COVID-19 Update | February 5, 2021

COVID-19 News

COVID-19 Update | Febraury 5, 2021

February 5, 2021

The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date about COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of February 5, 2021. Notable advancements include:

  • Pfizer plans to deliver 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. by May, earlier than its initial forecast of July, as Novartis joins forces with Pfizer to help produce its mRNA vaccines.
  • Johnson & Johnson applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its experimental Covid-19 vaccine. The FDA could grant the authorization within weeks.
  • Moderna, the developer of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, is looking to increase the number of doses in its vials — which could accelerate the nation’s vaccination rate.

​Recent News:

  • J&J applies for emergency authorization; FDA expected to greenlight in coming weeks
    NBC – February 4, 2021
    Johnson & Johnson applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA could grant the authorization within weeks. If it is authorized, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine would be the third approved in the U.S., joining the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
  • The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may slow transmission of the virus.
    New York Times – February 3, 2021
    According to a new paper, the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca can slow the transmission of the virus. The paper by researchers at the University of Oxford is the latest to report evidence suggesting that a COVID-19 vaccine may be able to reduce transmission of the virus, though scientists have emphasized that the data are preliminary and the degree of protection unknown.
  • Why Long Beach Is a Model for the Vaccine Rollout
    New York Times – February 3, 2021
    As of Tuesday, some 48,000 doses had been administered, according to data provided by Jennifer Rice Epstein, a city spokeswoman.
  • How COVID-19 Treatment Has Changed Over The Past Year
    CBS Boston – February 3, 2021
    Monoclonal antibodies are designed to attack the coronavirus itself and can be given in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms who are at high risk of developing severe disease.
  • GSK expands CureVac vaccine partnership, changing course after setbacks
    BioPharma Dive – February 3, 2021
    GlaxoSmithKline will expand an infectious disease collaboration with CureVac, announcing Wednesday a roughly $180 million deal to support manufacturing the German biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine and develop second-generation candidates against emerging variants of COVID-19.
  • Things to Know: Vaccine shipments coming to US pharmacies
    Associated Press – February 2, 2021
    The Biden administration will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. pharmacies next week as it seeks to ramp up vaccinations with the appearance of new and potentially more serious virus strains. Coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said that about 6,500 pharmacies around the country will receive a total of 1 million doses of vaccine and that more locations will be added as drugmakers increase production.
  • Pfizer plans to deliver 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to U.S. by May, sooner than expected
    CNBC – February 2, 2021
    Pfizer plans to deliver 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. by May, earlier than its initial forecast of July. The company, which developed its vaccine with German drugmaker BioNTech, also said it could potentially deliver 2 billion doses globally by the end of this year.
  • Moderna Could Boost Vaccine Supply by Adding Doses to Vials
    New York Times – February 2, 2021
    S. regulators could decide within a few weeks whether to allow Moderna, the developer of one of the two federally authorized COVID-19 vaccines, to increase the number of doses in its vials — which could accelerate the nation’s vaccination rate.
  • Bayer agrees to help CureVac produce COVID-19 vaccine
    BioPharma Dive – February 1, 2021
    Bayer will help CureVac manufacture tens of millions more doses of the biotech’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine beginning as soon as the end of this year, company executives said in a briefing.
  • The first COVID-19 vaccines have arrived. Here’s where the rest stand.
    BioPharma Dive – February 1, 2021
    Scientists, drugmakers and governments have moved with unprecedented haste to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. The fastest of them have completed studies proving their vaccines can protect against COVID-19. A half dozen shots from developers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, China and Russia have now been cleared by regulators for emergency use.
  • Novartis pitches in to help produce Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
    FiercePharma – January 29, 2021
    Only a day after Novartis said it was looking at offering its manufacturing network to the global COVID-19 fight, the company is joining forces with Pfizer and BioNTech to help produce mRNA vaccines.
  • Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, how it works and why it matters
    CNN – January 29, 2021
    A third COVID-19 vaccine, one made by Johnson & Johnson, could be authorized for use in the United States in the near future. Data about the single-shot vaccine was released Friday, and the company is now collating its data to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization.

Rely on California Biotechnology Foundation to monitor breaking news and provide updates on the latest advancements in COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.

Stay informed on the latest news and trends on the economic and health benefits of this industry by visiting the new CABiotech.org

If you have any questions about informational briefings contact California Biotechnology Foundation Executive Director Patty Cooper at (916)764-2434 or [email protected].