Current Events in April 2020

Former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb said he believes that most people who got and then recovered from COVID-19 will be left with “some level” of immunity to the virus. 

On CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday, Gottlieb said there are still questions about how immune consumers are to COVID-19 if they have already been sickened by the virus. Specifically, he says the duration and strength of the immunity are open questions.

“Now how long that immunity lasts, how strong it is, we don’t know. It might not last that long in certain people. It might not be that strong, so you can get reinfected but perhaps not get as sick,” he said.

WHO advises against ‘immunity passports’

Gottlieb statements were in response to a warning published Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The organization said governments should refrain from issuing “immunity passports” to people who have antibodies for COVID-19. 

Until more scientific information is available, WHO officials said we shouldn’t assume these individuals are protected against reinfection and therefore healthy enough to travel or go back to work. 

“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” the organization wrote in a scientific brief.

Over the weekend, the WHO clarified in a series of tweets that it expects COVID-19 antibodies to provide “some level of protection” against the virus, but health officials still aren’t sure how far that protection goes. 

“We expect that most people who are infected with #COVID19 will develop an antibody response that will provide some level of protection,” the WHO tweeted on Saturday. “What we don't yet know is the level of protection or how long it will last.” 

“We are working with scientists around the world to better understand the body's response to #COVID19 infection. So far, no studies have answered these important questions.”

Some level of immunity

Gottlieb agreed that having fought and recovered from COVID-19 likely won’t guarantee 100 percent immunity to it, but he argued that the WHO’s statement was “characteristically cautious and muddled.” 

“If this behaves like every other virus, and every other coronavirus, you’re going to develop antibodies and they’ll confer some level of immunity,” said Gottlieb.

“It’s fair to say, if you have antibodies, you test yourself and you have antibodies, it’s no guarantee you can’t get it again. That’s a reasonable statement. But you’re going to have some level of immunity.” 

While many consumers are looking to protect themselves from germs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have warned about the shortage of such protective gear for medical professionals. 

Now, researchers at the American Chemical Society found that consumers can make their own face masks at home by using two popular household items: cotton and either natural silk or chiffon. 

Protecting consumers

The researchers tested the effectiveness of masks made out of different materials to determine what would best protect consumers from the threat of infection. 

They explained that aerosols are the biggest threat to homemade masks, as they are the tiniest kind of respiratory droplets and can sneak through certain fabrics. This is why it’s important that consumers know which fabrics to use and which ones to avoid when making at-home masks. 

The researchers put fabrics to the test and mimicked the human respiratory system by having a fan blow aerosols into different kinds of homemade masks. 

Their study ultimately revealed that consumers can protect themselves with about the same level of effectiveness of an N95 mask by crafting their own mask out of two popular household items: cotton and chiffon or silk. While cotton can be found in anything from t-shirts to bed sheets, consumers can find chiffon in formal gowns or scarves. 

These materials have unique properties that can repel aerosols the majority of the time. The researchers found that masks made with a combination of these materials can protect consumers from 80 to 99 percent of all particles. 

Make sure the mask fits

The most important part of at-home masks is the fit. Despite these positive findings, the researchers say that masks made from the right materials won’t effectively block germs if they aren’t properly fitted to consumers’ faces

While making masks at home can protect consumers and also ensure that medical-grade masks are reserved for healthcare workers, fashioning them properly is key. All masks should be tightly secured to consumers’ faces to guarantee optimal protection. 

Last week, studies in California and New York strongly suggested that the official count of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the U.S. is much lower than the actual number. This week, there is anecdotal evidence that supports those findings

A survey by WebMD found that 10 percent of Americans believe they have had the virus during the last 30 days, but only 7 percent were tested to confirm their suspicions.

The survey’s implication is that if everyone who thought they had the virus could have been tested, the official number of confirmed cases in the U.S. -- the highest of any nation -- would be even higher.

The findings in New York City add to the survey’s validity. The poll showed that 26 percent of people in the New York Metro area believe they’ve had the coronavirus in the last 30 days. An actual study of New York residents’ antibodies estimates that 21 percent of people in the New York metro area have had the virus.

Thirty-nine percent of those who weren’t tested said they were denied a test because they did not meet testing criteria. Another 28 percent said their symptoms were so mild that they didn’t think they needed one. Others said they chose not to be tested because they did not want to leave home.

