CDC recommends face masks for public: coronavirus briefing

The CDC is recommending the public use cloth face masks to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, President Trump said at the White House coronavirus task force briefing.

They’re not recommending use of medical-grade or surgical masks.

The recommendation is voluntary and doesn’t substitute for the social distancing and hand-washing guidelines already recommended; Trump said he’s choosing not to wear a mask.

Blue Cross Blue Shield won’t require co-pays for coronavirus testing or treatment.

Treating uninsured people who COVID-19 will be covered under the CARES Act, Trump said.

Update at 5:42 PM: More than $3.5B of guaranteed loans for small businesses have been processed in the first day of the paycheck protection program under the CARES Act, he said.

5:45 PM: Separately, Bank of America received more than 58K customers applied for $6B of loans, CNBC reports.

5:53 PM: Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force response coordinator, said the task force continues to watch Detroit and Chicago and has concerns about Colorado; Washington, DC; and Pennsylvania.

5:55 PM: Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said healthcare exchanges will have a special enrollment period to allow uninsured people who have recently lost their jobs to sign up for health insurance.

5:58 PM: CDC changed its recommendation on face masks for the general public because of new evidence that the virus is being transmitted by people with COVID-19 who aren’t exhibiting symptoms, said Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

6:02 PM: When asked if he agrees with Dr. Anthony Fauci’s opinion that all states should have stay-at-home orders, Trump said he’ll leave it up to the governors.

6:10 PM: Trump allowed two cruise liners to dock today. Some of the passengers will go back to Canada and the U.K. “We had to take care of the sick people,” he said.

6:14 PM: Trump said Russian and Saudi Arabian leaders told him they want to resolve their oil production dispute.

6:15 PM: He said he discussed tariffs with oil executives, who he met with today. They didn’t ask for a bailout, Trump said.

6:34 PM: “Am I thinking about imposing tariffs on Saudi Arabian oil right now? No, but it’s a tool,” he said. Ultimately, the marketplace will resolve the Russia, Saudi Arabia oil dispute, he said.

6:37 PM: Trump brings up the need to invest in America’s infrastructure, specifically speaking about “roads, highways, tunnels, airports, everything.”

6:41 PM: “The general election will happen on Nov. 3,” he said.

6:42 PM: Briefing ends.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

The U.S. has 270,473 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,889 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558399-cdc-recommends-face-masks-for-public-coronavirus-briefing

XBiotech up 23% after hours on Covid-19 convalescent plasma program

XBiotech (NASDAQ:XBIT) will collaborate with non-profit BioBridge Global in an FDA program to collect and distribute convalescent plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection.

The company has developed a clinical test that BioBridge Global subsidiary QualTex Laboratories will use to identify natural antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in donated plasma.

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, another BioBridge subsidiary, will collect the plasma and will provide blood samples to XBIT for use in developing a True Human antibody therapy for the infection.

Shares up 23% after hours.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558392-xbiotech-up-23-after-hours-on-convalescent-plasma-program-for-covidminus-19

BioSig up 41% ahead of briefing on COVID-19 candidate

Thinly traded micro cap BioSig Technologies (BSGM +41.3%) is up on almost a 12x surge in volume in reaction to its upcoming “telebriefing” on Tuesday, April 7, to discuss recently acquired Vicromax, a broad-spectrum antiviral that, it says, has shown strong activity against COVID-19 in cell cultures.

Clinical trials assessing Vicromax alone and in combination other drugs are next up.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558342-biosig-up-41-ahead-of-briefing-on-covidminus-19-candidate

FDA announces initiatives for antibody blood products for COVID-19

Aimed at facilitating nationwide access to antibody-rich blood products for COVID-19 patients, the FDA has instituted an emergency investigational new drug application (eIND) process for convalescent plasma, with its SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, collected from people who have recovered from the infection.

Based on prior history with respiratory viruses and data from China, convalescent plasma and its more refined relative, hyperimmune globulin (concentrated SARS-CoV-2 antibodies), may shorten the recovery time for severely ill patients.

The agency says it has provided information to healthcare providers on how to submit applications for clinical studies at academic institutions.

The Mayo Clinic will serve as lead institution while the American Red Cross will help with plasma collection and distribution.

Selected tickers: Emergent BioSolutions (EBS +1.4%), ADMA Biologics (ADMA +8.5%), Kamada Ltd. (KMDA)

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558318-fda-announces-initiatives-for-antibody-blood-products-for-covidminus-19

Regeneron sees Covid-19 treatment with results by April-end

Regeneron’s (NASDAQ:REGN) Kevzara, an arthritis treatment, could have results emanating from a portion of their trials related to treatment of COVID-19 by month-end.

Spokesperson noted that the enrollment is moving quickly, and had centered upon ill patients who were currently hospitalized due to coronavirus.

Update comes after Sanofi and REGN expanded their clinical trials earlier this week

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558336-regeneron-sees-covidminus-19-treatment-results-april-end

Gilead’s remdesivir OK’d in Europe for compassionate use in COVID-19

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is recommending the use of Gilead Sciences’ (GILD +1.4%) remdesivir for treating COVID-19 in compassionate use programs.

EMA advisory group CHMP is encouraging the company to make the antiviral available in a “fair and transparent” way to member states wishing to participate in international clinical trials or treating patients under compassionate use.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3558339-gileads-remdesivir-okd-in-europe-for-compassionate-use-in-covidminus-19

Hospitals Urged to Avoid Policies to Omit Kidney Patients from Ventilator Use

In a letter sent to the leading trade organizations representing the nation’s hospitals and health systems, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) expressed concern over news reports that some health systems and state governments are considering crisis-management policies which would deprive certain patient groups—including patients with end stage renal disease—of life-saving interventions for COVID-19, including ventilation. The National Kidney Foundation understands that these are extreme circumstances but cannot support a policy that would arbitrarily deny someone treatment due to their pre-existing health condition or disability.
“As a nephrologist who treats end stage renal disease patients, I can tell you that each patient is different and medical judgement, instead of arbitrary hospital or health system guidelines, should be used when determining who gets access to a life-saving ventilator and other COVID-19 treatments,” said Holly Kramer, MD, President of National Kidney Foundation and a board certified nephrologist. “Thanks to the miracles of dialysis and transplant, end-stage renal disease is not a terminal condition and should not be treated as such.”
Dialysis serves as an artificial kidney for patients with end-stage renal disease. Dialysis machines remove waste and extra chemicals and fluid from the blood, help maintain the body’s natural chemical levels, and help control blood pressure.  Currently, more than 500,000 Americans rely on dialysis to replace their kidney function.  Average life expectancy on dialysis is 5-10 years, however, many patients live well on dialysis for 20 or even 30 years. For many patients, dialysis is a temporary treatment as they await a kidney from a deceased or living donor.
“While we appreciate that these draft policies attempt to set parameters to help health care providers make unimaginable, heartbreaking choices, a one-size-fits-all category that denies care to all patients with ESRD is short-sighted, arbitrary and discriminatory,” said Kevin Longino, CEO of National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant patient. “Such policies could deny care to entire categories of individuals who might recover from COVID-19 and go on to live long, productive lives.”
These concerns are echoed in recent articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which states that “These [categorical] exclusions are not explicitly justified, and they are ethically flawed because the criteria for exclusion (long-term prognosis and functional status) are selectively applied to only some types of patients, rather than to all patients being considered for critical care.”
https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/national-kidney-foundation-urges-america-s-hospitals-and-health-systems-to-not-implement-polices-to-deprive-kidney-patients-from-live-saving-interventions-during-covid-19/