Forbes - More Covid tests and antibodies

Plus: Here’s where omicron seems to have peaked

Today was the last day of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, which brought together hundreds of healthcare companies to discuss what they’re working on. We’ve been tracking the conference all week and here are two more highlights from today and yesterday. 

Quidel: The manufacturer of QuickVue Covid-19 tests reported yesterday that it saw a 10x sell-through of its products through Walgreens and CVS between the first and last weeks of December. The company plans to increase its manufacturing capacity to meet demand and is delivering 100 million tests to the federal government. The company expects that the tests will remain a part of its business as time goes on. “We do anticipate some level of Covid moving forward,” said CEO Douglas Bryant.

Adagio Therapeutics: Adagio is developing an antibody against Covid-19 that aims to be able to tackle variants of the virus as it evolves. Preliminary data the company reported finds that it is active against the omicron variant. Currently, the company is determining the proper dose of its antibody for patients and has paused its clinical trials so it can reach alignment with regulators on moving forward. “The good news is there’s a lot of data now,” CEO Tillman Gerngross said. 

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More Covid News

The number of new unemployment claims unexpectedly jumped for the second week in a row this month, a concerning sign for the labor market recovery after experts warned a record surge in coronavirus cases could slow the economic recovery. 

President Joe Biden said his administration will make higher-quality masks available to Americans for free next week, and announced a new order of 500 million Covid-19 tests to be distributed for free.

The Supreme Court delivered a mixed ruling on the Biden administration’s workplace Covid-19 vaccination requirements, reinstating a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers but temporarily blocking the vaccine-or-test rule for large private employers as litigation against both moves forward…

…but despite the ruling, many employers are forging ahead with Covid vaccine mandates for their workers.

A now-viral study identifying cannabis compounds that possibly prevent infection with the virus that causes Covid-19 ignited a firestorm of popular interest, but the study does not indicate that smoking pot protects people from Covid.

A study of pregnant Scottish women who contracted Covid-19 found they had higher rates of pre-term birth, stillbirth and death of newborns, with almost all such cases occurring among women who were unvaccinated when they were diagnosed. 

New data shows that booster doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine helps protect against variants, as do booster shots of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine. 

What Else We Are Reading

• Court dismisses Louisiana pastor’s virus restrictions suit (Religion News)

• A cascade of Omicron-driven shortages puts U.S. hospitals in a bind (Stat News)

• Some COVID Patients Need Amputations to Survive (Scientific American)