Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: November 10, 2020

FDA News Release

• For Immediate Release: November 10, 2020

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• On November 12, the FDA will host a virtual FDA Grand Rounds: Facial Coverings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: How well do they flatten the curve? This presentation provides an overview of the FDA’s research to evaluate the ability of facial coverings to reduce the spread of infection and how the FDA is developing a comprehensive risk-assessment tool to predict the probability of infection with individuals wearing a non-surgical face mask or cloth face covering; given the characteristics of non-surgical face masks, the population, and the pathogen. This presentation discusses how the filtration and leakage performance of cloth face coverings, using both experimental and computational methods, input into a risk assessment model that the FDA recently developed and is currently calibrating for COVID-19.
• Testing updates:
  • As of today, 288 tests are authorized by the FDA under EUAs; these include 223 molecular tests, 58 antibody tests, and 7 antigen tests.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.