Health News Roundup: Genetic profiles may predict COVID risk; McKesson for COVID vaccine distribution and more

Hispanics, African Americans hit hard in U.S. COVID-19 hotspot counties, says CDC U.S. coronavirus hotspots had disproportionately high numbers of cases among communities of color, according to an analysis on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Genetic profiles may predict COVID-19 risk; nursing home staff in spotlight

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Genetic profiles may predict COVID-19 risk.

Trump Administration picks McKesson for coronavirus vaccine distribution

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Friday that McKesson Corp would be the central distributor for future coronavirus vaccines, sending the U.S. drug distributor's shares up more than 3%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is executing an existing contract option with McKesson to support vaccine distribution, the health department said.

EU agrees first COVID-19 vaccine deal with AstraZeneca in WHO blow

The European Union has agreed to buy at least 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine in its first such advance purchase deal, which could weaken plans led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a global approach. The European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of all 27 EU member states, said the deal included an option to purchase 100 million additional doses from the British drugmaker should its vaccine prove safe and effective.

Vaccine makers including Moderna must hit U.S. timing goals for full payments

The United States is tying payments for COVID-19 vaccines to timing milestones for production and approval, according to public documents and a Trump administration official, putting pressure on drugmakers including Moderna Inc to meet ambitious targets. In a deal with Moderna announced this week, federal agencies negotiated a sliding scale of payments. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, biotech's $1.5-billion deal pays out in full if its vaccine receives regulatory clearance by January 31, 2021, according to filings. It receives $1.2 billion if it falls short of that timing goal.

As COVID-19 cases rise in U.S., precious plasma donations lag

In late April, a coalition of New Mexico healthcare systems began asking local COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma, the antibody-rich blood product used to help treat people hospitalized with the disease. More than 50 people donated in May, but then the numbers starting falling, according to data from Vitalant, a nonprofit blood bank that works with the coalition to recruit donors. In June, 34 people gave plasma to the effort, the data show; in July it was just 29.

U.S. CDC reports 5,228,817 coronavirus cases

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 5,228,817 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 52,799 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 1,169 to 166,317. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Aug. 13 versus its previous report a day earlier.(https://bit.ly/2BROCTB)

Exclusive: U.S. to make coronavirus strain for possible human challenge trials

U.S. government scientists have begun efforts to manufacture a strain of the novel coronavirus that could be used in human challenge trials of vaccines, a controversial type of study in which healthy volunteers would be vaccinated and then intentionally infected with the virus, Reuters has learned. The work is preliminary and such trials would not replace large-scale, Phase 3 trials such as those now under way in the United States testing experimental COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, according to a statement emailed to Reuters by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Russian doctors wary of rapidly approved COVID-19 vaccine, survey shows

A majority of Russian doctors would not feel comfortable being injected with Russia's new COVID-19 vaccine due to the lack of sufficient data about it and its super-fast approval, a survey of more than 3,000 medical professionals showed on Friday. Russia has said that the world's first vaccine for the novel coronavirus will be rolled out by the end of this month, with doctors among those set to be administered with it on a voluntary basis.

Canada says new waves of coronavirus could swamp healthcare system, send death toll soaring

Canada is planning for a "reasonable worst case scenario" in which new waves of the coronavirus would intermittently swamp the public health system and send the death toll soaring, officials said on Friday. Under the scenario, there would be a large peak later this year followed by a number of smaller peaks and valleys stretching to January 2022. Each peak would exceed the health system's capacity.

Hispanics, African Americans hit hard in U.S. COVID-19 hotspot counties, says CDC

U.S. coronavirus hotspots had disproportionately high numbers of cases among communities of color, according to an analysis on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report adds to a growing body of evidence that long-standing health and social inequities have resulted in increased risk for infection and death from COVID-19 among communities of color, the CDC said https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6933e1.htm?s_cid=mm6933e1_w.

(With inputs from agencies.)