Dr. Fauci hasn’t figured out what he’s doing for the holidays yet

Hello,

Boy, what a week it’s been. I don’t know about you, but much of my waking time is spent thinking about the vaccine trials that are underway, what results we might get, and when life might start to feel fully “normal.”

We’ll get into everything we’ve learned about the vaccine race in just a few, but if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe here for your daily dose of healthcare news from the Business Insider team.  

Dr. Fauci hasn’t figured out what he’s doing for the holidays yet

This week, Insider senior health and science reporter Hilary Brueck had a conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

She packed a lot into a quick video conversation, diving into everything from:

• Why planning weddings and parties for 2022 is 'a pretty good bet', according to Fauci (Definitely read this story, if only for the image of Fauci as a wedding cake topper) 
• The 3 best things 'to keep your immune system working optimally' — and they cost nothing
• ... and how he's not sure yet what he's going to do to stay sane this winter (same here, to be honest).

Read the full interview here>>

The Fauci interview: How to 'keep your immune system working optimally,' gather safely, and get by until summer 2022

We're still aiming to know whether coronavirus vaccines work this fall

I feel like I've aged a decade since last Friday's update on the state of the coronavirus vaccine race. 

On Saturday, the UK-based AstraZeneca vaccine trial resumed, though the US one is still on pause. 

This week, Pfizer execs also doubled down on the company's assertion that we'll know whether its vaccine works by Halloween. 

During its investor day, Andrew Dunn reports, the pharma giant shared updates on its trial, and what safety data it'll take to get emergency authorization of the vaccine. 

To be sure, getting data by Halloween is a tough timeline many experts don't think is feasible.

JPMorgan analysts for instance ran 10,000 simulations to get a sense of when we might know when a vaccine might work. They found there's a "low probability" of having coronavirus vaccine data in October.

Moderna's got its eyes set on having data by November. Moderna slowed down its trial and even closed some trial locations to ensure diversity in the study, CEO Stéphane Bancel told Andrew. 

(Bancel also told Andrew that Moderna wants to make a flu vaccine, maybe even a shot that combines protection against the flu and coronavirus)

There was so much vaccine news, you might have missed that Eli Lilly came out with its first human data on a new antibody drug to treat COVID-19. Lilly said on Wednesday that the treatment showed promising results.

Read more about antibody drugs and why they could be key to fighting the pandemic here>>

In the meantime, the US government is laying out plans to get the vaccine to Americans once there's one (0r more) that works. 

At a Senate subcommittee hearing, CDC director Robert Redfield said most Americans likely won't get vaccinated until the late Spring or Summer of next year, Aria Bendix reports.  

Regardless of when a vaccine comes, top health officials have a plan in hand, which includes details on who will get it first, when people will expect to get their second shots, how the US will track where the vaccine is going, and more.

Kimberly Leonard took a look at the whole playbook.

Read her full story here>>

The US just laid out a 57-page playbook to get free coronavirus vaccines to every American. Here are the 5 crucial takeaways.

Virtual care companies are changing where we go to the doctor for check-ups and testing

It was a big week in digital health, as telehealth company American Well made its public-market debut on Thursday.

The company soared to a $5 billion valuation after its first day of trading, closing 28% higher from where it had priced the night before. 

It's another reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is changing the way Americans get involved with their healthcare. People are opting to go online for doctor's appointments, find ways to get tested at home, and monitor their health from devices like the Apple Watch. 

Blake Dodge has been following this shift since joining us in March. 

This week, she got the inside story of how Vault Health, a men's health startup that was just taking off right before the pandemic, became a key testing partner for 61 universities, SpaceX, and the NBA. 

Vault provides places like universities with at-home coronavirus tests, with the hopes of catching cases before students come to campus. 

You can read the full story here.

She also covered some of the healthcare developments announced at Apple's event this week. 

The new feature on the Apple Watch that monitors the wearer's blood oxygen levels and the launch of a new fitness service suggest Apple's going deeper into the $3.6 trillion healthcare system.

Blake also kept close tabs on Amwell's initial public offering, pinpointing the investors who stood to make the most as the company went public. The list includes generic drugmaker Teva and co-CEOs Roy and Ido Schoenberg. 

Read the full story here>>

Telehealth company Amwell surged to a $5 billion valuation in its IPO. Here are the investors and execs who stand to make the most.

10 healthcare stocks to buy, according to Morgan Stanley

I'll leave you with some news you can use.

This week, Morgan Stanley came out with a list of the 10 healthcare stocks to buy as we head into an election and a winter with the coronavirus pandemic.

The list includes everything from healthcare giants like UnitedHealth Group to newer entrants like 10x Genomics. 

Read the full story>>

Morgan Stanley handpicked the 10 best healthcare stocks to buy now as investors brace for a major election and the potential for another coronavirus surge

Hope you all have good weekends and a happy new year for those who celebrate!

See you next week! In the meantime, you can reach me at [email protected] and the whole healthcare team at [email protected]. 

- Lydia