Tag: Covid

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Mississippi seeks docs, nurses, ventilators as Covid sufferers pack ICU beds

Mississippi seeks doctors, nurses, ventilators as Covid patients pack ICU beds

A prisoner at the Bolivar County Correctional Facility receives a Covid-19 vaccination administered by medical workers with Delta Health Center on April 28, 2021 in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves pleaded Friday with residents to get vaccinated as the state scrambles to hire hundreds of temporary doctors, nurses and EMTs.

He’s also requested ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile as the spread of the delta variant fills hospitals in the state with mostly unvaccinated patients. The state even asked federal officials to send a medical U.S. Navy ship but was turned down, he said.

“When you look across the country, to a certain extent, this current wave is the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Reeves said at a press conference, adding that the state was headed toward a new peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We continue to see more and more data, and the data is becoming more and more clear. Those who received the vaccine are significantly less likely to contract the virus.”

For the few breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated people the state has seen so far, “they’re much less likely to spread the virus and it is highly unlikely that if you have the vaccine that you end up in the hospital or that you end up in an ICU bed,” he said.

Mississippi extended a state-of-emergency order on Thursday that was set to expire this week after the state hit a record of more than 5,000 new Covid cases in one day, said Reeves, a Republican. The spike in cases will likely be followed by an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.

The state requested 65 physicians, 920 nurses, 41 nursing aides, 59 advanced practice nurses, 34 physician assistants, 239 respiratory technicians and 20 EMTs, according to Reeves. The extra help would open up 771 medical surgery beds and 235 ICU beds, he said.

About 97% of people currently hospitalized for Covid in the state are unvaccinated, a trend seen throughout the country. This week, Mississippi’s daily hospitalization rate reached numbers higher than any the state has seen throughout the pandemic.

In the last four days, “we’ve lost four healthy people in their 20s, two of whom were pregnant, zero vaccinated,” Mississippi state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said during the briefing. “In the past four days, we’ve lost 10 people in their 30s, and these aren’t people who are chronically ill cancer patients.” None in their 30s who died were vaccinated.

In other age groups, the number of deaths in unvaccinated people continued to overwhelmingly eclipse the number of deaths in vaccinated people.

“I mean, there’s a pattern here … by and large the vaccines have been incredibly protective and helpful and especially for people who are under 50,” Dobbs said.

The state has one of the lowest vaccination rates per capita in the United States, but daily vaccination rates have tripled over the past month amid the spread of the dominant delta variant, according to state health officials.

The governor said he has no intention of mandating masks or vaccines for state employees “or for anyone else” and emphasized that he believes those things are personal choices.

“I have no intention based upon the data that I have seen of issuing a statewide mask mandate,” Reeves said in a press briefing on Friday.

Reeves said he does not plan to impose mask mandates on schools either, saying that school districts “have every right” to encourage mask use if they deem it necessary.

More than 5,000 children are currently quarantining after positive cases were detected in just the first couple of weeks of schools reopening, some without mask mandates.

In total, Mississippi has recorded 381,147 Covid cases and 7,761 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

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Company provides closing OK to manage Covid vaccine booster pictures to susceptible Individuals

Agency gives final OK to administer Covid vaccine booster shots to vulnerable Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday gave final approval to give Covid-19 booster vaccinations to recipients of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, hours after a key panel unanimously voted to allow third doses for immunocompromised Americans advocate.

“At a time when the Delta variant is on the rise, an extra dose of vaccine for some people with compromised immune systems could help prevent serious and potentially life-threatening COVID-19 cases in this population,” said CDC Director Dr . Rochelle Walensky in a statement.

The CDC’s decision and recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices followed the approval of the booster vaccination for immunocompromised patients by the Food and Drug Administration late Thursday. With the OK from both authorities, the booster doses could be given immediately.

