"More than 90% of the population remains susceptible" to Covid-19, CDC director says
From CNN Health’s Amanda Watts
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a US Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Wednesday. Alex Edelman/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said a majority of Americans remain susceptible to Covid-19.
Speaking to the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday, Redfield said, “CDC is in the process of a very large, sequential study across the entire United States, measuring serology.”
“The preliminary results on the first round show that a majority of our nation – more than 90% of the population – remains susceptible,” he said.
“It varies in different geographic parts from states,” he said. “We’ll have that finalized and probably published in the next week or so.”
“But it does show that a majority of Americans are still susceptible to this virus,” Redfield said.
See the moment here:
11:28 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
FDA will not authorize vaccine that "we would not feel comfortable giving to our families," chief says
From CNN's Amanda Watts
Pool
Dr. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, on Wednesday made a commitment to America that “FDA will not authorize or approve a vaccine that we would not feel comfortable giving to our families.”
“FDA will not authorize or approve any Covid-19 vaccine before it has met the agency's rigorous expectations for safety and effectiveness. Decisions to authorize or approve any such vaccine or therapeutic will be made by the dedicated career staff at FDA, through our thorough review processes, and science will guide our decisions," Hahn promised the Senate Health Committee.
“FDA will not permit any pressure from anyone to change that,” he committed.
Hahn said he “will fight for science” and “will put the interest of the American people before anything else.”
Watch:
11:01 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
US is at "an inflection point" when it comes to testing, Trump's Covid-19 testing czar says
From CNN's Amanda Watts
Pool
Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the US has performed more than 106 million tests for Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
Speaking to members of the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday, Giroir said on 10 separate days, the US performed more than 1 million tests per day.
Giroir said we are now at an “inflection point” when it comes to testing.
“This month we will have available, on average, 3 million tests per day – nearly half of which will be rapid point of care,” he said.
Watch:
11:03 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
CDC head says young people are "major contributors to the spread of Covid-19"
Pool
The Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield stressed that while young people may be less likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19, they can still spread the virus.
Redfield, speaking at a Senate hearing, said 18- to 25-year olds make up about 26% of new infections — more than any other group.
"It's imperative that these young adults recognize that even though they are unlikely to get seriously ill from this virus, they are major contributors to the spread of Covid-19 in our country at this time," Redfield said.
He urged all Americans regardless of age continue to follow the advice of health experts:
"Wear a mask, maintain social distance, practice routine hand washings with vigilance, be smart about crowds and stay home when you're feeling sick," he said.
11:12 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
"Long haulers" experience Covid-19 symptoms "weeks or months" after recovering from virus, Fauci says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Pool
Clinical observations show that Covid-19 affects certain individuals in a way that they can experience symptoms of the virus for weeks or months despite having virologically recovered, Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
These individuals are called 'long haulers,'" he said.
"A number of individuals, who virologically have recovered from infection, in fact, have persistence — measured in weeks to months — of symptomatology that does not appear to be due to persistence of the virus," he told the Senate committee.
These individuals have fatigue, myalgia, fever and involvement of the neurological system as well as cognitive abnormalities such as the inability to concentrate, Dr. Fauci further reported in his remarks.
Additionally, "a disturbing number of individuals" who have completely recovered and apparently are asymptomatic, are found to have "inflammation of the heart," when they have sensitive imaging technology such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI,] he said.
"These are the kind of things that tell us we must be humble, that we do not completely understand the nature of this illness," Dr. Fauci added.
Watch:
10:54 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
Fauci says he predicts we will know by "end of this year" whether vaccines in trials are safe and effective
Dr.Anthony Fauci arrives to testify during a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, September 23. Alex Edelman/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said in opening remarks at the Senate hearing this morning that there are three "platform candidate vaccines" that have entered into phase three trial.
"Very soon there will be a fourth," he added.
Fauci said he predicts that we will know later in the year whether these vaccines are safe and effective.