Most common symptoms

Those who reported symptoms most commonly cited cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, body aches, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, and fatigue.  A significant percentage reported shortness of breath and fever.

The poll closely resembles the results of not just the New York study, but findings by researchers at USC and the Los Angeles County Health Department. That study showed that the number of residents infected with the virus in that county is 28 to 55 times higher than the 8,000 cases that were confirmed when the study was done in early April. The study results have not yet been peer-reviewed.

On the bright side

Health officials say the USC findings are significant for two reasons. For one, it shows that the virus is highly contagious and is practically everywhere, even in locales thought to have few cases. It reinforces a need for social distancing and enhanced hygiene to slow the spread.

At the same time, if there are many more cases than have been confirmed, then the virus is probably much less lethal than previously assumed. While it has resulted in many hospitalizations and deaths, the percentage of those who die from the virus is an order of magnitude lower than health officials previously believed.

"The survey demonstrates the need to ramp up diagnostic testing, along with antibody testing, to fully understand the scope of the disease," said Dr. John Whyte, WebMD's chief medical officer. 

Whyte said the evolving data can help guide policy decisions as regulators decide how and when to relax social distancing guidelines.

Funds available through the government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) depleted more rapidly than anticipated, and now it’s becoming clear that public companies took far more of the emergency funding than initially thought.

According to the latest numbers from data analytics firm FactSquared, more than 200 public companies applied for at least $854.7 million from the program. The PPP was established with the aim of helping small businesses, but larger companies were able to tap a significant amount of the emergency funding before it ran out.

FactSquared produced the latest tally by using an artificial intelligence program to scan regulatory filings for mentions of PPP. The firm’s CEO, Bill Frischling, told CNBC, "We're confident that if a company disclosed it in a filing, we got it.” 

Businesses like Shake Shack, Potbelly, and Ruth’s Hospitality Group made headlines last week when they ultimately decided to return the funding they received through the program. Three public companies affiliated with Texas hotelier Monty Bennet applied for $126.4 million in PPP assistance. 

To date, 11 companies have returned a total of $75 million to the PPP.

Additional funding 

The small business loan program is set to receive another $310 billion in funding on Monday, and demand is expected to be high. To handle demand, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has said it will be pacing entries into its loan portal and limiting any single bank to 10 percent of the dollars in the program. 

Last week, the SBA modified its guidance to prevent larger companies from beating smaller businesses to the punch in getting funding. 

“A borrower must certify on the Borrower Application Form that the borrower is eligible to receive a PPP loan, and that certification means that the borrower is a small business concern” the agency stated in guidelines released Thursday.

Additionally, the business must have 500 or fewer employees whose primary place of residence is in the United States.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has rolled out a suite of enhancements to its online portal for Economic Impact Payments (EIPs), or stimulus checks, in an effort to ease consumer frustration with the site.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said the changes will make it easier for people to add direct deposit information and get their relief money faster. 

"We delivered Get My Payment with new capabilities that did not exist during any similar relief program, including the ability to receive direct deposit information that accelerates payments to millions of people," Rettig said in a statement. "These further enhancements will help even more taxpayers.” 

Rettig urged people who initially experienced hangups in dealing with the online tool to go back and try it again now that the changes are in place. 

"We encourage people to check back in and visit Get My Payment," Rettig added. "These enhancements will help many taxpayers. By using Get My Payment now, more people will be able to get payments quickly by being able to add direct deposit information."

“IRS teams worked long hours to deliver Get My Payment in record time, and we will continue to make improvements to help Americans,” he added. 

Payment status

Taxpayers who haven’t yet received their stimulus checks can check the status of their payment on the IRS website. When doing so, it’s recommended to have bank account information and a copy of your most recent tax return on hand. 

The IRS has warned taxpayers to be wary of scams related to the stimulus payments because criminals are using the current health crisis to make a profit. Information on stimulus checks is only available on IRS.gov, not on third-party websites. 

Consumers also shouldn’t receive any phone calls, texts, or emails about the payments. The IRS has stated that it won’t send unsolicited electronic communications asking people to open attachments, visit a website, or share personal or financial information. 

“Remember, go directly and solely to IRS.gov for official information,” the IRS said. 

Since COVID-19 came on the scene, most every company that makes its living off of travel has had to completely rethink its model. 

Now, while things are still in limbo and there’s time to revamp, Airbnb is in all-hands-on-deck mode to make sure that members’ rentals are ready -- and safe -- for guests when the pandemic subsides.

