Biden catches Covid | Novavax U.S. approved | Amazon buys One Medical

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Jul 22, 2022 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.   President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 this week amid a wave of summer infections driven by the highly transmissible omicron BA.5 subvariant.    Biden is experiencing mild symptoms and is working in isolation until he tests negative. The president's physician said on Friday that his symptoms have improved.   Biden's diagnosis is in many ways emblematic of the current state of the pandemic. The president is fully vaccinated and twice boosted. But the omicron variant, with its many mutations, is adept at infecting even people who are fully up to date on their vaccines. This is one of the main reasons the virus continues to spread widely.    But Biden's diagnosis stands in stark contrast to when former President Trump caught Covid in October 2020 before the vaccine rollout. Trump's condition rapidly deteriorated and he had to be hospitalized for several days at Walter Reed, a stark demonstration of the threat the virus posed at the time to the continuity of government.   Biden on the other hand appears to be doing well. The vaccines remain effective at preventing severe disease. And he is taking Paxlovid, Pfizer's highly effective oral antiviral treatment, which the FDA first authorized in December 2021.    The U.S. is now well equipped with tools to fight the virus even as it continues to spread. Though Covid remains serious and continues to take lives, the availability of vaccines and antivirals has dramatically reduced the threat the virus poses to public health.    And the nation now has another tool in its arsenal – the CDC cleared Novavax's Covid shots for use this week, the fourth vaccine to receive authorization in the U.S.    In business news, Amazon bought One Medical in a $3.9 billion acquisition, deeping the retail giant's presence in health-care. The acquisition is Amazon's third largest deal ever.    Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data in the meantime to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com. Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Biden tests positive for Covid, has mild symptoms President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, the White House said Thursday. The 79-year-old president, who is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine, is experiencing "very mild symptoms," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Biden previously tested negative on Tuesday.   On Thursday afternoon, Biden's official Twitter account shared a photo of the president seated at a desk and smiling, along with the assurance, "Folks, I'm doing great. Thanks for your concern." - Kevin Breuninger  CDC clears Novavax Covid vaccine for adults, shots available in the coming weeks The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday signed off on Novavax's two-dose Covid-19 vaccine as a primary series for adults, offering people who are unvaccinated a choice to receive a shot based on conventional technology in use for more than 30 years. The CDC's committee of independent advisors voted unanimously to recommend the vaccine for people ages 18 and older after reviewing the shots' safety and effectiveness during an hourslong public meeting Tuesday. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky backed the recommendation later in the evening, the final step in the U.S. authorization process.   The CDC, in a statement, said the vaccine will be available to the public in the coming weeks. The Biden administration has secured 3.2 million doses of Novavax's vaccine so far, according to the Health and Human Services Department. - Spencer Kimball Amazon buys One Medical for $3.9 billion A little more than six months after Amazon named Neil Lindsay to head its health care, the executive who help build Amazon Prime is now making a big bet on primary care.  While Amazon announced it would build out its own clinics last winter, now it's buying One Medical.  The deal will not only give the tech giant a ready-made footprint for building out its employer facing Amazon Care business, it will also provide an existing framework for building relationships with health systems and health insurers.  It's a big move and a big premium for One Medical which needed more cash to expand.  But it's also a very competitive space, and Amazon is playing catch-up. - Annie Palmer, Bertha Coombs   Polio infection confirmed in New York state The New York State Health Department confirmed a case of polio on Thursday, the first known infection in the U.S. in nearly a decade. A resident of Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, tested positive for polio, according to the state health department. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the infection.   The individual was an unvaccinated adult who experienced significant symptoms, including paralysis, and had to be hospitalized, according to the New York State Health Department.   Health-care providers should look for additional polio cases, state health officials said. The chain of infection that resulted in the New York case is believed to have originated outside the U.S. - Spencer Kimball JOIN US REGISTER CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. 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