Thursday Morning Briefing: Regeneron COVID-19 antibodies in demand

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October 8, 2020 Reuters News Now What you need to know about the coronavirus today Regeneron antibodies in demand Patients are asking to join clinical trials of antibody-based COVID-19 drugs after U.S. President Donald Trump was treated with an experimental therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. On Wednesday he touted its benefits while promising to make it free to Americans. Medical experts said more data is needed to assess the treatment's efficacy before wider use should be allowed. Pentagon risk grows The U.S. Marine Corps said its No. 2 officer, General Gary Thomas, had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the second senior military official to do so this week. Thomas, the Marine Corps' assistant commandant, is suffering mild symptoms and is self-quarantining at home, it said. Nearly all the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including its chairman, Army General Mark Milley, are in quarantine after attending top-level meetings last week with Thomas and the Coast Guard's No. 2 official, Admiral Charles Ray, who tested positive on Monday. Europe stocks up on remdesivir Gilead Sciences said it had agreed to sell Europe up to 500,0000 courses of its antiviral drug remdesivir, as the continent shores up supplies of one of only two drugs approved to treat COVID-19 patients. The deal will cover purchases of the drug for the next six months for 37 countries: the 27-nation European Union, Britain, six Balkan countries and the other European Economic Area countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Germany's cases start to spiral The daily tally of new coronavirus cases in Germany leapt by almost half, official data showed on Thursday, a day after ministers agreed emergency measures to rein in domestic tourism. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 4,058 to 310,144, a rate not seen since April, lending weight to officials' warnings that Germany is headed down the path of its neighbors if citizens don't adhere to rigid social distancing. Warsaw to face new curbs Poland's daily coronavirus cases surged over 40% on Thursday compared to the previous day, just as the capital Warsaw was set to be added to a list of areas with additional restrictions. Poland faces spiraling infection rates, and while authorities have sought to reassure the public that hospitals can cope, doctors have warned that the system could soon face serious difficulties. Other central and eastern European countries are also facing sharp increases, with the Czech Republic and Slovakia both reporting record numbers of cases on Thursday. From Breakingviews: Corona Capital - Bankers, Virus vices, Student digs Read concise views on the pandemic’s financial fallout from Breakingviews columnists across the globe. Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic. We need your help to tell these stories. Our news organization wants to capture the full scope of what’s happening and how we got here by drawing on a wide variety of sources. Are you a government employee or contractor involved in coronavirus testing or the wider public health response? Are you a doctor, nurse or health worker caring for patients? Have you worked on similar outbreaks in the past? Has the disease known as COVID-19 personally affected you or your family? Are you aware of new problems that are about to emerge, such as critical supply shortages? We need your tips, firsthand accounts, relevant documents or expert knowledge. Please contact us at coronavirus@reuters.com. We prefer tips from named sources, but if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can submit a confidential news tip. Here’s how. Top Stories Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris clashed over the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic during their debate on Wednesday, as the White House struggled to contain an outbreak that has infected President Donald Trump and dozens of others. The policy-heavy, relatively sedate debate stood in stark contrast to last week’s chaotic presidential showdown between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, which was marred by Trump’s constant interruptions and personal insults from both men. Here are six takeaways from the U.S. vice presidential debate and what you need to know right now about the 2020 U.S. election. Louisiana on Thursday steeled itself for another in a record-breaking series of violent storms as Hurricane Delta sped across the Gulf of Mexico toward a region still recovering from the last storm. Delta struck Mexico’s tourist enclaves on the Yucatan peninsula on Wednesday, shaking residents and leaving behind a mess of overturned trees and shattered glass. It is expected to intensify over the Gulf of Mexico Thursday to winds of up to 115 miles per hour before crashing into Louisiana on Friday. American poet Louise Gluck won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature for "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal", the Swedish Academy said on Thursday. The 10 million Swedish crown ($1.1 million) prize is named after dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will. World News Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces fought new clashes in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Thursday, before the United States, France and Russia were due to meet in Geneva to try to avert a wider war in the South Caucasus. Kyrgyzstan’s parliament failed to gather a quorum in an overnight session, deputies said on Thursday, leaving a power vacuum in the Central Asian nation as rival groups sought to claim power after ousting the cabinet. North Korea is expected to use a major holiday this weekend to showcase its military power, highlight domestic political messages, and galvanize citizens at a time when the country faces increasing economic hardship and isolation. China was accused by Taiwan of trying to impose censorship in India after its embassy in New Delhi advised journalists to observe the “one-China” principle after newspapers carried advertisements for Taiwan’s national day. Follow the money Investors eye discounted U.S. healthcare sector as Biden's lead in polls grows Investors are looking for bargains among healthcare stocks, even as prospect of a Democratic “Blue Sweep” in next month’s elections threatens more volatility for a sector already trading near a historical discount to the broader market. 4 min read Musk says Tesla to use new batteries, tech at Berlin factory; flags production risk Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Wednesday the company will produce Model Y with a new structural battery design and technology at its Berlin factory next year and that could result in a "significant production risk". 2 min read U.S. auto suppliers scramble to fill factory jobs Millions of U.S. workers have lost their jobs to the pandemic, but in the auto industry, suppliers are scrambling to find enough people to staff production lines, resorting to such approaches as rewards for good attendance and at-work teachers to lure job seekers. 6 min read Britain's banks turn cyber sleuths to crack $100 billion mortgage mystery Does a canceled gym membership spell financial disaster? That is the type of question British banks are asking as they try to work out whether borrowers owing some $96 billion in home loans will be good for it when a payment holiday, introduced when the coronavirus crisis first hit, ends. 5 min read Top Stories on Reuters TV Trump says catching COVID-19 a 'blessing from God' Politics   1:54 Prince William starts global environment prize Environment   1:17 Real news for busy people More Newsletters Reuters News Reuters TV               © 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036 Email Preferences    |   Privacy Policy    |   Terms and Conditions