The first thing the company is introducing in that regard is a new cleaning protocol for hosts. Bringing in former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy as a consultant, Airbnb is launching its “Enhanced Cleaning Initiative.” The program is described as “the first overarching standardized protocol for cleaning and sanitization in the home sharing industry … (and) informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

“As a society, we need to observe the physical distancing recommendations made by public health officials while finding ways to preserve and strengthen human connection,” said Dr. Murthy.

“I’m looking forward to helping the Airbnb community as it develops a health and science based approach for safe travel lodging and experiences. These approaches will continue to evolve as our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 grows.”

The new guidelines

Airbnb officials think its hosts are already doing a good job, but applying the extra grease won’t hurt. 

“This effort builds off of Airbnb’s strong historical track record of cleanliness: To date 94 percent of all Airbnb reviews show that guests are satisfied with cleaning, scoring it at 4 or 5 stars after their stays,” the company said.

When the new protocol officially launches in May, guidelines will include the following requirements from each host:

• Taking part in a learning and certification program.

• Using personal protective equipment, like masks and gloves for hosts or their cleaners, as well as disinfectants that are approved by regulatory authorities.

• A CDC-recommended 24-hour wait period before entering.

This begs the question of what will happen if a host can’t commit to Airbnb’s new rules? The company said in a news release that those hosts can alternatively opt into a new feature called Booking Buffer, which will create a vacancy period of at least 72 hours between stays. During that three-day span, reservations will automatically be blocked. 

On paper, anyone can be a Tom, Dick, or Harry, but on-screen, the chances are slimmer that someone can pull off an impersonation. At least that’s what Amazon is hoping for in a new test designed to authenticate third-party sellers and minimize its chances of getting bitten by a fraudster.

When the company started its campaign to validate candidates, its preference was meet potential applicants in person, but when COVID-19 looked like it wasn’t going anywhere for a while, the company turned to video calls.  

Third-party business is Amazon’s wellspring. A whopping 58 percent of its gross sales come from third-party sellers. In late 2019, the company made dramatic changes to its policies to try to curry these sellers’ favor by making things fairer. 

“As we practice social distancing, we are testing a process that allows us to validate prospective sellers’ identification via video conferencing,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement, “This pilot allows us to connect one-on-one with prospective sellers while making it even more difficult for fraudsters to hide.”

Hoping this change will do the trick

Amazon’s caught the ire of a Wall Street Journal investigation in 2019 for its substandard scrutiny of third-party sellers.

“In practice, Amazon has increasingly evolved like a flea market. It exercises limited oversight over items listed by millions of third-party sellers, many of them anonymous, many in China, some offering scant information,” the Journal wrote.

The result of Amazon’s lax attitude toward that seller group was a scourge of mislabeled or banned products, counterfeit goods, and even some items that had been declared “unsafe” by federal agencies.

Amazon’s new video authentication procedure is in beta in the U.S., U.K., China, and Japan. The natural, modern-day inclination would be to think that the process uses facial recognition. However, Amazon has decided to take a more personable route in trying to make the process as non-Big Brother-like as possible.

According to GeekWire’s confirmation of the process, Amazon will use its Chime video-conferencing technology -- similar to Zoom or Skype -- to make the calls to applicants. Once online, an Amazon representative double-checks the prospective seller’s ID to make sure it matches the person they’re talking to on-screen, as well as the documents the seller has provided in the application. Amazon says that, so far, more than 1,000 prospective sellers have gone through the screening process.

Facebook has finally closed the book on 2018’s Cambridge Analytica scandal as a federal judge has given final approval to the social media company’s $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 

The settlement won approval last July, but Facebook critics who were concerned about the social media giant’s privacy policies went to court to block the settlement, arguing it wasn’t harsh enough. After hearing all sides over a 10-month period, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly put his stamp of approval on the deal.

“We are pleased with the Court’s decision,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons. “As the court notes, the historic $5 billion settlement is ‘by far’ the largest monetary penalty ever obtained by the United States on behalf of the FTC and the ‘second largest in any context.’”

Simons also pointed to the settlement’s conduct relief that will require Facebook to consider privacy at every stage of its operations and provide substantially more transparency and accountability for its executives’ privacy-related decisions.

