More Than 1, 800 Die In US In 24 Hours, Death Toll Rises To 12, 878
Pharma firms step up their efforts to fight virus
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is causing the COVID-19 disease, is spreading from person to person and putting significant strain on health care systems around the world. Pharmaceutical companies and research facilities are working hard to not only develop new drugs but to also test existing ones to find out if they can be used in the fight against the pandemic. Abbvie has supplied its brand name drug Actemra/RoActemra to clinical trials, while Roche is studying the efficacy of its branded drug Kaletra/Aluvia.
Vaccine a step closer thanks to research groups
Chinese authorities shared the genetic sequence to the novel coronavirus in January 2020, allowing research groups to study how it invades human cells. The surface of the virus is covered with spike proteins, which enable it to bind to human cells. Once attached, the virus can enter the cells and start to make people ill. The spikes are of particular interest to drug manufacturers because they may hold the key to preventing viral entry.
Death rates from coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States as of April 7, 2020, by state (per 100,000 people)*
| New York | 24 |
| Louisiana | 11 |
| New Jersey | 11 |
| Michigan | 7 |
| Connecticut | 6 |
| Washington | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 4 |
| District of Columbia | 4 |
| Vermont | 4 |
| Georgia | 3 |
| Colorado | 3 |
| Rhode Island | 3 |
| Maryland | 2 |
| Indiana | 2 |
| Nevada | 2 |
| Mississippi | 2 |
| Guam | 2 |
| Illinois | 2 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 2 |
| Delaware | 2 |
| Hawaii * | 1 |
| New Mexico * | 1 |
| North Carolina * | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Idaho * | 1 |
| Missouri * | 1 |
| Arizona * | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
| Virginia * | 1 |
| Iowa * | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| West Virginia * | 1 |
| Kansas * | 1 |
| Nebraska * | 1 |
| Texas * | 1 |
| Arkansas * | 1 |
| New Hampshire * | 1 |
| South Dakota * | 1 |
| Puerto Rico * | 1 |
| California * | 1 |
| Utah * | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
| Alaska * | 1 |
| South Carolina * | 1 |
| Tennessee * | 1 |
| Virgin Islands * | 1 |
| Montana * | 1 |
| Minnesota * | 1 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Maine * | 1 |
| Oregon * | 1 |
| Kentucky | 1 |
| North Dakota * | 1 |
| Wyoming | 0 |
