Health Headlines - 8-17-20

In today's health headlines we talk about how more than 44,000 volunteered to be infected with the COVID-19 virus to test vaccines.

There's a new drug on the radar of President Trump for fighting the Coronavirus.

The FDA approved a saliva test for COVID-19.

WOULD YOU VOLUNTEER TO BEDELIBERIATELY INFECTED WITHCORONAVIRUS...IF IT WOULD SPEEDUP RESEARCH INTO A VACCINE?MORE THAN 30 THOUSAND PEOPLEAROUND THE WORLD..

SAID YES.AS RAF SAN-CHEZ TELLS US... "ONEDAY SOONER" CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEERSARE DILBERATELYALLOWING THEMSELVES TO BEINFECTED WITH THE VIRUS ...TOTEST HOW EFFECT A VACCINEIS.MORE THAN 30,000 PEOPLEWORLDWIDE HAVE AGREED TO WHATMANY WOULD CONSIDER UNTHINKABLE:TOBE DELIBERATELY INFECTED WITHCORONAVIRUS.THEIR AIM IS TO HELP SPEED UPRESEARCH INTO A VACCINE.18 YEAR-OLD-ALASTAIR FROM THEU-K IS ONE OF THEM.16-:25S/ ALASTAIR FRASER-URQUHART /VACCINE TRIAL VOLUNTEER"I DON'T THINK THAT THOSE RISKSAND THAT WORRY IS SOMETHINGTHAT'S GOING TO STOP ME BECAUSEIKNOW WHAT I'M DOING AND I KNOWWHY I'M DOING IT."MORE THAN 160 COVID VACCINES AREIN DEVELOPMENT BUT ONLY AHANDFUL ARE IN PHASETHREE READY FOR LARGE-SCALETESTING.RUSSIA THIS WEEK APPROVED AVACCINE - BUT WITHOUT GOINGTHROUGH PHASE III TESTS STANDARDIN THE WEST.SCIENTISTS USUALLY ONLY KNOW IFA VACCINE WORKS BY WAITING FORVOLUNTEERS TO CATCH THEVIRUS NATURALLY.THAT CAN TAKE MONTHS, EVENYEARS.BUT THERE'S ANOTHER, MORECONTROVERSIAL PATH--"HUMANCHALLENGE TRIALS" WHERESCIENTISTSINFECT VOLUNTEERS WITH THE VIRUSON PURPOSE.RESULTS CAN BE FASTER, BUT THESTAKES ARE HIGH.1:03- 1:10"NONE OF THE RESEARCH LABSRACING FOR A COVID VACCINE HAVESTARTED HUMAN CHALLENGE TRIALSYET, BUT SCIENTISTS HERE ATOXFORD - WHICH HAS ONE OF THEMOST ADVANCED VACCINE PROGRAMSIN THEWORLD - SAY THEY COULD PLAY ACRUCIAL ROLE IN SPEEDING UP THISPROCESS."1:16-1:33S/ DR. JEFFREY KAHN / JOHNSHOPKINS BERMAN INSTITUTE OFBIOETHICS"DESPERATE TIMES MAY LEAD US TOTHINK ABOUT CUTTING CORNERS.

BUTTHERE ARE REASONS THATHUMAN CHALLENGE TRIALS HAVE BEENSET UP IN A WAY THAT UNDERNORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY'RECARRIED OUT, WHICH MEANS WE HAVETO HAVE EITHER A RESCUE THERAPY,OR IT'S KNOWN TO BE A SELF-LIMITING ILLNESS OR DISEASE."VOLUNTEERS LIKE ALASTAIR AREPART OF THE "ONE DAY SOONER"CAMPAIGN.BACKED BY NOBEL LAUREATES ANDWORLD- LEADING SCIENTISTS, THEIRMESSAGE IS CLEAR: IF AVACCINE CAN BE FOUND EVEN ONEDAY SOONER, IT WOULD SAVETHOUSANDS OF LIVES.SCIENTISTS ARE DIVIDED OVER HOWTO TRIAL A CORONAVIRUS VACCINE.ONE THING IS NOT IN QUESTIONTHIS PANDEMIC ONLY ENDS WHENTHEY SUCCEED.THERE'S A NEW DRUG ON THEPRESIDENT'S RADAR IN THE FIGHTAGAINST CORONAVIRUS.MY PILLOW CREATOR... MIKELIN-DELL ...CLAIMS PRESIDENTTRUMP IS QUOTE "ENTHUSIASTIC"OVER THE UNPROVEN CORONAVIRUSTHERAPEUTIC OLEANDRIN.IT'S AN EXTRACT FROM A HIGHLYTOXIC PLANT.LIN-DELL SAYS HE AND PRESIDENTTRUMP TALKED ABOUT IT IN AMEETING LAST MONTH.THE PRESIDENT TOLD REPORTERSTODAY... HE HAS HEARD OF THEDRUG... BUT WOULDN'TSAY IF HE ENDORSES ITS USE.THE F-D-A HAS AUTHORIZED THEEMERGENCY USE OF A CORONAVIRUSTESTTHAT USES SALIVA.THE YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTHDEVELOPED THE TEST WHICH DOESNOT USECHEMICAL RE-AGENTS.... USED INNASAL SWAB TESTS.THE TEST... CALLEDSALIVA-DIRECT... IS ALREADYBEING USED ON N-B-A PLAYERS ANDSTAFF.RESEARCHERS PLAN TO MAKE THEPROTOCOL AVAILABLE TO OTHER LABSAROUND THE U-S... AND EXPECT THECHARGE TO BE ABOUT TEN DOLLARSPER SAMPLE.YALE HAS SAID THE TEST'SACCURACY IS SIMILAR TO NASALSWAB TESTS ...THOUGH THA