Updates about the coronavirus are a balance between terrible, no good news and hopeful developments. Positive cases of the virus continue to grow in the U.S., with Arizona, Florida and South Carolina having the most confirmed new cases of the virus than anywhere else in the world. If you’re looking for the latest COVID-19 transmission numbers in Tennessee, check out this report from Vanderbilt’s Department of Health Policy. Meanwhile, progress continues on multiple fronts to develop treatments and therapies.

Here’s a rundown of other developments and stories related to the coronavirus:
  • The Trump administration announced they will pay $1.6 billion to Novavax to expedite the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Maryland-based company has not previously brought a product to market.
  • View this report from The New York Times about the racial inequality of cornonavirus.
  • Johnson & Johnson announced a new deal with Emergent Biosolutions to scale commercial manufacturing of a vaccine, human trials of which will begin later this month.
  • On the diagnostic front, the FDA granted emergency use authorization to Becton Dickinson for a COVID-19 antigen test.
  • Read a case for why university-supported, science-based entrepreneurship must be part of the “great reset.”