Paused studies of leading Covid-19 vaccine candidates from AstraZeneca PLC and Johnson & Johnson are resuming, the companies said Friday.The restarts mean testing of two of the most advanced Covid-19 vaccines in development can get back on track after their testing had been sidetracked. The testing is crucial for regulators to evaluate whether the vaccines safely protect against the virus and should be given widely.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had wrapped up an examination of two cases of a possible neurological side effect that emerged in two people in studies testing AstraZeneca’s shot, and said a late-stage trial in the U.S. can resume, according to the company.The AstraZeneca decision, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, came after the FDA didn’t find the vaccine was responsible for the two cases, though the agency couldn’t rule out a link either, a person familiar with the matter said.The agency plans to require researchers to inform study subjects of the cases and monitor them for any related neurological events, such as numbness, the person said.
US Reports Highest Number of Cases Since Pandemic Began
The United States had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the most new cases reported in a week since the pandemic began. Nearly half the country set records for new COVID-19 cases in a week while five states had a record number of deaths in a week: Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The U.S. reports a new COVID-19 case every 1.26 seconds, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.