Previous settlement

The massive fine was due in part to the fact that the FTC had also charged Facebook with violating a 2012 FTC order by deceiving users about their ability to control the privacy of their personal information.

The latest complaint stemmed from a 2018 revelation that Cambridge Analytica, a political marketing firm, had gained unauthorized access to Facebook user data in order to target political ads on behalf of 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump and the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

The settlement order imposes what the FTC calls “unprecedented new restrictions on Facebook’s business operations” while creating multiple channels of compliance. 

Restructured approach to privacy

The agency says the order requires Facebook to restructure its approach to privacy from the corporate board-level down, and it holds Facebook executives personally accountable for the decisions they make about privacy. The FTC said Facebook’s privacy decisions will be subject to meaningful oversight going forward.

“Despite repeated promises to its billions of users worldwide that they could control how their personal information is shared, Facebook undermined consumers’ choices,” Simons said.

In a blog post, Michel Protti, Facebook’s chief privacy officer for product, said the agreement with the government had already brought about “fundamental changes to our company” and improved how it protects users’ privacy.

While recent studies have found that pets can help reduce consumers’ stress levels, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia explored how pets could benefit the families of children with autism. 

According to the researchers, having a pet in the home can help lower stress levels for parents and for the children who have the condition. 

“Given that the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder are so broad, it can be difficult to identify interventions that are widely beneficial,” said researcher Gretchen Carlisle. “Some of the core challenges that children with autism face include anxiety and difficulty communicating. As pets can help increase social interaction and decrease anxiety, we found that they are not only helpful in providing comfort and support to children with autism, but to their parents as well.” 

The benefits of a pet

To better understand how pets can benefit families of children with autism, the researchers surveyed over 700 families in the Interactive Autism Network. All of the parents were pet owners, and the survey gauged their opinions about the pros and cons of having a pet in the home. 

Overwhelmingly, pets were seen as an added benefit for families of children with autism. Though pets were found to be an asset, the researchers did notice some difference between dog owners and cat owners, as well as those who had both dogs and cats in the home. 

The study revealed that dog owners were able to find more positives about having a pet in the home than cat owners; however, those who had both pets reaped the most benefits from their furry friends. 

Overall, pets were linked with lower stress levels for parents and kids, and those who were able to identify more pet-related benefits were also found to have the lowest stress levels. 

Creating lasting bonds

The researchers recommend that parents of children with autism consider adding a pet into the home, as doing so can help children create a lasting bond and improve all family members’ moods. However, it’s also important to consider children’s habits and make sure that the pet fits in with established behaviors. 

“Some kids with autism have specific sensitivities, so a big, loud dog that is highly active might cause sensory overload for a particular child, while a quiet cat might be a better fit,” said Carlisle. “My goal is to provide parents with evidence-based information so they can make informed choices for their families.” 

Ecoideas Innovation is recalling Ecoideas brand Chocolate Cake Mix, Brown Rice Pancakes Mix and Buckwheat Pancakes Mix.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following products, sold throughout Canada, are being recalled:

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at (888) 735-7258 or by email at info@ecoideas.ca.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tripled the number of symptoms reported by people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

No longer do the key warning signs only include a cough, fever, and shortness of breath.They also now include these six new factors that may appear anywhere from 2-14 days after someone is exposed to the virus:

• Chills

• Repeated shaking with chills

• Muscle pain

• Headache

• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell

Updated guidance on when to seek emergency help

In addition, the CDC now lists four key indicators that require immediate emergency attention:

• Trouble breathing

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

• New confusion or inability to arouse

• Bluish lips or face

“This list is not all inclusive,” the CDC warns. “Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.”

Rapidly evolving situation

With 3.7+ million COVID-19 tests conducted by laboratories in the U.S. and nearly 20 million results via the agency’s “Clara” self-checker as substantiation, the CDC’s latest update called the pandemic’s status a “rapidly evolving situation.” 

Among the symptoms the agency is likely to be gathering evidence on are conjunctivitis (pink eye), skin rashes, diarrhea, and something completely new on the scene -- “COVID toes.”

Podiatrists in Spain have reported that they have encountered “numerous cases of sick people, mainly children and young people, who had small dermatological lesions on their feet.” Interestingly, those symptoms sometimes show up in advance of the more typical symptoms. 