“For the past almost a year and a half, I have cared for many patients with life-threatening and fatal diseases, and even post-vaccination,” who are immunocompromised, Dr. Camille Nelson Kotton, a transplant and infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the panel to strongly support boosters for those with weak immune systems. “They just suffer from a lack of good vaccination protection, we know that the vaccine is less effective in this population.”

Close-up of the Moderna vaccine at the Park County Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for Seniors 80 and older on January 28, 2021 in Livingston, Montana.

William Campbell | Getty Images

FDA approval approved third doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for “solid organ transplant recipients or those diagnosed with conditions believed to have equivalent levels of immunodeficiency.”

“New data suggests that some people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity as people who are not immunocompromised,” said Walensky. “While immunocompromised people make up about 3% of the US adult population, they are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are at greater risk of developing serious, longer-lasting illnesses.”

Authorities have not released a booster vaccination to anyone else fully vaccinated or to recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which is manufactured in the Janssen vaccines division.

“There is currently no data to support the use of an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine following a Janssen Covid-19 primary vaccine in immunocompromised people. The FDA and CDC are actively working to provide guidance on this matter,” said Dr. Neela. from CDC Goswami wrote to ACIP in her presentation.

The CDC recommended a third dose for at-risk Americans 28 days or more after completing the first two rounds of shooting. Booster doses are also recommended for cancer patients and HIV patients after data showed that immune responses after the first two doses did not provide adequate protection against Covid-19 and its variants in these patients.

The additional recordings were recommended for Pfizer recipients aged 12 and over and for Moderna recipients aged 18 and over. The panel said it will revisit the recordings for younger Moderna recipients after the FDA clears the recordings for children.

Immunocompromised patients make up approximately 2.7% of the US adult population and 44% of breakthrough hospital-treated infections that make someone infected even after being fully vaccinated.

Studies suggest that a third dose of the vaccine might help people whose immune systems do not respond as well to a first or second dose. Five small studies cited by the CDC showed that 11% to 80% of people with compromised immune systems had no detectable antibodies to Covid after two shots.

Among immunocompromised patients who had no detectable antibody response, 33 to 50% developed an antibody response after receiving an additional dose, according to the CDC.

Patients at risk are also more likely to experience persistent Covid infections, the panel said. The data also suggests that they are likely to shed more viruses and potentially infect more people than those who are not immunocompromised.

Early data from small studies on the effects of booster doses in immunocompromised patients showed no serious side effects from a third vaccination with an mRNA vaccine and symptoms beyond those identified after the first two-dose dose.

Several countries, including Israel, the Dominican Republic, France, the UK and Germany, have either already started or are considering giving booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

Immunocompromised patients receiving a third dose should continue to wear a mask and social distancing, the panel said.

Survey data from hesitant immunocompromised patients show that, according to a panel presentation by Dr. Kathleen Dooling of the CDC still has many worried about the side effects of the vaccines and the speed at which the vaccines have been developed, as well as the general suspicion about the vaccines.

Around 10% of immunocompromised patients say they will “definitely not” receive a vaccine, another 9% say they are “unsure” or “probably not” and 44% say they will “definitely” get a vaccine. Those who hesitate are usually younger, belong to an ethnic or racial minority, or are female.

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F.D.A. Authorizes Third Covid Shot for Immunocompromised

F.D.A. Authorizes Third Covid Shot for Immunocompromised

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines for some people with compromised immune systems, giving doctors more leeway to protect those who have failed to respond adequately to an initial series of vaccinations .

The approval, in the form of updates to the existing emergency approvals, for the two vaccines is for people who have received solid organ transplants and others with similarly compromised immune systems, the FDA said.

The agency’s decision came a day before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent advisory committee was due to review and vote on whether to recommend the move. The committee will likely give its approval, and the CDC would follow suit with its own approval of the additional doses.

“The FDA is particularly aware that immunocompromised people are at particular risk for serious illness,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, in a statement. “After a thorough review of the available data, the FDA determined that this small, vulnerable group could benefit from a third dose of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.”

