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May. 17, 2021 11:06AM EST
Sanofi, GSK COVID vaccine shows strong immune response in phase 2 trials
Sanofi and GSK announcedthis morning their COVID-19 vaccine candidate demonstrated a strong immune response in adults in a phase 2 clinical trial.
Why it matters: Sanofi and GSK say their recombinant protein-based vaccine candidate could ultimately serve as a universal COVID-19 vaccine booster, able to boost immunity regardless of the vaccination first received.
- It could also ultimately help ease the ongoing global supply needs for vaccines.
Details: Sanofi and GSK said the vaccine triggered an antibody response in 95% to 100% of all the trial participants, ages 18 to 95, who got the vaccine.
- The companies also observed a "high immune response after a single dose in patients" who previously recovered from COVID-19, which shows the vaccine has strong booster potential.
- It's a promising development after the companies had to delay their vaccine in December to improve immune response in older adults. Still, it's also important to point out this is a phase 2 clinical trial, a relatively small study with 722 volunteers in the U.S. and Honduras.
A global Phase 3 trial with more than 35,000 participants from various countries is expected to start in the coming weeks to test the efficacy of two vaccine formulations against variants, officials said.
- In parallel, the companies also plan to conduct booster studies.
- Should the candidate prove successful in clearing Phase 3 testing and other regulatory hurdles, officials said a vaccine could be approved by the end of 2021.
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Jun. 17, 2021 01:50PM EST
Immigration's role in America's labor shortage
America's labor shortage crisis has been exacerbated by immigration restrictions that have reduced the number of both skilled and unskilled workers.
Between the lines: Most of the labor scarcity blame has been aimed at expanded unemployment benefits, hard-to-find child care and low wages. But there is a fourth leg to the stool.
By the numbers: Immigrant and non-immigrant visas issued during the year ended October 2020 were down by nearly five million, or 54%, from 2019.
- 572,587 fewer people received temporary or permanent worker visas (H, L, O, P, Q, J, and E) in 2020, a 44% drop from 1.3 million in 2019.
- The most significant drop-offs were for J and Q visas, for work- and study-based programs like au pairs, camp counselors and cultural exchange. Those were down 68% and 63%, respectively.
- H-visas for specialty work,temporary agricultural and non-agricultural work fell by the smallest percentage (24%).
For context: The U.S. had a 6% job opening rate in April, with the highest rates of 11.6% rate in arts, entertainment and recreation, 10.1% in leisure and hospitality, and a 9.9% rate in accommodation and food services — which combined works out to over 3.1 million unfilled jobs.
Timeline: Almost all of this decrease can be tied to Trump administration decisions to close legal immigration avenues in the pandemic's early months, while also tightening rules and enforcement of undocumented immigration.
- Freezes were put on green card applications in April, and most temporary work visas were halted in June.
- President Biden reversed the green card decision and recently let the worker visa ban lapse.
- But it will take time for the immigrant worker pool to be refilled, particularly as potential immigrants from certain countries remain blocked due to COVID-related health concerns. Moreover, many U.S. embassies and consulates continue to face massive backlogs of visa applications, often without enough resources to resume regular operations.
What they're saying: E.J. Dean, the third-generation owner of New England carnival operator Fiesta Shows, says that he's had to limit the number of rides offered this season because he's been unable to secure his typical supply of temporary workers from overseas (particularly from South Africa).
- "I'm trying to get people locally, but I've never seen things so tight," Dean explains. "It’s not even about the pay. People set up interviews and then they don't show up for them."
- Jon Baselice, VP of immigration policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, adds: “COVID-related travel restrictions continue to prevent many employers from meeting their workforce needs and they are causing significant business disruptions for many companies, especially smaller seasonal businesses across the country that are dealing with acute workforce shortfalls.”
The bottom line: The U.S. economy cannot fully recover from the pandemic if employers can't find enough employees.
