Harris, Pence square off on Covid-19 vaccines in VP debate

Sen. Kamala Harris of California doubled down on her Covid-19 vaccine stance during last night’s vice presidential debate, reiterating that she’d trust Anthony Fauci when it comes to vaccine safety — but not President Trump. Vice President Mike Pence was quick to retort, calling her stance “unconscionable” and requesting that she “please stop undermining confidence in a vaccine.”

The pandemic, as usual, was front and center throughout the debate’s first half-hour. Harris savaged the Trump administration’s chaotic pandemic response, and the recent White House event at which maskless, tightly packed attendees appear to have seeded a significant Covid-19 outbreak that may have sickened Trump himself. Harris also touted the Biden campaign’s pandemic approach, including a plan for mass testing and contact-tracing and, eventually, vaccine distribution. Pence touted the government’s mobilization on protective gear and tests — largely ignoring mass testing delays and equipment shortages that have hampered the pandemic response nationwide.

New NCI network to scale up the NIH's Covid-19 antibody testing capacity

The National Cancer Institute today is officially launching its Serological Sciences Network for Covid-19, abbreviated SeroNet, to scale up the NIH's antibody testing capacity. The agency will announce grants to researchers to study how the immune system responds to Covid-19, to then use that information to develop blood-based tests, as well as treatments and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2. It will also designate several Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence, each of which will carry out two to three projects that delve into understanding immune responses to Covid-19. In all, more than two dozen universities and institutions will be involved in SeroNet, which was established through a $306 million directive from Congress “to develop, validate, improve, and implement serological testing and associated technologies.”

New report estimates that stillbirth happens once every 16 seconds

Nearly 2 million babies — or one every 16 seconds — are stillborn every year, according to a new joint report from the WHO, UNICEF, and two other global organizations. The vast majority of these births — where there is no sign of life at or beyond 28 weeks of pregnancy — occur in lower middle- and low-income countries. In 2019, 75% of stillbirths were in sub-Saharan Africa or Southern Asia. Most stillbirths occur due to poor-quality or lack of timely care during or before pregnancy, the report finds, including 40% that occur during labor. The report also warns that Covid-19 could exacerbate the situation: A 50% reduction in health services for pregnant women as a result of the pandemic could mean nearly 200,000 additional stillbirths over a year's time in nearly 120 lower middle- and low-income countries.

Inside STAT: How the basic research discovery of CRISPR changed science and led to a Nobel

A RESEARCHER USES CRISPR ON CELLS IN A PETRI DISH WHILE OBSERVING THE PROCESS THROUGH A MICROSCOPE. (GREGOR FISCHER/AP)

When Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna first discovered the genome editing complex known as CRISPR-Cas9, little did they intend for this now Nobel Prize-winning work to have such widespread implications. Their work began humbly as an inquiry into bacterial immune systems, but the discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme as a type of molecular scissor meant that the pair had found a highly precise and efficient way to manipulate the genetic code of living beings than previous methods like zinc fingers. Since then, the technology has served as a "toolbox" for other labs and companies, who are now developing therapies for inherited diseases like sickle cell but also non-hereditary conditions such as HIV. “It’s really a poster child for the value of basic research,” one expert tells STAT's Andrew Joseph. STAT Plus subscribers can read more here.

Life expectancy gaps have widened in the past 40 years

Disparities in life expectancy due to where one lives have increased since 1980, according to a new AARP report, further underscoring how geographic differences can exacerbate racial and health inequalities in the U.S. Those born that year in the U.S. county with the highest life expectancy could expect to live an additional 18 years compared to those born in the county with the lowest life expectancy. Among those who turned 50 that year, geography contributed to an additional 11 years for those in the highest life expectancy area. In 2014, however, the life expectancy gap at birth widened to 20 years, and at age 50 to 15 years. In 2008, majority Black counties reached the same life expectancy at age 50 as the 1980 expectancy for counties with fewer than 5% Black people, but the pandemic — with job losses and disproportionate Covid-19 deaths among Black individuals — threatens to reverse this progress, the report warns.

Majority of U.S. adults are likely to get a flu shot this year, survey finds

A new survey from pharmacy giant Walgreens finds that 75% of people surveyed said they will definitely or probably get a flu shot this year. The survey, which collected responses from more than 2,000 U.S. adults at the beginning of August, also found that just over half of people said they were likelier to get a flu shot this year because of Covid-19. But a fair number of people still seem to be misinformed about the flu shot: 30% mistakenly believe that the flu shot can give them the flu, for instance, while the same proportion falsely believe that taking antibiotics will stave off influenza. Only 25% of Black and Hispanic adults said they plan to get a flu shot this year even though these groups are at greater risk for flu and have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

What to read around the web today

Doctor accused of unnecessary operations ‘left a trail’ in local community. Prism
In the U.S., states — not science — decide what counts as a coronavirus outbreak. The Washington Post
Dubious alternative Lyme treatments are killing patients. Bloomberg Businessweek
Trump’s treatment puts a spotlight on Regeneron, and the pugnacious pair who run it. STAT Plus
Hard-hit Peru’s costly bet on cheap COVID-19 antibody tests. Associated Press