FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn appeared on "Good Morning America," Aug. 4, 2020.
ABC News When asked whether political considerations will be at play when the FDA takes on the role of determining whether a vaccine is both safe and effective, Hahn said they "will make that decision based upon the science and the data from the clinical trials that are going.""The science and data are really going to guide this decision and nothing else," he added.The FDA has the ability to authorize emergency use of a vaccine before the normal approval process is completed. Hahn said the agency will "expeditiously" review the data from the clinical trials as soon as its available, "whether we use the emergency use authorization path or the regular approval path.""Both are available to us, but our rigorous standards that we will use the safety and efficacy will be done," he said.The FDA will also tap a vaccine advisory committee, which Hahn said is "a standard approach.""We will be using that to help us make this decision," he noted. "These are outside experts from around the country."6:12 a.m. UN chief warns of 'generational catastrophe' amid school closures School closures due to the coronavirus pandemic in over 160 countries in mid-July affected more than 1 billion students, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.Meanwhile, at least 40 million children have missed out on education "in their critical pre-school year," according to Guterres, who warned that the world faces "a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities."A Palestinian worker wearing a protective face mask sanitizes a classroom in a United Nations-run school before a new academic year starts, amid concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, in Gaza City on August 4, 2020.A Palestinian worker wearing a protective face mask sanitizes a classroom in a United Nations-run school before a new academic year starts, amid concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus disease, in Gaza City on August 4, 2020.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters The U.N. chief urged schools to reopen once the local transmission of the novel coronavirus is under control."We are at a defining moment for the world’s children and young people," Guterres said in a video message Tuesday. "The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come."5:05 a.m.: Russia reports lowest daily increase in cases since April Russia reported 5,159 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, its lowest day-to-day increase since April 23.The country's coronavirus response headquarters also recorded 144 additional coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, another 7,878 patients had recovered from the disease.People wearing face masks and gloves to protect against the novel coronavirus come through passages equipped with disinfectant sprays at a shopping mall entrance in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 3, 2020. Moscow authorities require residents to wear mask on public transport as well as in stores and other confined public spaces.People wearing face masks and gloves to protect against the novel coronavirus come through passages equipped with disinfectant sprays at a shopping mall entrance in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 3, 2020. Moscow authorities require residents to wear mask on public transport as well as in stores and other confined public spaces.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Overall, Russia has reported 861,423 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14,351 deaths since the start of the pandemic.The country has the fourth-highest number of diagnosed cases in the world, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.What to know about coronavirus:A health worker takes a nasal swab sample at a COVID-19 testing site at St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles, California, on July 24, 2020.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.Many states have seen a rise in infections in recent weeks, with some -- including Arizona, California and Florida -- reporting daily records.However, an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows an 8.8% decrease in new cases across the United States over the last week compared with the previous week.That same seven-day span saw a 24% increase in deaths, according to the memo obtained by ABC News.ABC News' Alina Lobzina and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.Source : abcnews.go.com