WASHINGTON –The first coronavirus vaccine tested in the U.S, developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health, has shown hoped-for results and is now ready for key final testing, the most important step to determine if it’s effective and safe, in about two weeks. Researchers reported Tuesday (July 14th) that the first 45 volunteers who were injected with the experimental vaccine developed antibodies at levels comparable to people who’d survived a case of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told AP, “No matter how you slice this, this is good news.” It’s hoped that results of the final testing will be available by the end of the year. 

Meanwhile, Florida passed its daily record for coronavirus deaths yesterday, reporting 132 and raising the state’s seven-day average to 81 deaths per day, more than double what it was two weeks ago, and bringing it to the second-highest in the U.S., behind only Texas. In Arizona, another coronavirus hot spot, the state reported a record number of hospitalized coronavirus patients, 3,517, and an additional 92 deaths. There have been more than 136,400 deaths in the U.S. as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University’s count, and more than 3,431,000 confirmed cases.

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire have introduced a bill that would help spouses of active-duty service members save for retirement by expanding access to employer-sponsored retirement plans. Collins and Hassan said the economic and health effects of the coronavirus pandemic pose an additional threat to saving for retirement, and military spouses face another hurdle. When military service members experience a permanent change of station move, their spouses often relocate with them, putting their own careers on hold. Under the Military Spouse Retirement Security Act, small employers, those with 100 workers or fewer, would be eligible for a tax credit up to $500 per year per military spouse.

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FILE – In this Thursday, May 7, 2020 file photo, a pregnant woman wearing a face mask and gloves holds her belly as she waits in line for groceries at a food pantry. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

MILAN, Italy (AP) — A small study strengthens evidence that a pregnant woman infected with the coronavirus might be able to spread it to her fetus. Researchers from Italy said Thursday that they studied 31 women with COVID-19 who delivered babies in March and April. They found signs of the virus in several samples of umbilical cord blood, the placenta and, in one case, breast milk. Doctors say women shouldn’t panic. This doesn’t mean there’s viable virus in those places and it’s too soon to change care. But, they say, it shows the need for pregnant women to wear masks and avoid infection.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. government will issue guidance encouraging front-line health care workers to reuse personal protective equipment. Pence said at a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Wednesday that PPE supplies remain “very strong.” But he says the Trump administration will be encouraging healthcare workers “to use some of the best practices” to “preserve and reuse” face masks and other protective equipment. Pence pointed to flattening rates of positive coronavirus tests in the hard-hit states and called for Americans to “keep doing what you’re doing.” But the head of the White House task force says states that have seen a recent spike in cases need to do clamp down on gatherings.

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In this Nov. 30, 2016 file photo, Charlie Daniels appears at the Charlie Daniels 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam in Nashville, Tenn. Daniels who had a hit with “Devil Went Down to Georgia” has died at age 83. A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday due to a hemorrhagic stroke. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)