Chinese Virologist Denies Lab Leak; U.K. Delays Reopening; ‘A New Low’ for FDA

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In an interview with the New York Times, Shi Zhengli, PhD, a top virologist in China, said claims that SARS-CoV-2 originated in her lab are baseless.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson postponed the U.K.’s reopening by another month because of concerns about new coronavirus outbreaks and the fast-spreading Delta variant. (BBC News)

Pointing to the loss of almost 600,000 Americans to COVID-19, President Biden urged people who have not been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible. (The Hill)

Vermont became the first U.S. state to vaccinate 80% of its eligible population, allowing officials to drop all COVID-19 restrictions. (Burlington Free Press)

Significant disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates were seen at an Ohio health system, with lower likelihood of immunization among clinical nurses and support staff, as well as among Black and Hispanic employees overall. (Annals of Internal Medicine)

As of Tuesday at 8 a.m. EDT, the unofficial U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 33,475,299 cases and 599,960 deaths, up 13,013 cases and 191 deaths from yesterday.

A Scottish study found that the Delta variant doubled the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19. (The Lancet)

But a study based in the U.K. found that vaccines are still highly effective against the Delta strain; Pfizer’s vaccine was 96% effective, while AstraZeneca’s jab was 92% effective. (Reuters)

Anti-vaccine activists are using the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) to spread disinformation about COVID-19 immunizations. (NPR)

Aaron Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH, who resigned from FDA’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee following approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm), says the agency has “reached a new low” in a New York Times op-ed.

The CDC suspended the import of dogs from more than 100 countries, citing rabies risk. (CNN)

More mask-related violence after a dispute at a Georgia grocery store led to a shootout and the death of an employee. (CNN)

Celltrion announced positive trial results for its COVID-19 antibody therapy, stating that the drug was safe and reduced treatment duration by 5 days.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca said its monoclonal antibody cocktail failed to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 in people recently exposed to the virus.

Former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, will join Flagship Pioneering, a venture capital firm that backed Moderna. (Endpoints News)

Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s top international news anchor, announced that she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. (CNN)

A resident at the University of Wisconsin will be the first doctor in the country to complete a residency program in rural ob/gyn when she graduates this month. (Wisconsin State Journal)

The Vatican warned bishops in the U.S. not to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights, but the bishops have forced a debate anyway. (New York Times)