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Jul. 02, 2021 08:49PM EST
Sha'Carri Richardson's weed suspension says a lot about mental health in sports
America's best shot for Olympic gold in the women's 100 meters won't be competing, after testing positive for marijuana.
Driving the news: U.S. favorite sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended after testing positive for marijuana that she said she used to cope with her biological mother's death, which had put her in "a state of emotional panic."
- "Don’t judge me because I am human," Richardson told Savannah Guthrie on the "Today" show. "I’m you — I just happen to run a little faster."
The big picture: Several athletes have spoken out about their mental health struggles, including names such as Olympic gold winner Michael Phelps — who was suspended in 2009 for being pictured smoking from a bong — and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Many are addressing the fact that leagues lack any sort of accommodations for mental health.
- "U.S. leagues have said within the last few years they would embed a better infrastructure for players to readily have mental health professionals," Axios' Marisa Fernandez writes.
- While research on the role of marijuana in mental health is still inconclusive, patients have reported it has been beneficial for helping them treat mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
What she's saying: "We all have our different struggles, we all have our different things we deal with, but to put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain," Richardson said.
- "Who are you? Who am I to tell you how to cope when you're dealing with a pain or you're dealing with a struggle that you've never experienced before or that you never thought you'd have to deal with. Who am I to tell you how to cope? Who am I to tell you you're wrong for hurting?," she added.
- "If I'm allowed to receive that blessing [compete in the Olympics] then I'm grateful for it. But if not, right now I'm just going to focus on myself."
Nike released a statement following the reports of Richardson's failed drug test, saying that she would remain as part of the company: "We appreciate Sha'Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time."
- Other pro-athletes came out in support, including Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson: "I don’t know why marijuana is banned. Maybe a good reason. Maybe not. I know how it feels to lose a parent. Indescribable pain!"
- NFL player Myles Garrett pointed out that "[w]hat’s really crazy is this probably won’t even be [an] issue by the next [O]lympics," considering the continued destigmatization of the drug.
Between the lines: Richardson took the drug in Oregon, where the substance is legal. However, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is required to adopt the policies from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has it listed as prohibited to use in competition.
- Cannabis poses a health risk to athletes, has the potential to enhance performance and violates the spirit of sport, according to WADA.
- WADA says it is an enhancing drugs because it "reduces anxiety, allowing athletes to better perform under pressure and to alleviate stress experienced before and during competition."
- "Richardson’s period of ineligibility was reduced to one month because her use of cannabis occurred out of competition and was unrelated to sport performance, and because she successfully completed a counseling program regarding her use of cannabis," the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said.
What's next: While Richardson won't be allowed to participate in the 100-meter race, she could still run the 4x100-meter relay if selected for Team USA, ESPN reports.
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Jul. 15, 2021 07:02AM EST
Australia's 2nd-most populous state to lock down after COVID spike
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, will enter a five-day lockdown just before midnight to combat a growing COVID-19 outbreak, officials announced on Thursday.
Why it matters: It will be the fifth time such restrictions have been imposed on residents in Victoria's state capital, Melbourne — who last year endured one of the world's longest lockdowns (112 days), when Melbourne was Australia's pandemic epicenter.
The big picture: Australia had largely suppressed coronavirus outbreaks, but it's now for the first time in months dealing with outbreaks in multiple regions simultaneously.
- This is driven largely by the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant — which led to Sydney, New South Wales, entering a full lockdown on June 26. These restrictions in Australia's most populous city have been extended until July 30.
- Melbourne last exited a lockdown on June 10, though some restrictions remained in place — such as wearing masks outside.
By the numbers: NSW has a total of 929 active cases after 65 more infections were confirmed Thursday; Victoria confirmed seven new cases, taking the total to 18 active cases and the state of Queensland recorded three new infections.
What they're saying: "This will be a hard lockdown similar to or identical to what we did a couple of weeks ago," Victoria's Premier Dan Andrews said at a news conference.
- "It is essentially a repeat of the successful strategy from couple of weeks ago. That was successful then and this will be successful now."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest case numbers.
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