The approval of the third dose marks a busy next stage for federal vaccine authorities – and a new phase in the country’s vaccination campaign. The agency is expected to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine by early next month. This will most likely trigger a wave of vaccination requests from companies and organizations that have waited to be vaccinated until the FDA has fully cleared a vaccine.

At the same time, government scientists and regulators are wrestling over whether more Americans will need booster vaccinations, a hotly debated move that many scientists argue is not yet backed by data. Other countries like Israel and Germany have introduced booster policies.

“Other people who are fully vaccinated are adequately protected and do not currently need an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Woodcock in her statement on Thursday, adding that the agency is “actively engaged in a science-based, rigorous process with our federal partners to consider whether an additional dose might be required in the future.”

The United States is the youngest country to start offering a third dose to people with weaker immune systems. France has been offering extra doses of vaccine to certain people with weak immune responses since April, and Germany and Hungary have recently followed suit.

About 3 percent of Americans have weakened immune systems for a variety of reasons, from a history of cancer to taking certain medications, such as steroids.

The FDA’s decision to limit the category of immunocompromised individuals to receive the additional dose was awaited. Many scientists argue that the immunocompromised population is too diverse to consistently recommend additional shots of the coronavirus vaccine. Some, despite their conditions, can be protected by the standard vaccine dose. Others may be poorly shielded by the vaccines but may not benefit from additional vaccination.

Studies suggest that patients such as organ transplant recipients are in between – often showing a poor immune response to the standard vaccination schedule but benefiting from a third vaccination. A recent randomized, placebo-controlled study by Canadian researchers found that a third dose of the Moderna vaccine improved the immune response of the people in this group.

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Anthony Scaramucci say his agency’s Covid vaccine mandate is about ‘freedom’

Anthony Scaramucci say his firm's Covid vaccine mandate is about 'freedom'

SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci on Friday urged the American company to show “real leadership” with Covid vaccinations as the country battles a spate of infections linked to the highly contagious Delta variant.

“This is a personal security and freedom problem. You know, I have the freedom to move my arm, but I don’t have the freedom to close my fist and put it in someone’s face, ”Scaramucci said on“ Squawk Box. ”“ This is a freedom problem for all people. The vaccines will create more freedom, not less. “

The Wall Street veteran has ordered that his investment firm employees be vaccinated to return to the office, a decision he believes has been criticized. But he added, “I don’t really care.”

A CNBC poll in late July found sharp disagreements in the United States over whether vaccination regulations should be implemented. However, several large companies have put strict vaccination policies in place for some or all of their employees in the past few weeks, including United Airlines, Walmart, and meat packer Tyson Foods.

“There is an ideological struggle going on in the United States right now that is not based on science. It is not based on health and safety. It takes real leadership, ”said Scaramucci. “It takes corporate governance and political leadership to explain to people that we need a vaccination card, just like your children have a vaccination card at school to protect the health and safety of those around us.”

The number of US vaccinations has increased in recent weeks, especially in states badly affected by the Delta variant such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The new surge comes after coronavirus cases dropped dramatically when vaccinations were introduced in the spring.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 59% of all Americans eligible for the Covid vaccine – ages 12 and up – are fully immunized, while 69.2% have received at least one dose.

Scaramucci, who briefly served as then-President Donald Trump’s communications director in the White House, said he understands that some Americans have lost trust in institutions and are suspicious of Covid vaccines, despite the extensive evidence showing their ability to do so Reduce risk of hospitalization and death from the disease.

“We have to rebuild that to get these people familiar with things like these vaccines,” he said. However, he added, “It’s safer to get vaccinated. Why take your family to hospital despite the struggle, God forbid? I feel very strong about it.”

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Unvaccinated folks face extra Covid restrictions in future

Unvaccinated people face more Covid restrictions in future

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Toulouse against France’s mandatory health pass on July 12th 2021. More than 234,000 people demonstrated across France against the pass which will be mandatory for entry to a wide array of public venues such as cafes, theaters, concerts hall, cinemas, shopping malls, public transportation, public swimming pools, and even hospitals unless there’s a critical situation.

NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images

LONDON — The divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated when it comes to Covid-19 is likely to become even deeper, with officials in the U.S. and Europe planning, or introducing, an increasing number of restrictions on people who haven’t gotten a Covid shot.

Almost all governments around the world have so far resisted making Covid vaccination mandatory for their citizens, although many have introduced forms of Covid vaccination certificates, passes or passports that allow the immunized bearer more freedoms and work opportunities than unvaccinated people.

Aspects of daily life are increasingly complicated for anyone who is not vaccinated against Covid, and there is a rising sense of anger and injustice among those who reject the vaccine.

Vaccine fault lines

Despite protests among groups against such moves, the freedom to travel, work, socialize and engage in leisure activities is increasingly determined by our Covid vaccination status.

Nationally the U.S. has ruled out making Covid vaccination mandatory, rejecting the concept of vaccination passports back in April due to concerns over privacy and citizens’ rights. But some states are moving toward more restrictions for unvaccinated people.

Covid vaccinations are now mandatory for New York City’s municipal workers, and from mid-September proof of inoculation will be required from employees and customers of indoor eateries, gyms and entertainment centers. Meanwhile, workers in health care facilities in California will be required to provide proof that they’ve been fully vaccinated against Covid from October. On Monday, the Pentagon said it plans to make Covid vaccination mandatory for military service members no later than mid-September.

Read more: Herd immunity from Covid is ‘mythical’ with the delta variant, experts say

France, Greece and the U.K. are among European countries mandating vaccinations for health professionals or home care staff. In China, some local governments have reportedly said students will not be allowed back to school in September unless their entire family is fully vaccinated. In Australia, some states in lockdown are allowing only vaccinated people back to work and have said restrictions will be lifted only when a majority of people are immunized.

A large number of European countries now require travelers to show they are fully vaccinated, provide proof of a negative Covid test, or show that they have recovered from a recent infection. Otherwise, they must quarantine.

“I ask all those who have been vaccinated to encourage their friends, acquaintances and family members to also get vaccinated,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday, shortly after new measures were announced in that country. “This is not only a protection for us, but also for others who cannot be vaccinated — children or people with previous illnesses.”

‘Blackmail’ and ‘dictatorship’

There are many individuals who are unhappy about the trend toward differentiating between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. Marco De Matteo, a young Neapolitan man who is a travel enthusiast, is angry about the situation in Italy where a “green pass” has been introduced, likening the situation to a “health and economic dictatorship.”

“Those in power are limiting, by law, individuals’ freedom and dignity,” he said. “The imposition of the green pass in the world of work, both in the public and in the private sector … is breaking society apart,” he told CNBC.

The pass is a digital or paper certificate that shows if someone has received at least one shot of a vaccine, has tested negative or has recently recovered from the coronavirus. The pass is now needed for any Italian citizen to access indoor bars and restaurants, cinemas, museums or gyms and will soon be required for travel and some jobs, such as teachers. Those who refuse will be suspended.

Members of the ‘No Vax’ take part in a demonstration against the introduction of a mandatory “green pass” in the aim to limit the spread of the Covid-19, at the Piazza del Popolo in central Rome on August 7, 2021.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI | AFP | Getty Images

De Matteo, and many others who are also concerned about encroachment on civil liberties, recognizes the need to protect the health of the community. But he says that for him “there are many doubts both about the nature of the virus and about the vaccine.” He also regrets negative stereotypes attributed to people that object to Covid vaccines.

“In Italy, many people are organizing peaceful demonstrations — people from all walks of life and economic backgrounds who care about everyone’s freedom, dignity and health — but they are labeled as conspiracy theorists,” he said.

