Public health specialists are reviving conversations about a potential vaccine, as mass protests following the death of George Floyd while being subdued by police continue in many U.S. cities.
White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he’s concerned about the “durability” of a potential coronavirus vaccine, adding that there’s a chance it might not provide long-term immunity. And former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC Wednesday that any effective vaccine will likely still be seasonal.
This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
- Global cases: More than 6.4 million
- Global deaths: At least 380,764
- U.S. cases: More than 1.83 million
- U.S. deaths: At least 106,181
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
J&J looking at virus’ impact on black communities, CEO says
9:26 a.m. ET — Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said the company is looking into the coronavirus’ disproportionate impact on black communities.
“What’s the underlying nature? What can we do better to make sure your zip code isn’t contributing more to your life expectancy, frankly, to other health-care factors,” he told CNBC.
J&J has been working on a potential vaccine to prevent Covid-19, which has infected more than 1.83 million across the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The company expects human testing of its experimental vaccine to begin by September and it could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021. —Berkeley Lovelace, Jr.
New cases in Africa continue to soar
Vaccine will be ‘seasonal,’ Dr. Scott Gottlieb says
7:32 a.m. ET — Any coronavirus vaccine that proves to be safe and effective will still probably only provide immunity for a limited amount of time, maybe “up to a year,” former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said.
His comments come after White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he worries about the “durability” of a potential coronavirus vaccine, saying there’s a chance it may not provide long-term immunity.
“This is probably going to be a seasonal vaccine,” Gottlieb said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “It’s probably a vaccine that we’re going to need to take every year. Dr. Fauci’s right, the immunity’s not going to be long term in the form of a smallpox vaccine or a polio vaccine where you get the vaccine once and you’re protected for the rest of your life or most of your life.”
Eventually, people might be asked to take the coronavirus vaccine annually along with the flu vaccine, Gottlieb said. —Will Feuer
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina.
Sweden ‘could have done better’ in tackling outbreak, chief epidemiologist admits
People enjoy themselves at an outdoor restaruant, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in central Stockholm, Sweden, on April 20, 2020.
ANDERS WIKLUND
7:02 a.m. ET — Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, who advocated a no-lockdown strategy to combat the coronavirus crisis, conceded that more should have been done to tackle the epidemic.
“Yes, I think we could have done better in what we did in Sweden, clearly,” Anders Tegnell, state epidemiologist at Sweden’s Public Health Agency, told Swedish radio, according to a Reuters report.
“If we were to run into the same disease, knowing exactly what we know about it today, I think we would end up doing something in between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world has done,” he said.
Unlike most of Europe, Sweden decided against implementing a full lockdown of businesses and schools when the coronavirus began to spread in Europe in March, opting instead for softer, largely voluntary measures. —Holly Ellyatt
Spain eyes reopening to some tourism June 22
Participants run in front of Fuente Ymbro’s bulls during the fourth ‘encierro’ (bull-run) of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, on July 10, 2015.
Miguel Riopa | AFP | Getty Images
