Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine could be distributed in the U.S. and administered to people before the end of the year, CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday. "We have quite the good chance — more than 60% — that we will know if the product works or not by the end of October," he said on the CBS show "Face the Nation." The company can distribute "hundreds of thousands of doses," Bourla said, once the FDA grants approval. The company has already manufactured the doses and is waiting for approval to ship them.
Administering steroids to people critically ill with COVID-19 appears beneficial and could be lifesaving for some, a new meta-analysis and multiple related studies suggest. Critically ill patients who received systemic corticosteroids were 34% less likely to die over 28 days, for example, compared with others who received usual care or placebo in a prospective meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials. Published online in JAMA September 2, 2020.
A pulse oximeter could be a useful addition to the home medical cabinet when someone has COVID-19 but is not sick enough to be hospitalized.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Health System studied 118 adults age 40 and older who had a positive COVID-19 test but were well enough to be sent home to recover. Study participants checked oxygen levels at home using a portable home pulse oximeter.
"When the oxygen levels started to drop, persons were at higher risk of needing to be hospitalized," study leader Dr. Paul Blair told Reuters.
For patients with COVID-19, especially older individuals and those at increased risk because of medical conditions, a home pulse oximeter may be a worthwhile tool, he said.