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Here are the coronavirus stories Medscape's editors around the globe think you need to know about today:
COVID-19 Is Likely Airborne
Evidence is mounting that the virus that causes COVID-19 is transmitted via aerosol transmission, a researcher at the University of California San Diego reports in Science. The findings underline the importance of wearing masks.
At the same time, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have not released strong statements addressing how people could catch COVID-19 by breathing it in, Kimberly Prather, PhD, said. "It’s just shocking to me, quite honestly, that this has not been factored in."
Scientific Doubt Tempers Vaccine Optimism
There is little room for error or for safety surprises in the timeline offered by the US government and industry for a COVID-19 vaccine by this coming December or January, according to experts. The optimistic prediction works if "all the cards fall into the right place," Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said, but he added that a more realistic timeline is 12 to 18 months. Experts consulted by Medscape Medical News agree.
The government recently granted $1.2 billion in funding to AstraZeneca to accelerate vaccine development. That action, coupled with positive results from a phase 1 vaccine trial, have buoyed the hopes among some for an accelerated timeline. But some experts say that even with such funding, there is no guarantee that the usual time needed to ensure safety and efficacy can be shortened.