According to Spain’s General Council of Official Colleges of Podiatrists, the lesions are purple’ish in color and usually appear around the tips of the toes. Tracking the symptoms through their evolution, the Council said that when the lesions heal, they do not leave marks like, say, chickenpox or measles might. 

Not even close to being out of the woods

Despite communities and states being anxious to jumpstart their economies again, the CDC’s surveillance of the coronavirus shows that the virus is in the acceleration (or “speeding up”) phase -- the interval where it infects susceptible people. Before we’re completely out of the woods, we have to get through two more key phases: the deceleration (or “slowing down”) phase and the preparation for future pandemic waves phase.

Even when those last two phases are marked as completed, the CDC says people should prepare for possible additional waves of infection. 

“It is possible that a second pandemic wave could have higher severity than the initial wave,” the CDC says, insisting that the only true way to know when the pandemic can be declared over is “when enough data shows that the influenza virus, worldwide, is similar to a seasonal influenza virus in how it spreads and the severity of the illness it can cause.”

The coronavirus stock market crash has taken a toll on the average 401(k) balance. 

According to a new report from Fidelity Investments, the average 401(k) balance fell 19 percent to $91,400 in the first quarter of the year. The average individual retirement account balance sank 14 percent to $98,900. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the average 401(k) balance was $112,300 and the average IRA balance was $115,400. 

Fidelity analysts said it was obvious that the dip was caused by the extreme market volatility caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Given the unprecedented market volatility this quarter, it’s not surprising that account balances were impacted, although declines were less than the overall market decline,” Kevin Barry, president of workplace investing at Fidelity, said in a statement.

Contribution rates remain steady

Although 401(k) account balances dwindled in the first quarter, Fidelity’s first quarter analysis showed that the majority of retirement savers continued to contribute. 

Contribution rates held steady at an average of 8.9 percent, and the average contribution from employers remained at 4.7 percent, according to the Boston-based financial firm. 

Fidelity noted that there was a minimal increase in the number of retirement savers who changed their asset allocation. Most moved their savings into a more conservative investment option.

Barry said it was “encouraging to see that many investors stayed the course and did not make drastic changes to their asset allocations.” 

“We know that investors continue to be concerned about how the economic environment and global pandemic may impact their health and financial futures, and we are already seeing the impact of the market downturn on our clients,” Barry said. “As a result, Fidelity is responding with comprehensive advice, guidance and reassurance that address their pressing questions and concerns during this difficult time.” 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 871,285 (843,981)

Total U.S. deaths: 50,066 (46,859)

Total global cases: 2,744,511 (2,659,557)

Total global deaths: 192,982 (185,494)

FDA issues warning about hydroxychloroquine side effects

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers and their health care providers about known side effects of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine when used “off-label” to treat the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The agency says the side effects include serious and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm problems that have been reported when the drugs are part of a COVID-19 treatment. However, the FDA says the risks may be mitigated when closely supervised in a clinical setting.

“We understand that health care professionals are looking for every possible treatment option for their patients and we want to ensure we’re providing them with the appropriate information needed for them to make the best medical decisions,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn. “While clinical trials are ongoing to determine the safety and effectiveness of these drugs for COVID-19, there are known side effects of these medications that should be considered.”

Hahn said doctors considering hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus patients should “closely screen and monitor” those patients.

Mandatory masks

United Airlines says it will require flight attendants on all flights to wear face masks, the first U.S. carrier to take that step. The directive went into effect today.

“In coordination with the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA)—starting on April 24—we will require that all flight attendants wear a face covering or mask to help protect themselves and customers on board our aircraft,” United said in a statement.

The union, meanwhile, says the airline should also require all passengers to wear masks while on board the aircraft. 

Potential shortcut to a vaccine

Developing a vaccine to protect against diseases normally takes years, but there’s an idea gaining acceptance that could speed things up. But it’s controversial.

To test the vaccine, researchers would recruit several hundred healthy, young volunteers and infect them with the coronavirus. Half would be inoculated with the vaccine, the other half would not.

Advocates of that approach say the volunteers would be fully informed of the risks. They say it could shave months off the trial, helping determine in a more timely manner whether the vaccine works.

Trump’s comments on bleach raise concern

President Trump is getting some serious pushback from his musings at his daily press briefing that ultraviolet light or injecting disinfectants into the body might help kill the coronavirus. Health experts quickly pointed out that bleach is a toxic substance and does not belong inside the human body.