Vaccine skepticism and outright anti-vaccination sentiment have become rife since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, coinciding with disinformation and misinformation on social media that can ultimately endanger lives. Clinical trials, peer-reviewed by international medical journals, have shown that vaccination reduces the spread of the virus and contributes to reducing deaths and severe illness.

Medical professionals, such as Dr. Scott Gottlieb, have repeatedly spoken of the benefits of vaccination. Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, also told CNBC last month that people who have previously been infected with the coronavirus would still benefit from receiving Covid vaccines.

French yoga teacher Amel Lamloum told CNBC back in January that she didn’t see the advantages of having the Covid vaccine, given her young age (30) and good health.

Read more: France’s vaccine-skepticism is making its Covid immunization drive much harder  

Speaking to CNBC again Thursday, Lamloum said she still had not received the vaccine and was even more reluctant to do so now, given what she saw as “blackmail” by the French government to do so.

“I really think society has changed and that there is no justice anymore,” she said, adding that she no longer trusted the government and had prepared herself to adjust how she lived.

“Many, many people will not get the vaccine, for sure, and we will have to live in a side society and we are ready for it, we are ready for everything.”

Why the reluctance?

For millions of people who have been happy and willing to receive a Covid vaccine, the rollout of vaccination programs has offered protection against a highly transmissible virus. It’s also allowed a return to much-missed freedoms, from seeing loved-ones and socializing to shopping and traveling.

But others across the U.S. and Europe see vaccination programs with ambivalence or worse.

Some have been critical of the speed of Covid vaccine development, distrusting clinical data on the efficacy and long-term safety credentials of Covid vaccines. Others have questioned why they need a shot when Covid can be a mild or asymptomatic illness for many people, especially the young.

Public bodies like the World Health Organization have repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of vaccinating as many people as possible against Covid to curb the spread of the disease and allow a return to a normal societal functioning. Covid vaccines have been proven in extensive clinical trials involving hundreds of thousands of people to be safe and highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.

What’s less certain for experts is how long immunity lasts and whether future Covid variants could undermine vaccine efficacy. Many governments are weighing up the merits of booster vaccines too but for now, the main priority is to encourage vaccine uptake among the completely unvaccinated.

Who is most vaccine resistant?

Public confidence in vaccines, or the flipside of vaccine hesitancy, differs wildly from country to country and is often informed by the public’s trust in government and health care systems. France, for example, is renowned for a high rate of vaccine hesitancy, while vaccine uptake in the U.K. has traditionally been high.

One survey showed vaccine opposition highest in Russia, followed by the U.S., according to a global poll of 15 countries carried out by data intelligence company Morning Consult in July and August. With 43,054 interviews conducted in the U.S. alone, the percentage of people unwilling or uncertain about getting a Covid vaccine stood at 30%.

Young adults have a lower vaccine rate in every country that was tracked except in China, the poll also found, although that data could also reflect the speed and breadth of vaccination programs; some young adults are yet to be fully vaccinated in a number of countries polled.

Adults in the U.S. appear to be the most consistent when it comes to vaccine skepticism; the share of vaccine skeptics in the U.S. has remained at 30% for the past four weeks, Morning Consult said, and that share has only fallen by 4 percentage points since it began tracking in mid-April.

“Over that same time period, in the other 14 countries tracked, the share of skeptics has dropped by an average of 13 points, more than triple the decline in skepticism seen in the U.S.. No other country has seen a smaller decline,” Morning Consult noted.

The top reasons given for uncertainty over vaccines were concerns over side effects and worries that clinical trials had been conducted too fast.

Europe curbs

Back in Europe, parts of the leisure sector are being affected directly by the new rules. In Belgium, for instance, some soccer clubs are opening separate spectator stands for those who are unvaccinated. In the U.K., only the fully vaccinated will soon be able to enter a nightclub.

A number of countries have gone further, introducing types of Covid vaccination “passes” or “passports” at the national level, prompting criticism from some quarters.

