At-home test kits, new vaccine developments, and more COVID-19 updates

A roundup of the top stories you may have missed this week.

The coronavirus crisis is unique. Addressing it will require new ideas, new perspectives, and new voices. That’s our mission at Freethink.

In our weekly “Coronavirus News Roundup,” we’re highlighting the most important stories from the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. Stories that inform, challenge, and inspire.

Here are our must reads for this week.

1. A Chinese Coronavirus Vaccine Advances to Phase II Trials

CanSino Bio’s in-development coronavirus vaccine was the second in the world to reach human trials — and it’s now the first to advance to the second stage of human testing.

2. The FDA Authorizes the First At-Home Coronavirus Test Kit

For the first time, people have the option of collecting their own coronavirus samples at home, a development that could both increase access to testing and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

3. We May Need Fewer Ventilators for COVID-19 Patients Than We Expected

New research suggests that healthcare workers may be overusing ventilators for COVID-19 patients — meaning there might be more of the machines to go around than previously thought.

4. Microsoft’s “Plasma Bot” Helps You Donate Plasma for COVID-19

Microsoft created an online bot to help guide coronavirus survivors through the process of donating their antibody-rich plasma — a move that could help advance COVID-19 trials and research.

5. Ghana Is Using Drones to Speed Up Its Coronavirus Testing

The African nation of Ghana is using autonomous drones to transport coronavirus test samples from rural areas to two city labs — and the devices might be flying over the U.S. in the near future.

Related
Insulin grown in lettuce can be taken orally
New synthetic insulin harvested from lettuce plants can be made cheaply, taken orally, and transported at room temperature.
Cancer med appears to prevent brain aneurysms
Japanese researchers have discovered that the cancer drug sunitinib can prevent the formation of brain aneurysms in mice.
SpaceX successfully launches world’s first “space factory”
SpaceX has successfully deployed a “space factory” developed by startup Varda Space Industries to manufacture drugs in microgravity.
Cheap drug appears to cut long COVID risk by 41% in small study
The diabetes drug metformin cut COVID-19 patients’ risk of later developing long COVID by 41% in a small study.
90% of patients respond to new blood cancer treatment in trial
Israeli researchers have developed a new form of CAR-T therapy effective against multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer.
Up Next
Subscribe to Freethink for more great stories