“Inhaling chlorine bleach would be absolutely the worst thing for the lungs,” John Balmes, a pulmonologist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told TIME. “The airway and lungs are not made to be exposed to even an aerosol of disinfectant.”

Trump’s comments came in response to a presentation by the Department of Homeland Security that found bleach killed the virus in saliva. Disinfectant manufacturers were among the first to express alarm.

"As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstances should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route,)” the company that makes Lysol said in a statement.

New doubts about a potential drug treatment

While there are high hopes for the potential coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment drug remdesivir, a clinical trial in China cast doubt on its effectiveness, with researchers calling it a “flop.”

Researchers say it made no difference in mortality, with actually slightly more of the patients taking the drug dying than the patients taking a placebo. But Gilead Science, the company making the drug, cautions against a rush to judgment.

The company notes that the trial was not completed because it could not enroll enough participants. A spokesperson for the drugmaker said the results from the Chinese trial cannot “enable statistically meaningful conclusions.”

Around the nation

• Wyoming: The state health department reports that it has received a new shipment of testing supplies and no longer has a shortage. It says that the new supplies will enable hospitals to expand testing beyond priority groups.

• Washington: The state supreme court has blocked a move that would have released inmates from state correctional institutions to mitigate coronavirus risks. The justices heard oral arguments in separate locations, using Zoom.

• Ohio: Attorney General Dave Yost says price gouging is widespread in Ohio. His office has received more than 900 complaints since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. His office recently settled with an individual allegedly selling N95 masks at 18 times their list price.

While there are high hopes for the potential coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment drug remdesivir, a clinical trial in China cast doubt on its effectiveness, with researchers calling it a “flop.”

Researchers say it made no difference in mortality, with actually slightly more of the patients taking the drug dying than the patients taking a placebo. But Gilead Science, the company making the drug, cautions against a rush to judgment.

The company notes the trial was not completed because it could not enroll enough participants. A spokesperson for the drugmaker said the results from the Chinese trial cannot “enable statistically meaningful conclusions.”

The company also took issue with how the drug was administered, saying it’s designed to be taken early in the disease, not after the virus has taken over a patient’s lungs. It plans to release the results of its own clinical trial next week.

Again, that trial may be called into question because there is no placebo -- all the patients in the study are taking remdesivir. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is also conducting a clinical trial using the double-blind placebo method, the gold standard when it comes to testing a drug’s effectiveness. Those results are expected in late May.

Last week, medical publisher STAT News published comments from a researcher in the Gilead trial at the University of Chicago. The comments, made in a video conference with other researchers, reported positive results from all but two of the patients taking remdesivir.

Other drugs

Remdesivir is not the only drug in development as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Ely Lily CEO David Ricks told The Wall Street Journal that his company has been experimenting with a drug made from antibodies of patients who recovered from the virus. The company plans to start testing the drug this summer.

Ricks said the treatment could “dramatically reduce viral load in people either about to get sick, or who are sick or even hospitalized.” He suggested that, if the drug proved effective, it could be available by the fall, when the virus is expected to make another appearance.

Also this week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the go-ahead for a clinical trial at Columbia University that will determine the effectiveness of blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors in alleviating symptoms. The study is funded by Amazon.

The concept has been around for years and has proved effective in helping people recover from or avoid other diseases.

Though consumers have plenty to worry about amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are now exploring the financial aspect of the medical care that could be necessary during these uncertain times. 

Experts from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy predict that if the majority of the country were to become infected, medical costs could be expected to near $700 billion, and medical equipment will become even harder to access. Their work emphasizes the importance of taking necessary precautions and staying home as much as possible. 

“Some have suggested herd immunity strategies for this pandemic,” said researcher Sarah Bartsch. “These strategies consist of allowing people to get infected until herd immunity thresholds are reached and the virus can no longer spread. However, our study shows that such strategies could come at a tremendous cost.” 

Slowing the spread and the rising costs

The researchers developed a simulation that allowed them to analyze the effects of having different parts of the country and different populations affected by the coronavirus. In addition to playing out various scenarios, the simulation followed each patient from the time of diagnosis to their trips to the doctor or emergency room, and it tallied up all associated costs and medical expenses. 

The researchers evaluated the repercussions of various proportions of the country becoming infected, ranging from 20 percent to 80 percent. 

