Pauses of coronavirus antibody and vaccine trials are routine, doctor says
Two setbacks have been reported in 24 hours in the fight against the coronavirus. On Tuesday, drugmaker Eli Lilly halted human testing of a COVID-19 treatment citing a potential safety concern. A person familiar with the trial told CBS News the pause will last approximately two weeks.
The treatment, which uses COVID-19 antibodies, is similar to a therapeutic given to President Donald Trump that he touted as a cure. "It was like unbelievable," Mr. Trump said. "I felt good immediately."
This comes as Johnson & Johnson said its vaccine trial, the largest to date, is also stopping temporarily while it investigates if an unexplained illness was caused by its vaccine.
CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus said these pauses are routine and reassuring.
"So this is not unusual," Agus said. "I hope that Americans see news like this and have comfort that we are investigating every single issue with these drugs and with these vaccines to make sure they are safe for the American people."
Thirty-seven states are seeing a rise in average new cases; only one state — South Carolina — is down. A key driver is gatherings. A recent CDC report found that a 13-year-old girl infected 11 people staying at the same house during a family vacation, without masks or social distancing.
With many Americans resisting guidelines, the death toll continues to grow. Leanna Richardson lost her mother — a third-grade teacher from North Carolina — in just 10 days.
"And if anything else, let her death be a reminder that COVID-19 doesn't care," Richardson said. "COVID-19 is serious. This is a pandemic. This is not a joke."
School officials at her mother's school said they do not believe she contracted the virus at work where she was teaching students in person.