France has introduced a “health pass,” meaning that individuals have to prove they are fully vaccinated, recently tested negative, or have recently recovered from the virus if they want to access cafes, restaurants, cinemas, museums and theaters. The pass has proved controversial, stoking protests attracting thousands of people who say the pass restricts civil liberties.

Charleroi, one of the Belgian soccer clubs introducing separate stands for unvaccinated fans.

VIRGINIE LEFOUR | AFP | Getty Images

Germany looks to be heading in a similar direction, aiming to encourage vaccine uptake by ending free, government-paid Covid tests while requiring anyone who’s not fully vaccinated (excluding children) to present a negative Covid test in order to access indoor spaces and events.

“Tests are therefore becoming a prerequisite, for example, for access to hospitals, old people’s and nursing homes, indoor catering, events and celebrations, but also for visits to the hairdresser or the cosmetic studio. The same applies to indoor sports or accommodation, for example in hotels and guest houses,” the government said on Tuesday.

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion Inc. and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ and Royal Caribbean’s “Healthy Sail Panel.”

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Rand Paul’s spouse purchased shares in Covid therapy maker Gilead as virus unfold

Rand Paul's wife bought shares in Covid treatment maker Gilead as virus spread

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) listens to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss the on-going federal response to COVID-19, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 11, 2021.

Greg Nash | Reuters

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Rand Paul and his wife had not bought or sold stock in an individual company in at least 10 years when Kelley Paul purchased shares of the drug company Gilead Sciences in early 2020.

The purchase came early in the novel coronavirus’ initial wave through the United States — and one day after the first U.S. clinical trial began for Gilead’s remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19, according to records reviewed by CNBC.

That purchase and its timing made headlines Wednesday when the Kentucky senator disclosed it for the first time in a mandatory Senate filing — more than 16 months after the legal deadline for reporting it had passed.

Rand Paul has been one of the leading opponents of Covid mask mandates and other preventative measures, calling for people to “resist” them. YouTube suspended his official account Tuesday over his claims that masks don’t prevent infections. Paul called the suspension a “badge of honor.”

The purchase of up to $15,000 worth of Gilead shares was made three weeks before the World Health Organization declared Covid a pandemic. On Feb. 26, 2020, the day Kelley Paul bought the shares, there were only 14 confirmed cases of Covid in the United States.

The 2012 STOCK Act requires members of Congress to disclose the purchase and sale of individual stocks, bonds and commodity futures within 45 days of the transaction.

Other assets — such as mutual funds, EIFs and T-bills — are exempt from the 45-day requirement and need to be disclosed only once a year. The different reporting schedules prioritize the disclosure of trades that could be used to profit from nonpublic information.

Since 2012, Paul has disclosed 187 transactions involving mutual funds, EIFs, trusts and government bonds in his annual reports. But he has disclosed only one transaction in an individual stock: Gilead.

Paul’s office said he filled out a disclosure form about the Gilead purchase on time in 2020, but through an oversight it was not transmitted to the Senate records office.

It is not out of the ordinary for a U.S. senator such as Paul or his spouse to buy stock in a publicly traded company like Gilead. But for Rand and Kelley Paul, Gilead is the first and only individual stock that the lawmaker has reported he or his wife buying or selling during his 10 years in the Senate.

Paul is a member of the Senate health committee, which received a private briefing in January 2020 on the threat of the coronavirus from Trump administration officials. A Paul spokesperson said the senator did not attend any Covid committee briefings.

A prominent Washington ethics lawyer, who declined to be named because his clients are both Republican and Democratic elected officials, told CNBC, “If the [Securities and Exchange Commission] were conducting an insider trading investigation of this transaction they would see the sudden purchase of individual stocks when the subject of the investigation had not purchased individual stocks before and had recently had access to market-moving information as a huge red flag.”

Last year, federal prosecutors investigated stock sales made in advance of a coronavirus-fueled market plunge by and connected to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Those probes ended without charges being filed — but the investigations and details about the controversial trades were widely publicized at the time. Loeffler was defeated in a runoff election in January.