If 20 percent of the country tested positive, the researchers predicted that would lead to over 11 million hospitalizations and overall medical costs surpassing $163 billion. If 80 percent of the population became infected, they predict hospitalizations would rise to nearly 44 million, and total medical costs would near $700 billion. 

The researchers hope that these figures emphasize the severity of the situation, as well as the importance of following stay-at-home orders. 

“This also shows what may occur if social distancing measures were relaxed and the country were to be ‘re-opened’ too early,” said researcher Bruce Y. Lee. “If the virus is still circulating and the infection rates surge as a result, we have to consider the resulting health care costs. Such costs will affect the economy as well because someone will have to pay for them. Any economic argument for reopening the country needs to factor in health care costs.” 

The researchers explained that these costs have repercussions that could last far longer than many consumers realize, and these findings highlight the importance of consumers doing their part to reduce the spread of infection. 

“Factoring in the costs incurred after the infection is over also adds to the costs,” said Lee. “It is important to remember that for a proportion of the people who get infected, health care costs don’t end when the active infection ends. This pandemic will have its lasting effects and taking care of those who will suffer continuing problems is one of them.” 

Video conferencing application Zoom says it will soon begin rolling out a security update to address the vulnerabilities that have cropped up in conjunction with the surge in use during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Users have complained of meeting interruptions known as “Zoombombing” and other issues on the platform. On Wednesday, the company said it would be launching an update known as Zoom 5.0 this weekend. The company said Zoom 5.0 will allow meeting hosts to report potential misuse of the service, among other improvements. 

“Hosts and co-hosts can report users to Zoom’s Trust & Safety team, who will review any potential misuse of the platform and take appropriate action,” the company said in its 90-Day Security Plan Progress report. “This feature will be found within the Security icon in the meeting controls.” 

Zoom 5.0 will also have enhanced encryption capabilities which will provide “more protection for meeting data and greater resistance to tampering,” the company said. 

Earning back users’ trust

At the end of March, the FBI released a statement warning Zoom users about Zoombombing and stressing that the offense is “punishable by fines and imprisonment.” The following week, New York City’s Department of Education asked NYC schools to stop using Zoom immediately in light of privacy concerns. 

“In the course of its credentialing process, the DOE has received various reports documenting issues that impact the security and privacy of the Zoom platform. Based on the DOE’s review of these documented concerns, the DOE will no longer permit the use of Zoom at this time," the Department said. 

Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan recently acknowledged users’ privacy concerns and outlined a number of steps Zoom would be taking to improve security. Yuan said the company’s latest actions to enhance security are “just the beginning.” 

"We will earn our customers' trust and deliver them happiness with our unwavering focus on providing the most secure platform,” he said. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously on Thursday to provide consumers with unlicensed use of 6GHz Wi-Fi spectrum. 

In a press release announcing the decision, the federal agency said the goal is to give internet users access to Wi-Fi that is more stable and two times faster than the current standard. 

“In making broad swaths of the 6GHz spectrum available for unlicensed use, the FCC envisions new innovative technologies and services that will deliver new devices and applications to American consumers and advance the Commission’s goal of making broadband connectivity available to all Americans,” the agency stated.  

The FCC said it decided to open up the 6GHz band “to accommodate that increase in Wi-Fi demand” during the coronavirus pandemic, which has given rise to a sharp increase in the number of people working from home. 

The agency said the move will "further our leadership in next-generation wireless technologies, including 5G” and be a “huge benefit to consumers and innovators.” 

Concern from utilities companies

Previously, the 6GHz band was only allowed to be used by services that support utilities, grids and pipelines, and services related to public safety. In an interview with Bloomberg, Brett Kilbourne, general counsel of the Utilities Technology Council, expressed concern that adding more devices to the network could cause problems. 

“There are so many devices,” Kilbourne told the publication. “If we have to fix interference after it occurs, you can have all sorts of problems” including power blackouts.

The FCC said it intends to prevent that problem and protect current users of the 6 GHz band by enforcing rules “crafted to protect those licensed services and enable both unlicensed and licensed operations to thrive throughout the band.” 

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said this year’s rollout of Wi-Fi 6 -- a more efficient version of Wi-Fi -- played a large role in the decision making. 

"To realize that potential, we need faster, stronger Wi-Fi networks," Pai wrote. "But in order to fully take advantage of the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, we need to make more midband spectrum available for unlicensed use. It's been a long, long time since we did that and consumers deserve it."