Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize the emergency use of an antibody treatment to prevent COVID-19.

WASHINGTON – U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental drug from Eli Lilly for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. Early results suggest the drug, called bamlanivimab, may help clear the coronavirus sooner and possibly cut hospitalizations in people with mild to moderate COVID-19. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. also has asked for emergency authorization for an antibody drug it is testing, the one Trump received. FDA regulators authorized the Lilly drug using their emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs and other medical products during public health crises.

The safety and effectiveness of Regeneron’s antibody treatment have not yet been proven. Regeneron announced Wednesday that it has submitted an Emergency Use Authorization request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 antibody treatment. The company says that if the drug is approved, the government has committed to making the drug available to Americans at no cost. Trump has explicitly that he would like to make the drug available and free for everyone. Regeneron says they currently have doses of the drug available for about 50,000 patients and expect to have enough for 300,000 patients within the coming months.

University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19. The man had mild symptoms the first time and none the second time; his more recent infection was detected through screening and testing at the Hong Kong airport. It shows that some people do not have lifelong immunity to the virus if they've already had it, To said. If there is a reinfection, it suggests the possibility there was residual immunity ... that helped protect the patient from getting sick again, Goodman said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education.

Experts are eager to know the real number of COVID-19 cases in Africa, as confirmed cases and deaths have been relatively low on the continent of 1.3 billion people. Thats while Mozambique has just 2,481 confirmed virus cases. The new continent-wide antibodies study will include all African countries, but the ones showing interest to start in the coming weeks are Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria and Morocco, Nkengasong said. The Mozambique antibodies surveys detected the virus in all neighborhoods in Nampula and Pemba, National Institute of Health director Ilesh Jani told reporters. The country has more than 28,000 confirmed cases.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – With testing for active coronavirus becoming more readily available, there’s a new push for antibody testing as well. Cities, organizations and employers can request the team to visit; Wednesday they were in Sterling Heights testing essential workers. “What this testing will do is give us a better sense of how many people have been infected by the virus,” said Sterling Heights mayor Michael Taylor. “Maybe there’s an ability to donate blood and plasma to help other people if we were exposed to it,” he said. Again, this testing is being done and paid for by the Wayne State Physicians Group, ACCESS and Ford.

NORTHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – There’s a lot we don’t know about antibody testing, but one community has decided there’s value in moving forward by testing first responders. First responders still want to be tested and hope that data can lead to more solid answers. Hundreds of first responders were tested for antibodiesBeing tested for coronavirus antibodies at Ward Church in Northville Township on Six Mile Road. "So when this developed, we said we’re in.”These types of antibody testing is occurring all over Metro Detroit. “We have platoons coming in and it makes a lot of sense to have this test," said Northville Township Supervisor Bob Nix.

First responders get tested for antibodies in Northville Township to further understand COVID-19Published: May 14, 2020, 6:30 pmThere’s a lot we don’t know about antibody testing, but one community has decided there’s value in moving forward by testing first responders.

Over the weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) worked to clarify its brief on COVID-19 “immunity passports" that first stated there was “no evidence” that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection. To clarify its stance on COVID-19 immunity, WHO said it expects most people who are infected with COVID-19 will develop an “antibody response that will provide some level of protection.”“What we don’t yet know is the level of protection or how long it will last. We are working with scientists around the world to better understand the body’s response to COVID-19 infection. Earlier today we tweeted about a new WHO scientific brief on "immunity passports". The thread caused some concern & we would like to clarify:We expect that most people who are infected with #COVID19 will develop an antibody response that will provide some level of protection.