By not disclosing the purchase, Paul avoided becoming the subject of an investigation like the ones that targeted his fellow senators last year.

Paul’s disclosure Wednesday was first reported by The Washington Post. But the fact that the Gilead shares were the couple’s one and only stock buy in the last decade has not been reported until now.

A spokeswoman for Paul said the senator and his wife “lost money” on the Gilead stock.

While it’s true that the price of Gilead is lower now than when Kelley Paul bought the shares, she has not sold the Gilead stock yet, meaning she has not realized any losses or gains from it.

CNBC asked Paul’s spokeswoman, Kelsey Cooper, if the senator or his wife had bought or sold any stocks in the year since the Gilead purchase. She did not answer.

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The price of Gilead stock has fluctuated since Kelley Paul bought shares at $74.70, climbing as high as $83.99 and falling as low as $56.56.

Gilead shares were trading at $70.65 late Thursday.

Exactly how many shares Kelley Paul owns is unclear. Senators are required to report the value of transactions by them or their spouses only within a range of dollar values. In this case, Kelley Paul bought between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of shares, Sen. Paul’s disclosure said.

Last month, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disclosed stock and stock option trades valued at a total of between $894,000 and $3.5 million from January through May.

Like Paul, Tuberville made his disclosure after the expiration of the deadline set by the STOCK Act.

Tuberville’s trades included a Jan. 25 sale of stock put options for Alibaba Group Holding Limited, the giant Chinese e-commerce company. Tuberville is a leading critic of China.

A Tuberville spokeswoman told CNBC last month that the senator had not even known about the individual stock and stock option trades and therefore also had not known they needed to be disclosed by the STOCK Act’s deadline.

She said Tuberville has financial advisors who handle his stock trading. She would not identify those managers when asked who they were.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of remdesivir.

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Breed requires full Covid vaccination for indoor actions

Breed requires full Covid vaccination for indoor activities

Anjali Sundararaman, a student nurse at San Francisco State University, administers a dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Cuixia Xu during a vaccination clinic at the Southeast Health Center in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco, California on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.

Stephen Lam | San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

San Francisco on Thursday became the first major U.S. city to requiring patrons and employees to provide proof of full vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms, bars and entertainment venues.

The order from Mayor London Breed takes effect Aug. 20 for customers and Oct.13 for staff, prohibiting residents from submitting negative Covid-19 test results as a substitute to vaccination. Breed’s directive also applies to select health-care personnel, including pharmacists, dentists and home health aides.

“Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic, and our way back to a life where we can be together safely,” Breed said in a statement.

Under the order, anyone older than 12 must submit proof of vaccination to visit any indoor event with more than 1,000 guests. California previously only required attendees to get vaccinated for events with over 5,000 people, Breed’s statement said.

Breed noted the order entirely excludes individuals under the age of 12, who remain ineligible for all current Covid vaccines. Customers picking up food instead of dining inside are not required to get vaccinated either.

San Francisco County recorded a seven-day total of 1,708 new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, a decrease of less than 3% from the prior week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But California reported a seven-day average of more than 12,000 new cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 24% from a week ago, Johns Hopkins University measured.

San Francisco joins New York City as one of the country’s largest municipalities with vaccine mandates for select indoor activities. New York City will start enforcing its mandate Sept. 13, when customers and staff must provide proof of having received at least one vaccine dose to exercise, eat at restaurants and access entertainment options inside.

San Francisco previously collaborated with six other Northern California counties in mandating facial coverings for indoor public places on Aug. 2, upgrading a mask recommendation they first issued in July.

Several Bay Area-based companies have ordered all or part of their staff to immunize against the coronavirus as well, including Google, Facebook and Gap. At least a dozen other major employers nationwide have enacted similar guidance as the delta variant continues to surge.

