Hello,
Phew, how is it only Tuesday!
Yesterday was another busy day of understanding how President Donald Trump is faring with COVID-19, which became trickier when his doctor wouldn’t disclose certain details (Kimberly Leonard and Aylin Woodward explain why here). Plus, the CDC finally recognized that the coronavirus can travel further than 6 feet in poorly-ventilated spaces.
And — Clover Health is going public via Chamath Palihapitiya’s SPAC, valuing the Medicare Advantage startup at $3.7 billion. The news comes on the heels of another massive funding round for rival Bright Health, and reports that Oscar Health is looking to go public in 2021.
Read all about the health insurance startups’ financials here.
Also today in healthcare news: It's unclear whether Trump is being overtreated or is more seriously ill than folks are letting on, meet the rising stars of healthcare VC, and drugmakers are working to recruit more Black Americans to COVID-19 vaccine trials.
Susan Walsh/AP Photo
'That makes no sense': Doctors say Trump is either getting overtreated for the coronavirus, which could be risky, or is more seriously ill than we know
- President Donald Trump was given several treatments soon after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
- One of those treatments, the steroid dexamethasone, is usually reserved for seriously ill patients.
- Experts told Business Insider that giving Trump that steroid suggests either that he's being overtreated for a mild case of COVID-19 or that he could be more ill than his team is letting on.
RISING STARS: Meet the 16 up-and-coming investors changing the face of healthcare in the US
- Healthcare startups have been among the hottest venture deals in Silicon Valley as the coronavirus pandemic catalyzed massive shifts in the historically slow-to-move industry.
- Although many investors are still working remotely, young firm employees are typically tasked with meeting with founders and finding the companies that they think could become the next "unicorn."
- These 16 investors have already made names for themselves by investing in top healthcare startups like Ro and Modern Health.
Read the full list from Megan Hernbroth here>>
Siphiwe Sibeko/Pool via AP
Drug companies are recruiting Black Americans to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials, trying to break down decades of mistrust
- Black Americans have been affected by the coronavirus at a disproportionate rate, but many have been wary to participate in vaccine trials.
- The mistrust, experts told Insider, stems from decades of medical experimentation on Black Americans.
- At least two pharmaceutical companies developing vaccines — Moderna and Pfizer — have been trying to recruit more Black participants in their trials.
- Some HBCUs, including Dillard University and Xavier University of Louisiana, have asked their own communities to consider enrollment in trials as well.
Read the full story from Taylor Ardrey here>>
More stories we're reading:
- The Nobel Prize in medicine went to three scientists who discovered the hepatitis C virus (Stat News)
- Europe's drugs regulator speeds up the approval process for Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine (Business Insider)
- Tracking the GOP and White House members who've tested positive for COVID-19 (Axios)
- Meet the 15 leaders at Microsoft shaping the tech giant's growing healthcare ambitions (Business Insider)
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- Lydia