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Here’s some of the latest COVID-19 news you may have missed over the weekend. Recent developments from Oxford University have many medical experts optimistic for a vaccine that could be ready for the public as early as September. Further, amidst over 30 states loosening their lockdown orders, the Trump administration has updated the US death projections to 100,000 by the end of the year.
Oxford’s vaccine is in the testing stage in humans now. The vaccine was originally created to handle other coronaviruses, like the one that causes SARS. That virus is a close relative of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Oxford’s vaccine works by utilizing an inactive common cold virus. Researchers inject genetic material into the inactive common cold virus, making it function as a stand-in coronavirus.
Then, the vaccine is injected into otherwise healthy people. Since the deactivated cold virus now “looks” like a COVID-causing virus to the body, the body is able to create countermeasures for it. These countermeasures come primarily in the form of special proteins called antibodies. Antibodies help the immune system prevent infection.
This process, known as inoculation, is one of the most direct ways to stop the spread of a virus. By giving immunity to wide swaths of the population, the virus has fewer hosts. Even people with vulnerable immune systems have protection with these measures. As such, you don’t need to get the vaccine if everyone in your social circle has already gotten it. This is herd immunity, and it is key in stopping the spread of the virus.
“We’re going to lose anywhere from 75, 80 to 100,000 people. That’s a horrible thing,” president Trump stated during a Fox News town hall on Sunday.
Against the advice of medical experts, over half the country is loosening restrictions on the populace. No states have yet met the 14 days of continuously decreasing COVID cases recommended by the Trump administration before loosening restrictions.
However, the economic pressures on states are enormous. Unlike the federal government, states can’t spend on deficit. Thus, with millions of Americans out of work and filing for unemployment, state treasuries are running out of money. People are scrambling for Advantage Medicare. Tax revenue is down. States can’t declare bankruptcy, either. If states were to run out of money, the results could be catastrophic.
These pressures have led to many states lifting their restrictions earlier than medical experts have advised. While experts predict a second wave of infection, many people in the US are simply glad to be out of the house and getting back to their normal routine.
