Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was refreshing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of Zoom meetings, Skype calls, and deadlines has predictably returned. To cope, yes, we are brewing cups of stimulation. Happily, our pantry is filled with a few new flavors, and today we are reaching for cinnamon mocha. Feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits to help you get started. We hope that your day is productive and that you stay safe. So wear a mask. …
An obscure South Carolina company may be in line for millions of dollars in U.S. government funding to produce a coronavirus treatment after a former Republican senator with a financial stake in the business lobbied senior U.S. government officials, the Associated Press reports. Plasma Technologies received seed money to test a possible Covid-19-fighting blood plasma technology. As much as $65 million more could be on the way, a windfall for the company that operates out of the founder’s luxury condo.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended already-minimal oversight of so-called laboratory developed tests for Covid-19 in mid-August, despite being informed that the tests were plagued with quality issues, STAT reports. The issue is that, in a vast, confusing landscape populated by hundreds of different private companies and labs, some tests are proving problematic, especially when used to screen people who have no symptoms of Covid-19.
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