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Today's Rundown

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U.K. set to infect volunteers with coronavirus in world's first COVID-19 challenge study

Researchers in the U.K. are set to deliberately infect young, healthy volunteers with SARS-CoV-2. The challenge study, which has £33.6 million ($43.6 million) in government support, could shed light on how people react to the virus and accelerate development of vaccines.

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Top Stories

Hospitals could see 10% drop in admissions in 2020: KFF

Overall, total hospital admissions dropped as low as 69% of predicted levels during the second week of April as stay-at-home orders required elective surgeries to be canceled, according to electronic medical record data from the Epic Health Research Network.

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What will FDA's experts review at their first COVID-19 vaccine hearing? Agency documents set the tone

The countdown to the FDA's first coronavirus vaccine hearing has begun. More than seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, with several vaccines in late-stage testing and developers preparing to file for widespread use, the FDA unveiled its plan for a Thursday advisory panel confab.

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Inhaled antibody drug for COVID-19 clears coronavirus in animals

An inhaled neutralizing antibody cleared the novel coronavirus from infected hamsters at a far lower dose compared with other experimental monoclonal antibodies. The drug is now being developed by Aridis Pharmaceuticals and could offer a self-administered option for COVID-19 if it succeeds in human testing.

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Biopharma roundup: AstraZeneca's US trial could restart this week

AstraZeneca's U.S. trial could resume this week, Reuters reports. Sinovac's shot proved safe after two doses, early phase 3 data showed. The FDA will set a "level playing field" for vaccine reviews at Thursday's AdComm confab. And Black Americans have grown more skeptical of a shot, The Harris Poll found.

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Cigna, MDLive team up to offer virtual wellness exams

Cigna and MDLive have joined forces to offer virtual wellness exams with the hope that these visits will serve as an on-ramp for patients who rarely interact with the healthcare system.

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Black Americans more skeptical than ever about COVID-19 vaccine: Harris Poll

Black Americans’ confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is plummeting. Only 43% of Black Americans now say they will get a vaccine once it's available, down 22 percentage points since August, The Harris Poll found.

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CMS: Average ACA plan premiums to drop by 2% in 2021 as more insurers join exchanges

The premiums for benchmark plans sold on the ACA's exchanges via HealthCare.gov are expected to decline by 2% in 2021 and more insurers are expected to sell plans, a new report finds.

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COVID-19 vaccine biotech Vaccitech nabs Pfizer, Kite vet as full-time CMO

The biotech behind AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s late-stage pandemic vaccine has hired Margaret (Meg) Marshall, M.D., as its new chief medical officer.

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