Spotlight on Health Headlines
H ealth and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar told CNBC in a recent interview that AstraZeneca’s late-stage coronavirus vaccine trial in the U.S. remains on hold as federal investigators seek “answers to important ques - tions” over its safety for patients. Global clinical trials for AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, called AZD1222 were placed on hold earlier in September after one of the participants in the U.K. reported a serious adverse reaction. The United States has been racing to develop, manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine in record time as part of the Trump administra- tion’s Operation Warp Speed, a partnership between federal agencies, including HHS, the FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense. JOHNSON & JOHNSON ENTERS LATE-STAGE TRIAL CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TESTING J ohnson & Johnson advised it has begun its phase three trial testing its potential coro- navirus vaccine. They along with other drug makers Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca have been given the thumbs up by the Trump admin - istration’s Covid-19 vaccine program Operation Warp Speed to enter late-stage testing. The trial will enroll up to 60,000 adult volunteers across 215 locations in the U.S. and other coun - tries, according to the National Institute of Aller- gy and Infectious Diseases. Participants will be randomly selected to receive a dose of the po - tential vaccine or a placebo, according to details of the trial, which will determine whether the vac - cine is safe and effective. ASTRAZENECA CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TRIAL REMAINS ON HOLD
CANADA-US BORDER CLOSURE EXTENDED
C anada announced that its southern border will remain closed for non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. until at least October 21, 2020, in a continuing effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means that United States citizens can only travel to Canada for an essential reason. Essen - tial travel includes trade shipments through railways and trucks as well as people crossing the border to carry out essential work. This is now the sixth extension to the border closure between the two countries.
CANADA’S MANDATORY QUARANTINE ORDER CONTINUES
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he pandemic created a slate of challenges for cosmetics companies, like Ulta Beauty, as brick-and-mortar stores were shut earli- er this year to stave off the spread of the novel coronavirus. The store closures depleted sales as people self isolated. Ulta locations were shut down in March howev - er, with a change in focus, rolled out curbside pickup in certain stores a month later. The company began reopening stores in May until all locations were back in action by mid-Ju - ly, though operations remained limited, demand for its products has returned. After taking a pause due to the pandemic, Ulta began launching new stores again in August. The company had 30 new locations in the U.S. and Canada in the pipeline, which currently con - sists of more than 1,200 stores and the company projects it can grow that count to 1,700.
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SEPTEMBER 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2020
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