GAO to Probe CDC, FDA Meddling; Vax Challenge Trial Slated; Syringe Stockpile Set

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The Government Accountability Office will investigate alleged political meddling at the CDC and FDA after Senate Democrats requested it. (Politico)

After President Trump attacked Anthony Fauci, MD, on a campaign conference call, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) came to the longtime NIAID director’s defense, saying the U.S. would have fewer cases if Americans had “paid attention to his advice.” (NBC News)

As of 8:00 a.m. ET Tuesday, the estimated U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 8,215,605 cases and 220,134 deaths — up 59,711 and 455, respectively, since the same time Monday.

It’s official: Britain will launch a COVID vaccine challenge trial, though which product to be tested wasn’t revealed. (CNBC)

The Trump administration is sitting on $9 billion allocated for testing at the insistence of Trump adviser Scott Atlas, MD. (The Washington Post)

A Wisconsin judge reinstated the governor’s order to restrict indoor gatherings, days after courts had blocked it. Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her state can’t handle a surge in cases there. (Reuters)

Hundreds of infections in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Montana were tied to the giant Sturgis motorcycle rally in August. (The Washington Post)

The Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Ad Council are launching a new campaign amid the third wave: “Mask Up, America.”

Another survey shows the public, and particularly Black Americans, are growing less willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as one is available. (STAT)

States now have plans to distribute the vaccines but still don’t have the federal dollars needed to carry them out, state health officials complained. (CNN)

Plus, the intense refrigeration needed to store many of the vaccines in development is unavailable in many poor regions, leaving 3 billion people without access. (AP News)

UNICEF plans to stockpile 520 million syringes this year to alleviate pressure on the market once a product is rolled out. (NPR)

In California, several large hospitals systems denied coronavirus transfers based on patients’ insurance status, putting profit over pandemic relief. (The Wall Street Journal)

A Texas teenager earned a $25,000 science prize for a theoretical concept that might lead to an effective COVID-19 therapy. (CNN)

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