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It's been two long, trying years since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020. As people yearn for normalcy, the U.S. and nations around the world are trying to move on after this winter's unprecedented omicron surge, the worst wave yet in terms of the sheer number of infections.
However, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a conversation with CNBC's Meg Tirrell, cautioned that while cases, hospitalizations and deaths are on the decline in the U.S., the virus has thrown curve balls at us before.
Infections are on the rise again in Europe, driven by the more contagious omicron BA.2 subvariant, and China is battling its worst outbreak since 2020. It's not yet clear what that means for the U.S., but there is concern that we could see another spike here.
As the virus makes inroads abroad, Congress is fumbling over new Covid spending. The White House this week warned that the U.S. is running out of money to battle the virus, which could lead to significant cuts in monoclonal antibody treatments and booster shortages if another wave does hit our shores.
In other health news, Merck's Keytruda reduced the risk of early stage lung cancer returning by 24% in patients who had their tumors removed through surgery. A battle is also brewing over how Medicare will cover the controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm. Meg has that story for us.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data in the meantime to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com.
Though the U.S. is experiencing its lowest coronavirus levels since last summer, warning signs are emerging in the form of soaring spikes in China, upticks in Europe and the UK, and rising virus levels in some wastewater surveillance here at home. Two years after the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and as Congress sidelined new funding for the coronavirus response, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the country shouldn't forget the importance of being ready for what the virus could throw at us next. - Meg Tirrell
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel has sold $408 million in company stock since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, as the company's shares soared on the development and rollout of its Covid vaccine, according to CNBC's analysis of securities filings. Bancel's sales were executed under trading plans, known as 10b5-1s, adopted in 2018. Though these plans are meant to prevent insider trading, they have few SEC regulations and are controversial due to their lack of transparency. Moderna has declined to disclose the contents of Bancel's trading plans. - Spencer Kimball
The White House this week warned that the U.S. is running out of money to fight Covid, with states facing more than 30% cuts in monoclonal antibody treatments starting next week. Administration officials also warned there isn't enough funding to ensure all Americans will have access to boosters if another wave hits the U.S. Congress has failed to reach a bipartisan agreement on President Biden's request for billions more in Covid money, with Republicans insisting that any additional funds be offset with cuts elsewhere. - Spencer Kimball
Covid cases are rising in Europe, with an increasing number being attributed to the prevalence of the BA.2 subvariant, a more contagious version of omicron. The BA.2 variant is now responsible for over half of the new cases in Germany. There are growing concerns that the rise in Europe is a harbinger for what's to come in the U.S. - Holly Ellyatt, London
China is battling its worst Covid outbreak since 2020, driven largely by omicron, a challenge to the country's efforts to stamp out the virus under its zero-Covid policy. Some factories have been forced to temporarily shutter as major cities reintroduce tough restrictions. However, experts don't expect as drastic an economic impact compared to 2020. Dan Wang, a Shanghai-based economist, said factories will likely be affected for two weeks at most. - Evelyn Chang, Beijing
Merck's antibody therapy for early stage lung cancer patients who have previously undergone surgery to have tumors removed reduced the risk of the disease returning again or the patient dying by 24%, according to clinical trial data released Thursday. Merck's head of global clinical development, Dr. Roy Baynes, described the reduced risk of the cancer returning as significant and clinically meaningful. - Spencer Kimball Biogen's Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, cleared by the FDA last June, was the first new drug for the disease in two decades. But Medicare proposed in January only to pay for it for patients in certain clinical trials. The decision, which angered some patient groups, was based on CMS's findings that the drug – and others in the same class – hadn't proven its benefit. Those patient groups are lobbying CMS to change its mind before a mid-April decision date, including in a new ad campaign. But analysts suggest the decision is unlikely to change until clinical trials provide more firm data proving the drugs work. - Meg Tirrell
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Jumat, 18 Maret 2022
Fauci’s warning | Covid spike in Europe | Congress fumbles pandemic money
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