past week
The weekly number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States rose
last week for the first time after falling for eight straight weeks,
an increase that health experts attributed to schools reopening and
parties over the Labor Day holiday.
New cases rose 17% to about 287,000 for the week ended Sept. 20,
while deaths rose 5.5% to about 5,400 people after falling for the
previous four weeks, according to a Reuters analysis of state and
county reports.
(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser for a Reuters
interactive graphic)
Thirteen states have seen weekly infections rise for at least two
weeks, up from nine states the previous week, according to the
Reuters tally. In Arizona, new cases doubled last week.
CDC takes down airborne transmission guidance
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday
took down its guidance warning on possible airborne transmission of
the novel coronavirus, saying that the draft recommendation was
posted in error.
The now-withdrawn guidance, posted on the agency's website on
Friday, recommended that people use air purifiers to reduce airborne
germs indoors to avoid the disease from spreading.
"CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne
transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Once this process has been completed,
the update language will be posted," the agency said.
[to top of second column] |
Presently, the agency's guidance says the virus mainly spreads from
person-to-person through respiratory droplets, which can land in the mouth or
nose of people nearby.
'Work from home' Johnson to tell UK
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell people on Tuesday to work from
home where possible and will curb timings for bars and restaurants to tackle a
fast-spreading second coronavirus wave, but the opposition accused him of losing
control.
With millions across the UK already under some form of COVID-19 restriction,
Johnson will tighten measures in England while stopping short of another full
lockdown like he imposed in March, according to his office and ministers.
Just weeks after urging people to start returning to workplaces, Johnson will
now advise them to stay at home if they can. He will also order all pubs, bars,
restaurants and other hospitality sites across England to start closing at 10
p.m. from Thursday.
Could dengue provide some immunity?
A new study that analyzed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link
between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests
exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity
against COVID-19.
The not yet published study led by Miguel Nicolelis, a professor at Duke
University, and shared exclusively with Reuters, compared the geographic
distribution of coronavirus cases with the spread of dengue in 2019 and 2020.
Places with lower coronavirus infection rates and slower case growth were
locations that had suffered intense dengue outbreaks this year or last,
Nicolelis found.
"This striking finding raises the intriguing possibility of an immunological
cross-reactivity between dengue's Flavivirus serotypes and SARS-CoV-2," the
study said, referring to dengue virus antibodies and the novel coronavirus.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Alex Richardson
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
