While some states continue to see progress, coronavirus cases are surging in parts of the South and West as well as in other countries. This rise comes as more cities and states reopen restaurants and businesses.

In Tennessee, reporting shows the virus is worse than at any previous point in the pandemic. According to the Tennessean, “As of Tuesday afternoon, state health data showed that 11,693 people were actively infected with the virus. This count increased nearly 80% in the past month and is now six times higher than it was in late March when [Governor] Lee closed businesses and ordered residents to stay home.” Widespread testing can explain some of this rise, but it is important to note that “deaths and hospitalizations caused by the virus have risen 20% and 30%, respectively.”

Here’s a rundown of developments and stories related to the coronavirus from the last week:
  • Franklin, TN-based Enexor Health Systems announced that the FDA has granted an Emergency Use Authorization for the immediate delivery and use of its X-VENT ventilator.
  • A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a pair of bills that would prohibit drug makers from price gouging and also require all taxpayer-funded COVID-19 research to be recorded in a federal database.
  • Insurers are not required to cover COVID-19 tests that employers may mandate as they bring employees back to work, according to guidance released Tuesday by the Trump administration.
  • Sanofi is accelerating its clinical trials and broadening a partnership to develop a vaccine and get it out to market.
  • This week Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it has received $71 million from the US Department of Defense to scale up production of the company’s devices that are used to administer its experimental COVID-19 vaccine into the skin.
  • Drs. Scott Gottlieb and Mark McClellan penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal comparing the current US clinical trial protocols to the UK Recovery trial design.