The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines to acknowledge that wearing a mask protects wearers as well as the people they encounter. Previously, the agency had emphasized that masks prevented an individual’s respiratory droplets from spreading and infecting others. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
A letter signed by dozens of members of Congress urged the Department of Justice to revisit its $8.3 billion settlement of civil and criminal charges against Purdue Pharma. In the letter, the lawmakers voiced strong objections to the notion of transforming Purdue into a “public benefit company.” (STAT)
Data from late-stage trials of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate may be available for analysis within days, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday. Fauci expects the data to reveal that the vaccine is highly effective, given its similarity to the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate for which positive data was disclosed on Monday. (Reuters)
Moderna shared promising early data from a study of its messenger RNA cancer vaccine, known as mRNA-4157. When the vaccine was combined with Merck’s Keytruda in a Phase I trial, it seemed to shrink tumors. (Endpoints News)
During meetings conducted early in the pandemic, World Health Organization scientists characterized the approaches of some countries as “an unfortunate laboratory to study the virus.” Outwardly, however, the organization mostly praised governments for their responses. (Associated Press)