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U.S. well being division mandates Covid vaccine pictures for its 25,000 workers

U.S. health department mandates Covid vaccine shots for its 25,000 employees

Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services (HHS) candidate, attends his Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 24, 2021.

Michael Reynolds | Swimming pool | Reuters

The Department of Health and Human Services is ordering Covid-19 vaccine syringes for the agency’s 25,000-plus employees, making it the latest government agency to require vaccinations in response to the global surge in the Delta variant.

The mandate announced Thursday by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra covers the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps – three agencies overseen by the department – and staff working with patients in medical or clinical research facilities of the federal government work together.

“Our ultimate goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal employees, and vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the Delta variant, and save lives” Becerra said in a statement from HHS.

Members of the commanded corps must also be vaccinated against the virus if they are called to active duty as emergency services. The new mandate follows the agency’s existing religious and medical exemptions for vaccinations against influenza and other diseases.

The decision is made just days after the Pentagon issued a Covid vaccination mandate for all service members to be vaccinated by mid-September. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to issue a Covid vaccination mandate for health workers last month.

President Joe Biden also announced mandatory vaccination for all federal employees on July 29, giving them the alternative of having weekly coronavirus tests instead of showing proof of vaccination. HHS did not state whether employees could choose to get tested for the coronavirus regularly instead of getting vaccinated.

Company executives are also increasingly exercising vaccine mandates. Companies including Google, Facebook, United Airlines and Tyson Foods are now demanding that some or all of their employees be vaccinated as the number of coronavirus cases in the US has risen recently.

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Alaska Airways is contemplating Covid vaccine mandates for workers

Alaska Airlines is considering Covid vaccine mandates for staff

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 taking off from LAX.

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Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that it is considering making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for employees, according to a company memo that CNBC viewed.

The policy change would make the Seattle-based airline the newest airline to require vaccines for its employees. On Friday, United Airlines became the first major US airline to require vaccines for its employees. Frontier Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have since issued similar requirements.

Alaska, which has about 20,000 employees, said if it did make vaccines mandatory it would after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved one of the vaccines currently available under emergency approval.

Airline executives recently raised concerns about the rapidly spreading Delta variant of Covid. Southwest Airlines lowered its revenue and profit forecasts on Wednesday and made the spread of the variant due to weaker bookings and increased cancellations.

Delta, Southwest, and American have encouraged, but not mandated, employee vaccination.

“As an employer with a duty to protect you, and given the contagion and health risks of the COVID-19 virus and its variants, we have the right to make that decision and ask you for information about your vaccine status,” Alaska employees said . It was said that there would be exemptions for religious or medical reasons, similar to other companies.

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W.H.O. Testing three Medicine in Broad Seek for Covid Remedies

W.H.O. Testing 3 Drugs in Broad Search for Covid Treatments

The World Health Organization is testing three more drugs as part of a huge global study to find effective treatments for Covid-19, the agency said on Wednesday.

The study, which will involve researchers in more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries, will evaluate whether the drugs already approved for other uses – one for malaria, one for cancer and one for autoimmune diseases – can reduce the risk of death for patients with Covid to be hospitalized.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said Wednesday he hoped “one or more of the drugs” would prove effective in treating the virus.

Although there are already some treatments out there for people with Covid-19, including steroids and monoclonal antibodies, Dr. Tedros: “We need more for patients at all ends of the clinical spectrum.”

The first phase of the WHO’s trials of new drugs, which it called Solidarity, yielded disappointing results. The researchers found that four different drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and the antiviral drug remdesivir, had little or no benefit for hospitalized Covid patients.

The three drugs in the new study, named Solidarity Plus, were selected by an independent panel of experts and are donated by their manufacturers Ipca, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson. The drugs are artesunate, an antimalarial drug that may have anti-inflammatory effects; Imatinib, a cancer drug that could reverse damage to the lungs; and infliximab, an autoimmune disease drug that may help curb an overly aggressive immune response to the virus.