AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson to resume COVID-19 vaccine trials as U.S. daily cases top 71,000
On Friday, both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson announced that their coronavirus vaccine trials are set to resume in the U.S. after hitting pause when volunteers became sick. The Food and Drug Administration gave the green light after investigations found no link between those cases and the vaccine.
The announcement comes as the U.S. recorded more than 71,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday, which is the highest single-day increase since July, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. A total of 41 states are reporting an increase in average new cases, and 15 states have reported record hospitalizations in the last week.
"This really does become a moment where all Americans have to recognize that each of us individually has a responsibility if we want to turn this around," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
In hot spot Wisconsin, new cases are up nearly 40% compared to two weeks ago. Wisconsin resident Ava Pennicuik, 15, is still suffering from hot flashes and extreme fatigue three months after recovering from COVID-19.
"I still feel sick sometimes. Some days are good and then some days aren't," said Pennicuik. "Like one day I'll have a really bad day and also super dizzy and tired, and I'll have to take a nap, and the other day, like, I can just do stuff, like, normally."
The latest data from researchers at the University of Washington says wearing face masks in public could save nearly 130,000 lives in the U.S. this fall and winter.
Katelyn Evans, 16, became the first teen to get an injection as part Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine study at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the Associated Press reported. It's part of a push to safely inoculate school-age children.
"I figured, you know, the more people they test, the more information they get and the sooner they can put out a vaccine to keep everyone safe," said Evans.
Since the pandemic began, more than half a million American children have been infected with COVID-19. While vaccine trials continue to move forward, the first shots are unlikely to be recommended for kids. Vaccines can't be given to children unless they've been tested in their age group, the AP reported.