"So as these trials go on, we predict that some time by the end of this year, let's say November or December, we will know whether or not these are safe and effective and as you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, right now doses of this vaccine are being produced so that they'll be ready to be distributed."
"As I mentioned to this committee, we feel cautiously optimistic that we will be able to have a safe and effective vaccine, although there is never a guarantee of that," Fauci said.
Some background: Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate began phase 3 trials in the United States Wednesday. Trials for the single-dose vaccine, which uses a human adenovirus, will include up to 60,000 adult participants at nearly 215 sites in the US and internationally.
Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca also have Covid-19 vaccine candidates in phase 3 trials in the United States, although AstraZeneca’s trial is currently paused.
Johnson & Johnson’s phase 3 trial is being conducted in collaboration with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s coronavirus vaccine effort.
Watch:
10:15 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
Ahead of this morning's hearing, Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine entered phase 3 trials
From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas
This September 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a single-dose Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the company. Cheryl Gerber/Courtesy of Johnson & Johnson/AP
Ahead of today's Senate hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci and other coronavirus task force members, Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate began phase 3 trials in the United States. Trials for the single-dose vaccine, which uses a human adenovirus, will include up to 60,000 adult participants at nearly 215 sites in the US and internationally.
The vaccine candidate was developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Phase 3 trials will begin immediately, with the first participants receiving doses Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said on a call with reporters Tuesday.
Initial findings from the vaccine’s phase 1/2 trials in the US and Belgium suggest the vaccine provokes an immune response and is safe enough to move into large-scale trials.
Phase 3 trials will examine the safety and effectiveness of a single dose against a placebo to prevent symptomatic Covid-19. The fact that the trial will examine the efficacy of a single dose of the vaccine, instead of two doses, should expedite results, said Stoffels.
Trials will run in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and the United States. Johnson & Johnson intends to run a separate phase 3 trial in collaboration with the UK government to examine the effectiveness of two doses.
If the vaccine is proven safe and effective, Johnson & Johnson said it expects the first doses to be available for emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration by early 2021.
Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca also have Covid-19 vaccine candidates in phase 3 trials in the United States, although AstraZeneca’s trial is currently paused.
Johnson & Johnson’s phase 3 trial is being conducted in collaboration with Operation Warp Speed, the federal government’s coronavirus vaccine effort.
Dr. Gupta discusses Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine:
9:52 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
SOON: Fauci and other health experts to be grilled on Trump's Covid-19 response
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is holding a hearing this morning at 10:00 a.m. ET on the federal response to the coronavirus crisis.
The hearing comes as the US reports more than 200,000 people died in the country from Covid-19 and continues to lead the world in total confirmed cases.
Witnesses include:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institutes of Health
Dr. Robert Redfield, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Admiral Dr. Brett Giroir, US Department of Health and Human Services
Stephen Hahn, US Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
The health experts are expected to be grilled on vaccine development and schools reopening.
9:50 a.m. ET, September 23, 2020
Trump gave his coronavirus response an "A+"
From CNN's Allie Malloy
President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Pittsburgh International Airport on September 22. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Despite the mounting coronavirus death toll in the US, President Trump once again gave himself an A+ in his handling of the pandemic during an interview with "Fox and Friends" earlier this week.
“We’re rounding the corner. With or without a vaccine," Trump said Monday. "They hate when I say that but that’s the way it is… We’ve done a phenomenal job. Not just a good job a phenomenal job. Other that public relations but that’s because I have fake news. On public relations I give myself a D on the job itself we take an A+.”
Trump also insinuated that Pfizer looks to be the frontrunner in the race for a vaccine. When asked who was closest, Trump answered: “Well Pfizer’s doing really well… Johnson and Johnson has an incredible vaccine that’s really doing well. That’ll probably be a little bit later and Moderna’s doing very well also.”
This weekend CNN obtained audio recordings from a conversation Bob Woodward had with Trump in July in which Trump gave himself an A on his handling of the pandemic.
